Sasuke's Bond Deepens! Team 7 Reunites!

Yamanaka Fū whirled around in horror. Somehow, Sahiro Uchiha was already standing behind him. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared straight into his fear-stricken eyes, its depths like a bottomless sea of blood.

"Now, do you still want to negotiate with me?"

All strength seemed to drain from Yamanaka Fū's body. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Rage, humiliation, fear... The emotions tangled together until he nearly went mad. But he knew he had lost. In strength, tactics, and nerve, this boy had crushed him completely.

He gritted his teeth. After a long while, he forced out a bitter warning. "Sahiro Uchiha, you'd better pray you never fall into my hands!!!"

Zuo Hao did not look at him again.

He turned and sprang lightly onto a high branch, took Sasuke from his Shadow Clone, and settled his younger brother securely on his back.

Sasuke weakly raised his eyes to his brother's profile. His lips moved. "Brother... how did you..."

"Don't talk." Zuo Hao's voice was soft, yet it carried a reassuring steadiness. "I'm taking you home."

He glanced down at the battered Yamanaka Fū and left him with one message. "Tell Danzo I'll pay him a visit myself."

With that, Sahiro vanished into the night with Sasuke on his back.

Yamanaka Fū stared up at the pale moon. His knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, and a low, stifled roar rose from his throat.

"Uchiha... I won't let you get away with this!"

Zuo Hao carried Sasuke through the night for about seven or eight minutes. Only after he was sure he had shaken off any pursuers did he stop before a hidden hollow in a tree.

He gently set Sasuke down and pressed a palm to his younger brother's burning forehead. His brow furrowed.

The Cursed Seal had spread deeper than he had expected. Yamanaka Fū and the Root ninja had not had another chance to attack, but what Orochimaru had left behind was like a seed already rooted deep in Sasuke's chakra pathways.

Just then, the familiar mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Sasuke's Bond Level has risen to LV3!]

[Bond advancement rewards being distributed...]

[Reward 1: Sharingan ocular power increased. Current ocular power has surpassed the limit of Three Tomoe. The Kamui Dimension has expanded accordingly; visual range and motion-tracking ability have greatly improved.]

[Reward 2: Lightning Release nature transformation; Chidori and Chidori Stream series Ninjutsu.]

A warm surge of chakra rose from deep within his abdomen and flowed along his chakra pathways toward his eyes.

Zuo Hao closed his eyes. The faintly burning power within them was changing, and the Three Tomoe spun more smoothly than before.

He opened his eyes a fraction. A flash of crimson flickered through his Sharingan and vanished.

Chidori... Just what I needed.

Through the haze, Sasuke felt his brother's cool palm against the back of his neck. The searing pain seemed to ease a little.

He struggled to open his eyes. Zuo Hao's profile came into blurry view, and his lips parted. "Brother... did I... hold you back again...?"

"I told you not to talk," Sahiro said quietly. He took a roll of bandages from his ninja pouch and deftly wrapped the torn wounds on Sasuke's wrist. "You're my brother. You could never hold me back."

Sasuke fell silent. His eyes stung, but he said nothing more.

A faint line of dawn appeared on the horizon.

Zuo Hao lifted Sasuke onto his back and headed toward the exit of the Forest of Death by the early morning light.

He deliberately slowed his pace so Sasuke would not be jostled too much.

At a stream, he stopped to let Sasuke drink a few mouthfuls of water. Then he used a damp cloth to wipe the blood and dirt from his face.

"Brother," Sasuke said suddenly, with a little more strength in his voice, "when I get better... I want to grow stronger. Not just say I will. I want to be strong enough to stand beside you."

Zuo Hao turned to look at him for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yeah. I'll wait for that day."

They continued on. As they passed through the brush at the edge of the dense forest, Sahiro sensed two familiar chakra signatures ahead.

One agitated, one anxious.

"Zuo Hao! Sasuke! Where are you?" Naruto shouted so loudly the leaves trembled.

He shoved aside the vines in his path as he called out, bruises and smears of mud still visible on his face.

Sakura followed behind him. When she saw the two figures emerge from the brush, she froze for an instant, then rushed forward.

"Sasuke!" Sakura ran up to him. Seeing that he was weak but conscious, her eyes reddened and tears spilled down her cheeks again. "You're okay... Thank goodness... You're really okay..."

Naruto hurried over too. He looked Sasuke up and down, and only after confirming he was still breathing did his tense shoulders relax.

He broke into a huge grin.

"Sasuke! You scared me to death! I thought they'd really taken you away."

"You loser. You think I'd be that easy to kidnap?"

Zuo Hao stood to the side without interrupting. At last, he saw the light return to Sasuke's eyes.

For all his bluster, Naruto kept a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and refused to let go.

Sakura wiped away her tears while scolding Naruto for touching Sasuke's wounds.

"Let's go," Sahiro said. His voice was not loud, but all three fell quiet and looked at him.

He turned and took a step toward the exit of the Forest of Death.

"Our destination is the tower."

Zuo Hao glanced back, his gaze passing over Naruto, then Sakura, before settling on Sasuke. His Sharingan turned silently, and the faintest smile touched his eyes.

"Team 7, together again."

Naruto grinned and thrust a fist into the air.

"Yeah! This time, we'll show everyone what we can do!"

Just then, Sakura spoke up, hesitation in her voice. "But... we only have one Heaven Scroll. We don't have another scroll."

The corner of Sahiro's mouth lifted slightly. He said nothing.

He turned his hand, and an Earth Scroll appeared in his palm.

Sasuke's pupils contracted. "That's... an Earth Scroll! Where did you get it?"

Zuo Hao spoke casually, as though it were nothing worth mentioning. "I took it from someone while I was out handling something."

Naruto stared for a moment, then nearly jumped with excitement, his face lighting up. "That's great! That's really great! Now we have a matching pair of scrolls, right? We can become Chunin soon!"

Zuo Hao slowly shook his head, calmly dashing his hopes. "Don't celebrate yet. Becoming a Chunin isn't that simple."

Meanwhile, deep beneath Konoha, in the Root Base.

Dim light fell across Danzo's grim face as he listened to Yamanaka Fū's urgent report.

"What did you say?" Danzo jerked his head up, a cold glint in his eyes. "Sasuke was rescued? Zuo Hao fought all twenty of you alone?"

Yamanaka Fū lowered his head, his voice heavy. "Yes, sir."

Danzo's face turned livid. He clenched his jaw and forced each word through his teeth. "Damn it... Not one of those wicked Uchiha should have been left alive! I'll make sure you people who threaten Konoha's peace die miserable deaths!"