Departure

At the Konoha, the morning mist had not yet completely dissipated. The rising sun painted the eastern sky a pale orange-red, its rays slanting across the cobblestone road and reflecting dappled golden light in the puddles. The air was filled with the damp scent of grass and earth, and in the distance came the rumble of early-rising merchants pushing their carts and the light footsteps of ninjas hurrying to their posts.

Might Guy stood by the stone monument at the village entrance, his signature green bodysuit standing out in the morning light. He crossed his arms, his back ramrod straight, and his eyes beneath his thick eyebrows burned with the fiery passion of youth—although he tried to keep his voice down, the low growl of "Ooh!" still drew the attention of Chunin.

"Kakashi!" Seeing the silver- Jonin approaching, Guy immediately gave a thumbs up, his teeth gleaming. "I arrived first in today's morning duel! This is a victory for youth!"

Kakashi waved lazily, his Forehead Protector askew, obscuring his left eye, leaving only his right eye, which curved into a crescent shape. "Yes, yes, you won. But the mission hasn't even started yet, save your energy."

Behind him, Sakura Haruno walked quickly. The pink-haired girl was wearing a dark purple combat suit that allowed for easy movement, and her ninja tool pouch at her waist was bulging, clearly indicating that she was well prepared. Her gaze swept across the village entrance, and when it finally landed on Guy, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes— Sasuke hadn't arrived yet.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura's voice was urgent, "Sasuke-kun... will he really come? You said yesterday he agreed, but..."

"He agreed," Kakashi said calmly, but his brow furrowed slightly beneath his Forehead Protector.

In fact, he had personally gone to the Uchiha Old Residence to find Sasuke yesterday evening. The black-haired boy was standing in the courtyard, staring blankly at the withered cherry blossom tree. After hearing Kakashi's mission order, Sasuke simply nodded and said, "Understood. See you at the village entrance tomorrow morning."

His tone was calm, but Kakashi noticed that Sasuke's fingers tightened involuntarily for a moment—an instinctive reaction to the pain from excessive Lightning Release training. He didn't ask any questions at the time, after all, Sasuke Uchiha's pride would never allow him to show weakness in front of others.

"Where's Naruto?" Kakashi changed the subject.

"Coming! Coming!" The blond boy's voice came from the other end of the street. Naruto, carrying a huge scroll bag on his back and clutching a steaming rice ball in one hand, ran and stuffed it into his mouth. "Sorry, sorry! Teuchi is making a new flavor today, so I couldn't help but wait a little longer!"

He rushed to the village entrance, stopped panting, his blue eyes gleaming in the morning light. "Sasuke still hasn't arrived? Could he have deserted at the last minute?"

"Sasuke-kun would never do that!" Sakura immediately retorted, but the worry in her eyes deepened.

Time ticked by. The sun rose higher, the morning mist completely dissipated, and more and more people came and went at the village entrance. Kai started doing squats, and when he counted to five hundred, Kakashi finally couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"I already told him in person yesterday... and he agreed, so what's going on?"

His voice was soft, but Sakura heard it. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, her gaze fixed on the road leading to the Uchiha Clan Compound at the village entrance. Her heart was a jumble of emotions—both anticipating the appearance of that familiar figure and fearing he wouldn't come at all. If Sasuke really did desert, did that mean... he didn't actually care about this mission, didn't care about them, didn't care about...

Just as Sakura's heart sank to the bottom, a black figure slowly appeared at the end of the road.

Sasuke walked very slowly. Each step was extremely steady, as if he was restraining something. He was still wearing his black stand-up collar combat uniform, with the hilt of the Kusanagi Sword on his back, and his ninja tool pouch at his waist was neatly arranged. The morning breeze blew the wisps of hair on his forehead, revealing his cold and hard profile.

But as she got closer, Sakura immediately realized something was wrong.

Sasuke's face was paler than usual, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, which was always filled with arrogance and indifference, was still sharp at this moment, but there was an undisguised weariness deep in his eyes. The most obvious sign was his eyebrows—they were trembling slightly involuntarily, a subtle reaction that even his willpower could not fully control when his body was in pain.

