Naruto: Sasuke's return

[Chapter Size: 1300 Words.]

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The destination of this journey was the base where one of Orochimaru's special experimental subjects was being kept.

Kabuto was in charge of rowing.

Sasuke sat at the stern, keeping his White Cursed Seal activated.

"Uchiha Shin, Naruto, and I fought him before. He has dozens of transplanted Mangekyō Sharingan all over his body. His ocular power allows him to mark and manipulate objects, but strictly speaking, the level of his ability doesn't meet the standard of a true Mangekyō..."

Orochimaru sat at the bow, his eyes never leaving Sasuke.

"After all, Shin's eyes are mass-produced clones. Moreover, Shin is not a true Uchiha. But his unique physiology allows him to assimilate foreign blood without rejection. He admires Itachi so much that he calls himself an Uchiha and willingly became my experimental subject."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "So the 'project' behind his cloned eyes wasn't developed by Shin himself, was it?"

Orochimaru smirked. "That's right. You never asked before, so I never told you. Shin's cloned Mangekyō was actually derived from the right eye of Uchiha Kosuke Mangekyō Sharingan."

Sasuke lowered his head in thought. "Kosuke... That name... I think I heard my father mention him once. He was one of the Uchiha heroes who died during the Second Shinobi War..."

Orochimaru chuckled and revealed a shocking truth. "Kosuke was Uchiha Obito's father."

Sasuke's eyes widened before realization dawned on him. "I see. That explains a lot."

Orochimaru continued. "The true power of Kosuke's Mangekyō was a space-time dojutsu called Tagubōto, which allowed him to 'transfer' freely between marked objects. While it didn't function as a direct transportation technique like Kamui, it had certain advantages Kamui lacked. Uchiha Shin's ocular ability to manipulate objects is merely a degraded version of Tagubōto."

Sasuke exhaled sharply. "I never thought that eye had such a deep history…"

Orochimaru smirked. "Yes. It's honestly a waste for Shin to have it. After all, the Mangekyō comes with the risk of blindness, but Hashirama's cells can counteract that drawback. To make full use of that eye, I specifically used Hashirama's cells to create a small artificial being capable of sustaining its ocular power indefinitely."

At the mention of the miniature humanoid, Sasuke's expression briefly shifted in reminiscence.

Because that same artificially created body, along with the right eye of Tagubōto, had been shattered into pieces by a single punch from his daughter, Sarada.

Burying the memory of Sarada's determined expression deep in his heart, Sasuke refocused on the present. "Kosuke's left eye is also in your possession, isn't it?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Of course. Just like Kamui, Tagubōto's power is divided between both eyes. In terms of combat potential, the left eye is even stronger than the right."

Sasuke fell into deep thought. "Obito's father, huh? Perhaps, these eyes could prove useful in the future."

The boat finally reached the shore.

The three of them disembarked onto the nameless island and made their way toward the cave that housed Shin.

On the way, Orochimaru asked, "Sasuke-kun, how do you plan to retrieve the eye and deal with Shin? Taking it by force would be the simplest method, but I'll leave the decision up to you."

Sasuke replied calmly, "Let me talk to him first. This isn't just about the eye, I have some things I need to say to that guy face to face."

As they arrived at the cave, a young boy with spiky hair appeared atop the cliff, his immature Mangekyō Sharingan staring at them warily.

"Intruders?"

It was a familiar sight, one of Uchiha Shin's clones.

Sasuke quickly counted their numbers and noticed that only twelve remained, far fewer than the hundreds they had encountered before.

Orochimaru remarked, "Back then, Shin lacked the technology to clone himself properly. All of these limited clones were created by me and Kabuto. But, they don't seem to recognize us."

"Protect Father!"

Rustling sounds filled the air as the clones called out to Shin with reverence. They leaped down from the cliff, ready to fight in their father's name.

"Don't be rude!"

Inside the cave, a young man with short hair approached, wearing the Flame Cloud Cloak, a relic left behind by Orochimaru during his time in the Akatsuki.

After all, this encounter was taking place eighteen years after those past events. Back then, Shin was neither bald nor covered in Sharingan.

"Father..." All of Shin's clones knelt in unison, greeting him with reverence.

Orochimaru spoke first. "Shin, how have you been?"

Shin stepped forward, offering a slight bow. "Lord Orochimaru, I apologize for not welcoming you properly. For you to come here with such a powerful force, I assume you have something important to discuss with me?"

Even in Orochimaru's presence, Shin did not kneel. In his eyes, the only person truly worthy of admiration was, Uchiha Itachi, the man who had joined the Akatsuki after the annihilation of the Uchiha clan.

Orochimaru smirked. "Indeed, I have something to ask you. But before that, I'd like to introduce someone. You should be quite familiar with his name..."

Shin's cold eyes shifted to the approaching figure. "You are...?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke introduced himself.

Shin's expression immediately sharpened with hostility. "Ah, you're the one flaw in Itachi's masterpiece! Uchiha Sasuke, the younger brother of Itachi. A weakling who survived only because of his mercy. Not only are you ungrateful, but you also had the audacity to try and kill him? You truly are an ignorant fool!"

Sasuke's face remained impassive. He was no longer the naive child he once was, he had endured too much, seen far more than most could imagine.

He spoke calmly. "Shin, just like how I once hated Itachi, the Itachi you idolize is nothing more than a false image, one he deliberately crafted himself. In other words, your blind devotion is the greatest insult to his true self."

Uchiha Shin's face twisted in anger. "Huh? What nonsense are you spouting?! You're just a brat who hasn't even experienced war, yet you speak as if you truly knew Itachi!"

Without another word, Sasuke raised two fingers to his chest. "Enough talk. Let's settle this with strength."

Shin scoffed, as if he had just heard a ridiculous joke. "You're saying you want to fight me? Do you even know your own worth?"

Sasuke's expression remained unchanged. "If you win, you can do whatever you want with my life. But if you lose, you will abandon your obsession with Itachi's name. And, of course, return the eye you used as the prototype for your clones."

A chilling laugh echoed through the cave.

"Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

Shin laughed maniacally. "Fine! Anyone who dares to speak ill of Itachi deserves to be eliminated! As the last true Uchiha, I will clean up the mess in his name!"

From the sidelines, Kabuto frowned. "Sasuke-kun, are you sure about this?"

Sasuke replied confidently. "I've gradually adapted to the pain of the White Cursed Seal. Besides, this level of battle, it's the perfect warm-up for the tenth match."

With a sharp gleam, Shin's Mangekyō Sharingan, shaped like an inverted triangle, shone menacingly.

"Uchiha Sasuke!!! Let me show you the true power of the Mangekyō Sharingan!!!"

With a metallic clatter, countless blades shot out from his sleeves, soaring into the air under the control of his ocular power!

"Die!!!!"

With a sinister grin, Uchiha Shin flicked his wrists, sending the blades hurtling toward Sasuke.

"Ssshhhhh!"

But Sasuke's Mangekyō spun in response. Forming a one-handed seal, he unleashed a roaring inferno of black flames.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

Kabuto gasped in shock. "He's using Amaterasu's Black Flames as if it were a basic Fire Release technique!?"

Orochimaru chuckled in amusement. "The ability to freely manipulate Amaterasu's flames is something that usually only comes with the Eternal Mangekyō. But Sasuke can already do it with ease. The power of the White Cursed Seal, it seems he has adapted even faster than I expected."

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