Dawn filtered through the specially made glass, spilling softly into the isolation ward, but it could not dispel the oppressive weight that hung in the air. Sasuke Uchiha briefly stirred from his stupor again, a little more lucid than before. The agony in his body remained, but even harder to bear was this unprecedented weakness. His chakra was nearly exhausted, his chakra pathways empty; even lifting a finger was extraordinarily difficult. This helplessness filled him with more fear and... anger than the dark power's corruption had.
Karin carefully moistened his cracked lips with a cotton swab dipped in water, her eyes full of concern. "Lord Sasuke, how are you feeling? Do you need anything?"
Sasuke did not answer. He stared blankly at the ceiling as the final moments replayed uncontrollably in his mind-Itachi's resolute gaze, the crimson Susanoo, the darkness piercing his chest... and the pain of having that power forcibly stripped away, as though his very soul were being torn apart.
Why? Why did he do that? What did he mean by "so you can live"?
The foundations of his hatred were being shaken, and a deeper, more complicated confusion took root in his heart. He closed his eyes, unwilling to let Karin see the vulnerability in them.
In the adjoining ward, Uchiha Itachi remained asleep.
After a brief rest, Tsunade examined him again. The mark that combined senjutsu with the Four Symbols Seal remained stable on his chest, like a silent warning bell. His vital signs were steady, but his life force was a candle flickering in the wind. Recovery would be an extremely long process, fraught with uncertainty. After leaving detailed medical instructions and a monitoring plan, Tsunade had no choice but to leave to deal with the mountain of government work awaiting her, entrusting his continued