After returning, once again...

Sasuke lowered his head in a daze. In his unfocused vision, the blurred face mere inches away gradually became clear as his memories aligned with reality.

It was a face that felt incomparably familiar and dear to the reborn Sasuke!

Naruto lay quietly on his back on the water, covered in wounds, his orange clothes caked with grime.

"Ah, so it's that moment..."

In Konoha Year 61, Sasuke had deserted Konoha and joined Orochimaru to seek the power to take revenge on Itachi. Naruto had pursued him relentlessly, and they had fought at the Valley of the End!

After their convictions clashed... Naruto had fallen!

"I really have been reborn. Exactly forty years back, not a day more or less."

"Looking back over half a lifetime, the first person I see is still you, Naruto..."

Sasuke smiled. As he smiled, tears streamed down his face. More than once, he had wished to see his dearest friend again. He had thought it was nothing but a hopeless wish, yet now... his friend was right before him, alive!

He reached out to touch his friend's face. He thought of all the bonds he had lost, of how powerless he had been to save them, of how he had merely survived until now. Heaven had taken pity on him and given him another chance. Gazing at his friend's face, he swore an oath.

"I swear... I will never let that future happen again!!!"

Deep within his soul, the anguish of parting from those he loved had been suppressed for decades. Its force was countless times greater... than the shock of witnessing a loved one's death just once!

A special Yin Release Chakra surged through his brain and acted on his optic nerves!

Zzt!

The three hidden tomoe appeared, spinning within his eyes as they transformed into six-pointed stars!

Reborn from a future forty years away, Sasuke awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan on the spot...

The rain still fell, rippling across the water. Emerging from the joy of his rebirth and reunion with his friend, Sasuke stood. With a mission now upon him, he faced his first choice.

Would he return to Konoha with Naruto and work toward his goals gradually, or become a rogue ninja once again and go to Orochimaru?

Although he hated the thought of parting from Naruto, he soon made his choice!

"Orochimaru is the key to changing the future. Shi Mei will awaken in thirty years. I have to use those thirty years to bridge a gap of thousands of years of accumulated power and knowledge. From this moment on, every second counts!"

"It looks like I'm destined to become a rogue ninja..."

Naruto's Ninja Way was a blessing in times of peace. Even now, Sasuke had never denied that!

But the facts had already proven that Naruto's Ninja Way could not save the shinobi world from the threat of the God of Ōtsutsuki!

Sasuke looked at his friend's peaceful, sleeping face and once again placed the forehead protector that marked his desertion on Naruto's chest. Unlike before, however, this time he took his friend's hands and laid them neatly over it. Then he leaped from the water onto the head of Hashirama Senju's statue and looked back at him.

He knew... from the day he chose to desert Konoha again, another great battle at the Valley of the End would be inevitable!

But this time... the convictions and goals in his eyes were entirely different.

"Naruto, this time it's my turn to change you. Wait for me..."

Sasuke resolutely set out.

Four days later, at Orochimaru's hideout.

Dressed in a pure white kimono and dark blue trousers, with a purple rope belt around his waist, he followed Kabuto to Orochimaru, just as he had before.

Their meeting came unexpectedly, after a separation of four days—and forty years.

The voice and face of the wise Orochimaru he had bid farewell to among the distant stars four days earlier were still vivid in his mind.

Yet now, the sinister allure of Orochimaru's face in the dim candlelight truly made Sasuke feel as though a lifetime had passed.

Sasuke knew very well that the Orochimaru before him was merely exploiting his desire for revenge against Itachi and treating him as a vessel for reincarnation. He was not the Orochimaru Sasuke regarded as a mentor and family!

What he needed to do was defeat Orochimaru and drive the glowing sphere of Chakra carrying the future Orochimaru's knowledge, memories, and emotions into his body!

During the attack on Konoha, the Third Hokage had used the Reaper Death Seal to seal the souls of Orochimaru's arms, leaving him unable to use Ninjutsu. And just a few days earlier, he had completed his reincarnation using a test subject!

Orochimaru greeted him with a smile. "Sasuke-kun, I've been waiting for you for quite some time!"

"..." Sasuke kept his head lowered and said nothing.

Beside him, Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses and said, "Raise your head. Let Lord Orochimaru have a look."

Sasuke slowly raised his lowered head and met Orochimaru's eyes... The unsettling sensation that rose from deep within Orochimaru's soul instantly made his hair stand on end!

"Hmm!?"

Orochimaru's pupils contracted sharply. "Sasuke-kun's eyes are completely different from before!!!"

Little did he know... the young body before him housed a powerful soul that had once rivaled the Six Paths!

Although he knew nothing of the circumstances, his instincts told him that the Sasuke before him was incredibly dangerous!!!

"Kabuto...! Get away from that Sasuke!!"

"What...!?"

Before Kabuto could react, a dark purple monster appeared within his mind, its massive hand seizing him in a crushing grip!

"Genjutsu? But this Chakra... what's going on?"

Thud!

Kabuto Yakushi's knees gave way, and he dropped to the ground!

Zzt! Sasuke's eyes had already become the Mangekyō Sharingan!

Orochimaru understood at once. "I see. Those eyes... it seems you killed Naruto yourself and obtained the same eyes as Itachi. That certainly caught me by surprise..."

Zzt!

The power of the Cursed Seal on the back of his neck was unleashed. Lightning burst from Sasuke's palm as he launched a surprise attack on Orochimaru!

Whoosh!

Though his arms were crippled, Orochimaru still moved swiftly. Glancing at Kabuto, he vanished from his seat!

Boom!

