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Night had already fallen.
Sasuke still had a smile on his face, but his eyes were distant. "Naruto, should I take revenge on Konohagakure?"
Naruto turned over and lay beside Sasuke. "What did Konohagakure do wrong?"
"They manipulated my brother into destroying the Uchiha?" Sasuke said, testing Naruto's reaction.
"Hah! Didn't the Third Hokage reject that plan outright? How is that manipulation?" Naruto laughed out loud, but the movement pulled on his injured jaw, making him wince in pain. "Ouch, ouch, ouch…"
Sasuke hesitated. "Then… forcing the Uchiha into a dead end?"
"Mm… that one's a bit more valid." Naruto bared his teeth in a grin. "So, what are you planning to do for revenge?"
He turned his head to look at Sasuke. "Just so you know, if you say anything about destroying Konohagakure, I'm stopping you."
"I was thinking the same thing." Sasuke nodded seriously, turning to face Naruto. "Naruto, if I ever lose my way and decide to destroy the village… you have to stop me."
Naruto fell silent.
After a long pause, he let out a small scoff and looked up at the night sky. "You really are messed up, you know that? One second, you're debating whether or not to destroy Konohagakure, and the next, you want me to stop you if you do."
"Right now… I really do think I'm messed up." Sasuke smiled bitterly. "I just don't think this is how the Uchiha should have ended. I don't think we did anything wrong. So why did it have to come to a massacre?"
"It already happened," Naruto said quietly.
"Yeah. It already happened." Sasuke closed his eyes. "And because it happened, hatred was born. The very first thing my brother told me after I became aware of the truth was to never forget that hatred. Other than hate… I don't even know how else to face Konohagakure."
"I don't hate Konohagakure—at least not the people who had nothing to do with it. But I can't accept it. I want to do something for my clan, something to make it right." Sasuke opened his eyes. "Naruto, what should I do?"
Naruto didn't answer right away.
They just lay there on the shattered ground, staring at the sky. The silver light of the night draped over them like a thin veil.
"Go find out how this all started," Naruto suddenly said, his tone serious. "Find the people who know everything about both the Uchiha and Konohagakure. Find the ones who understand this whole mess the best. Ask them what they think."
"Who?" Sasuke turned his head.
"Why was the Uchiha pushed into a corner?" Naruto asked.
"Because of the Konohagakure Police Force…" Sasuke answered, then suddenly froze as realization struck him. "The Second Hokage!"
Naruto nodded. "And?"
He took a deep breath, his face serious. "Your father, the Third Hokage, Danzo, and that masked man—they hold the truth behind the Uchiha massacre. Find them, and they'll give you the answers you're looking for."
Sasuke frowned. "The Second Hokage was sealed away by the Third Hokage using the Reaper Death Seal. Neither of them can be brought back, and my father is already dead. So that means the only ones left to question are the masked man and Danzo?"
The Rinne Rebirth Jutsu could technically revive them, but using it would cost Sasuke his life. And since the souls of the Second and Third Hokage were sealed away, even that jutsu wouldn't be able to bring them back.
"Who says so?"
Kurama slowly landed beside them, his massive body blocking out the moonlight.
"Kurama?" Naruto's face lit up with surprise. "Are you saying you have a way to bring them back?"
Kurama grinned. "I don't have a way, but I know someone who does."
"Who?" Sasuke's expression turned serious.
"Orochimaru." Kurama spoke the name with a smirk. "Remember the forbidden jutsu he used during the attack on Konoha?"
Sasuke's eyes gleamed. "Edo Tensei!"
But Naruto frowned. "Wait, people sealed by the Reaper Death Seal can't be summoned with that jutsu, right? That's why the Third Hokage used it against Orochimaru in the first place."
Sasuke's excitement faded as quickly as it had appeared.
"That's not true." Kurama wagged a clawed finger, squinting his eyes with a sly grin. "The reason the Reaper Death Seal was thought to be unbreakable is that no one knew how to break it. But Orochimaru? He's the ninja world's greatest scientist—the only one who actually believes in science in this world full of crazy powers."
"Itachi once said that no jutsu is perfect, and the weakness of the Reaper Death Seal… is Orochimaru."
No one knew the exact origins of the jutsu, but one thing was certain: before Orochimaru figured out how to undo it, there really was no way to break it. Because no one knew how, and no one even thought to try. If everyone believed it couldn't be undone, then that was the end of it.
But Orochimaru refused to accept that. Through his research on the Uzumaki clan's ancient scrolls—
—he discovered a way to break the Reaper Death Seal. Not only did he restore his own sealed arms, but he also summoned the first four Hokage—Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Minato Namikaze—using Edo Tensei.
That moment was insane.
"Then let's go find Orochimaru right now!"
Sasuke, out of nowhere, tried to get up, struggling against his injuries.
But he was too badly hurt. Forget standing up—he probably didn't even have the strength to roll over. Naruto was in just as bad shape. That's why, when Naruto claimed victory, Sasuke didn't argue. Because deep down, he knew Naruto could still move, and he couldn't even lift a finger.
Kurama casually pressed a giant paw on Sasuke, pushing him back down like a game of Whack-a-Mole.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. Even if you could find Orochimaru, isn't the most important thing right now saving Konoha?"
Seven S-rank ninja attacking Konoha might not mean total destruction, but it was still a disaster.
"I completely forgot Konoha's under attack!" Naruto's face darkened. "Kurama, take us back. We have to stop those guys!"
"You? Like this?" Kurama rolled his eyes.
Then, before Naruto or Sasuke could say anything, Kurama suddenly chuckled.
"Besides, the ones you need to deal with aren't just in Konoha. There's one here too."
"Right, Uchiha Obito?"
Naruto and Sasuke froze, then their expressions changed in an instant.
Sasuke's face darkened. "So it really is him—Uchiha Obito."
"They actually set up an ambush for us?" Naruto clenched his fists, trying to stand up, but in the end, he could only lift his head slightly. "Where is he? Why can't I sense his chakra?"
As they spoke—
Nothing happened.
Two minutes passed.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged awkward glances and turned to Kurama. "Are you sure he's here?"
Kurama: "…"
Honestly, he wasn't too sure. He had sensed a wave of hostility, but no chakra signature. But come on—this was the perfect moment for Obito to attack.
Where the hell was he?
Did they actually go after Konoha instead?
Back when Kisame was still alive, he'd said Naruto and Sasuke were two huge threats. Wouldn't they take this chance to finish them off while they were too weak to fight back?
"He's definitely hiding here!" Kurama said seriously.
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