Take Away Sasuke

Village? Naruto blinked, but quickly recovered. Seeing Uchiha Gen trying to sneak away with Sasuke while he was dazed, he had no time to ponder trivialities. Running, he unleashed the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!

He kicked off a shadow clone, using the momentum to suddenly boost his speed and cut in front of Uchiha Gen. "Stop! You're not leaving until you hand over Sasuke! Why are you working for that kind of guy!?"

Uchiha Gen frowned slightly, as if genuinely pondering how to explain. "Then I'll skip the details and explain briefly. That guy (the System) controls whether I can exist in this world. Can you understand that?" The reason he didn't say "life and death" was because it was obvious he was already dead.

Hearing this, Naruto subconsciously thought the guy was Orochimaru, but he also knew he couldn't persuade him with words. This situation was unsolvable; he couldn't give up on Sasuke. However, after hearing this, his anger subsided, replaced by a resolute difference in stance. "Sorry."

Uchiha Gen, seeing this, was amused. Although he had just said it casually and it lacked credibility, Naruto seemed to believe it immediately, without even a hint of doubt.

Most importantly, he didn't ask about the One-Tailed Beast or the village that Uchiha Gen had mentioned earlier. His gaze flickered between the two of them. Hmm, as expected, they were good buddies.

"Are you apologizing too soon, or do you think you can beat me?"

He said this, but running with Sasuke was indeed difficult. It wasn't impossible, just very troublesome. After all, if the Nine-Tails wanted to, without the Mangekyo Sharingan, ordinary genjutsu would be useless against Naruto, who possessed a Tailed Beast. Even summoning the Great Toad Sage would be enough trouble for him. Naruto's unpredictability was legendary.

Moreover, if they were delayed too long, the reinforcements from behind would easily catch up. This kid was a monster in terms of stamina.

The seemingly best solution was to beat Naruto half to death, causing the Nine-Tails to appear and go berserk, leaving Konoha with no time to worry about his side.

However... Uchiha Gen felt he didn't need to go to such lengths.

He casually threw Sasuke to the ground, grabbed him by the collar, and held a kunai to his neck. "I advise you not to move!"

Naruto, who had been using multiple shadow clones and was about to charge, slammed on the brakes. He almost performed a face-plant. Uchiha Gen's expression twitched. No, can't laugh. This is a serious matter.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "You bastard! Didn't you say you wouldn't do anything to Sasuke?!"

Uchiha Gen's expression was helpless. "If you weren't chasing me, I wouldn't have to do this. I didn't want to waste time with you, but now I've changed my mind."

He then looked at Sakura, who had been largely ignored. "That useless pink-haired brat."

The two of them instinctively looked at each other. Pink hair... useless... Naruto's expression was awkward, and Sakura's brow twitched. Her inner self roared: What the hell are you talking about! Bastard! But thinking about her previous performance, it seemed... to be the truth...

Sakura's emotions faltered, feeling a bit dejected. However, Uchiha Gen's next action immediately brought her back to reality!

The kunai in Uchiha Gen's hand pressed closer to Sasuke's neck, drawing blood. His voice suddenly turned low and sharp. "Go kill Naruto, or Sasuke dies!" After saying this, Uchiha Gen inexplicably felt his mood worsen. What's going on? His gaze also became somewhat unfocused.

(Malice...)

Naruto and Sakura's pupils dilated. This scene! It suddenly reminded them of Kakashi during the bell test. In a daze, Uchiha Gen's figure seemed to merge with Kakashi's.

However, this time it was real!...

Sakura, on the other hand, was frozen with fear, her usual composure instantly lost, her mind in chaos.

Naruto was similar, his expression uneasy. He put his thumb in his mouth and bit it until it bled, frowning tightly as he forcibly controlled his chaotic mind. Don't panic, don't panic! If I panic, Sasuke will really be taken away!

