Snake Squad

The images on the Sky Screen continued to shift.

Sasuke spent some time in Orochimaru's hideout, collecting part of what Orochimaru had left behind.

Once everything was settled, he walked straight out of the secret chamber and tracked down Karin, Suigetsu, and Jūgo, who were scattered throughout the hideout.

When the three learned of Orochimaru's death, not a trace of sorrow crossed their faces. They showed no reaction at all.

Apparently, whether Orochimaru lived or died was no big deal.

Orochimaru: "Those ungrateful little brats!"

Sasuke faced the three with a calm gaze and spoke in a low voice. "From here on out, I'll need your help."

Almost without hesitation, Karin stepped forward, her eyes shining brilliantly.

"Whatever you ask, Sasuke! No matter how unreasonable it is, I'll agree to everything!"

She had eyes only for Sasuke from beginning to end. She couldn't have cared less whether Orochimaru lived or died.

Beside her, Jūgo nodded earnestly.

"You're the only cage that can keep me in check."

"I'm coming with you."

Suigetsu was last.

An amused smile played on his lips as he raised an eyebrow at the proud Sasuke Uchiha and teased him.

"Well, well. Sasuke Uchiha, who's always looking down his nose at everyone, actually needs someone else's help? Now that's a surprise."

But after teasing him, Suigetsu shrugged and readily agreed. "Fine, I'm in too."

Sasuke quietly breathed a sigh of relief, a flicker of resolve passing through his eyes.

"From today on, the four of us will form the Snake Squad."

Karin, Jūgo, and Suigetsu all nodded, accepting Sasuke as their squad leader.

In the next instant, every trace of warmth vanished from Sasuke's eyes, leaving only a bone-deep chill. Word by word, he declared the squad's objective.

"The Snake Squad's objective is to find Uchiha Itachi."

"And take revenge!"

Those icy words carried the full weight of the obsession that had driven him through years of grueling training in darkness.

The three knew everything that had happened to Sasuke, so they naturally agreed.

The images on the Sky Screen suddenly began racing past, flickering light and shadow flashing too quickly to follow.

Relying on Karin's Mind's Eye of the Kagura, the Snake Squad searched the vast Shinobi World for traces of Uchiha Itachi.

Countless scenes flashed by.

Everyone across the Shinobi World held their breath and stared wide-eyed at the Sky Screen, terrified of missing even the smallest detail.

"It's too fast! Why is it going so fast?"

"Who was fighting just now?! Was that a self-destruction? That's brutal!"

"Everyone in the Snake Squad is really strong! Karin's Mind's Eye of the Kagura is ridiculous too!"

Cries of frustration rose from the crowd. They hadn't seen nearly enough, but all they could do was follow the Sky Screen's pace.

Inside the Ninja Academy.

The moment Karin appeared, Sakura's eyes blazed with fury.

Sasuke isn't going to have a child with this woman, is he?

Please, no!

In Ryūchi Cave, a great snake sank into thought as he recalled the sight of himself being blown to death on the Sky Screen.

In Iwagakure, Ōnoki stood by the window, his expression grave as he thought of the blond youth who had blown himself up on the Sky Screen. For a long time, he said nothing.

He had recognized that familiar black cloak patterned with red clouds at a glance-the Akatsuki uniform!

And Deidara!

That young genius with such a remarkable talent for explosions had actually joined the Akatsuki in the future!

No.

He's one of our village's rare geniuses!

We have to discipline him strictly before it's too late. We can't let him go astray.

The rapidly shifting images on the Sky Screen abruptly froze.

The scenes stopped flickering and jumping, settling steadily on a bleak, desolate place.

Two confrontations unfolded before everyone's eyes.

Suigetsu, Karin, and Jūgo stood shoulder to shoulder, staring intently at Kisame Hoshigaki opposite them.

Sasuke Uchiha slowly stepped forward, entering the battlefield one pace at a time.

On a raised platform in the deepest part of the base, a figure sat in silence.

Uchiha Itachi sat with his back straight, one hand resting lightly on his knee. His face was pale, his eyes utterly calm, as though he had waited there for countless years.

The instant their eyes met, the entire space fell silent.

There was no sudden clash, no furious exchange of shouts-only two brothers facing each other across years of separation, burdened by their clan's blood debt.

Outside the Sky Screen, the entire Shinobi World instantly fell quiet. Everyone held their breath and stared at the scene, not daring to let their attention wander.

At the Ninja Academy.

Sasuke's eyes were fixed on his future self on the Sky Screen. His blood surged wildly, and burning anticipation filled his heart.

Revenge.

This was the destination his future self would give everything to reach.

Watching himself on the verge of a final battle with Itachi, he felt neither fear nor hesitation. His eyes held only eager longing.

"I'll win. I know I will!"

"Kill him! Kill that damned Uchiha Itachi!"

"Please!"

Even though all of this lay in a future that had yet to happen, Sasuke was still filled with anticipation.

Uchiha Itachi was also gazing at the Sky Screen.

There was only relief in his cool eyes.

Sasuke has grown up.

He's no longer the ignorant little boy who needed my protection.

The plan he had spent so many years preparing had finally reached its end.

At last, he could follow the fate he had long since laid out and calmly end his short, filthy life.

He would take every truth, every sin, and all the darkness he bore with him.

"But now the Sky Screen has appeared. It won't expose everything, will it?"

At that thought, Itachi's brow furrowed.

He hated this feeling of having no control!

On the Sky Screen, the confrontation inside the abandoned base continued.

Sasuke's gaze remained locked on the seated Itachi. His voice was low and cold, carrying a question he had suppressed for years.

"Itachi."

"I'll ask you one last time."

"Why did you really do it?"

He had spent all these years trapped in hatred.

Today, he wanted only the truth.

On the raised platform, Itachi slowly lifted his eyes and quietly regarded his younger brother, whose gaze brimmed with hatred. His expression remained utterly calm.

"My foolish little brother."

"After all these years, you've hardly grown at all."

"You're still so naive!"

"Everything I did was for your eyes, of course."

"I slaughtered our entire clan, butchered our loved ones, bore all the condemnation, and bided my time until now."

"From beginning to end, it was all for you."

"I went to such lengths to make you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Those few simple sentences severed the last shred of hesitation in Sasuke's heart.

"You lunatic. Are you insane?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, wanting nothing more than to kill Uchiha Itachi on the spot.

Faced with his younger brother's furious curses, Itachi's expression did not change.

He looked at the enraged Sasuke as though he were watching a child who knew nothing.

Then a nearly deranged madness and obsession surfaced in Uchiha Itachi's eyes, and he spoke slowly.

"My foolish little brother!"

"You still don't understand the power of the Mangekyō."

"If you truly understood the weight of this power, you would eventually become just like me."

"I won't!"

Sasuke suddenly roared.

"I'll never be like you!"

"You're not me!"

"What gives you the right to decide my life for me?!"

"What gives you the right to decide what kind of person I am?!"

"You've abandoned your humanity!"

"But I'll never become like you!"