Which One is Real

"Bastard!!!"

Rasa had no time to think.

Admittedly, with the descent speed of those fireballs, a ninja could easily dodge them, but what about the ordinary villagers?

Those were the kin of the ninjas!

No Kage could ever fail to protect their own village.

Willingness to sacrifice one's life for the village was the prerequisite for becoming a Kage.

To put it realistically, if all the ordinary people in the village died, what would it matter if he were the Kazekage? He would be drowned in the fury of the ninjas and forced to pay with his life.

BOOM------

Rasa raised his hands high, veins bulging as he roared.

The Gold Dust buried deep beneath Sunagakure surged upward, carrying countless grains of sand to slowly form umbrella-shaped shields.

Even the giant Gold Dust hand that had been pursuing Uchiha Sora joined the defense, proving that Rasa no longer had the energy to deal with him.

Uchiha Sora gazed at Rasa for a moment, ultimately abandoning the idea of killing him.

Even with Rasa holding up the defense for Sunagakure, killing him was not something that could be done in a short amount of time.

If he didn't run now, he would never be able to leave once Chiyo and the others caught up.

Watching Uchiha Sora's retreating back, Rasa roared in frustration: "Who exactly are you!!"

Uchiha Sora paused, his golden ponytail swinging as he turned his head: "Remember me, Explosion Release: Deidara!"

"It is a name that will sooner or later resound throughout the ninja world!"

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!!!!

Countless fireballs slammed into the sand layer, erupting with massive roars.

Sparks and flames bloomed like a grand firework display offered to the one departing.

Rasa gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with endless hatred.

"De--i--da--ra!!"

"I will definitely kill you!!!"

--

--

After sprinting at full speed for an entire night, Uchiha Sora and Shisui rendezvoused at a hidden cave in the Land of Birds.

"How is he?" Shisui asked with concern, gently shaking the waking Gaara.

Uchiha Sora steadied his breathing, hands on his knees: "They shouldn't be able to catch up. I used Shadow Clones to create several decoy routes."

"To be safe, let's rest for a bit before heading back."

Shisui nodded, then looked at Gaara with a troubled expression: "Uh... Sora, he seems hungry."

Gaara's stomach had been growling for a while now.

But he didn't cry or fuss; he just watched Shisui with curious, wide eyes, and glanced at Uchiha Sora for a moment when he appeared.

He seemed to be wondering why his head stopped hurting just because someone else was holding him.

"I don't even know if he's been weaned... Forget it, mix some military rations with water and feed him that for now. It's all nutrition; it won't kill him."

Shisui shook his head with a wry smile: "What was Sunagakure thinking, sealing a Tailed Beast inside an infant?"

Uchiha Sora grinned: "Pot calling the kettle black. When we were still Konoha ninjas, the Fourth Hokage did the exact same thing."

"What... you mean?" Shisui's brow furrowed. Even though he was no longer a Konoha ninja, he still had a great deal of affection for the Fourth Hokage. How could that man have...

"We'll talk about it later. As for that, I'll wait until his life truly becomes unbearable before I snatch him away."

If Naruto could grow up happily in Konoha, Uchiha Sora didn't want to interfere, and he had even specifically warned Jiraiya about it.

This was in repayment for the care Namikaze Minato had shown him in the past.

Of course, if Naruto were to experience those things anyway... also in repayment to the Fourth, Uchiha Sora would find a way to take Naruto away.

Gaara had a sturdy stomach and showed no signs of discomfort after drinking the military ration slurry.

Once the two had rested, they headed straight toward the Land of Whirlpools.

Along the way, Shisui, unable to keep still, spoke up first.

"Sora, I've been thinking for a long time, and I finally realized the full scope of your plan for this trip."

A plan?

Shisui continued, "First, you instigated Lord Jiraiya to go to the Land of Water, creating friction between Konoha and Kirigakure."

"Then, you deliberately had Dodai send back information to ensure Kumogakure focused on Konoha's movements."

"And then!"

He grew more excited as he spoke, his tone rising, "After encountering Sasori of the Red Sands, you thought to use him to lure out the Kazekage and decisively chose to strike!"

"The most brilliant part is that we disguised ourselves as Iwagakure ninja; they will point the finger for Shukaku's disappearance at the Land of Earth!"

"With the fog created by Orochimaru earlier, they certainly won't suspect a thing."

Shisui looked at Uchiha Sora, his eyes shining, "With all five great nations in chaos, we finally have time to build up our strength. You are truly brilliant, Sora!"

"Ah... indeed, that was my layout."

"To be able to see through all this, you've made great progress, Shisui."

Uchiha Sora certainly wouldn't admit that disguising themselves as Iwagakure ninja was just a whim of his own twisted sense of humor.

He hadn't thought that far ahead when he first attacked Sasori.

But... since that's what you want to believe, then so be it.

After Shisui laid it out, Uchiha Sora realized in hindsight that he seemed to have wreaked havoc on all five great nations during this single trip.

Hmm... he would go back and lay low for a while, waiting for that teenage version of Orochimaru to come find him.

--

--

--

Land of Whirlpools.

The traces of the original ruins had vanished, replaced by a smooth, wide road leading to the newly built village.

Carriages traveled along the road at the village entrance, fully loaded with iron ore or daily supplies.

Wooden buildings were scattered in an orderly fashion on both sides of the main road, with warm light glowing through the carved window lattices.

In front of the shops, which were clearly businesses, the Uchiha clan crest flag hung alongside the shop names.

A few children laughed and chased each other, rolling through the alleyways.

Thump.

"Ouch!"

The girl running the fastest was looking at her companions behind her and didn't notice someone in front; she collided with them and tumbled to the ground.

"Sor—"

She rubbed her head and looked up, seeing a familiar face she had been searching for for a long time. Her small face immediately brimmed with joy.

"Big Brother Sora! You're back!"

Uchiha Sora bent down, placed a hand on the girl's forehead, and said coldly, "Finish your apology. Who told you to run around without looking where you were going? Don't you know how dangerous that is!"

The girl was the daughter of the dumpling shop owner, Uchiha Cho.

She stuck out her tongue, jumped up, and hugged Uchiha Sora, "I won't say it! You promised you'd come see me often, but you disappeared for so long—you're the one who should be saying sorry!"

Uchiha Sora straightened up, taking the opportunity to wrap his arms around Cho, "Is the dumpling shop open for business?"

"Mom opened it a long time ago! She said the clan leader gave her a really big shop!"

"I kept asking her where you went, but she wouldn't tell me!"

Uchiha Sora's feigned cold expression faded, and he gently stroked the red mark where the girl had fallen, "Children shouldn't concern themselves with adult matters."

Cho gestured wildly in his arms, not worried about falling at all, "I'm not a child! I asked Mom—Big Brother Sora is only five years older than me, so I can marry you!"

"Wait until you become a powerful and enchanting kunoichi before saying that."

Uchiha Sora looked around at the children, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "Let's go. My treat today—we're eating dumplings."

"Yay!!"

"I want an extra-large portion!"

"I want Big Brother Sora's special version! That one is the sweetest and most delicious, but my mom won't buy it for me!"

"Me too!"

Shisui watched Sora surrounded by the children, finding it difficult for a moment to distinguish the truth.

The villain who held tens of thousands of people hostage in Sunagakure, or the sunny boy before his eyes—which one was the real him?

Perhaps...

Both were.

Shisui lowered his eyes and smiled, following along, intending to mooch a meal as well.