Sasuke stood in front of his assailants, katana readied the moment they decided to attack. He was conserving his chakra for his visual prowess and judging by the group of men in front, it seems taijutsu would be enough.
He sized them up, there were roughly a dozen of them in front and around. They were wearing traditional wooden masks but those were different from the Anbu in Konoha. They were also holding a scimitar and a dagger around their waist.
Bandits? Probably. This forest is secluded so Sasuke wouldn't be surprise if he encounters one or two group of bandits.
The men in front of Sasuke were on guard, ready to attack. The moment they move their feet, Sasuke would waste no time to draw his sword and strike them. Their move is no match with his sharingan.
But the moment they were about to attack, someone landed in front of them. A man with light brown hair that looks oddly familiar.
"Uchiha Sasuke?" He asked, voice muffled from the mask he was wearing.
Sasuke frowned, but he wasn't entirely surprise that he knew him. He was quite infamous after all. But when the man took off his mask, Sasuke's frown was replaced with realization.
"You're Taisho, right?" He asked, sheathing his katana as the men sheathed their weapons as well.
"I have just received the Hokage's hawk containing the message that you will be coming here." Taisho waved a scroll, Kakashi's message.
Sasuke, looking unamused, narrowed his eyes to the Chief's grandson and looked around the dozen men who were about to attack him just a while ago. Actually, they did attack him.
Sasuke brushed his cheek with his thumb to stop the bleeding. "I would appreciate it if your men welcomed me a little too nicer and not with flying shurikens."
The men bowed in front of them except for Taisho who spoke, "I'm sorry about that. Recently, we've been up on patrol because bandits constantly roam around our borders."
Does Sasuke look like a bandit? And weren't bandits suppose to travel in groups? Sasuke's eyes narrowed again into a glare.
"And suspicious individuals," Taisho added, matching Sasuke's glare.
It seems as though there was bad blood between them when Sasuke only met him briefly during the time he and Sakura helped with the disease.
Sasuke notice that Taisho kept looking around and behind Sasuke as if he was looking for someone. Sasuke's suspicion was answered when Taisho asked a question that almost made the Uchiha lose the remaining nerve he has with this arrogant young man.
"Where is Sakura?" Taisho asked.
For one, he shouldn't be addressing her so casually like they've known each other all his life. Second, it's none of his business. And third, it's still none of his business.
Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes. "She has her own things to attend to."
Sasuke made sure not to spill too much information regarding Sakura. Who knew what this man would do if he found out Sakura is in Sunagakure.
"Ah, is that so? She's a medical ninja after all. I hope she's not overworking herself."
Sasuke's nerve for this man is starting to disintegrate the longer he looked at him. They started to walk towards the tunnel that connects the inner part of the tribe from the outside world. It's been months since he last came here and the place still has this certain effect on him. It's as if he's standing in the midst of something akin to a paradise. But what would Sasuke know of places like paradise? All his life he's been shut down in the deepest corner of Orochimaru's dark laboratory.
Unlike when Sasuke first went here, the people, women and children, are all over the place chatting and the children playing tag. The atmosphere was also uplifting unlike before when there was the disease.
"Nii-chan!" A little girl yelled as she run towards Taisho. Sasuke briefly remembered her to be Taisho's little sister.
"Eh? Where's Sakura-neesan?" She asked, head tilting as she looked around for the pinkette.
"Sakura-neesan is busy, Kanao," Taisho said with a smile and Sasuke scowled.
Kanao was then pulled by another children to play tag and Taisho led Sasuke to a tent where they found Chief Ginko sipping tea.
"Ah, Sasuke," the old Chief greeted as he motioned for Sasuke to sit. Taisho stayed inside the tent, sitting beside Sasuke as well.
"I suppose you didn't come here for a mere visit. What might be the reason?" Chief Ginko asked, a smile evident on his wrinkled face.
"The Hokage sent a message," Taisho said, sliding the scroll to his grandfather. The old man skimmed the message as he nodded his head.
"The scroll, eh?" He muttered.
Chief Ginko put down the message and looked at Sasuke. "I forgot to mention it before. Must be my old age, being senile and all."
The old Chief laughed but humour did not quite trace his tone. Sasuke knew something else was up and Sasuke was on the edge of his seat to know what it was.
"I came to know what happened to the rest of this scroll." Sasuke cut down to business as he took the scroll from his poncho.
"Sasuke, there is something I must tell you," the Chief's tone had gone deadly serious. Taisho cleared his throat and stood up.
"I'll be waiting outside," he said before walking outside the tent.
"The scroll I gave had been a part of an old library located somewhere in this tribe. Unfortunately, our ancestors managed to retrieved only a few scrolls and that is one of them. However, there are other scrolls connected to the Otsutsuki Princess."
Sasuke perched on his seat. "Kaguya?"
