Chapter Text
Chapter 2: What He Left Behind
Naruto woke up to silence.
Which was weird, because silence wasn't really a thing in his life anymore. Between Hinata's soft breathing, the kids making noise down the hall, neighbors starting their day... there was always something. But this felt different. Empty. Like someone had reached into his chest and flicked off a switch.
It took him a second to figure out what was wrong. Everything looked normal enough. Same bedroom ceiling, same shadows on the walls, same sounds drifting up from the street. Hinata was still asleep next to him, one arm thrown across his chest, wedding ring catching the little bit of light coming through the curtains.
Everything was exactly like it should be.
Except for this hollow ache behind his ribs that felt like losing a piece of his soul.
He sat up carefully, trying not to wake Hinata, and pressed his hand to his chest. For as long as he could remember, there'd been something there. Not physical exactly, but real. Like a warm spot, a certainty. The distant but constant awareness that somewhere in the world, Sasuke existed.
It was gone.
Not faded or muffled or distant. Just gone. Like a candle that'd been burning so long he'd stopped noticing it until someone blew it out.
That's when the memories came flooding back. How many times had that connection saved both their asses? During the war, Naruto had felt Sasuke approaching long before he'd actually seen him. That familiar chakra cutting through all the battlefield chaos like a lifeline. And when Naruto got banged up during that diplomatic disaster in the Mist, Sasuke had somehow just known. He'd appeared out of thin air like he'd been called.
It wasn't conscious. More like instinct. The certainty that somewhere out there, the other half of his soul was in trouble.
The bond had been uniquely theirs for years. Not romantic. He had buried those feelings so deep he'd almost convinced himself they'd never existed. But it was deeper than friendship. Deeper than brotherhood even. They were two parts of something that got broken early and never quite figured out how to exist separately.
But loving Sasuke the way he really wanted to... that was never going to happen. There was the village to think about, his dreams of being Hokage and what everyone expected from him. There was Sasuke's past as a traitor and criminal and the political nightmare it would've been. And honestly, Naruto had never been brave enough to risk what they did have by asking for more.
He didn't want Sasuke to walk away from him again because he honestly didn't know if he could handle that.
So he'd taken the easier route. Marriage to someone kind and stable who loved him unconditionally. Kids who'd carry on his legacy and a life that looked exactly like what everyone wanted from a future Hokage. And he'd told himself it was enough. That the quiet contentment he felt with Hinata was the same as the soul-burning connection he'd shared with Sasuke.
But his failure went deeper than just being a coward about his feelings. He'd never fought for justice for Sasuke's clan either. Never pushed the village to acknowledge the massacre, never demanded reparations or even an apology. He never fought to clear Itachi's name. To honor him as the hero who'd saved Konoha from civil war and helped stop Kabuto's Edo Tensei with Sasuke during the war. He was the village hero, the golden boy whose word carried weight. If anyone could've forced Konoha to face what they'd done, to give Itachi the recognition he deserved, it was him.
Instead, he'd hoped Sasuke would just forgive and move on. Hoped their bond would be enough to heal wounds that needed justice.
The truth was uglier than just political convenience. Part of him was terrified that pushing too hard and demanding too much from the village that'd finally accepted him, would make him an outcast again. He'd spent his childhood being hated and feared. The idea of losing his place, his belonging, his home... it paralyzed him. So he stayed quiet about the stuff that mattered, choosing his own security over the justice Sasuke deserved. He told himself when he became Hokage he would change things.
He'd almost believed it too. Until now, when losing that connection made him realize how much of himself he'd buried alongside those inconvenient feelings and uncomfortable truths.
Naruto remembered being twelve, sitting alone in his crappy apartment, and suddenly knowing with absolute certainty that Sasuke was crying somewhere. Found him the next morning at the memorial stone, red-eyed and withdrawn, mourning parents he barely remembered.
He remembered being fifteen and waking from nightmares about snakes and laboratories, only to learn weeks later that Sasuke had escaped Orochimaru's compound that same night.
