Shika sat down on the edge of the cave, waiting for his chakra to recover to go back to the base or for any of his teammates to wake up—whichever came first. His head was killing him due to the overuse of chakra absorption. After resting for a while and slowly recovering a bit of chakra, he stood up, finally having enough chakra to use his Rinnegan once again and open the portal. A dark, swirling portal appeared in front of him—his way back to the base. Without wasting time, he carried the unconscious Haku and Suigetsu with him and stepped through.
The portal opened inside the quiet base of Yūgure. Karin and Fuu, who had been waiting anxiously for Shika after the emergency signal from both Suigetsu and Haku had been triggered, jumped to their feet the moment they saw Shika walk through, holding two unconscious allies.
"Shika!" Karin rushed over. "Are you okay?!"
But Shika didn't answer. He just pushed a piece of paper into her hand before placing Suigetsu and Haku down on the ground. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. It wasn't just his body that was tired—his head felt like it was splitting. He was completely drained. Fuu ran to his side and helped Karin carry him to his room.
"He pushed himself too far," Fuu said softly, placing a blanket over him.
"Never thought I'd hear someone say that about our lazy Nara leader. But yes, sometimes when there's no other option, he does that…" Karin sighed.
"He looked exhausted." Fuu looked at him with a concerned expression.
Karin checked his condition. "No, it's not just exhaustion. Look at the way he just outright passed out, and his head is killing him. Used to happen a lot when he used that scroll of his back when we were training like maniacs. Bet his mind's killing him. Just hope he doesn't take it out on us when he wakes up." Karin shook her head and decided to let it be.
They carefully moved Suigetsu and Haku to nearby rooms and laid them down. The two of them had bruises and small cuts but nothing too serious.
Karin and Fuu sat together in the hallway, quiet for a moment.
"I wonder what happened out there," Fuu asked, eyes on the door to Shika's room.
"We'll know soon," Karin replied. "Once one of them wakes up, we'll get answers. Though I believe that things with those people after the Jinchuriki are heating up. We need to get ready. Sooner or later, the war will come to us."
Silence followed after Karin said that. All they could do now was wait.
Karin finally remembered the piece of paper and looked at it, only to see a single line written on it:
"Call Everyone Back..."
---
[Hidden Sand]
Kakashi stood quietly outside the old motel, his face this time not half-hidden beneath his cloak. Arguably, the best disguise he could have was to show his face. After months of chasing rumors and faint chakra trails, he finally had a lead. He was sure this time—Sasuke was here.
He stepped inside the quiet building, walking up the creaky stairs. His Sharingan eye, however, was still covered behind the silver bangs he let fall over half of his face.
Room 203. That's where he felt it—familiar, controlled chakra. He didn't knock. He just opened the door.
Inside, Sasuke stood near the window, while Jugo quickly turned around, alarmed. But Sasuke raised a hand, stopping him.
At first, Sasuke didn't realize it, but still, not wanting to give their identity away, he chose not to act. Still, he could feel the Sharingan in Kakashi's eye.
"Kakashi," Sasuke said flatly.
"I finally found you," Kakashi said, closing the door behind him. The tension in the air was thick, but neither made a move to fight. Maybe Sasuke didn't want to blow his cover, or maybe he didn't want to fight Kakashi. Either way, Kakashi took the chance.
"So, what are you doing here?" Kakashi asked, calm but sharp. "Why is a rogue Uchiha traveling around like a tourist?"
"I thought we're not rogue. Didn't the Hokage give any logical reason behind our absence?" Sasuke asked, genuinely confused. This either meant that Shika was full of bullshit or that something had happened in Konoha they didn't know about.
Kakashi stepped forward. "You know the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki went missing. Akatsuki isn't the only one being blamed. Some think you had something to do with it… or maybe that new masked man—Shika. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
Sasuke's eyes twitched. Wasn't expecting they'd catch up this quick? How though?
"And if I did?"
"I'll let the entire village know you're here," Kakashi said coldly. "And trust me, they'll be here in minutes."
Sasuke clicked his tongue and sat down on the bed. He glanced at Jugo, who stayed silent, then looked back at Kakashi. "You're still just as annoying," he said, earning a faint smirk from Kakashi before he went back to his serious self.
"Fine. I'll talk."
He explained everything—how he and Jugo had been keeping a low profile, how they'd been working with Shika's group to stop the Akatsuki, not help them. He admitted they had tracked the Seven-Tails' movements, but it wasn't to harm the Jinchuriki—it was to keep them from getting captured.
Kakashi listened carefully. He didn't trust everything, but he believed one thing—Sasuke wasn't lying. Not completely.
"So that's the game you're playing now…" Kakashi muttered. "Alright. I'll let it go—for now."
He turned to leave. "But I'm watching you, Sasuke."
"Do what you want," Sasuke replied. "Just stay out of my way." Sasuke snorted. That's when suddenly, a raven came flying inside with a message.
xxx
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