Orochimaru Hideout
Kabuto ran.
Shimmering candles, metal-framed lanterns carried by earth-sculpted forms of snake-like creatures rushed by. Body flickering across various corners allowed him to seamlessly navigate corners and obstacles in his way.
Finally, he reached the room from which the sounds of the earth shattering and the unmistakable piercing resonance of Sasuke's Chidori had emanated.
As he approached the wide-open door, something felt off. Sunlight flooded the room, casting an unusual brightness that seemed out of place in Orochimaru's domain. Something's wrong.
With caution in his every step, Kabuto extended his senses, seeking out any potential intruders, which let him discover that there seemed to be only a single person in the room. However, he could not decipher the intruder's chakra signature or their position. Orochimaru's prized spy was not someone who possessed powerful sensing techniques like that Uzumaki girl.
Seems like I'll just have to risk it. Kabuto prepared himself for a potential confrontation, his repertoire of long-range and close-combat techniques at the ready. He gripped two chakra-infused shuriken firmly in his hands.
With vigilance, the rogue ninja advanced towards the open door, his body positioned to face the intruder head-on. Step by step, he moved closer until he reached a vantage point that granted him a full view of...
"Sasuke?" He questioned in mild surprise. The Uchiha prodigy sat nonchalantly on a wooden chair, one arm draped over the handle of his vertically suspended sword, and his right leg casually crossed over his left.
Unusual that an Uchiha would cover their most prized possession, observed Kabuto, seeing Sasuke's left eye hidden behind his long hair.
"Kabuto," Sasuke remarked coolly in a lazy drawl.
"Where is… Lord Orochimaru?" The bespectacled spy questioned with a slight frown.
"Why don't you take a look?"
Kabuto was pulled into the world of illusions.
And then he saw.
He witnessed Orochimaru's crushing defeat. The sheer speed at which Sasuke moved was beyond human, a blur of lightning-quick motion. The raw strength of Sasuke Uchiha was on full display, a force that overwhelmed Orochimaru's renowned power.
However, what truly sent a chill down his spine was what happened after the one-sided fight. Kabuto glimpsed Orochimaru's horrifying final moments, a gruesome culmination of his dark and twisted existence. The once powerful Snake Sannin, now reduced to a pitiful victim, met his demise in a whirlwind of agony and despair.
It did not miss his perceptive gaze that not once was Sasuke's left eye revealed. When the wind blew the lock of hair away, only a dark abyss remained in place of black eyes.
"Have you seen your fill?" Sasuke queried.
Kabuto couldn't speak. If what he had witnessed was true, then Sasuke or whoever this was was without a shadow of doubt far beyond his skill level. In any case, since both fighting and escaping would be superfluous, he needed to negotiate for his life. He plastered a false smile on his face as he opened his mouth to—
There was a blur.
One second, Sasuke sat with utmost casualness, and the next he was in front of Kabuto, a lightning-coated hand placed on the grey-haired ninja's shoulder.
"Stay." The order came with a chiding tone, like a master talking to his pet dog.
To his growing horror, he realized he could not move. Sasuke had paralyzed him completely from neck to toe. Only his face seemed to exhibit some form of motion.
"What did you do?" Kabuto asked with intense trepidation and fear.
"You're a medical ninja. Figure it out." Sasuke spoke, condescension coloring his tone.
The Uchiha's face then shifted to one of intense concentration. The rogue spy felt Sasuke push chakra into… him? "What are you doing?" The past few minutes had been nothing but surprise after surprise.
"None of your concern," Sasuke spoke with casual dismissal.
The chakra transference stopped.
The moment Sasuke's Sharingan locked onto Kabuto's eyes, the world around the medic-nin dissolved into darkness.
________________________________________________________________
"Fire style: Art of the Dragon Flame!"
A torrent of searing fire erupted from his lips, spiraling upward into the sky like a blazing serpent. Sasuke reflected on the events that occurred in the last few minutes.
It was only a matter of clearing the trash, Orochimaru and his subordinates. Testing his speed and power against someone of his former teacher's caliber revealed that he far outclassed a large contingent of the current Shinobi alive. The fight had been less than a fight and more of an execution. Sasuke had crushed him like an insect.
Good.
His power was intact. His abilities, his chakra, and his Rinnegan had all survived the transition through time. That was the first hurdle cleared.
"Kirin!" He yelled.
The large dragon constructed from pure lightning descended upon the lands with a roar that shook the Earth.
The annihilation that came after that satiated some of his destructive desires.
Explosions of unparalleled magnitude engulfed Orochimaru's once-secure hideout, transforming it into a chaotic storm of flying debris. Shards of stone, wood, and concrete were sent afar, hurtling through the air like deadly projectiles. Walls crumbled, pillars splintered, and once-solid foundations were reduced to rubble. Orochimaru's dark legacy was swallowed by the inferno, erased from existence with a savage finality and extreme prejudice.
Information gathering shinobi may have protested against Sasuke's methods to eradicate a place that may contain valuable information, but he did not care. To him, it was a place of horrific experimentation and a symbol of oppression. Some things needed to be removed to begin anew, a clean, untainted white future that would be better in every way possible.
Shadow clone jutsu. A perfect copy of himself appeared next to him before quickly evacuating the premises, intent on reaching the other hideouts. He had witnessed firsthand the unspeakable suffering endured by those trapped under Orochimaru's rule, and now it was his duty to liberate them from their horrible fates.
He no longer needed the assistance of Karin, Jugo, or Suigetsu to achieve his goals. He was going to free them, although dealing with Jugo was slightly more complicated.
Now came the primary objective.
The Akatsuki.
Orochimaru's memories had been a treasure trove of information—scattered, fragmented, but invaluable. Locations. Weaknesses. Plans. The man had been obsessed with them, with their leader, with the Rinnegan. His former teacher had often spoken of a 'leader', but never went into great detail about the 'leading' figure of the Akatsuki. There was no doubt that this was the same person who had destroyed the Village Hidden in the Leaves back when he was still consumed by his quest for vengeance.
Most likely highly experienced in the use of these eyes, he thought, placing his left hand over his powerful dojutsu.
In any case, he would need to eliminate this man and any subordinates he had with him.
But first. His Sharingan flickered as he turned his attention back to Kabuto, behind him. The man stood motionless, his expression blank, his mind lost in the abyss of illusion. Sasuke could have killed him, should have, perhaps. But Kabuto was useful, for now.
A shadow clone materialized beside him.
"Take him," Sasuke ordered. "Keep him under control until I have use for him."
The clone nodded, slinging Kabuto's limp form over its shoulder before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
Alone once more, Sasuke flexed his fingers, feeling the hum of his chakra beneath his skin.
Hidden Rain.
Pain was there. The so-called "god" of the Akatsuki, the wielder of Madara's Rinnegan.
With a final glance at the shattered remains of Orochimaru's domain, Sasuke stepped forward and vanished into the wind, intent on completing his primary objective.
__________________________________________________________
Mount Myoboku - Resting Place of the Great Sage
"Hmm?"
"What happened, great Sage?" Questioned the smaller toad.
"The future..." breathed the older, wiser, and larger counterpart. It was impossible, an occurrence that had never happened in years. "I can no longer see it..."
A beat.
Then, suddenly, he saw. He witnessed something extraordinary, something far beyond his jurisdiction, something...
The great Sage, Gamamaru, rose to his full height, fully aware and fully healthy for the first time in years. The smaller toad was beyond mesmerized by such a sight.
"Summon Jiraiya. NOW."