He remembered being nineteen, standing at his own wedding ceremony, when he'd felt this pulse of pride and loss so deep it stole his breath. It wasn't until months later he learned Sasuke had been watching from the treeline. Had seen Naruto commit to a life they'd never be able to share. Not just because of fear or politics, but because of the fundamental impossibility neither of them could voice. Sasuke could never truly live in Konoha, and Naruto could never leave it. The village that was Naruto's greatest dream would always be Sasuke's nightmare.
Their connection had been his compass, his early warning system, proof that no matter how far apart they were, they belonged to each other.
And now it was gone.
Panic rose in his throat, sharp and immediate. He stumbled out of bed, bare feet hitting the cold floor, and reached out with his chakra. Searching. Feeling for that familiar signature that had been his anchor for so many years.
Nothing.
The connection that'd survived Sasuke's defection, the war, years of separation and stubborn silence, had just ended. Just like that.
"Naruto?" Hinata's voice was soft, concerned. "What's wrong?"
He turned to find her watching with those pale eyes that saw too much. Hair mussed from sleep, but already sitting up, instantly alert to his distress.
"I can't feel him," Naruto said, voice rough with confusion and terror. "Sasuke. I can't... the connection is just gone."
"When did you last sense him?" Hinata asked gently.
"Yesterday. Maybe the day before. It's always there, I don't usually..." Naruto dragged his hands through his hair, trying to think. "I don't actively monitor it, you know? It's just background noise. But when I woke up this morning, it was completely gone."
Hinata was already getting dressed, moving with the efficient grace of someone who'd been a shinobi long before she'd been a wife and mother. "Get dressed. We need to see Kakashi."
The Hokage's office at dawn wasn't a place Naruto wanted to be unless someone was dying.
Kakashi looked up from a pile of reports as Naruto burst through the door without knocking, Hinata close behind. The older man took one look at Naruto's disheveled appearance and the tension radiating from both of them, and his expression immediately went serious.
"What happened?" Kakashi asked, setting down his papers.
"Sasuke," Naruto said without preamble. "The connection between us... it's gone. Not blocked, not distant. Gone."
Kakashi was quiet for a moment, considering. He'd been aware of the bond between his former students for years, had even relied on it during several missions when they needed to locate Sasuke quickly.
"When did you last sense him through the bond?" Kakashi asked.
"I felt the connection up until this morning," Naruto said, pressing his hand to his chest. "But when was his last official check-in?"
Kakashi consulted his mission files. "One week ago. Standard check-in after that reconnaissance mission in Lightning Country. Nothing unusual in his report, but he mentioned wanting to investigate some strange chakra readings he'd heard about."
Naruto's hands clenched into fists. "But I think the bond started fading before that. I just didn't notice because it's always been there."
"Have you tried reaching out through official channels?"
Kakashi was already reaching for his communication device. "Let me have ANBU attempt contact with his tracking seal right now." He spoke quickly into the device, then waited. After a tense minute, he set it down looking serious. "His tracking seal isn't responding. That's... not good."
The ANBU tracking seals were designed to be nearly impossible to remove or block without serious effort or outside interference.
"Send for Sakura and Shikamaru," Kakashi ordered, already reaching for his mission scrolls. "And get me the last confirmed location of Sasuke's chakra signature."
Within an hour, the crisis team was assembled. Shikamaru was already there, coffee and papers everywhere, with that look he got when he could feel a situation turning troublesome. Sakura burst through the door with her medical bag still slung over her shoulder, clearly pulled from her rounds at the hospital. Everyone who usually got dragged into Sasuke emergencies. His old teammates and Shikamaru, who'd somehow become the go-to guy for these situations.
"What's the situation?" Sakura asked without preamble.
"Sasuke's missing," Naruto said. "I realized the bond was cut off this morning, so it must've just happened. His tracking seal isn't responding."
Sakura went pale. "Missing how? Captured? Injured?"
"Unknown," Kakashi replied. "His last reported position was the border region between Lightning and Fire Country. He indicated he was going to investigate reports of unusual chakra signatures in the area."
Shikamaru set down his coffee and pulled out a map. "Define unusual."
"Ancient. Unidentified. Local reports mentioned a temple or shrine that'd been sealed for centuries suddenly becoming active." Kakashi's eye narrowed. "The initial investigation was supposed to be routine."
"And now Sasuke's missing near an ancient, recently active seal," Shikamaru said dryly. "What a drag.
