Failure and Return to the Village

His eyes were as still as a deep well, surveying the crowd without showing any emotion, even as he glanced at Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, as if he were looking at a group of strangers.

Naruto spotted Sasuke immediately. Sasuke had grown up, and his aura was different from before. Naruto excitedly shouted, "Sasuke, Sasuke, I've finally found you!"

Sakura followed behind, saw Sasuke, and revealed a beautiful smile, calling out, "Sasuke..." She had a thousand words in her heart, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Sai followed behind Naruto, keeping a close eye on Sasuke in case of Sasuke sudden attack.

On the rock, Sasuke looked at Naruto and Sakura and said, "It's Naruto and Sakura. You're here. Kakashi must be here too."

A few footsteps echoed from the base, and Kakashi and Yamato emerged. Kakashi looked at the grown-up Sasuke, a hint of joy flashing in his lazy eyes.

Sasuke looked at Kakashi and said, "Kakashi-sensei, you're here too."

Naruto stepped forward and called out, "Sasuke, we've finally found you! Come back with us, back to Konoha! Everyone misses you."

Sasuke said coldly, "I'm not going back, Naruto. Now, I have only one goal: to kill that man."

Naruto said, "Sasuke, I can help you, we can all help you, because we're comrades."

Sasuke's eyes were filled with memories as he said, "I've decided to sever the bond between us."

Naruto froze, then asked, "Why?"

Sasuke said, "I already have another bond, the bond of killing that man. Too many bonds will only confuse me."

Everyone stared at Sasuke, speechless for a moment, with only the howling wind remaining.

Naruto suddenly shouted, "You think you can sever our bonds like this, Sasuke?"

Suddenly, Sasuke on the rock moved. Sai only saw a blur as he rushed towards Naruto. Startled, Sai also moved and rushed in front of Naruto.

Sasuke approached Naruto and said, "Naruto, you've always wanted to be Hokage, but..." He drew his long sword from his waist.

Sasuke whispered in Naruto's ear, "It's not impossible that you'd die if I just acted on a whim."

Naruto remained unmoved and said in a deep voice, "If you can't even save your friends, how can you possibly become Hokage?"

Suddenly, Sai intervened, exchanging blows with Sasuke. Lightning crackled around Sasuke, and both Naruto and Sai were sent flying. Kakashi called out, "Naruto..." and flashed to Naruto's side, catching Naruto. Naruto, who was already barely holding on, was now unconscious from the attack.

Sasuke didn't continue fighting. He flashed onto the boulder and looked up at the distant sky, where Orochimaru's signal was. Sasuke looked down, especially at Naruto, Sasuke a deep look. Then he swung his long sword once, sheathed it, and vanished in a blur.

Yamato watched Sasuke leave, then looked at Kakashi and said, "Kakashi-senpai..."

Kakashi shook his head, indicating that Yamato didn't need to chase after them.

At that moment, Naruto woke up, and seeing that Sasuke was gone, he knelt down and said, "I couldn't stop him again..."

After a while, Uzumaki Hane sensed Naruto and the others' presence. He suddenly accelerated, his body turning into a series of afterimages. In a few flashes, he arrived beside Naruto and the others. Seeing the disappointed expressions on Naruto and Sakura's faces, Uzumaki Hane knew that, just like in the original story, Naruto still hadn't managed to persuade Sasuke to come back.

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Uzumaki Hane. Although he knew Uzumaki Hane was powerful, Kakashi was still a little worried about letting Uzumaki Hane face Orochimaru alone, after all, he was one of the Sannin and a legend of Konoha.

Kakashi asked, "Yu, Orochimaru, how is he?"

Naruto and Sakura also noticed Uzumaki Hane and looked at him expectantly. Although it was dangerous for Sasuke to be with Uzumaki Hane, if Uzumaki Hane Orochimaru take down Orochimaru, then there would be no danger, although the possibility of Uzumaki Hane killing Orochimaru was very small.

Uzumaki Hane shook his head and said, "Orochimaru and the others got away."

Then, Uzumaki Hane looked at Naruto and Sakura, knowing they were worried about Sasuke, and said, "I know you're worried that Orochimaru will harm Sasuke, but you have to believe in Sasuke. He's been planning this for so long, he'll definitely succeed. Besides, I injured Orochimaru today, making Orochimaru even weaker, which increases Sasuke's chances of winning."

Naruto nodded slightly upon hearing this and said firmly, "I believe Sasuke will definitely defeat Orochimaru."

Sakura said, "Naruto..." Looking at Naruto, Sakura seemed to be infected by his enthusiasm.

Kakashi said, "Our mission has failed this time. Let's all go back to the village."

Yamato said, "It's not exactly a failure, since we already know the approximate location of Orochimaru's base."

Naruto said firmly, "Next time, I will definitely find Sasuke."

So, everyone prepared to return to the village.

After several days of travel, the group finally returned to the village. Standing at the village gate, Naruto shouted, "We're back!" Although he hadn't managed to persuade Sasuke to return this time, Naruto was still very happy to see Sasuke again.

As everyone entered through the gate, Kakashi said, "Yamato and I will go report the situation to the Lord Hokage first. You all go back first." After saying that, he left with Yamato.

After the two left, Sai said, "I must also go back now to report to Lord Danzo."

Sakura asked with some concern, "You didn't complete the mission this time, will you be alright?"

Sai flashed his signature smile and said, "It's alright, wait for me to come back." With a swift movement, he vanished from the spot, leaving only a blur.

Uzumaki Hane watched Sai leave, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "I'll be right back. I was just thinking of Danzo. Thank you for your hospitality the last few times." With a flash, he disappeared from the spot, leaving Sakura and Naruto behind.

Sakura said, "Naruto, I'm going home too."

Naruto said, "Okay, Sakura, goodbye then." After waving goodbye to Sakura, Naruto went straight home.

Kakashi and Yamato arrived at the Hokage's office. Tsunade said, "You're back. How did the mission go?"

Kakashi began to recount the details of the mission.