Seeing their reactions, Uchiha Gen's cold expression suddenly seemed to break, and he let out a chuckle. "Hahaha, just kidding." However, the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"..." Naruto and Sakura didn't find it funny at all, but in their hearts, they felt a sense of relief.

"As an apology, I'll give you a piece of advice. Chase in this direction and stop Gaara, otherwise, they might cause a lot of destruction and casualties in the center of Konoha.

See you next time, kids~" With that, "Uchiha Gen" exploded into a puff of smoke. As for his true body, he used genjutsu while they were stunned and secretly slipped away with Sasuke.

Naruto punched a tree in frustration. "Damn it!" Just as he was about to randomly pick a direction to chase, Sakura stopped him. Even if Naruto chose the right direction, "Would it be useful? If this happened again, what could you do?!" Was that killing intent really just a joke?

Naruto "..."

At the same time, as if to confirm Uchiha Gen's words, a giant object suddenly appeared in Konoha, causing a large area of buildings to collapse. Even without the provocation from Sasuke and the others, Gaara couldn't control his emotions, and the One-Tailed Shukaku went berserk!

Meanwhile, Uchiha Gen, who had escaped with Sasuke, was struggling to control his emotions. Were those my thoughts just now? No! For some reason, I felt immense malice towards Naruto. However, I can sense that this malice isn't directed at Naruto himself, but rather an unconscious jealousy of the lives of the living from the dead.

Impure World Reincarnation... a forbidden jutsu that desecrates the dead.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Gen's mood sank. He shook his head and decided to settle down first.

Suddenly, he heard a soft groan. The sound was faint, but Uchiha Gen, who had been paying close attention to Sasuke's movements, immediately noticed. Seeing that Sasuke seemed to be stirring from the jolting journey, Uchiha Gen delivered another chop to the neck to avoid trouble.

Poor Second Pillar, his consciousness hadn't cleared yet and he was knocked out again.

Uchiha Gen casually found an inn in a small village within the Land of Fire as a temporary resting place. He could only say that in this world, money might not save your life, but it was quite useful in some aspects. He settled into the inn.

Meanwhile, the battle in Konoha had ended. The basic history had not been changed by a small butterfly effect. The Third Hokage died in battle, and Orochimaru's hands were sealed.

What was different was that both Konoha and Orochimaru had issued a kill order for Uchiha Gen. It wasn't easy to be the fisherman.

According to Uchiha Gen's plan, the Third Hokage's death in Konoha would require a period of adjustment. According to the original plot, finding Tsunade would take some time.

Orochimaru's hands were likely incapacitated for the time being, giving Uchiha Gen time to rest and adjust. This was also why Uchiha Gen chose to take Sasuke away at this time.

Konoha...

According to the original trajectory, Naruto should have been bragging about defeating Shukaku. But thinking of Sasuke being captured, everything else had to take a backseat. He anxiously jumped around in front of Kakashi, excitedly recounting the events. "Teacher Kakashi, let's go save Sasuke!"

Sakura was also a bit emotional, but more restrained than Naruto. She looked at Kakashi pleadingly. "Teacher Kakashi...!"

With so much happening, Kakashi had a splitting headache! He frowned and rubbed his temples. "You two, quiet down for a moment. Naruto, judging by the attitude of that Sound Ninja, Kichiyose, Sasuke should be safe for now. We will definitely save him; no one can take away our Team 7 member! But... not now!"

"For..."

Kakashi interrupted. "The Third Hokage has sacrificed himself..."

"!!" Naruto's pupils dilated, his expression completely frozen. "You're kidding, right? That old, Hokage-sama was-- so strong..."

"...He was so strong. From the moment a ninja is born, anyone can face death at any time," Kakashi said, as if to himself, or perhaps to Naruto.

"In two days, it's the Hokage's funeral. Rest well during this time, and we'll go find Sasuke afterward." Kakashi frowned, then sighed. Too many things had happened recently, and the burden on his shoulders was growing heavier... War deaths, even Lord Third Hokage...