Sasuke Defects, Tsunade Becomes the Fifth Hokage

"Lose yourself in this genjutsu... Heh heh..."

Moonlight shone down on Toneri.

Then he slowly rose into the sky and disappeared.

Blood stained the Uchiha clan compound.

Amid the smoldering ruins, a family photograph from happier times began to burn.

The first thing Sasuke did after regaining consciousness was rush to the clan compound.

The scene before him was exactly the same as what he had seen in Fugaku's Mangekyo.

Sasuke collapsed to his knees.

Suddenly, the thick smoke in the air began to dissipate.

White smoke completely enveloped all of Konoha.

Beneath the moonlight, the scene looked especially eerie.

Everyone walked numbly into the streets, then looked up at the moon.

This unusual genjutsu directly altered their memories.

Sasuke clutched his head in agony and rolled back and forth on the ground.

The man's face from his memories began to grow increasingly blurry.

Until it vanished completely.

He reached out to touch the figure's back before him.

Sasuke put nearly all his strength into it.

The instant the figure turned around, Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes.

As he recalled what had happened, the man he had seen had Itachi's face!

Everyone in Konoha remembered the same thing.

The face that now appeared in their minds was also Itachi's.

"Itachi!!!"

"Ah!!!"

Sasuke roared at the sky, and the single tomoe in his right eye finally evolved.

Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

Suddenly, heavy rain began to fall.

The rain washed the blood from the ground, and the flames on the photograph were extinguished.

Only Itachi's image remained.

Crows circled overhead in the rain, and a desolate atmosphere engulfed the entire Uchiha clan.

The next day.

Everyone in Konoha began gossiping about what had happened to the Uchiha the previous night.

The man everyone talked about pierced Sasuke's heart.

With the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the old guard in Konoha had temporarily regained control.

So they approached Jiraiya, hoping he would succeed to the position of Fifth Hokage.

Jiraiya, however, declined.

Instead, he suggested a better candidate and promised to bring her back to Konoha.

Jiraiya took Naruto along, claiming they were going to train.

He also took Naruto on as his student.

Unfortunately.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya had the same goal.

They were both searching for the same woman.

Princess Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin.

But because their views differed, Tsunade refused to take the position of Fifth Hokage.

At the same time, Orochimaru found Tsunade and asked her to heal his arms, which Hiruzen Sarutobi had sealed.

Tsunade refused again.

In the end, Orochimaru made her a generous offer.

He promised he could help her bring back her younger brother Nawaki and her beloved Dan Katō.

Tsunade hesitated.

As she struggled to decide, Naruto broke through the limits with his determination.

In Naruto, Tsunade saw the shadow of her deceased younger brother.

In the end, Tsunade decided to return to Konoha and become the Fifth Hokage.

Meanwhile, the Three Sannin Battle was about to begin.

In the battle, Naruto successfully defeated Yakushi Kabuto with the Rasengan.

Tsunade gave Naruto the necklace of the First and kissed him on the forehead.

And so.

Konoha finally returned to the right track.

Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage, just as she had hoped.

The village returned to peace.

But with the Uchiha and Hyuga clans wiped out, Konoha's strength was declining by the day.

The final round of the Chunin Ninja Exams arrived.

Orochimaru had been seriously injured in his battle against Jiraiya and Tsunade.

In the bathhouse, he coughed up blood again and again.

Outside the door, Yakushi Kabuto knew.

The body Orochimaru was using had reached its limit.

"Lord Orochimaru, you have to transfer to another body immediately. If this continues, you'll be in real danger."

Yakushi Kabuto warned Orochimaru again.

But Orochimaru waved him off.

There was only one person he was waiting for.

Sasuke.

But Sasuke was still in Konoha.

However, after learning that Itachi had massacred the Uchiha, Orochimaru became convinced.

Sasuke would definitely defect from Konoha.

In the laboratory, Yakushi Kabuto had already prepared eight test subjects.

Including himself, they were all ready to make any necessary sacrifice for Orochimaru.

One of the test subjects was even more perfect than Sasuke.

But Orochimaru didn't choose him.

That test subject also seemed to be nearing the end of his life.

Kimimaro.

A member of the Kaguya Clan.

Chuan Yu had seen him once during the invasion of the Land of Grass.

After that incident, the clan was wiped out for rebelling.

Kimimaro was the sole survivor, but he suffered from a serious illness that was already incurable.

Otherwise, he would indeed have been Orochimaru's best vessel.

"Cough! Hack! Cough, cough!"

Orochimaru coughed up blood again.

All the cells in his body had already died.

If he didn't transfer to another body immediately, it would be too late.

With no other choice, Orochimaru followed Yakushi Kabuto's instructions and chose a test subject to complete the reincarnation.

But after a successful reincarnation, he wouldn't be able to use the Reincarnation Technique again for several years.

Sasuke had been lucky enough to escape disaster.

Otherwise...

During the final Chunin exam.

The Sound Four appeared.

They helped Sasuke defect from Konoha and hid him inside a container.

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kiba Inuzuka went after them to stop the pursuit, but they were all seriously injured.

Meanwhile, as Kimimaro neared the end of his life, Orochimaru gave him the power of the Curse of Earth.

Sasuke's Cursed Seal, by comparison, was known as the Curse of Heaven.

Yakushi Kabuto told Kimimaro that it was time to carry out Lord Orochimaru's final mission.

So, in the end, Kimimaro set out to fulfill Orochimaru's dream.

He went to Konoha himself and promised to bring Sasuke back to Orochimaru.

Even after Naruto used the Nine-Tails Chakra, he was still no match for Kimimaro.

Rock Lee fought Kimimaro with all his might and nearly died, but Gaara eventually came to his rescue.

During the battle, Kimimaro's illness struck, and he died.

Sasuke fled to the Valley of the End.

Naruto pursued him relentlessly.

It was then that Sasuke cut their bond himself.

In the end, Naruto still couldn't bring himself to kill Sasuke.

He only managed to touch Sasuke's Forehead Protector.

Sasuke, however, pierced straight through Naruto's heart.

"I touched you..."

Naruto closed his eyes, unwilling to accept it.

Tears streamed down Sasuke's face.

It was then that his Two-Tomoe Sharingan evolved to its highest form.

Three Tomoe.

"Naruto..."

"I'm sorry..."

"I can't go back..."

He fled Konoha, his heart heavy with sorrow.

When Kakashi arrived, he fell to his knees in front of Naruto.

He thought Naruto had died.

But the Nine-Tails Chakra quickly healed Naruto's heart.

And so, their bond was restored.

Beside the campfire.

Chuan Yu looked at Itachi's face and suddenly asked, "If the Hyuga hadn't been wiped out by you back then, would you have stayed in Konoha?"

Itachi paused.

Then he shook his head. "No."

"Why?!"

Chuan Yu asked in surprise.

"What if I said it was because of you?"

The firelight reflected on Itachi's face. As he looked at Chuan Yu, his expression was full of tenderness.

"Me?"

"Was... was it because of me?"

Chuan Yu scratched his head, confused.

"I'm kidding."

"Go catch a wild boar."

"I feel like eating the wild boar you cooked again."

"I recommend eating it raw!"

"Ugh..."

"Look over there!"

Just then, another wild boar happened to pass by.