"It was just a warning," Sasuke said, his voice sounding like the edge of a cold blade. The crushing pressure that filled the room vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving the air light again, though the atmosphere of panic remained.
He paused for a moment, closing his eyes slightly to stifle a pang of exhaustion that still gripped him. He needed information.
"What kind of land is this?" he asked, looking directly at Rhaenyra.
The princess, still processing what she had just witnessed, took a deep breath to regain her composure. She had never seen anything like it; not even Daemon's temper or the fury of a dragon seemed as purely lethal as that man's gaze.
"You are in Westeros," she replied, trying to maintain the firm voice of a ruler. "On the continent of the Seven Kingdoms. Specifically on Dragonstone, the seat of my house."
Sasuke processed the words. Westeros. Seven Kingdoms. None of that appeared on his maps or records. He was in another world, very different from his own—a place where the concept of shinobi and elemental nations seemed not to exist.
Rhaenyra, realizing she wouldn't get much out of him in that state and still shaken by the unconscious guard, made a decision.
"I'll leave two guards at the door until you recover and are willing to tell the truth about who you are and where you came from," she declared, though there was a note of uncertainty in her authority now.
She gestured to the other soldier, who was visibly pale and avoiding eye contact with Sasuke. "You... take this man to the barracks and bring reinforcements to the gate."
Sasuke almost let out a snort of disdain. The idea that two ordinary men armed with ordinary steel could stop him, even with his chakra still low and his body wounded, was ridiculous. If his mere murderous intent had knocked one out, they were nothing more than ants in his path.
However, he had no interest in an unnecessary massacre while he needed a place to heal.
"As you wish... Princess Rhaenyra," he said, using her title for the first time, though without any reverence in his voice.
Rhaenyra nodded stiffly and left the room, followed by the Maester and the guard who was dragging his unconscious colleague. As she crossed the corridor, she felt that the power dynamics in her house had shifted dramatically. She hadn't just rescued a man; she had brought a predator into his nest.
Rhaenyra began to walk through the damp stone corridors, the sound of her breathing still a little hurried. Beside her, Maester Gerardys kept his gaze fixed on the floor, his hands hidden in the wide sleeves of his robe, clearly disturbed.
"Gerardys," she said, stopping suddenly and turning to him. "Have you ever seen anything like this in all your years of study at the Citadel? A man taking down a trained warrior with just a look?"
The Maester shook his head, the links of his chain jingling softly. "Never, my Princess. I've read of the shadows of Asshai and the sorcerers of Qarth, but that... that wasn't a spell I could recognize. It was as if he projected his own fear into the guard's mind. It's something that defies reason."
Before he could continue, little Joffrey came running down the hall, almost tripping over his clothes, with an expression of pure indignation.
"Mom!" he exclaimed, stopping in front of her. "Jace and Luke won't let me near the new sword! Luke said it's too dangerous for me!"
Rhaenyra looked at her youngest son and felt a brief relief from the tension at the adorable pout he was making. She stroked his face tenderly. "Your brother is right, Joff. You're still too young for steel, especially steel as strange as that. Go play with your toys, little dragon."
Joffrey mumbled something unintelligible and stomped off, eliciting a forced smile from Rhaenyra. However, Maester Gerardys seized the opportunity to return to the serious matter.
"Princess... if I may be so bold, I believe you should return the sword to the man as soon as possible. Someone with such willpower will not accept being disarmed for long. Possessing his weapon could be seen as an insult, and we have seen what he is capable of without it."
Rhaenyra hesitated, remembering the coldness in Sasuke's eyes. "I fear what he might do to her, Maester. If he knocked out a guard with a glance, what would he do with a blade like that? But you're right... keeping him captive in his own rage is an even greater risk."
While the castle's politics raged outside, inside the room, the atmosphere was strangely calmer. Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed, observing the residual tremor in his hands as chakra began to flow, albeit minimally, through his channels.
He glanced at the two maids who were still there, trying not to appear terrified. Surprisingly, his voice sounded less sharp and almost relaxed when he broke the silence:
"Does this place... have a library?" he asked, looking from one to the other.
The young women exchanged glances, surprised by the sudden change in tone. "Y-yes, Ser Sasuke," replied the braver one. "Maester Gerardys oversees thousands of scrolls and books about the history of the kingdoms and lineages. It's one of the greatest in Westeros."
Sasuke nodded slightly, looking out the window. He needed to understand where he was, who these "Targaryens" were, and how far from home the portal had launched him. Knowledge in his current situation would be valuable while his body recovered its full strength.
...
Sasuke walked to the window, his steps still heavy but firm. As he leaned against the rough stone windowsill, the salty wind from the Narrow Sea hit his face. He squinted, analyzing the geography of the place: it was a volcanic island, fortified and isolated. An interesting strategic position, he admitted to himself.
