When Sasuke woke up again, he was lying in a corner of the training ground.
Jiraiya was hiding in the grass with a telescope, and Sasuke didn't even need to guess what that old pervert was doing.
And Haruno Sakura was gone.
After regaining consciousness, Sasuke's eyes snapped open.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun slightly.
He realized he had been defeated by Haruno Sakura—and defeated easily. Sasuke couldn't accept it.
He jumped to his feet, glanced around, and immediately ran off.
"Hey!"
Jiraiya noticed Sasuke's movement, blocked his path, and asked, "Where are you going?"
"To find Naruto," Sasuke replied, brushing past Jiraiya.
Jiraiya didn't stop him.
…
When Sasuke finally found Naruto, he saw something that shocked him to his core.
Naruto was actually out shopping… with Kurenai Yuhi?
Judging from how close they looked, the two of them seemed very familiar.
The horror in Sasuke's eyes couldn't be described in words.
He knew Naruto was a bit of a pervert.
But he never expected Naruto would even target someone from the previous generation…
This was really eye-opening—and kind of a stab in the heart.
But after the initial shock, Sasuke didn't care about that at all anymore.
All he cared about now was power.
He stopped Naruto and asked bluntly, "What happened to Sakura-chan?"
"Oh? It's you, Sasuke." Naruto noticed him and casually invited, "We're going to watch a movie later. Want to join?"
The moment Sasuke arrived, Kurenai let go of Naruto's hand.
She clearly didn't want others to know what was going on between them.
Because it would definitely make her look like the pervert…
A few black lines appeared on Sasuke's forehead.
Why do I have to be the third wheel here?
He snapped, "Naruto, I don't have time for a movie. You know exactly what I'm asking!"
Naruto didn't tease him further and instead asked, "Do you remember the genjutsu method Kurama told me about?"
"Is it because of that?" Sasuke's expression twisted with regret.
If he had let Naruto experiment with that genjutsu earlier, he wouldn't have lost to Sakura—and wouldn't have been humiliated.
Naruto understood Sasuke's personality, so he said, "Don't worry, Sasuke. You can synchronize with my Nine-Tails Chakra Mode any time. But you're not in good condition right now. Go home and rest for two days before coming to me."
Naruto and Sakura always lived according to their hearts.
But Sasuke… that wasn't necessarily the case.
Was his real intention revenge?
It was impossible to say for sure.
"But… Naruto?!" Sasuke didn't understand why Naruto was delaying.
His thirst for power was at its peak.
Naruto shook his head. "I told you—you're not ready for genjutsu right now. Go rest for two days."
Seeing that Naruto wasn't joking, Sasuke reluctantly agreed.
As Sasuke walked away, Naruto shook his head.
He wasn't lying.
If Sasuke couldn't face his own original intention, he wouldn't be able to activate the Nine-Tails Chakra.
Unless he completely abandoned it—which Sasuke would never do.
Unable to accept his own true intention, unable to fully commit to a new one, and still chasing power…
Sasuke would definitely try to force the Nine-Tails Chakra eventually.
Kurama feared Naruto, so he would cooperate—but if Sasuke tried to absorb the chakra while mentally unstable, it would backfire.
Sasuke's condition was already poor. If a backlash happened now, he could die.
If he were healthier, he might hold out until Tsunade arrived.
After Sasuke left, Naruto turned and took Kurenai's hand again. "Let's continue."
Kurenai pursed her lips slightly, saying nothing as she focused on the crowd around her.
She was nervous about being seen by acquaintances.
After all, the age gap was huge. Getting caught felt like having your entire browser history leaked.
Not only that—imagine your girlfriend saying:
"Your sister knows."
"Your sister also saw it. She'll never act cute to you again."
"Your mom didn't expect your interests to be this… unique."
"Your dad bought two bottles of wine and is waiting for you. Go home quickly."
"And also, don't contact me again."
In that moment, anyone would want to escape to another world.
…
As expected, Sasuke didn't wait two days.
Just one day later—
At the Konoha training grounds.
Three figures stood in a quiet corner.
Naruto. Haruno Sakura. Sasuke.
Naruto handled the genjutsu.
Sasuke was the one receiving his "true intention."
And if anything went wrong, Sakura was there to heal him.
After everything was ready, Naruto asked, "Do you remember everything I told you?"
Sasuke nodded seriously, eyes burning with desire for strength.
Naruto smiled faintly, feeling a strange sense of anticipation.
This guy always talked about revenge, but he didn't understand what he really wanted.
Naruto formed a hand seal and cast the genjutsu.
Sakura watched the scene curiously.
Naruto had originally planned to try this genjutsu on her, but Sakura lived completely by her heart, so it didn't work.
Still, she was curious about the illusion.
Naruto activated it—but Sasuke didn't feel anything at first.
Just when he began to wonder, a shadow formed between the three of them.
The shadow gradually solidified—into another Sasuke.
"What is this…?" Sasuke frowned, activating his Sharingan to examine the figure.
The original Sasuke opened his eyes, revealing an eerie Three-Tomoe pattern.
Seeing Sasuke's true self, the manifested intention smiled—a twisted smile that showed his spirit hadn't broken. "Your true form, huh? Then I'll take it."
The true intention began casting genjutsu, trying to possess Sasuke's body.
This was unexpected.
But—
Naruto intervened.
Under Naruto's control, the inner Sasuke's chakra sharply decreased.
"Damn it…" the true intention snarled at Naruto.
Naruto remained calm, but Sakura was terrified.
She had never seen Sasuke's face look so distorted.
Naruto reminded him, "Just ask."
Manifesting the original intention was for one thing: to ask what it truly was.
Illusion wasn't needed to complete an intention—but it was needed to change one.
Then something happened that stunned both Naruto and Sakura.
Facing his own true intention, Sasuke cast genjutsu on himself—and subdued it.
Because Naruto reduced the chakra flow to Sasuke's true intention, its chakra was weaker than Sasuke's.
You're this brutal to yourself, huh? Sasuke…
After Sasuke fully restrained his true intention, he asked the question:
What was his original thought?
As Naruto expected—it wasn't revenge.
It was—
To take control of his own life.
A life where no one else could interfere.
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