As night deepened, the atmosphere around the campfire turned icy after Sasuke's sudden rampage and collapse.
Mishima Heihachi and his attendants huddled in a tent far from Team Seven, barely daring to breathe.
Kakashi applied several simple Sealing Formulas to Sasuke.
Only after confirming that the violent power inside him had temporarily subsided and his vital signs had stabilized did Kakashi breathe a little easier, though his brow furrowed even deeper.
"What... what's wrong with Sasuke?" Sakura asked softly, her eyes red.
The way Sasuke had looked earlier, and that terrifying eye, had left her both frightened and heartbroken.
Naruto crouched beside the campfire, stirring the embers with a branch. His blue eyes looked unusually calm in the firelight, without their usual restless energy.
He did not answer Sakura, only asking Kakashi quietly, "Kakashi-sensei, that power that suppressed Sasuke earlier... was that you?"
Kakashi shook his head, his lone eye turning toward the dark night sky and the shadowy mountain woods around them.
His voice was grave. "No, it wasn't me.
"That power... was very unusual, very subtle, but on an extremely high level. It appeared and vanished without any warning."
He looked at Naruto. "Naruto, you seem to know something about Sasuke's condition?"
Naruto scratched his head, sounding uncertain. "I wouldn't say I know... it's just that before... um, I heard an older girl passing through mention it.
"Some powers are driven by extreme emotions, and they can easily get out of control. Sasuke reacted so strongly when he heard the names 'Las Noches' and 'Uchiha Ryūha'..."
A sharp gleam flashed in Kakashi's eye. "An older girl passing through? What was she like?"
"Uh... she wore a strange mask and sounded really harsh, but... um, she knew a lot."
Naruto kept his answer vague, not wanting to reveal too