The old Chief nodded. "We do not know the exact location of those scrolls except for one."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Where is it?"
"You don't mean to retrieve it yourself, do you?" Chief Ginko's tone did not go unnoticed. He sounds concerned.
"I know, more than anyone, what Kaguya Otsutsuki was capable of. If the remnants of the war she left in her wake is a threat, no matter how small the probability is, it is my job to eliminate it."
For the future, Sasuke thought. And this might only be the beginning. Chief Ginko sighed in defeat as he took a sip of the lukewarm tea.
"Frankly, I don't want to send you in that place. But it looks as if no one can stop you."
Chief Ginko stood up and walked towards a bookshelf where he took one of the books and opened it. Resting between the pages of the book was an old map. The Chief took it as he returned to his seat. Unfolding the map, he placed it on the table.
"There is a cave southwest of the tribe. It is located in the middle of the border of the Land of Steam and the Land of Waterfalls. Somewhere in the depths of this cave lies the scroll." Chief Ginko pointed on the map where a red mark circled the cave.
Sasuke stood up as the Chief folded the map.
"I will send a few of our men to lead the way. However, Sasuke, I'm afraid you have to go in yourself."
Sasuke expect that much. Besides, even if the Chief insisted on letting his men accompany him, Sasuke would only treat them as liability. He's better at working alone. But it seems the Chief himself would not go to such length of sending his men inside the cave and Sasuke wondered why.
When Sasuke walked out of the tent, his gaze landed on Taisho who stood just outside. No doubt he heard everything.
"So, he's sending you to the cave," Taisho said, crossing his arms. "I'll have some of my men and I to lead the way. We leave tomorrow."
"And what makes you think you get to decide when to leave?" Sasuke asked, clearly not amused with the display of superiority Taisho was giving him.
"You need to rest first."
Sasuke was not used to this side of Taisho. He almost sounded concerned, for some odd reason.
They walked near the lake. More like, Sasuke was walking towards the lakeside and Taisho following him.
Sasuke ignored him as he sat on the grass and took off his poncho with his katana.
"It's dangerous, you know," Taisho said and Sasuke almost couldn't hide his smirk.
"What? First time seeing a katana?" Sasuke asked mockingly. In turn, Taisho just rolled his eyes.
"Not that. I mean the cave, it's dangerous."
"I've been to too many dangerous places before and encountered many dangerous situation. You don't have to worry, it sets me off so stop it."
Sasuke momentarily remembered the time he spent inside that godforsaken laboratory with Orochimaru and he shook his head. He heard Taisho sighed but did not hear his footsteps. Instead, he heard shuffling from behind and saw Taisho sat on the grass beside him.
"My grandfather once hoped to retrieve that scroll. He sent his men in the cave. He even sent his own son to retrieve it. I was young, Kanao was still a baby, when our father went in that cave."
Taisho was silent for a few second, looking down on the grass solemnly.
"He never returned," he whispered.
For a few seconds Sasuke let his words sink in his mind. Before saying his response.
"And you think I would not return? You're looking at the person who rivals the strongest shinobi of this generation. Don't think lightly of me. And I don't need your worry." Sasuke smirked as he heard another shuffle and Taisho stood up.
"Tsk. I'm not worried about you." Taisho looked away and added to his statement. "I'm worried about the girl who will cry if you don't return."
On that instant, Sasuke saw an image in his mind. It was an image of Sakura. But it wasn't just her alone. In her arms, she was holding a small thing wrapped in blanket. It wasn't entirely a thing, Sasuke thought. She was holding a small human being. And Sasuke couldn't help the ghost of smile grazed his lips.
The next day, Chief Ginko sent Sasuke, Taisho and his men at the first bleak of dawn. They led Sasuke towards the cave. It didn't take them long to arrive there.
As they stood a few feet from the cave, Taisho walked towards Sasuke.
"You're on your own now. Be careful. Remember what my grandfather told you this morning."
Sasuke briefly remember Chief Ginko's words before they embarked. He said the cave may look like an ordinary cave but mysterious things loom inside. They suspected it was the pollen from the flowers that only grew inside the cave, the pollen creates illusion. And with that illusion, whoever inhaled the pollen would be send in a world of their deepest desire where they would never hope to leave until they die.
Sasuke knew it was a genjutsu, a far inferior form of the tree from the war. Sasuke has nothing to worry about. He looked at Taisho, his eyes shone as he activated his visual prowess.
"You're looking at someone who possess the two strongest kekei genkai. Genjutsu don't work on me."
Sasuke was gone in a blink. He stepped inside the cave. And so does his trial begins to retrieve the scroll that would dictate the future.
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I'm so sorry Sakura did not appear in this Chapter aside from Sasuke's thoughts! But don't worry, she'll be there next Chapter (probably).
Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading! Vote and comment.