"Sasuke!" Sakura rushed to him, her voice filled with worry, "Are you... are you feeling unwell? You look terrible..."

Sasuke stopped, his gaze sweeping over Sakura's concerned face before turning to Kakashi and Naruto. He took a deep breath—a subtle movement that Sakura noticed; his chest was heaving slightly.

"I practiced Ninjutsu too late last night," Sasuke said, his voice lower than usual, with a hint of barely perceptible hoarseness, "I'm a little tired."

A typical Uchiha Clan response: concise, indifferent, reducing all questions to "training," and rejecting any further concern.

But Sakura is medical-nin. She can see more details— Sasuke has fine beads of cold sweat on his forehead, his breathing is slightly erratic, and although he stands upright, his center of gravity is slightly tilted to the right, which is an unconscious protective action when he is in pain somewhere on his left side.

"But you..."

"I'm fine," Sasuke interrupted her, turning his gaze to Kakashi. "Aren't we about to leave?"

Kakashi stared at Sasuke for a few seconds. As an elite Jonin had experienced countless life-or-death battles, he could tell that Sasuke was enduring immense pain. But where did that pain come from? At yesterday's wedding, Sasuke had appeared aloof, but his physical condition was clearly normal. What had happened overnight?

Questions swirled in Kakashi's mind, but Kakashi didn't press the matter. Everyone has secrets, especially a young man like Sasuke Uchiha. He nodded—a gesture that signaled he was in mission mode.

"Now that everyone's here, let's go."

He turned and leaped onto a tree branch outside the village entrance. Kai immediately followed, his green figure tracing an arc through the woods. Naruto shouted, "Wait for me!" and chased after him.

Sakura wanted to say something, but Sasuke had already started walking. She bit her lip and could only follow.

The five-person team moved swiftly through the woods, speeding towards the Land of Rivers. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. Birdsong filled the air, and morning dew slid from the leaves, dripping onto the ninjas' shoulders.

Sasuke at the back of the group. With each jump and landing, he felt a tearing pain in his left chest. It wasn't an external injury, but a violent, cellular-level reaction surging from deep within his body. He could feel his Chakra fiercely battling against some foreign, life-giving energy, before slowly merging with it.

Let's go back to last night.

After the wedding, Sasuke returned to the Uchiha Old Residence. He prepared for his routine Ninjutsu training—he wasn't yet proficient with the new ability of his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, "Amaterasu Form Change," and needed more practice.

But the moment he Hand Seals, the space in the room twisted and spun without warning.

Neji emerged from the Uzumaki, dressed in white with white hair, his Tenseigan gleaming with a faint blue light. He didn't speak, but simply placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

The next second, the two appeared in the laboratory of the Sound Village Underground Base.

Orochimaru was standing in front of the lab table, adjusting something under the microscope. Hearing the noise, he turned around, a flicker of surprise crossing his golden, vertical pupils when he saw Neji, which quickly turned into a businesslike smile, "Oh, a rare guest. It's so late, is there anything I can do for you?"

His gaze fell on Sasuke, and a deeper interest flashed in his eyes—the look of a scientist looking at a precious sample.

"Perform surgery," Neji said succinctly. "Transplant Hashirama Cells into him."

A brief silence fell over the laboratory.

Orochimaru's smile froze for a moment, then widened further. "Hashirama Cells? Those are very dangerous things. Even the Uchiha Clan's constitution might not be able to withstand that kind of powerful life force. I remember Danzo back then..."

"Lord Orochimaru, Sasuke is very anxious," Neji interrupted him.

"Okay," Orochimaru said immediately, but a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes—dissatisfaction with his experiment being interrupted, and helplessness at having to work overtime. "However, I need to prepare some equipment, and some anesthetic..."

"No anesthesia needed," Neji said. "He needs to stay awake and experience the fusion process."

Sasuke then realized what was happening. "Wait! What Hashirama Cells? Why do we need to transplant them?"