Sakura had gone very still. Color draining from her face, hands trembling slightly where they rested on her medical bag.
"Kakashi-sensei, do you have the specifics of those chakra readings?"
"Why?"
She hesitated, mind racing back to that examination two months ago. She'd been doing a routine check after Sasuke's return from a particularly brutal mission. He'd been exhausted, running on fumes and stubbornness, but that wasn't unusual. What had been unusual were the readings.
His chakra flow had been different. Not damaged, not depleted, but... shifted. The patterns were still recognizably Sasuke's, but underneath the familiar signatures, there'd been another layer. An energy that made her double-check her equipment, run the scan three times and pull up every medical text she could find.
"Because I might have some information that could be relevant. About Sasuke's recent medical examinations."
The room went quiet.
"What kind of information?" Kakashi asked carefully.
Sakura felt guilt churning in her stomach. She'd been researching obsessively since that day, diving into the oldest medical archives, consulting with Tsunade about phenomena that existed more in legend than documented fact. The signs had been there, clear as day if she'd known what to look for.
"The last time I examined Sasuke, roughly two months ago, I found some anomalies in his chakra system. Hormonal fluctuations that didn't match his normal baseline. I wanted to run more comprehensive tests, but he left for a mission before I could complete them."
She could still see his face when she'd mentioned the abnormal readings. The way he'd gone completely still, like prey sensing a predator. The speed with which he'd dressed and made his excuses, claiming urgent mission briefings that probably didn't exist.
She should have pushed harder. Should have insisted. Should have recognized the signs of someone running from a truth they weren't ready to face.
"What kind of anomalies?" Shikamaru leaned forward, analytical mind already working.
"The kind that suggested... biological changes. Rare ones." Sakura's voice was carefully professional, but inside she was screaming. How had she missed it? How had she let him walk away when all the pieces were right there?
"I told him it looked like something in his system was trying to wake up," she continued, the memory painfully clear. "He asked what I meant by 'wake up,' and I... I didn't know how to answer him. I should've pushed harder for those tests."
She ran her hands through her hair again, clearly struggling with what to say next. "I've been researching since then, trying to understand what I was seeing. It's material I studied in the most advanced medical texts during my training with Tsunade. Theoretical knowledge I never expected to encounter in practice. The hormone levels, the chakra pathway alterations, the way his scent..." She trailed off, realizing how that sounded.
The magnitude of what she might've discovered was staggering. If her suspicions were correct, she wasn't looking at a simple delayed presentation. She was looking at an event that happened maybe once in a lifetime. Once in several lifetimes.
"His scent?" Naruto asked, frowning.
"It was subtle. Barely detectable unless you were specifically looking for it. But there was an underlying sweetness that hadn't been there before. I thought it might be a reaction to stress or new medications, but now..."
Now she knew better. Now she understood she'd been looking at the early stages of something that happened maybe once in a generation. A change that could explain why Sasuke had seemed so lost, so desperate in recent months.
"Sakura," Naruto said quietly, "what aren't you telling us?"
She met his gaze, and he saw guilt there. "I think Sasuke was entering a delayed presentation. As an omega."
The silence that followed was deafening.
"Wait, what?" Naruto said, looking around the room like someone would explain. "What's an omega? I mean, I've heard the word but..."
Shikamaru leaned forward, but his expression was puzzled rather than knowing. "From your tone, Sakura, this sounds serious. But I'll admit I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Neither do I," Kakashi added wearily.
"Look, this is going to sound crazy, but I think it's some kind of ancient genetics thing. From way back." Sakura ran her hands through her hair again. "When I was training with Tsunade-sama, she made me study these really old texts. Most of it seemed like myths, honestly. But there were these references to people having dormant traits that could wake up under extreme circumstances."
She paused, trying to organize her thoughts. "Alpha traits, omega traits. The texts made it sound like alphas were naturally protective and dominant. And omegas could bond with people in ways we don't really understand anymore. Form connections that were deeper than anything we see now. And apparently they could have kids in ways that normal biology doesn't allow."
Her voice dropped. "But nobody thought this stuff was real. It was just theoretical. Like studying about dragons or something."
She shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. "The thing is, if these traits ever did wake up, the old texts suggested it would be incredibly rare. Like, once in multiple generations rare. But we're talking about ancient theories here, not documented cases. We're basically flying blind."
Kakashi leaned back in his chair, and Naruto caught the subtle shift in his posture. This wasn't just their former sensei anymore. This was the Hokage, processing information that could reshape the political landscape of the entire continent.
"The security implications," Kakashi said quietly, "are considerable."
"Security implications?" Naruto's voice was heated. "He's our friend, not a threat."
"A rare omega who was already Naruto's equal in power, now potentially enhanced beyond that through an unknown bond to some kind of god-level entity?" Shikamaru's tone was dry, but his expression was grave. "Plus, the Rinnegan that can manipulate space and time. Naruto, think about what the other villages will do when they realize Sasuke might now be stronger than even you."
Naruto felt something cold settle in his stomach. He thought about all those council meetings he'd sat through as Hokage-in-training, listening to the cold calculations that governed international relations. The way they sometimes talked about him like he was a weapon that just happened to have feelings. Sasuke would be seen the same way, only worse. Ex-criminal, the last Uchiha, and now possibly stronger than the guy they'd always counted on to stop him if things went wrong.
"And that's assuming they could even contain him," Shikamaru added. "The Rinnegan gives him access to dimensional travel. If he wanted to disappear with whatever entity he's bonded to, no prison, no village, no army could stop him. He'd be completely beyond anyone's control."
"You think they'll try to control him."
"They'll panic," Kakashi said seriously.
With good reason," Sakura interjected, flipping through her notes. "I've been researching this nonstop. The old texts are mostly fragments, but what I'm finding isn't reassuring. Ancient civilizations tried to control these bonds, use them for bloodline preservation, strategic advantage. Most people dismiss it as myth, but..." She trailed off. "None of those theoretical cases involved whatever the hell Sasuke might be bonded to.
"If word gets out," Shikamaru continued, "every village will either want to claim him or eliminate him. There's no middle ground with power like this."
"We're not our predecessors," Kakashi said quietly. "But we still have to deal with the world they created."
The room fell silent as the implications sank in. Naruto felt the world tilt sideways. This was exactly what had been done to him his whole life, just with a different justification.
His breathing got shallow, too fast. The walls felt like they were closing in. Every village would be hunting Sasuke. They'd treat him like a weapon, like a thing to be used or destroyed. Just like they'd done to Naruto. Just like...
"Naruto." Sakura's voice cut through his spiral. Her hand was suddenly on his shoulder, steady and warm. "Breathe. In for four, hold for four, out for four."
He followed her instructions automatically, medical training she'd drilled into all of them for panic attacks in the field. The room slowly stopped spinning.
"Better?" she asked quietly.
Naruto nodded, embarrassed but grateful. He couldn't lose it now. Sasuke was counting on him, even if he didn't know it.
"Sorry," he muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "It's just... fuck, they're going to hunt him down like he's some kind of monster. And we can't do shit to stop them."
"The truth is, we're speculating based on incomplete knowledge," Kakashi said carefully. "If this is what Sasuke has become, we're dealing with something beyond our current understanding medically, politically and strategically. There are no protocols for this because no one alive has seen it before."
"But I want to be clear," Sakura continued, "this is all theoretical. The medical texts treat this like mythology. I never expected to see actual symptoms of an awakening."
Kakashi nodded seriously. "Which means we're dealing with something our generation has no protocols for. No strategic frameworks, no diplomatic precedents. We're operating without a playbook."
Sakura," Naruto said quietly, "if you didn't know what was happening to him, he probably didn't either. Think about it, you're a medical expert and this stuff seems like a myth to you. What are the chances Sasuke would've figured it out on his own?"
Sakura's expression softened slightly, some of the guilt easing from her features.
"Then we don't let word get out," Naruto said, his voice steadier now.
"And if we can't get him back?" Kakashi asked. "What if whatever he's bound to decides to use him against us? Think about it, the last Uchiha, powered up by some ancient god. He's got plenty of reasons to hate the shinobi world."
Naruto wanted to argue. Wanted to say Sasuke would never hurt innocent people. But he remembered teenage Sasuke who'd almost leveled Konoha just to get revenge. The avenger who'd been ready to kill every Kage in existence before Naruto managed to talk him down.
