Chapter 8
Swoosh!
In the quiet forest, where Sasuke and his team were resting, a sudden swirling vortex distorted the air. A second later, a masked figure stepped out from the spiral—Obito, appearing right before Sasuke as if he had been waiting all along.
"Yo, Sasuke..." he greeted in a low voice.
Sasuke, Karin, and Suigetsu instantly sprang to their feet.
Karin narrowed her eyes. "That chakra just now... it popped up out of nowhere! How is that even possible?"
Suigetsu groaned. "Ugh. What a pain. Just our luck..."
Sasuke stayed calm and cold. "How did you find us?"
Obito shrugged casually. "Give me some credit. I've got my own ways."
Unlike the Flying Thunder God Technique, the space-time manipulation of Kamui didn't need a formula tag. With just his eye, Obito could mark a location, making his travel seamless—and nearly impossible to track. Both jutsu had permanent markers, difficult to remove unless erased by Yin-Yang Release.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "We're done with Akatsuki. Taka has nothing to do with you anymore."
Obito's tone darkened. "I warned you once... betraying Akatsuki only leads to one end—death. You broke our agreement, Sasuke."
Sasuke's gaze sharpened. "What are you talking about?"
"The Tailed Beast," Obito replied. "You failed to capture it."
Karin stepped forward. "Hold on—we handed over the Eight-Tails already!"
"That was just a clone," Obito said bluntly. "A body double. You were tricked."
"What?!" All three were stunned.
Obito's voice grew colder. "You were played by the Eight-Tails jinchūriki. Frankly, I'm disappointed."
Sasuke's mind reeled back to the battle at Valley of Clouds and Lightning. He'd watched that jinchūriki go down with the Sharingan—there hadn't been time to switch places. He was sure.
But then—he remembered.
That moment, when his Chidori Sharp Spear severed the beast's tail, and it sank into the river... Was that when?
Suigetsu frowned. "So what? We're not part of your organization anymore. What do you want from us?"
Obito's voice remained calm. "I'm not here to argue. I just want you to clean up your mess. Forget the Eight-Tails for now. I've got a different job for you."
Sasuke crossed his arms. "And if I say no?"
Obito tilted his head. "I'm here to keep you from making a mistake. Specifically, going back to Konoha."
His Sharingan spun slightly under the mask. "Looks like I'll have to be more persuasive."
Sasuke didn't hesitate. He rushed forward, thrusting his Chidori straight into Obito's chest—only for the attack to pass clean through his body, just like before.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Again... my attack didn't hit. Just like with Deidara."
Obito slowly turned his head. "I know what you're planning, Sasuke. But you're too late."
Sasuke glared. "What do you mean?"
"Konoha... no longer exists."
"...What?"
All three froze in disbelief.
Karin stammered, "W-What are you talking about?"
At that moment, something rustled beneath Obito's feet. Zetsu emerged from the earth, his strange dual-toned body squirming slightly.
Karin recoiled. "What the hell is that?!"
Obito didn't even look at her. "Relax. He's with me." He turned to Zetsu. "Who took the seat?"
Zetsu chuckled. "That guy—Danzo."
Obito gave a knowing nod. "Just as expected..."
Sasuke's fists clenched. "Danzo... he became Hokage?"
"Yes," Obito said, watching him carefully. "He was one of the elders responsible for driving your brother to ruin. Now he leads Konoha."
Sasuke's eyes burned. "And the village... what happened to it?"
Obito didn't answer. Instead, he looked behind Sasuke.
"Where's your other teammate... Jūgo, was it?"
Suigetsu scratched his head. "Went off to get water. Shouldn't be long."
Karin adjusted her glasses and huffed. "He's such a handful..."
Internally, she was swooning. If only Sasuke would ditch these idiots and run off with me instead—just the two of us! Ehehehehe~!
Suigetsu grinned. "Well, that's your fault, Karin. You were the one whining about being thirsty. Jūgo's fetching water just for you."