Neji looked at him, his Tenseigan devoid of any emotion. "To make you stronger, Madara Uchiha possessed the Rinnegan and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. With your current strength, even with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, your chances of winning are no more than 30%."

"But the Hashirama Cells..."

"Hashirama Senju's cells contain immense life force and Yang Release Chakra," Neji explained calmly. "While I'm not sure to what extent you can integrate them, at least... it will give you a better chance of winning against Madara."

Sasuke fell silent. His thirst for power had never waned, especially now—to revolutionize the Shinobi World, to defeat Naruto and become Hokage, to fight against Madara Uchiha... He needed power, more power.

But he had also heard about the dangers of Hashirama Cells. Recalling the horrific scene of Danzo's death and Orochimaru's failed experiments... each one served as a warning that this was no joke.

"What's the success rate?" he asked.

Orochimaru then interjected, his tone carrying the rigor of a scientist. "Based on my past research, the compatibility between purebred Uchiha Clan and Hashirama Cells... theoretically, can reach 65%. However, in actual surgery, due to individual differences, mental state, Chakra control, and other factors, the success rate drops to around 40%. Moreover, even if successful, the fusion process is extremely painful, lasting anywhere from twelve to forty-eight hours."

He paused, then added, "Most importantly, once the fusion begins, it cannot be interrupted. If your will breaks down halfway, or your Chakra goes out of control, the cells will backfire, and you will... turn into a tree."

Turn into a tree.

The word sent a chill down Sasuke's spine. But when he looked at Neji, the white-clad youth simply said:

"With me here, you won't turn into a tree."

His tone was calm, yet it carried absolute confidence. That certainty of "I say you won't die, and you won't die" actually solidified Sasuke's resolve.

"... Do it."

The surgery began half an hour later.

Sasuke lay on the cold operating table, Orochimaru injected him with a local anesthetic—only anesthetizing the skin, leaving his internal organs and nervous system conscious. This was Neji's request. "He must be aware of the entire fusion process; it's part of the training."

The scalpel sliced open his left chest. A sharp pain shot through him, but Sasuke gritted his teeth and made no sound. He could feel Orochimaru's fingers manipulating inside his chest cavity, implanting a small piece of pale green, seemingly still pulsating tissue into the muscle layer near his heart.

Then, suture it.

The real suffering begins from this moment.

The Hashirama Cells came into contact with his body, they displayed terrifying aggression. As if they were alive, they frantically divided and spread, trying to take over every inch of his tissue. Sasuke's Uchiha Clan Chakra instinctively resisted—it was the natural confrontation between Yin Release and Yang Release, a continuation of the thousand-year-old feud between the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan at the cellular level.

A wave of excruciating pain washed over him. It wasn't the sharp pain of being cut with a knife, but a throbbing pain that erupted from the depths of his cells, as if every molecule was being torn apart and reassembled. Sasuke's forehead instantly became covered in cold sweat, and his fingers gripped the edge of the operating table so tightly that the metal groaned under the strain.

"It's begun." Orochimaru stepped aside and began recording data. "Heart rate soaring, Chakra fluctuations violently... Interesting, the Uchiha Clan's Yin Release Chakra is spontaneously forming a defensive network, attempting to confine Hashirama Cells to a localized area..."

Neji stood beside the operating table, his Tenseigan calmly watching Sasuke's pained and contorted face. He didn't speak, offered no comfort, just watched, as if observing an experiment.

Time slowly passed amidst the agony. One hour, two hours, three hours... Sasuke's consciousness flickered between clarity and blurring amidst the excruciating pain. He could feel his Chakra gradually gaining the upper hand in its battle against Hashirama Cells —but with each bit of suppression, the pain intensified. It was as if two fundamentally opposing forces were forcibly merging, like putting ice and fire together and forcing them to become water.

As dawn approached, Orochimaru glanced at the equipment. "Fusion progress... 68%. Faster than expected, but not enough. At this rate, complete fusion will take at least another twenty hours."

Neji glanced at the sky outside the window, his brows furrowing slightly.

Sasuke's mission is to depart at dawn. If the fusion takes twenty hours, then it will be too late.

"Speed up," Neji said.

