After the usual farewell gathering, two days passed.
Konoha issued an emergency call.
No one was surprised—they all knew war was coming.
Every ninja squad was ordered to assemble at the designated clearing.
At the forefront, Tsunade addressed the crowd, delivering a speech—part morale boost, part battle strategy.
She would serve as the overall commander.
Shikaku was named the commander-in-chief.
Kakashi was assigned as a captain.
Everything seemed in order—until the troops finished assembling.
Something was off.
As the younger generation of Konoha stood together, listening to the speech, they all noticed something.
There was a noticeable gap between Naruto and Sakura.
Sasuke was missing.
Naruto, still wrapped in bandages, leaned over and whispered,
"Sakura… have you seen Sasuke?"
Sakura froze for a moment.
"Wait… you haven't seen him either?"
Shikamaru, overhearing, frowned.
"No way he'd miss something this important."
Chōji murmured, "Maybe he went to the front lines ahead of time?"
"Impossible," Tsuchiya and Sakuragi shook their heads.
"He was training with us just two days ago."
Sakura hesitated before admitting, "I went by his house this morning, checked his usual training spots… but he wasn't there."
Sakiya folded her arms, thinking.
"Then where did he go?"
It almost sounded like… no, defecting wasn't an option. Right?
"Shhh! Stop talking."
Shikamaru subtly gestured forward.
They had been whispering, but someone at the front had noticed.
A sharp glance warned them to stay quiet.
Instantly, they fell silent and listened to the rest of the briefing.
All ninjas were now dismissed to prepare their gear and say goodbye to their families.
Because the front lines were under intense pressure…
They were leaving that night.
That left only one afternoon.
Of course, they had all known this was coming.
Their families had been prepared as well.
Sakiya returned home, spent a short time with her parents, then stepped outside.
She sighed.
She didn't want to leave just yet—there were still people she wanted to be with a little longer.
But Sasuke's disappearance weighed on her mind.
"Hey… Death Knight, what the hell are you doing?" she muttered under her breath.
In front of Ichiraku Ramen, the fifteen young ninja gathered together one last time.
Everyone exchanged knowing smiles.
"Alright, let's split up!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Sakiya stepped forward to the front of the group.
She covered her left eye dramatically and waved a small claw-like gesture.
"Operation: Find Sasuke—Start now!"
. . .
Passersby gave them odd looks as they scattered.
Even the group itself felt a little embarrassed.
"Move out."
"I'm checking the training grounds."
"I'll search the Uchiha district."
"I'll go…"
"And me…"
Everyone had a designated search area and was ready to set off—
Until—
"Wait!"
Everyone stopped and turned toward Sakiya.
"Sakiya, what now?" someone muttered, already sensing a headache.
Sakiya stood with her hands on her hips, grinning triumphantly.
"Hmph! Let's make this a competition! First one to find Sasuke wins!"
Ino sighed.
"That's pointless."
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"No, it's great!"
Kiba smirked.
"I'm in."
Shikamaru stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"It's mostly luck, but it could be interesting. Let's make it a bet—winner gets a free meal."
Chōji's face brightened.
"I definitely agree!"
Ino shook her head, exasperated.
"You're all in on this? Fine, whatever."
Lee clenched his fists, his energy surging.
"I'm suddenly fired up!"
Neji remained indifferent, but he didn't object.
Hinata, as expected, followed along quietly.
"Alright, let's go!"
Shino blinked.
(...You guys didn't even ask for my opinion…)
But before he could protest, the group had already scattered, forcing him to follow.
As Sakiya, Ino, and a few others reached an intersection, Sakiya declared boldly,
"This is going to be too easy! My Eye of Death can see everything! I'll find him first for sure! Just wait, Dark Emperor will be the one feasting tonight! Hahahaha!"
With that, they split up.
Ino clenched her fists.
She hadn't been that interested before, but Sakiya's arrogance really got under her skin.
"Move faster! We're heading to Hokage Rock!"
And so, the search began.
One hour passed…
Two hours…
Three hours…
They searched every corner of Konoha.
Yet strangely…
There was no sign of Sasuke.
As they searched, Sakiya hesitated for a brief moment while passing by a certain training ground.
But in the next second, she resumed walking as if nothing had happened.
[I didn't see anything…]
Finally, everyone regrouped.
"No luck…"
"Me neither…"
"Nowhere to be found…"
After hours of searching, exhaustion was beginning to set in.
"Where else could Sasuke have gone?" someone muttered.
Naruto suddenly whispered, "What if… he was assassinated?"
Smack!
Sakura punched him without hesitation.
"AHH! That hurts!" Naruto yelped.
"Stop imagining impossible scenarios!" she scolded.
At that moment, Lee raised his hand.
"I think something might've taken Sasuke."
"Something?"
Lee hesitated, a hint of unease in his expression.
"I went looking for Sasuke… and I think I encountered a ghost."
Everyone froze.
Kiba spoke up hesitantly.
"I… I think I might have, too."
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
"What do you mean?"
Naruto frowned.
"You mean something invisible attacked you?"
Lee and Kiba shook their heads.
"No, it was more like… something touched me, but when I looked, there was no one there."
