The village of Konohagakure, full of life, bustling with all kinds of people coming and going. Chino and her comrades had been sent to a detention center in its shadow. They didn’t know what punishment would be handed down, but they were ready to accept it.
This group was brought together in one room. Nowaki and Amuda were also there. Just when they wondered exactly what was going on, the door opened, and a man with his mouth hidden appeared.
Realizing that it was the Hokage, Chino’s eyes rounded into saucers. She had never dreamed that the Hokage would come directly to a place like this.
“Hello,” Kakashi said, a crafty expression on his face; he looked at Chino and the others.
“I’m the leader,” Chino said. The head of the village was here. Which was exactly why she had to declare that now. “I take responsibility for everything. So I want you to be lenient with these guys.”
“Chino, that’s not what we want.”
“Th-that’s right, Chino. We were there of our own will.”
“Well, just calm down,” Kakashi said, looking around at the group. “The truth is, I’ve discussed this with Kirigakure and Kumogakure. And the Mizukage says she wants to take you in. She wants you to help Kirigakure.”
Chino and her men looked at each other. The surprise was greatest in Nowaki and the former members of Bright Lightning.
“It’s the idea that now is the only time to stop the chain of negativity. Apparently, the Mizukage discussed it over and over with the shinobi of the village. Well, as long as it’s okay with you guys, that is. Kumogakure’s already agreed to it. And Konoha, too.”
Chino couldn’t hide her confusion at the sudden development.
Kakashi started speaking leisurely to her and her group. “What you did is something you’ll never be able to make up for, in your whole life. But every ninja carries something like that around to a greater or lesser extent. I’m like that, too. How about you fight again, with your own life?”
Kakashi’s words sank in for Chino and the others.
Then there was someone peeking his face in from behind Kakashi. “Master Kakashi! Let me say a couple of things, too!” A man with three lines on each cheek.
“Fine, fine. No choice, I guess,” Kakashi sighed, and yielded the floor.
“So, look.”
Before he could say anything, Chino said, “Are you that friend of Sasuke’s?” For some reason, she just got that feeling.
“Huh? Ohh … I am! Sasuke’s pal, Uzumaki Naruto!” Naruto grinned broadly at Chino’s words.
“Your friend saved me from darkness,” she told him. “I’m grateful.”
Hearing this, Naruto forgot what he was going to say and was momentarily dumbfounded, but then he laughed, with a note of embarrassment. “He did!”
That was the light, illuminating the former darkness.
“So basically, Chino wants to go with Nowaki and the others to the Land of Water!” A guest had appeared at Orochimaru’s base: Oyashiro En and his strangely designed sunglasses. “Even so, it’s really terrible, you know, Orochimaru? She knew I had a watch set up, and she marched onto the island. Thanks to that, those people were basically all captured. If you decide to catch them all, there are any number of people with offences, you know?”
“You weren’t caught?”
“As you can see,” Oyashiro said playfully; Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
“All according to plan, I suppose?”
“Thanks to you.” Oyashiro removed his sunglasses, put a hand to his forehead, and quickly lowered it. Appearing there were red eyes, ketsuryugan. “Fights are likely to break out in a small community. You live huddled together for many years, so the little squabbles build up, you start hating each other, and in the end, you’re at each other’s throats. When my wife got dragged into it and killed, all kinds of things stopped mattering to me. Even still, my daughter was surprisingly adorable. Her parent is a disaster, though,” he added.
“What are you going to do now?” Orochimaru asked casually.
“Good question.” Oyashiro crossed his arms. “I suppose I won’t be able to run arms from now on, either. Maybe I’ll turn Hell Valley into a hot springs resort.”
Apparently, Sakura’s hunch that Naruto was in a good mood was on the nose. Having seen off the recovered ninja of Kirigakure and Kumogakure, she finally had some time, so when Naruto visited her, he happily recounted what Chino had told him.
Hearing this, her heart grew warmer.
It’s also a journey to atone for my sins. When he set out to travel the world, that’s what Sasuke had said. And he was indeed proceeding forward with a sure step.
But the fact that she wasn’t there alongside him was sadfor Sakura. She really couldn’t wait forever. What if, next … When Sasuke returned to Konoha, she resolved in her heart to follow him for sure this time, no matter what he said.
“Still, it was kinda weird, you know? Sasuke’s not here in Konoha, but it’s like we’re on a mission together,” Naruto told her excitedly. “Sasuke’s not in the village, but he’s protecting it.”
“Right. There are a lot of things that only a talented ninja like Sasuke can do.”
“There are guys doing all kinds of crazy things, but people who got it together just have to deal with people for real, this time!” Naruto said.
“Oh!” Sakura cried. In the back of Sakura’s mind—the person who didn’t lose to Naruto and Sasuke when it came to studying—a certain word popped up. Something that had a deep connection with Sasuke.
“What’s up, Sakura?” Naruto looked at her curiously.
Sakura smiled. “While you were talking, I remembered something. Do you know it?”
Naruto cocked his head to one side.
“So the thing is …”
His journey continued. Staring at the ocean spreading out before him, Sasuke moved forward at a quick pace.
A presence that threatened Kaguya; he had hoped it would just end at needless worry, but he could no longer ignore it. He worked to find more information to hunt down the traces of Kaguya. He had a lot to do. Things that only Sasuke and his rinnegan could do.
“Mm. Kakashi?”
A messenger hawk appeared, and Sasuke took the letter from it. A neat report outlined the follow-up to the current matter. When he had scanned this, he noticed that there was another letter. He took a look at it.
The handwriting was messy. He quickly realized it was Naruto. A letter from Naruto.
Which read: So, like, I talked to Sakura. This time, you …
Sasuke’s eyes grew wide at the words that followed. The thought had never even crossed his mind. But somehow it made sense.
This was what was noted in the letter: You’re like the police force!
The police force. The organization that had been entrusted with protecting the peace in Konoha, with the Uchiha family crest as their symbol. The Uchiha clan had founded it, and it had also given birth to tragedy. But it was a fact that the Uchiha clan had worked there for the sake of the village.
“The police force, huh?” The scope had been shifted to the world, but the objective was the same. Protect the world. And this also led to protecting Konoha.
“In which case, maybe my brother was also the police force.”
Remembering Itachi and how he had worked from outside the village to protect Konoha, Sasuke smiled.
Are you going to join too?
Dunno. We’ll have to see.
Do it! When I grow up … I’m gonna join the police force too!!
Memories of his childhood. They hurt a little, but even so, a smile rose up on his lips.
Sasuke stopped for a moment, looked up at the sky, and changed directions. “It’s been a while … maybe I’ll go home?”
He wasn’t afraid to be involved anymore. The way forward was set.
Sasuke started walking.
Ahead … was the village of Konohagakure.
END