If Sasuke got backed into a corner again, if he thought they'd never let him be...
"That's exactly why we need to get to him fast," Naruto said. "Before this turns into some huge political mess."
"Only works if he actually wants to come back," Shikamaru said quietly.
That shut everyone up for a second. Naruto didn't want to think about that possibility.
"You really didn't tell anyone about those tests?" he asked Sakura.
"I wasn't sure about anything. The results were all over the place, and he took off before I could run more tests." Sakura sounded defensive, but her hands were still shaking a little. "I talked to Tsunade-sama about what I was seeing, but we both agreed I needed more data before reporting anything official. Besides, even if I'd been completely sure, patient confidentiality and all that."
"Unless it posed a threat to village security," Kakashi said quietly.
The implication hung in the air like a threat.
"If Sasuke was entering omega presentation," Shikamaru said slowly, "and he encountered an ancient seal designed to respond to specific chakra signatures..."
"It could've bound him," Sakura finished. "Especially if the seal was designed to respond to rare or powerful chakra types."
Naruto pushed back from the table, chakra flaring with his distress. "So we go get him. Now."
"It's not that simple," Kakashi said. "If he's bound to an ancient seal, approaching carelessly could make things worse. We need more information."
While he's trapped somewhere, possibly hurt, possibly..." Naruto couldn't bring himself to say the word. Like speaking it might make it real.
"Or possibly exactly where he wants to be," Shikamaru interrupted.
The words made his stomach drop. Naruto spun to face him, eyes blazing. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Shikamaru's expression was carefully neutral. "Think about it, Naruto. Sasuke's been isolated for years. Carrying the weight of his entire bloodline. If he encountered a force that offered him a solution to that burden..."
"You think he went willingly."
"I think Sasuke has never done anything by accident in his entire life."
That stung, mostly because it was true. Shikamaru was right. Sasuke didn't just wander into trouble. He walked in with his eyes wide open, knowing exactly what he was getting into.
"Then we go after him anyway," Naruto said, voice raw. "Whatever he's gotten himself into, whatever deal he's made, he doesn't have to face it alone."
"The question," Kakashi said, "is whether we can reach him at all."
They set out within the hour.
The hike to Sasuke's last known location got weird fast. They started on normal forest trails, the kind they'd run a million times during training. But the deeper they went, the more wrong everything felt. The trees got bigger, darker, their branches tangling overhead until you could barely see sky. Even the air tasted off, like metal and lightning, making Naruto's teeth hurt
"Anyone else feeling this?" Sakura asked after they'd been traveling for two hours. Her voice was quieter than usual, like speaking too loudly might draw unwanted attention.
"The strangeness?" Shikamaru nodded, consulting his compass with a frown. "Magnetic field's off. We're walking in a straight line according to this, but the shadows suggest we've been curving east for the last mile."
Naruto felt it too, this crawling sensation under his skin that made his chakra restless and reactive. Every shadow seemed too deep, every sound too distant or too close. Even the quality of light was wrong, filtered through energy that shouldn't exist in their world.
"It's getting stronger the closer we get," Kakashi observed. "Whatever's at the center of this, it's affecting reality for miles around."
They traveled in formation, but not their usual one. Without discussing it, they'd arranged themselves so no one was ever completely alone, never more than arm's reach from backup. Old habits from the war, when they'd learned to trust their instincts about supernatural threats.
"Tell me more about these classified archives," Shikamaru said as they navigated around a tree that was definitely larger than it'd been when they'd approached it.
Kakashi was quiet for a moment. "Most of it's theoretical. References to sealed sites where ancient powers were imprisoned rather than destroyed. The reports always mention the same things: reality distortion in the surrounding area, complete failure of normal chakra techniques, and..." He paused.
"And what?" Naruto prompted.
"And the fact that anyone who entered these sites either never came out or came out changed in fundamental ways."
Sakura shivered. "Changed how?"
"Stronger. More dangerous. And completely loyal to whatever power they'd encountered inside."
The implications hung heavy in the air. If Sasuke was inside one of these sites, if he was being influenced or controlled by something ancient and alien...
"He's still himself," Naruto said firmly, but even he could hear the doubt creeping into his voice.