He walked to the operating table and placed his hand on Sasuke's chest. A bright blue light Tenseigan, and a gentle yet powerful energy surged into Sasuke's body.

That's not Chakra. It's a more fundamental power, closer to the rules of the world. It's like an invisible hand, forcibly combining the Yin Release and Yang Release Chakra in their conflict, compelling them to merge, balance, and coexist.

The process was a hundred times more painful than before.

Sasuke's eyes widened abruptly, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spinning wildly, and he let out a low, suppressed growl. He felt as if his body had been thrown into a furnace, every cell screaming, every nerve burning. His vision blurred, and his consciousness gradually faded...

"Hold on." Neji's voice rang in my ears, calm and cold. "If you fall here, you have no right to talk about revolutionizing the Shinobi World."

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured on Sasuke collapsing consciousness. He bit his tongue, the metallic taste of blood stimulating his nerves, forcing himself to stay awake.

The fusion was forcibly pushed forward under Neji's intervention. Seventy percent, eighty percent, ninety percent...

As the first rays of sunlight streamed into the laboratory through the window, Orochimaru stared at the equipment in astonishment. "One hundred percent... perfect fusion. How is this possible? Even a descendant of Hashirama Senju..."

"That's enough." Neji withdrew his hand and began to disconnect the various instruments, cables, and monitoring patches from Sasuke's body.

Sasuke lay on the operating table, gasping for breath. The excruciating pain hadn't subsided; it had simply transformed from "cell tearing" to "deep burning." He could feel a vast and warm power within him, but it wasn't fully tamed yet; it was still restless, still rubbing and fighting against the Uchiha Clan Chakra.

"The fusion is complete," Neji said, "But the adaptation process will take about ten more hours. The pain will gradually lessen, but your strength will be unstable during this time. However, it should be enough to deal with ordinary enemies."

He paused, then added, "I went through the same thing."

Sasuke struggled to sit up and looked at Neji: "You... also had Hashirama Cells transplanted?"

"Of course." Neji didn't elaborate. "Alright, it's time to take you back. Your teammates should be waiting."

"Wait," Sasuke grabbed his arm—a move that surprised even himself, but he didn't care. "Is this mission in such a hurry? Do we have to leave today?"

Neji glanced down at Sasuke's hand, then looked up into his eyes. A flicker of emotion flashed in those Tenseigan... an emotion Sasuke couldn't decipher. It was like helplessness, amusement, or perhaps a matter-of-fact "Does this even need to be asked?"

Then Neji rolled his eyes.

"The time I promised to practice Ninjutsu with her Tenten is almost here."

His tone was calm, but the content stunned Sasuke.

"... What?"

"I said," Neji, emphasizing each word as if explaining a self-evident fact, "I promised Tenten I would practice Kunai throwing with her this morning. Time's almost up. Your task? That's your business, what does it have to do with me?"

After saying that, he grabbed Sasuke's shoulder. Space distorted again.

The next second, Sasuke found himself standing in the courtyard of the Uchiha Old Residence. A morning breeze blew by, carrying the unique coolness of early morning. His chest was still throbbing with pain, and his body was still trembling, but Neji had vanished, as if he had never been there.

Sasuke stood there for a long time before finally muttering under his breath, "... bastard."

Then he remembered the mission, remembered Kakashi and Sakura were still waiting, remembered Madara Uchiha from the Land of Rivers...

"Damn it." He gritted his teeth and forced himself to take a step.

That's why, as Sasuke leaped through the trees, each jump was excruciatingly painful, making him want to curse. The pain radiated from his chest throughout his body, like countless needles pricking him, or like fire burning him. He had to exert all his strength to control his expression in order to maintain that "cool" facade.

But what he didn't know was that shortly after they left the Konoha, a black and white figure slowly emerged from the trunk of a thick, ancient tree nearby.

Jue's body was half-integrated into the tree trunk, with the other half sticking out. His single yellow eye stared in the direction where the five-man team had disappeared, a strange smile spreading across his lips.

"They've set off... the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

Then, his figure once again blended into the trees and disappeared.