One's Own Life Reincarnation

"Sasuke, Izumi, dinner's ready."

Uchiha Mikoto opened the bedroom door, and the sight that met her eyes made her pause.

Meanwhile.

"Mmm~"

Uchiha Izumi had only just fallen asleep from exhaustion. She let out a sleepy "Mmm~," shifted, and tightened her arms around Sasuke's neck. After settling into a more comfortable position, she smiled and drifted off again.

Sasuke: "..."

A smile tugged at Uchiha Mikoto's lips as her dark eyes moved meaningfully between the two of them.

She had a vague feeling that something had changed in the way they interacted.

Sasuke gave an awkward smile and gently patted Uchiha Izumi's back. "Izumi-chan, wake up. It's time to eat," he whispered in her ear.

Feeling his breath against her ear, Uchiha Izumi instinctively scrunched up. The head nestled against Sasuke's neck rubbed against his cheek as she murmured, "It tickles~ Don't tease me."

"..." Sasuke was at a loss for words. He could only try again. "Stop sleeping. It's time to eat."

"Mmm~" At last, Uchiha Izumi woke. She rubbed her eyes, then naturally put her arms around Sasuke's neck again, still bleary-eyed. "We're eating...?"

"Yeah." Sasuke nodded, then gestured behind him. "Mom's waiting for us."

Mom...? Uchiha Izumi slowly turned around and saw Uchiha Mikoto standing in the doorway, smiling. She froze for a moment, then realized what was going on and jolted upright!

She quickly let go of Sasuke's neck and stood up in a panic. "A-A-Aunt Mikoto!"

Seeing Izumi's flushed face and flustered manner only confirmed what Mikoto had suspected. She said, "Izumi, training wore you out today, didn't it? Come on, wash your face and then come out to eat."

"N-no, that's all right, Aunt Mikoto." Uchiha Izumi immediately waved her hands. "I'll go home to eat. Mom must be waiting for me."

"No, she isn't," Mikoto said with a smile. "I already spoke with your mother. You're staying here for the whole break."

"Huh~?" Uchiha Izumi stared at her. "Staying here?"

"Yep!" Mikoto tilted her head with a smile. "I thought you were already on break, Izumi, so I asked your mother if you could stay here and help look after Sasuke. She said yes."

As she spoke, she gestured toward the bag in her hand. "Look, she packed a change of clothes for you and sent them over with me."

"Stay here and take it easy over the break, Izumi. I'm counting on you to look after Sasuke~"

"Huh, huh, huh~?"

Elsewhere.

The Land of Wind, Sunagakure.

A certain laboratory.

After finishing a batch of poison and settling into her chair to rest, Chiyo, an advisor to Sunagakure, took a scroll from the rack beside her.

She unsealed it and stared at its contents, lost in thought.

Perhaps she was remembering something. Perhaps she was reminiscing.

The scroll was clearly marked with the words "One's Own Life Reincarnation"!

"There it is!"

In the shadows.

The eyes of two Spore Clones lit up.

They had been lurking in Sunagakure for nearly a year, all for the sake of this technique.

To avoid tipping Chiyo off and making her suspicious, they had only watched from the shadows, never trying to search through any of her belongings.

This was also the first time Chiyo had entered this laboratory in nearly a year.

When they discovered this hidden room, protected by a sealing barrier, they had realized that the scroll containing the technique they wanted had to be inside.

And sure enough!

A dozen or so minutes later, Chiyo sighed and came back to herself.

She rolled up the scroll, resealed it, and put it back on the rack.

"I wonder where Sasori is now..."

"I hope he's still alive..."

Murmuring to herself, she left the laboratory...

One Spore Clone quickly followed her, while the other remained inside.

After confirming through their telepathic link that Chiyo had gone far away, a baby-sized arm emerged from the wall inside the laboratory...

Late at night, all was quiet.

In a room in the clan head's residence, within the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Sasuke, who was being held in Uchiha Izumi's arms, suddenly opened his eyes.

Finally got it?

Inside the Soul Space.

Setsuna, who had been resting on Elder Nobuhiko, sensed something and abruptly looked up.