"We hope so," Kakashi replied quietly. "The question is whether whatever's in there will let him stay that way."
As if summoned by their conversation, the temple appeared ahead through the trees. Even from a distance, Naruto could feel the wrongness of it. The air around the structure shimmered with residual chakra, and the very stones seemed to pulse with an alien rhythm.
"There," Sakura said, pointing ahead through the trees.
The temple rose from the mountainside like a wound in the world. Naruto's skin crawled with the sensation of being watched, though he could see no signs of life. His chakra, usually so responsive and eager, felt sluggish and confused.
"That's definitely not natural," Shikamaru observed.
They approached carefully; senses alert for any sign of danger. The closer they got, the more oppressive the atmosphere became.
"The chakra signature," Sakura breathed, pulling out a small device. "It's... incredible. And completely unlike anything I've ever encountered."
"Because it's not from our world," Kakashi said seriously, staring up at the temple's broken facade. "I've seen references to places like this in the most classified archives. Sealed sites where ancient powers were bound."
"And now the seal's broken," Naruto said.
"Not broken," Kakashi corrected. "Activated. By someone with the right key."
They reached the temple's entrance and stopped. The doorway was blocked by a barrier of pure energy, golden light that hurt to look at directly. Naruto reached out tentatively and jerked his hand back as the barrier flared, repelling him with enough force to send him stumbling backward.
"Sasuke's in there," he said with absolute certainty. The absence in his chest had localized, pointing toward the temple like a compass needle pointing north.
"Can we break through?" Sakura asked, already pulling out her chakra measurement devices.
Kakashi placed his hand near the barrier, not quite touching. "This isn't just chakra. It's something much older. Energy that responds to specific genetic markers or spiritual signatures."
"What kind of genetic markers?" Shikamaru asked, his strategic mind already working through the implications. "His bloodline? The Sharingan?"
"Most likely," Kakashi replied grimly. "The barrier isn't meant to keep people out. It's meant to keep specific people in."
Shikamaru went very still, pieces clicking together in his head. "Wait. If the seal responds to genetic markers, and Sasuke has these rare omega genetics that Sakura described..." He looked around the group. "What if it's not responding to him being Uchiha? What if it's responding to him being omega?"
Sakura's face went pale. "Oh god. If the seal was designed to detect and bind people with those specific biological traits..."
Naruto felt his heart sink. "You're saying it's designed to trap omegas?"
"I think the original seal was meant to imprison something powerful," Kakashi said carefully. "But now that it's been activated, the barrier seems to be keeping Sasuke and whatever he bonded with locked inside together." He didn't finish the darker implication, but they all understood.
Sakura's devices were beeping frantically, overwhelmed by readings that shouldn't be possible. "The energy signature is off the charts. And it's not just powerful, it's... complex. Like there are multiple sources interacting with each other."
"The seal and Sasuke," Shikamaru said.
"Maybe more than that." Sakura frowned at her readings. "There's definitely a human chakra signature in there, but it's... changing. Evolving. Turning into something I've never seen before."
Naruto pressed his palm flat against the barrier, ignoring the way it burned. The energy was warm, almost alive, and deep underneath he could sense something that felt like Sasuke. But different. Muted somehow, like hearing a familiar voice through water.
"He's not in pain," he said with sudden certainty. "Whatever's happening to him, he's not fighting it."
The words hung in the air like an accusation. Because if Sasuke wasn't fighting, if he was accepting whatever transformation was taking place...
"Maybe that's worse," Sakura whispered.
They stood in silence for a moment; each lost in their own thoughts. The temple pulsed around them, its golden light growing brighter as if responding to their presence. Or mocking it.
"There has to be a way," Naruto said finally.
"Maybe," Kakashi replied. "But not one we're going to find today. We need to understand what we're dealing with before we risk making things worse."
"Worse how?" But even as Naruto asked the question, he thought he knew the answer.
Kakashi's face was bleak. "Ancient seals don't just bind power, Naruto. They transform it. If Sasuke's inside that barrier, if he's been bound to whatever power was sealed here, then when he comes out..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but Naruto understood.
When Sasuke came out, if he came out, he might not be the same person who went in.
And they might not be able to trust him anymore.