Kiba's expression tightened.
"You too?! That exact same thing happened to me."
Naruto thought for a moment.
"Invisible… and capable of touching people? When it happened to me, it actually pulled me at first. When I ignored it… I got punched."
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed in thought. He turned to Lee.
"You think Sasuke was taken by a ghost? Why?"
Lee looked uneasy.
"Because… I saw something written on the ground. The lines were messy, but I could tell—it was Sasuke's name."
Everyone's eyes widened.
Shikamaru's focus sharpened.
"Where did you see it?"
Lee thought for a moment.
"At Training Ground 307."
Naruto and Kiba's heads snapped up.
"Training Ground 307?!" they shouted in unison.
The three of them exchanged looks.
Shikamaru quickly pieced things together.
"You all encountered something weird at Training Ground 307, didn't you?"
Naruto, Kiba, and Lee nodded.
Shikamaru turned his gaze toward a particular girl in the group.
Sakiya immediately averted her eyes, looking anywhere but at him—like a cat caught in the act.
Shikamaru sighed, already forming a theory.
"Alright. Let's head to Training Ground 307."
Everyone made their way there.
As they arrived at the familiar training site, Sakuragi, Tsuchiya, and Ino instinctively turned their attention to Sakiya.
Ino, not having seen Sasuke, seemed confused.
But Tsuchiya and Sakuragi exchanged knowing glances.
They had already guessed the truth.
Shikamaru stopped just outside the training grounds.
"When was the last time Sasuke was seen? And where?" he asked.
Sakuragi and Tsuchiya hesitated, then turned to look at the one person avoiding eye contact.
After a brief pause, Tsuchiya finally spoke.
"When we got back… Sasuke was still here at this training ground."
Tsuchiya Tsukigami pointed toward Training Ground 307.
Everyone was stunned.
"Did a ghost really take Sasuke?"
Sakura's expression darkened, while Shikamaru remained calm.
"I already know what happened," he said.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion.
"You knew already?" Ino asked, caught off guard. She had a vague suspicion earlier, but now the thought had slipped away.
Shikamaru must have figured it out completely by now.
"Hurry up and say it! Where is Sasuke?" Sakura urged, growing anxious.
Shikamaru took his time, speaking with certainty.
"There is only one truth."
He turned his gaze toward Sakiya and pointed directly at her.
"The culprit… is her."
"What?!"
"Wait, what?"
"Huh?!"
Everyone stared at Sakiya in shock—including Sakiya herself.
"Me? I would never hurt the Dark Knight!" she protested.
Shikamaru shook his head.
"Here's what I think happened. That day, Sakiya prepared a welcome ceremony for us. She designed all kinds of elaborate patterns."
Sakiya nodded proudly.
"Of course! That was the supreme ritual pattern!"
Ignoring her dramatics, Shikamaru continued.
"And you also used that technique—right? The large-scale illusion."
Sakiya tilted her head in thought.
"Oh… yeah! I used the Invisible Boundary Line!"
Then, her eyes widened in realization.
"…Oh no! I forgot about the Dark Knight!"
Ino facepalmed.
"Wait… you're saying Sasuke is trapped in your illusion?"
Sakiya turned red, suddenly avoiding eye contact.
"I… um… I think so…"
The ones unfamiliar with her abilities still looked confused, but Shikamaru cleared it up.
"Sasuke is still in the training ground."
Ino smacked Sakiya on the back.
"Idiot! Hurry up and release the jutsu!"
Sakiya clutched her head, whining in protest.
"Okaaay~"
The moment she dispelled the technique, Sasuke appeared in front of them.
He was a mess—his hair disheveled, face smudged with dirt, and looking thinner than before. He knelt on one knee, gripping his sword, which was buried deep into the ground.
The second he saw everyone, his eyes lit up with relief—the unmistakable light of hope.
"I'm finally free!"
Everyone immediately felt a pang of guilt.
But then… Sasuke's expression darkened.
His eyes turned cold.
His very presence shifted into something ominous—something dangerous.
Silently, he pulled his sword from the ground and started walking toward Sakiya.
Ino shivered.
"He really has turned into the Dark Knight…"
Naruto and Sakura jumped forward, each grabbing one of his arms.
"Haha! Sasuke, calm down! Calm down!" Naruto laughed nervously.
"Put the sword down! No need to be impulsive!" Sakura pleaded.
But Sasuke barely acknowledged them.
With a simple movement, he shook them off and kept walking.
They could only watch helplessly.
This might get ugly… Ino thought.
[Honestly, Sakiya probably deserves a little payback.]
Sakiya was visibly trembling now, her signature strand of hair quivering along with her.
As Sasuke reached her…
He walked right past her.
…
Everyone froze.
Even the smallest expectation of a fight was shattered.
Just as they thought the moment had passed, Sasuke suddenly turned his head.
"Sakiya."
Sakiya flinched but didn't dare turn around.
"Y-Yeah?"
Sasuke spoke calmly.
"Your ridiculous training method actually worked."
"…Huh?"
Before anyone could react, Sasuke simply walked away.
The group exchanged bewildered glances.
"…That's it?"
___&____
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