Chapter 20 – Retribution in the Shadows
"Mercy is a luxury the guilty cannot afford."
The night was still, but the forest trembled under a silent threat. Sasuke moved through the shadows like a wraith, every step calculated, every breath controlled. The faint pulse of Karin's chakra reached him—a thread through the dark, and it ignited a storm within him.
The camp of the Root of Ash appeared ahead, their fires flickering like fragile candles.Sasuke's eyes—Sharingan and Rinnegan spinning—saw through every deception, every trap. He smiled coldly.
"They thought they could hold her. They thought they could survive me."
In an instant, he struck.
Leaves rustled. A figure crumpled before it could even draw its weapon. Another screamed—then froze, paralyzed in a genjutsu of absolute despair. One by one, the Senju fell.
Sasuke's Chidori fused with his blade, slicing through guards with surgical precision. A single strike to the chest, a flick of the wrist, and their screams ended before they truly began. The trees shook under the force of his attacks, but he moved as if the forest itself obeyed him.
Those who attempted to flee found themselves trapped, caught in an invisible web of psychic torment. Memories of their sins, their fears, their ancestors' curses—they all unfolded within his genjutsu. No one could resist.
Minutes passed, though it felt like seconds. When the last of the Root of Ash fell, the camp was in ruins. Fires burned low. Bodies lay broken, some twitching in the grip of his illusions, others lifeless.
Sasuke stood at the edge, his chest heaving slightly. His eyes, cold and relentless, swept the scene.
He touched the faint pulse of Karin again. It was there—alive, restrained—but intact.
He turned, vanishing into the shadows, leaving behind only the echoes of his wrath.
"I will find you. No one can stop me."