With a wall shattered in their wake, the two emerged outside!

By now, Sasuke had activated Curse Mark Stage Two. His entire body had turned gray-black, and wings shaped like hands sprouted from his back as he hovered in midair!

Orochimaru stood in the cold wind, his long hair streaming and a giant snake coiled around his body. Looking up with his slit pupils, he said, "Sasuke-kun, your growth in such a short time has certainly exceeded my expectations. But what puzzles me is that you should be seeking greater power through me. Do you no longer intend to take revenge on Itachi?"

Sasuke answered by beating his wings and diving straight down!!

Orochimaru sneered. "As I thought, you're still naive!"

As he dove, Sasuke thrust out his right hand, cloaked in Chidori!

Sasuke had once favored his left hand, but he had lost his left arm in his battle with Naruto and lived using his right arm for the decades that followed. Thus, after his rebirth, he was more accustomed to using his right hand!

Crackle! Mid-charge, the lightning extended without warning. With a sharp crack, it pierced the unprepared Orochimaru clean through the chest!

Orochimaru spat blood, his slit pupils filled with shock. "He only learned Chidori during the Chunin Ninja Exams. How could he master such difficult shape transformation in so little time...!?"

His body might impose limits on his Chakra and muscle strength, but his memories of Ninjutsu were carried within his soul. Using them now was effortless!

"Ugh!!" Orochimaru used his signature shedding technique, opening his mouth and spitting out a brand-new version of himself!

The newly emerged Orochimaru transformed his legs into a snake's tail and swiftly retreated!

Sasuke pursued relentlessly, driving Orochimaru to a cliff face.

Orochimaru looked back and flattened himself against the ground.

Myriad Snake Formation!

Whoosh!

He spewed countless monstrous snakes from his mouth. As they writhed, they spat sharp Kusanagi Swords from their own mouths. Snakes piled upon snakes, swords upon swords, surging toward the sky in a vast, murderous tide!

High above, Sasuke flicked his sleeve!

Chidori Senbon!

Whoosh! Sharp lightning senbon rained down and engulfed the snakes. With the Great Dragon Fire Technique that followed, the entire swarm burned to ashes!

Boom...!!

The blazing flames were scattered by an expanding white serpent's body. Even the cliff behind it crumbled beneath the strain!

"Sasuke!!!"

As the flames and dust cleared, an eight-headed serpentine monster stood before him!

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You're using the Eight Branches Technique already..."

Zzt! At that very moment, the six-pointed star in Sasuke's left eye abruptly focused on the Eight-Headed Serpent's body!

Amaterasu!

Fwoosh...!!

Black flames... instantly ignited the serpent's body!

The Eight-Headed Serpent writhed in agony beneath the burning black flames.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Yet Orochimaru's slimy body emerged from the central snake head, laughing without restraint. "Heh heh, you really are brothers. Even your Amaterasu Dōjutsu is exactly the same. Unfortunately, Amaterasu is completely useless against my immortal body..."

Rustle, rustle, rustle... As his words ended, the Eight-Headed Serpent swiftly shed its burning skin!

Having witnessed Sasuke's growth in such a short time, Orochimaru placed even greater hopes for his future in him. Thus, he still tried to win Sasuke back.

"Well... Sasuke-kun? With the methods you possess now, you cannot kill me! You've grown stronger, but you still fall short of Itachi. Stay with me, however, and within two years—no, within one year—I can give you the power to surpass him!"

At that moment, in Sasuke's right hand hidden behind his back, the white sphere of light Orochimaru had entrusted to him at their farewell appeared, cloaked in Chidori's lightning.

Sasuke played along. "Is that so... If you can take my next attack, I might consider it!"

Orochimaru smiled. "What a stubborn child. Come!"

Sasuke beat his wings and surged forward, driving the Chidori in his right hand toward Orochimaru's chest!

"Chidori, of all things? Sasuke, there should be a limit to how much you underestimate someone..."

Shhk!!

But... the instant the lightning pierced his chest, Orochimaru's expression froze!

"You... what did you do...?"

Sasuke's gaze was deep. "Orochimaru, you're still young at this point. The arrogance your immortal body gave you is precisely why you fell for this so easily..."

Then his gaze softened. "But this is for the best..."

Zzt! The white sphere of light hidden within Chidori merged into Orochimaru's soul!

The vast knowledge, memories, and emotions of the future Orochimaru flooded his mind all at once!

"This... this is...!!!"

Boom...!!

The Eight-Headed Serpent's body... collapsed with a thunderous crash. Orochimaru fell into the rubble of shattered rock surrounded by black flames.

Zzt, zzt, zzt...!

The Cursed Seal receded, and Sasuke landed before Orochimaru. He knew it would take time to digest that immense amount of information!

Over the next few brief minutes, Orochimaru witnessed in advance the life he would live over the coming decades.

He learned ahead of time of the dead end awaiting his path, which Kabuto Yakushi had pursued to its fullest extent.

His turning point had arrived early—far earlier, in fact.

Perhaps his mind could not reach the same heights as his future self in such a short time, but the baptism of that supreme truth still profoundly shook the worldview shaped by his current narrow outlook on life, bringing about a transformation of his very character!

"So that's how it is..."

When Orochimaru rose from the rubble, the look in his eyes had changed completely.

Abandoning his earlier forceful manner, Sasuke Uchiha solemnly knelt before Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, please. I want to change the future. Help me become—an Ōtsutsuki!"

Orochimaru stepped forward and helped Sasuke up, a gentle smile forming on his lips. "Sasuke-kun, having to do it this way must have been hard on you. I should be the one asking for your guidance from now on!"