Konoha's Main Gate.
Sasuke clashed with Killer Bee in a fierce close-quarters battle, their movements blurring with speed and precision. The sheer intensity of their exchange sent shockwaves rippling through the area.
Just as another blow was about to land, Kakashi appeared in a flash, only to be surprised that someone else had arrived before him.
It was Sakura.
Haruno Sakura stood at the gate, her voice ringing through the battlefield. "Sasuke-kun, stop this! This is Konoha, our home! Why are you doing this?!"
Sasuke scowled, irritation flashing across his face. With a flick of Susanoo's massive arm, he swung an attack in her direction. Killer Bee, seeing the imminent danger, reacted instantly, extending an octopus-like chakra tail to block the strike.
"Oi, kid! You serious 'bout takin' out this girl?! That's cold, fool, ya feel?!"
Sasuke's expression darkened. "Stay out of this, you damn octopus."
Sakura's eyes welled up with tears. Her hands trembled as she gazed at Sasuke, unable to believe what had just happened. "Why, Sasuke-kun? I've always cared for you! How did it come to this?!"
Her voice cracked as she continued, "I was treating the wounded at the hospital when I heard you were here. I rushed over because I was worried about you! I never expected you to treat me like this! I... I..."
Sakura broke down, covering her face as sobs wracked her body.
But Sasuke's response was ice-cold. "You're really getting on my nerves!"
His patience had long since worn thin. He was already struggling against Naruto and now Bee was keeping him pinned down. On top of that, Sakura's desperate cries felt like needles stabbing into his head.
He never once gave her hope. He never once asked for her feelings. Yet she still clung to him.
His anger reached its peak.
Sasuke jumped into the air, drawing back his bow. His left eye glowed with malice as he formed a flaming arrow from the power of the Amaterasu.
"Inferno Style: Kagutsuchi!"
The black flames of his hatred surged forward, tearing through the air towards Sakura.
"Die!"
Killer Bee moved instantly, but the distance was too great. His Tailed Beast Bomb wouldn't make it in time.
"Shit! I ain't fast enough!"
Then, in a blur, Kakashi appeared.
With a swift motion, he grabbed Sakura and leapt away, dodging the arrow by mere inches. At the same time, his Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly, twisting space itself to redirect the attack. The flaming projectile veered off course, slamming into the ground with an explosive impact, carving a crater into the earth.
Kakashi landed a safe distance away, setting Sakura down before turning to face Sasuke. His expression was unreadable, but his tone was ice-cold.
"Sasuke... you've fallen."
Killer Bee stepped up beside Kakashi, still keeping a wary eye on Sasuke. "Watch out, white-haired dude, he's got that fire-eye thing. Might burn ya up, ya dig?"
Kakashi nodded. "I know. He was my student. I understand him better than anyone."
Sasuke sneered, his Sharingan glowing dangerously. "Oh? And here I thought you were just a washed-up copy ninja, flaunting an eye that never belonged to you."
Kakashi's expression darkened, and his voice carried a heavy weight. "Sasuke... now I understand how the Third Hokage felt. Facing one's own student like this... it's more painful than I imagined."
Sasuke scoffed. "Spare me the sentiment. You can cry about it when you meet the Third in the afterlife."
His left eye spun, the dark flames of Amaterasu flickering into existence.
But before he could unleash the attack, space warped beside him.
A spiraling vortex materialized, and from its depths emerged a masked figure.
Obito Uchiha.
"Sasuke," Obito spoke calmly but firmly. "The mission is over. We're leaving."
Sasuke frowned. "You expect me to just retreat? I haven't destroyed Konoha yet."
Obito's voice remained level. "Danzo is dead. That's enough for now. We don't have the strength to take Konoha at the moment. Don't be reckless. We regroup and plan for the future."
Sasuke hesitated. His grip tightened around his sword.
"Look at yourself," Obito continued. "You've fought all this time and you still haven't even breached Konoha's gates. Doesn't that tell you something?"
Sasuke let out a frustrated breath but didn't argue further.
Kakashi seized the moment. "Sasuke, it's not too late. Return to Konoha. If you surrender, I will personally ask the Hokage to pardon you."
Sasuke stared at him. Then, after a moment of silence, he let out a bitter laugh. A hollow, mocking sound.
"Pardon?" His Sharingan gleamed with fury. "You expect me to bow my head and accept your 'forgiveness'? Like hell I will!"
His voice turned into a snarl. "Each and every one of you carries the blood of my clan's destruction! And now you have the nerve to talk about forgiveness?!"
The younger shinobi watching from Konoha's walls looked at each other in disbelief. Some whispered that Sasuke had gone mad, while others weren't so sure.
Kakashi met Sasuke's gaze and spoke solemnly. "My Sharingan was entrusted to me by a friend. He gave it to me to protect what was dear to him. And I failed."
Obito stood still, watching Kakashi quietly.
Kakashi exhaled, his face shadowed in sorrow. "I'm sorry, Obito. I couldn't protect what you wanted me to."
Then, in an act that shocked everyone present, Kakashi raised a trembling hand to his eye. Without hesitation, he dug his fingers into the socket, blood spilling down his face as he forcibly tore the Sharingan from its place.
A gasp rippled through the battlefield.
Then, with all the strength he could muster, he hurled the bloodied eye toward Obito.
"Take it back!"
Obito caught it instinctively. For a moment, he simply stared at the eye, his mind flooded with memories.
Kakashi, gasping through the pain, stood tall. His vision blurred, but his voice remained steady.
"I am Kakashi of the Hidden Leaf. I am not the Copy Ninja. I am not just a man with borrowed power."
His hands crackled with electricity as he raised them, the familiar chirping of Chidori filling the air.
"My ninja way has never changed. Those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum! And I will never abandon that belief! Not then, not now, not ever!"
His eyes locked onto Obito's.
"Even if that means standing against you, my old friend!"
---
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