A scroll appeared out of nowhere and fell to the ground with a slap.

??? What was that?

Setsuna blinked, hopped over to the scroll, and lowered her head to sniff it curiously.

Can I eat it?

As the thought crossed her mind, she tentatively opened her mouth.

"Lady Setsuna!" Elder Nobuhiko had sensed it too and woken up. Seeing what she was doing, he quickly stopped her. "That must be a scroll Sasuke sent in. You can't just bite it!"

Setsuna froze, then turned around in annoyance. "I'm not a puppy! Why would I bite it?"

If I hadn't said anything, she'd have bitten it... Elder Nobuhiko grumbled inwardly.

"Hm?" Sasuke appeared just then. He picked up the scroll and asked, "Why are you both still awake?"

Setsuna immediately looked up at him, curiosity written all over her face. "Master, what is this?"

"Just a ninjutsu scroll."

"You need a ninjutsu scroll, Master?" Setsuna was astonished.

"Well, I can't kill someone just to get one technique."

"Why not?"

"..." Sasuke was speechless.

To Setsuna, killing someone is probably no different from killing a bug.

Putting that thought aside, he examined the seal on the scroll, then used Setsuna's chakra to form Hand Seals.

"Release!"

The seal came undone with ease.

Elder Nobuhiko came over to Sasuke. Seeing that he had unrolled the scroll, he glanced curiously at its contents.

One's Own Life Reincarnation?

He searched his memory, but couldn't recall any information about it.

Clearly, this was a technique he had never heard of, which only made him more curious. "What kind of technique is this...?"

"A technique that brings the dead back to life, at the cost of the user's life."

!!! Elder Nobuhiko was startled. "Someone actually developed such a forbidden technique?"

"Yeah." Sasuke nodded. "It's a forbidden technique developed by Sunagakure."

Elder Nobuhiko hesitated. "Sasuke, why do you want this technique...?"

"Better to be prepared, just in case," Sasuke said. "Even with your Mangekyo, I don't have enough ocular power to cast the technique on everyone close to me."

"But it costs a life..."

"Don't you have your eyes? Your Dojutsu can cancel out the cost."

"But you only got my eyes today..." The implication was clear: he knew Sasuke hadn't decided to obtain the technique on a whim. He had planned this well in advance.

"That's true. Before I got your eyes, I was planning to control some living beings and use the technique on them," Sasuke said with a faint smile. "Even now, I haven't given up on that idea."

Elder Nobuhiko nodded. "It's always good to plan ahead."

Sasuke was a little surprised by his response.

"Did you think I was going to lecture you?" Elder Nobuhiko raised an eyebrow. "Don't forget, I was born in the Warring States period, when life was worth less than a blade of grass. I'm no saint. If I'd had even a shred of compassion, I wouldn't have lived to see yesterday."

"Of course, we haven't known each other long, but I can tell you're not someone who kills indiscriminately for your own selfish ends. I trust you have a sensible plan."

He said he wasn't going to lecture Sasuke.

But he had still backed Sasuke into a corner, in a way—an indirect means of urging him to be responsible...

"Don't worry, old man. There are plenty of interesting creatures in the Ninja World. They can easily take the place of human lives."

"But before that, I need to master the technique so I can control them while they perform it."

Sasuke handed the scroll to Elder Nobuhiko. "I'll leave this to you. Study it carefully, then, once you've learned it, pass it on to me through the Soul Space. Thanks."

"..." Elder Nobuhiko's mouth twitched.

He'd seen people help others with their homework, their chores, and even their missions. But this was the first time he'd seen someone make another person learn a ninjutsu for them!

In the end, all he could manage was, "What a cheat..."

"Mmm~" Sasuke stretched and smiled. "You should know, Elder Nobuhiko, I don't actually want something for nothing. I envy people who can train hard and enjoy the process of getting stronger. But with the Soul Space, I've lost the chance to sweat, grow stronger step by step, and enjoy the sense of accomplishment and joy that comes with it."

"Besides, my chakra network hasn't finished growing yet. I couldn't learn this ninjutsu even if I wanted to, could I?"

"So I can only ask you to handle it."

"..."