Scene One
Cherry blossoms drifted gently down as music played. Naruto wore a neat white suit and greeted the guests while holding Hinata's hand.
All the important figures from the Five Great Nations had come to the newlyweds' wedding, and all the shinobi had gathered to celebrate. It was as if this were a grand festival for the entire Shinobi World.
Sasuke (coldly): "Have you really made up your mind? About marrying Hinata?"
Naruto: "Yeah."
Then he gazed affectionately at Hinata beside him. "I love her."
Sasuke smiled awkwardly. "I see..."
Without offering a single word of congratulations, Sasuke left the wedding. Naruto watched him go, feeling uneasy.
Scene Two
The underground base was an extremely gloomy place, one of the few secret bases Orochimaru had kept. Today, an unexpected visitor arrived.
Orochimaru: "What brings you here? Want to see if I've been working on any forbidden techniques?"
Sasuke: "That's right. Konoha ordered me to keep an eye on you. Don't think I don't know about your little schemes."
Orochimaru smiled. "I'd like to know what you think I've been researching."
Sasuke: "A Time Machine."
Orochimaru's smile faded, replaced by hostility. "As expected of Sasuke-kun. No matter where I am or what I'm researching, you always manage to find out."
Sasuke: "Don't worry. I'm not here to cause you trouble. I want to borrow your Time Machine."
Orochimaru breathed a sigh of relief. "You're already at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World. Is there really something you need a Time Machine for?"
Sasuke: "That's none of your business."
Orochimaru's eerie smile returned. "Heh heh... Sasuke-kun is as cold as ever. All right. Consider it a bribe—I'll lend you the Time Machine."
Scene Three
The ground was covered in various symbols, arranged in a regular circular pattern. The circle had a radius of at least fifty meters. It was enormous.
Orochimaru looked pleased. "What do you think, Sasuke? This is a new technique I developed. It can send you back one day into the past."
Sasuke responded warily. "Have you tested this technique?"
Orochimaru said nothing. Sasuke understood what he meant: the technique was still in development, and no one knew what would happen once it was activated.
Once fully developed, a technique like this could affect the very foundations of the world. Sasuke understood that. Of course, after this, he was prepared to destroy the technique.
But right now, there was something Sasuke had to do.
Orochimaru: "Stand in the center of the circle."
Sasuke did as he was told.
Orochimaru: "So, Sasuke-kun, what point in time do you want to go to?"
Sasuke: "The year you killed the Third Hokage."
Orochimaru smiled. "Then I'll begin."
Orochimaru formed Hand Seals with both hands, more than four hundred in all. Through his Sharingan, Sasuke saw the Natural Energy around them gathering around Orochimaru, then flowing from his hands into the formation on the ground.
This Natural Energy had not been diluted by passing through a human body's chakra. It wasn't Senjutsu Chakra from Sage Mode, but the purest Natural Energy. It continued to gather in such vast quantities that it was breathtaking.
Orochimaru: "If I form one more seal, the technique will be complete. You'll return to the past. I'll ask you one last time: are you sure you want to go back?"
Sasuke: "Do it."
Orochimaru formed the final Hand Seal. A flash of white light passed, and Sasuke disappeared.
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