Suddenly, a huge shape crossed the sky, casting a vast shadow over the courtyard below. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, a rare sign of surprise on his pale face. It was a scaly beast, with webbed wings and a long neck, emitting a roar that vibrated in its chest.
"What is that?" he asked, without taking his eyes off the creature.
Jane, the most daring maid, approached a little, though still maintaining a respectful distance. "That is Syrax, sir. Princess Rhaenyra's dragon. A symbol of her pride."
Sasuke nodded slowly. Dragons. In his world, creatures of that size were powerful summons or tailed beasts, but here they seemed to be the cornerstone of an empire. He felt a pang of curiosity, but his priority was still rest.
"I want to be alone," he declared, his voice low but unequivocal.
The maids gave a hurried bow. Jane, before leaving, looked at him one last time, her cheeks flushed. "My name is Jane, Ser Sasuke. If you need anything... food, or more bandages... just call."
Sasuke simply nodded slightly, waiting for the sound of the heavy wooden door closing and the bolt being moved from the outside.
The instant silence filled the room, Sasuke's relaxed posture vanished. His expression became somber and focused. He brought his hand to his face, covering his left eye. The Rinnegan was deactivated, drained by Momoshiki's interference and the monumental effort of the dimensional leap. He felt the organ throb, as if in a state of deep dormancy.
"I paid a high price to get out of that fight," he thought, clenching his teeth.
He rested his head against the cold wall, closing his right eye. For a brief moment, the image of a boisterous, smiling blond boy crossed his mind. Naruto. He thought of Team 7, of Sakura, and what they would be doing now that he had simply vanished off the face of the earth. The thought that the Otsutsuki could find him there was remote, but not impossible. The portal was unstable; he could be anywhere between infinite dimensions.
— Naruto... Sakura... — she whispered to the empty space in the room. — I hope you can handle them for now.
He needed to recover his chakra. He needed his sword. And, above all, he needed to understand if this world of dragons and princesses was a potential ally or just another battlefield.
....
The night at Dragon Stone was cold, broken only by the sound of waves crashing against the volcanic rocks. To any wounded prisoner, that tower would be a stone tomb, but Sasuke Uchiha was no ordinary man.
He sat down, closing his eyes to gauge the small amount of chakra that had returned to his system. It was enough for a basic technique.
— Henge — she whispered.
In a small cloud of smoke, the figure of the legendary shinobi gave way to the bent, aged form of Maester Gerardys. Sasuke moved toward the window and, defying the laws of gravity known to the men of Westeros, placed his feet on the outer wall. He descended the tower on foot, walking on the vertical stone with the stealth of a nocturnal predator.
As he touched the courtyard floor, a sharp pain in his ribs reminded him that his body wasn't ready for battle yet, but his mind was hungry for answers.
"Maester? What are you doing out here at this hour?" asked a guard, yawning as he held his spear in a relaxed manner.
"I decided to get some fresh air. That young man upstairs consumes too much energy," Sasuke replied, perfectly mimicking the old man's voice. The guard simply nodded, suspecting nothing. After all, in that world, no one knew what an "Uchiha" was.
As he walked through the fortress, observing the brutalist architecture of black stone, a voice called to him:
— Maester!
It was Jane, the maid from earlier. She seemed worried. "Can't you sleep either, sir? Do you know how Ser Sasuke is? He seems so... intense."
Sasuke, under his disguise, felt a slight unease with the title. "He's no 'Sor' Jane, go to sleep, I'll need you tomorrow," he replied curtly, leaving the confused young woman behind as he headed to the library.
Inside, the silence was absolute. Sasuke quickly flipped through scrolls and heavy books. His eyes scanned the history of Aegon's Conquest, he read about the terror caused by Balerion, the Black Dread, and descriptions of beasts like Vhagar and Vermithor. He studied King Viserys, Old King Jaehaerys, and the lineages of Houses Stark and Lannister.
"A land of weak kings and winged beasts," he thought. "Power concentrated in bloodlines, just like the shinobi clans..."
As he left, the darkness in the corridors was profound. On his way back, he spotted a small figure. It was a boy with brown hair—Lucerys, though Sasuke didn't yet know his name—carrying some objects, seemingly returning from some nocturnal escapade. Sasuke passed by him like a shadow, noticing that the guards at the next post were literally sleeping on their feet.
Rhaenyra's guards are pathetic, he scoffed mentally. If he were a real assassin, this bloodline would end tonight.
He climbed the tower again, entering through the window and undoing the transformation. As he laid down on the bed, the silence of the room seemed even greater. He now knew who his "hosts" were. He knew he was in a dragon's nest.
A throne made of swords... he thought before closing his eyes. People killing their own family for a chair.