They set up camp on a ridge overlooking the temple. Close enough to keep watch, far enough to avoid the worst of whatever was affecting the area. As night fell, the temple started glowing brighter, the golden light pulsing steady like a heartbeat.
"I should've seen it," Sakura said quietly, staring down at the temple. "The signs were there. If I'd pushed for those additional tests, if I'd understood what was happening to him..."
"You couldn't have known," Naruto said, but his voice lacked conviction.
"Sakura," Kakashi said firmly, "you can't blame yourself for missing something that exists more in legend than medical reality. You noticed anomalies and wanted to investigate further. That's exactly what a good medic should do."
"Could I though? All those years, all the missions, all the times he pulled away when we got too close... I always thought it was just Sasuke being Sasuke. But what if it was more than that? What if he was fighting a battle we couldn't see?"
"Sakura," Naruto said quietly, "if you didn't know what was happening to him, he probably didn't either. Think about it - you're a medical expert and this stuff seemed like myths to you. What are the chances Sasuke would've figured it out on his own?"
Shikamaru looked up from the tactical notes he'd been scribbling. "The question isn't what we missed. It's what we do now."
"We get him back," Naruto said firmly.
"And if he doesn't want to come back?"
"Then at least we'll know he's making that choice freely," Shikamaru said quietly. "And not under supernatural influence."
The question hung in the air like smoke. Naruto wanted to deny it, to insist that Sasuke would never choose to stay trapped, would never abandon his duty to Konoha and his friends.
But deep down, in the part of his mind that knew Sasuke better than anyone else in the world, he wondered.
What if this was what Sasuke had been searching for all along? Not power, but an end to the loneliness that'd consumed him since he was seven years old? What if whatever was in that temple offered him a future Naruto and the others never could?
"Then we make sure he knows he has other options," Naruto said finally.
Kakashi nodded approvingly. "First, we need more information. Shikamaru, I want you to research everything you can find about ancient seals and binding contracts. Sakura, dig deeper into omega presentations and what might make someone vulnerable to supernatural influence."
"And me?" Naruto asked.
"You stay close to the temple. Monitor any changes. And..." Kakashi's expression softened slightly, "try to reach him through whatever connection you still have. Even if the bond's broken, you two have always been able to find each other."
The others had crashed hours ago, but Naruto couldn't sleep. He sat there staring at that damn temple, watching the golden light continue to pulse like a heartbeat.
Sasuke was in there somewhere. Probably dealing with whatever he'd gotten himself into completely alone, like always.
Well, not this time.
Naruto didn't know what kind of deal Sasuke had made or what he'd bound himself to, but he wasn't letting his best friend handle it alone even if he wanted to. He'd done that too many times already, held back when he wanted to step up. He’d played it safe when Sasuke needed someone to go all in.
He'd find a way through that barrier. Period.
They'd been through too much together. Sasuke leaving, the war, all those years of barely talking to each other. Their connection had survived all of that and more and some ancient god or whatever it was thought it could just cut them off now?
Yeah, right.
He wasn't giving up on Sasuke. Not happening.
But as he sat there in the dark, something weird happened. The light seemed to... shift. For a second, it felt like something was looking back at him. Not Sasuke. Something else. Something big and amused, like this was all just a game to it.
The golden glow actually flickered, almost like it was winking at him.
Naruto's skin crawled.
Whatever was in there with Sasuke knew they were out here. And worse, it thought their whole rescue mission was amusing.
Chapter 3 Preview:
Two days trapped in the temple, and Sasuke's body was doing things he didn't understand.
His chakra kept reaching out on its own, trying to connect when he'd spent his whole life keeping people away. Every breath brought Gojo's scent, making heat spread through him in ways that left him confused as hell.
"I thought if I was strong enough, I could protect them from anything," Gojo said quietly, those impossible eyes full of old pain. "But strength like that just isolates you."
Outside the barrier, Naruto's chakra kept hitting the golden light, desperate to get through. But inside, hearing about Gojo's lost students and broken world, Sasuke started to get it. What it was like to finally be understood by someone who'd been carrying the same impossible weight.
For the first time in seventeen years, bringing back the dead mattered less than creating something new.
Maybe it was time to let them rest.
Maybe it was time to start living.