My Techniques are a bit off

Before long, Final-Chapter Sasuke showed up, looking completely unbothered.

Taking on Sage Kabuto and Orange-Mask Obito solo really wasn't much of a challenge for him. With just one Rinnegan, he could handle them both—his only problem was dealing with their Kamui + Izanagi combo.

Even if he sacrificed his own eye to use Izanami, it still wouldn't help.

Obito knew all the Uchiha clan's secret techniques inside and out—Madara had really taught him everything. In a high-level fight, Izanami's conditions are way too strict. It might work on someone who's never seen it before, but against a seasoned pro, there's no chance.

Tap.

Shirtless and covered in dirt, Fourth Sasuke landed nearby, clearly out of chakra. He took a breath and said, "Sorry I'm late."

His personality was slowly getting back on track.

It helped a lot that Main-World Sasuke not only lent him a hand but also got his parents to talk to him sometimes. After going back to the Fourth World, heading to the old Uchiha hideout to settle things with Uchiha Itachi, and walking out alive on his own, he started acting more like Final-Chapter Sasuke.

"It's about time," Link said. He could sense that all his shadow clones had returned. Pulling out a scroll, he added, "Let's go home."

"Hold on a second!"

Fourth-World Kakashi, looking wiped out, rushed over. "Sasuke, are you coming back again?"

By now, he more or less believed all the parallel-world stuff. Seeing three different versions of Sasuke with three vastly different skill sets—and ruling out any simple explanation like clones or transformation—made the parallel-world idea easier to swallow.

Fourth Sasuke paused for a moment, then walked on without another word. Right before he stepped into the swirling portal of the Funa-tsū, he glanced at Sakura and Naruto, who were sprinting toward him in the distance.

A second later, the group arrived at the designated spot in the Second World. Fourth Sasuke still kept his expression calm. "Sorry," he muttered quietly.

After coming to terms with his old grudges, the friends who'd tried so hard to bring him back tugged at his heart now.

But he had more important goals.

Seeing the Shinobi Alliance's peace with his own eyes, plus visiting the Final-Chapter World to learn about the past, convinced him that the future lay with the Alliance.

For the Fourth World to join the Alliance, to revive the Uchiha clan, to achieve peace—he needed power. Getting wrapped up in close bonds again wouldn't work for him. It was just like when he originally left the Leaf and went to Orochimaru.

"Drop by my place for dinner tonight," Main-World Sasuke called out, raising his voice a bit.

He was trying to share the warmth he'd received.

"Alright," Fourth Sasuke answered flatly, although he didn't seem as weighed down anymore.

Even though fighting "X" showed him the real story behind the Uchiha Massacre, he still hadn't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Maybe it's because his other self from another world gave him a lot of comfort, or maybe he just wasn't as consumed by hatred anymore, or maybe there was something else going on…

Either way, he was happy to be starting a new life.

"Join us tonight," Fourth World Sasuke said. He started to leave, but someone grabbed his sleeve. Link was standing on the side with his arms folded, clearly enjoying the scene. Watching his own Sasuke turn into something of a "ray of sunshine" felt pretty strange.

"Got it," Main World Sasuke replied, keeping his mature, handsome face totally serious. As soon as the other Sasuke let go, he used the Body Flicker and disappeared.

"Not bad! You guys really have a little support squad going on, and it looks like you're the captain," Link said with a laugh as he tried to sling an arm around Fourth Sasuke's shoulder—only to realize he could barely reach.

Link was hyper-aware of height stuff and immediately estimated Fourth Sasuke's height: about five-foot-nine (1.74m).

Wait, the Fourth Sasuke from that timeline was only about five-six or so (1.68m), right? How'd he get so tall?

Link quickly shifted his half-hug into just patting his friend on the shoulder. He kept a grin on his face but was definitely sulking inside.

(I even stopped using that Delicate Illness Extraction technique. Why am I still not shooting up in height?)

(Maybe I need some external tricks, like literally stretching my body…? Breaking bones and letting them fuse again? Is there a growth-boost ninjutsu out there?)

(I really should talk to Tsunade about this later.)

"You have to come to dinner tonight too," Main-World Sasuke said. He'd obviously noticed Link's weird reaction but acted like he didn't. A subtle smile crept into his eyes.

"Got it," Link replied. "I've got something to take care of first, but I'll show up tonight."

With that, he casually let go, stepped back, and vanished on the spot.

(He's been getting more emotional and relaxed lately. Maybe he really is hitting a 'growth phase.')

Main-World Sasuke strolled through the Shinobi Alliance's streets, soaking in the peaceful vibe and thinking about Link's situation.

Aside from Shizune, Sasuke was probably the person who knew Link's body the best. Every time Link had a medical checkup, Sasuke was the first to ask about the results.

He didn't really have a choice—Karin, who handled the checkups, had a crush on him.

Since Sasuke couldn't give Link chakra like Bubble could, and brute force had become less important now that Hashirama #1 and Final-Chapter Naruto & Sasuke were around, Sasuke decided to dive into medical ninjutsu so he could help Link more effectively.

As talented as Sasuke was, he was still pretty new to actual medical science. Sure, he could copy medical ninjutsu with the Sharingan, but the knowledge behind it couldn't be copied. Luckily, he wasn't alone—Karin, Jūgo, and Shizune supported him in a bunch of ways.

After running countless tests, compiling endless data from checkups, and comparing that to the notes Sasuke took on himself before and after he received Delicate Illness Extraction, they reached a peculiar conclusion:

Link's Delicate Illness Extraction doesn't just heal regular injuries; it slowly extracts all the inherent flaws in the human body—aging, sickness, even death—bit by bit, so that his body is gradually evolving thanks to the chakra involved.

But the more "perfect" his body gets, the more energy it needs to keep developing. Non-stop creation of chakra and shadow clones puts a lot of stress on him, which slows down that evolution.

That's why, whenever Link eats those solid chakra cubes, his body experiences a sudden growth spurt.

Even though he still looks human, he's probably genetically incompatible with normal humans by now—a "New Human," in a way.

The catch is that this conceptual "perfection" doesn't really exist in reality. Trying to achieve it again and again stretches out the time he needs to grow and demands bigger and bigger amounts of energy.

Fortunately, he's been getting a stable energy supply from the physical chakra blocks lately, and he's not pushing his body too hard, so now he's growing into the form he was always meant to have. Once he stopped using Delicate Illness Extraction, he officially stepped into a real "New Human" growth phase.

(I wonder what he'll be like when he's fully grown?), Main-World Sasuke thought as he walked, smiling as he took in the peaceful atmosphere of the Shinobi Alliance.

~~~

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