Fourth World, Land of Fire, on a street in a posting station town.
"Sasuke, someone is pursuing us at very high speed."
Karin #4 nudged her glasses up, her expression slightly flustered. "Two people, extremely strong chakra. One of them—"
She hesitated a bit and continued:
"One of them has chakra very similar to yours. The other is similar to Uzumaki Naruto's."
Sasuke #4, dressed in a black robe, wore a grim expression. He paused briefly in his steps, then quickened his pace. Images of the terrain near the posting station flashed in his mind, and he took a slight detour:
"Suigetsu, Jūgo, Karin—prepare for battle."
Are they from the Akatsuki? Or from Konoha? he thought, but quickly set that aside to focus on a potential fight.
Soon, the four of them stopped atop a hill.
"Sasuke, they're so fast, they've just—"
Karin #4 didn't finish her words before seeing those two familiar yet unfamiliar chakras arrive in the vicinity, standing on the branches of a tree.
"Another…Sasuke?"
she murmured.
Suigetsu, who was carrying the Decapitating Airwave Sword, looked thoroughly intrigued:
"Hey, hey, hey! What am I seeing here? Which of you two's the real deal?"
Jūgo rubbed his forehead. Though the two Sasukes' chakras felt very similar, the aura the newcomer gave off was quite different—strangely warmer.
A clone, or…?
Sasuke #4 fixed a cold gaze on the pair from the Main World. He refused to believe that the other "Naruto-looking" guy was the friend he'd encountered earlier.
"So this is the battlefield you chose?"
Wearing a white kimono and an easy smile, Sasuke (Main World) looked quite a contrast compared to his other self. His tone was relaxed:
"Come back with us. Orochimaru is still inside your body."
The "Hermit Purple" snapshot only showed a vague silhouette behind him. Orochimaru's figure was elongated, and below were Sasuke's grim, hate-filled face and the stern-looking Mitarashi Anko.
It wasn't much to go on.
As for Kabuto, they had even less to go on. The snapshot showed him in a dimly lit lab, lying on a sickbed, face full of zeal while transfusing blood into himself. That gave almost no clue to his location.
Hence, the new first step: find Orochimaru, rely on that snake's sense for Linck's chakra to locate him—or stake out Ryūchi Cave. After all, Orochimaru wanting to become a "dragon," to seek Senjutsu, must eventually go there, or else who knew which base he might be holed up in?
So the target shifted to Sasuke #4 and Anko.
"Yes, come with us. We won't hurt you."
Naruto (Main World) said earnestly.
So naive, just like before… Sasuke #4's eyes flashed. The three tomoe of his Sharingan rotated, unleashing a Genjutsu. Yet in the next instant, sweat beaded all across his forehead.
What—? That pair of eyes?!
He realized the opposite "Sasuke" also had a three-tomoe Sharingan, identical to his but… that one clearly had greater mastery in illusions than he, who'd only recently absorbed Orochimaru.
"Genjutsu—coincidentally, I'm quite good at that,"
Sasuke (Main World) said with a faint smile.
"C'mon then, let me see how 'capable' you are."
He knew himself all too well. Burdened with hatred back then, Sasuke would only see sense after slamming into a figurative wall.
"Chidori!"
Lightning crackled.
…
Fourth World, Konoha Village.
"We got in successfully~!"
Sakura (Main World) flashed a V-sign, then remembered her partner was her romantic rival. Hastily she tucked away her childish gesture, stiffening her face:
"Alright, let's hurry to find Lady Tsunade."
She had used her familiarity with Konoha's Barrier Corps to easily infiltrate. Once inside, security was comparatively lax.
Karin (Main World) pushed her glasses up without expression, but inwardly felt victorious. A silly girl like that was no match for her in vying for Sasuke's affection, hmph.
They proceeded silently along an out-of-the-way training ground near the perimeter of the village, before soon emerging onto the bustling streets of Konoha.
At first, they walked without speaking. After a while, Sakura (Main World) couldn't hold it in:
"You like Sasuke too, don't you?"
Karin (Main World) paused:
"What are you trying to say?"
"Well, competing for Sasuke…" recalled Sakura, thinking of that past friend with whom she once vied for Sasuke's affections. She smiled:
"I've done that before, too."
"?"
Karin felt surprised; her hostility dropped somewhat.
Girls typically don't maintain that many walls between each other. With Sasuke not around right now, they rather quickly began chattering as they headed for the Hokage Building.
"Sakura?"
A very familiar voice rang out.
They looked up to see Kakashi #4, standing there, face serious.
At once, Sakura (Main World) sensed trouble. She mustered up her sweetest smile:
"Kakashi-sensei, a good afternoon to you~"
"You…who exactly are you?"
Kakashi #4 pressed his forehead protector aside to expose the Sharingan, his expression grave.
"You're that easy to see through, you know,"
Karin (Main World) quipped.
"So sorry about this, Kakashi-sensei."
Sakura (Main World) quickly formed a seal. In an instant, she cast a Genjutsu.
"Release!"
Kakashi #4 overcame it a second later—but by then, the two girls had disappeared. Lifting his headband fully, he revealed the Sharingan.
"Such brazen intruders?" he muttered, realizing something felt off, but gave chase into the Hokage Building.
…
Amegakure, Rain Hidden Village, inside the Akatsuki base.
"An intruder has come into the village. The chakra is immense."
The Tendo (Deva) Path of Pain, wearing Yahiko's face, suddenly looked upward:
"One is extremely strong. They've even scattered the clouds in the sky, leaving half the village uncovered. That monstrous presence—"
He paused, feeling unsettled. Over half the drizzling rain above was forcibly blown aside, replaced by the roar of huge, flapping wings.
"Konan, go lure the enemy outside the village,"
Tendo Pain said, pressing a hand to the nearby wall, forming a door-like passage. His voice sank lower:
"I'll be there soon."
Rousing his other five Pains wouldn't take long.
He stepped through the passage, disappearing into darkness.
Konan #4 instantly leapt to the window. Standing on the sill, she pushed off with one foot. With a whoosh of papers fluttering around, a pair of pure white paper wings spread behind her.
"Foosh~"
The wings flapped lightly, carrying her slender body upward into the sky. Soon she reached a height to see face to face the earthen-colored giant dragon.
She also saw the intruders—an unfamiliar boy, and… the Six-Tails Jinchūriki?
Konan #4 tilted her head. Wasn't that person captured and had his tailed beast extracted?
~~~
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