Karin's face twisted with rage. "As if I'd ever drink anything touched by a brain-dead moron like you! What if I catch your stupidity?!"
Her thoughts spiraled again. But if I have Sasuke's kids one day... aahhhh~!
Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "Let's be real, your brain's already halfway gone..."
"You bastard—!!"
Wham! Karin's fist smashed into Suigetsu's face, liquefying part of his head. He barely had time to yelp before she followed up with a solid kick that sent him flying.
"Ow—! Damn it, woman!!"
"Enough," Sasuke muttered, rubbing his temples. "Quit fooling around, both of you."
Obito watched the scene unfold in awkward silence, clearly unimpressed.
"...Anyway," he said flatly, "whether he's here or not doesn't matter. I'll get to the point. Konoha was destroyed by my subordinate, Pain. Your actions—especially teaming up with him—drew too much attention."
He stared directly at Sasuke. "Now, the Five Kage have been forced to act."
Sasuke's expression turned grim. "The Five Kage..."
Obito nodded. "They're about to hold a summit."
Zetsu leaned forward, a smirk in his voice. "And now... I'll fill you in."
—
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, chaos had erupted.
News spread like wildfire: Uzumaki Naruto had betrayed the village and killed fellow shinobi.
It had started as a rumor, quietly planted by Root—whispers that Naruto had allied with Pain in the attack on Konoha. That Tsunade had gone soft. That Danzo had uncovered the betrayal, and Naruto fled under cover of darkness.
At first, most villagers refused to believe it. Naruto had spent more than a decade proving himself—earning their trust, little by little.
But then the scroll arrived.
And with it, the corpses of Hyūga Tokuma, Yūhi Yavaro, and Aburame Muta.
Facts couldn't be denied.
Before long, a crowd had gathered outside the provisional command tent, demanding answers.
The whispers turned into outcries.
"I knew it... a Jinchūriki is still a Jinchūriki!"
"Naruto... that traitor hid it well."
"He fooled all of us!"
"He should be executed on the spot!"
Cane tapping echoed across the silence as Danzo appeared, flanked by Root operatives.
His voice was low, steady, almost solemn. "For years, Konoha has turned a blind eye to weakness. But I... Shimura Danzo... will take the necessary steps to restore order and purge the infection."
There was a brief pause.
Then, cheers erupted—raw, violent, absolute.
"We'll follow you, Danzo-sama! Konoha needs your strength!"
No one noticed the faint smirk beneath the brim of his Hokage hat.
—
Far away, in the mountainside cave, Naruto and Konan stood beside a makeshift altar.
"You ready?" Konan asked quietly.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Let's begin."
She looked uncertain as she supported the unconscious Anko in her arms. "You're sure this will work?"
Naruto stepped forward. "Orochimaru's cursed seal is more than just a technique. It's a fragment of his soul—a consciousness that lives independently. As long as the seal exists... he can't truly die."
He placed his hand gently on the back of Anko's neck.
"But to bring him back... we need the template. The blueprint. I got it from Jūgo earlier."
Naruto's hand glowed faintly.
A pull began—drawing chakra and Sage energy into the cursed seal.
A rustle. A hiss.
From the mark on Anko's neck, a pale white snake slithered out... followed by another, larger one. Then a gaping mouth opened—and from it, drenched in mucus and shadow, stepped a man long thought dead.
Orochimaru rose slowly, fluidly, his tongue flicking over his lips as he stood tall in the dim cave light.
Anko collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
Naruto and Konan both took a step back.
Orochimaru's golden eyes locked onto Naruto.
"Well, well... to think the one who brought me back... would be you," he said, voice raspy, almost seductive. "Uzumaki Naruto... how interesting..."
If you want to read more there's 15, 30, 50 chapters there of my written fanfictions and translated works in my Pat.Reon.
Here is the link: https://patreon.com/ChainsofChaosCC?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
And if you can't find it just type my name: http://patreon.com/ChainsofChaosCC