Naruto : Reborn As Sukuna Haruno

While Konoha was in an uproar, further away, in a dark cave, multiple white figures dragged in a heavily bleeding and broken body, desperately trying to save the man's life.

"Tobi, hurry," the only dark figure among the sea of white, ghost-like beings shouted.

This was Black Zetsu, who by a hair's breadth had saved Obito's life and brought him to the hidden chamber to heal him. Calling that Obito's life was saved was an overstatement, actually.

The only difference between Obito and a corpse right now was his shallow breaths, indicating he was still alive.

Yes, Sukuna had done excellently on his first mission. He planned everything right and played his cards well. But he also made a few mistakes. From the blunder of letting Itachi find him to thinking that Obito would die from a single Dismantle attack just because he lost his Kamui and Mangekyo.

Half of Obito's body was made out of Hashirama cells. That was the only thing keeping him alive, honestly. However, he had lost both of his eyes by now and so much blood that he was in a coma.

Calling this entirely Sukuna's mistake wasn't right either since, before he could even deal with Obito, those Root shinobi showed up, distracting him.

Tobi, just as Zetsu said, quickly engulfed Obito to provide powerful Yang energy to him. However, while Tobi's body, made entirely out of Hashirama cells, could possibly heal Obito's body, his spirit was another case altogether.

He was in a coma now. No one knew when he would wake up or what his reaction would be to losing his Mangekyo.

And on top of that, they didn't know who did this. Even Zetsu wasn't there when it happened. Sukuna could sense Zetsu's malice easily enough, so he made sure to only attack when Black Zetsu wasn't around.

Meaning there was no tracking the eye back...

In this situation, Black Zetsu had no other option but to send White Zetsus to check for traces.

The result of their search, however, was disappointing, to say the least. Not only did Konoha ninja get to the fresh tracks first and make the investigation even harder, but all the trails Zetsu found led to nowhere...

From chakra traces to physical trails, nothing led to their culprit. Black Zetsu was furious, as anyone would be.

Having nothing concrete to go after and Obito—probably the only person who might or might not have intel on the person who took his Sharingan—in a coma, Zetsu had no other option but to go only by his wits and knowledge.

To him, three clear suspects stood out: Danzo, the Third Hokage, and lastly, Itachi. There could be a third party interfering, something they believed was the case with Shisui's death as well, however, for the time being, Zetsu had only these few leads.

So, he sent his White Zetsu clones to infiltrate both Root and the Third Hokage's office and clan territory to find Obito's Mangekyo. Which resulted in another failure.

As for Itachi, Zetsu was observing him from a distance. He noticed the loss of Itachi's limb, and his suspicion deepened. How many could hurt a Uchiha with Mangekyo ability like that? Especially someone like Itachi, who was an outright genius.

Besides, only a few key players in Konoha—like Danzo Shimura, Jiraiya, and the Third Hokage himself—perhaps only a Uchiha could.

Zetsu's suspicion that both Obito and Itachi fought wasn't groundless. That could be because of Kamui. Itachi's Sharingan abilities were not known to him. He just opened his eyes. So, it's completely possible for Itachi to have awakened a power that could go against Obito's Kamui.

So, for the time being, Itachi was the leading suspect in Zetsu's mind. However, he only observed from a distance. He wasn't ready to reveal his existence just yet.

Thoughts of taking back Obito's other eye, which he foolishly left behind with Kakashi Hatake, rose inside Zetsu, but he suppressed those thoughts. That could wait until Obito woke up.

For now, he couldn't do anything besides observing and waiting for Obito to awaken.

...

The Konoha Hospital was quiet, but tension hung heavy in the air. The surviving members of the Uchiha clan were being treated, many of them injured—physically and emotionally. Even ANBU members like Kakashi had to be admitted after his recent complete blackout in the field.

Any Uchiha who had suffered physical or mental injuries was admitted to the hospital until the doctors deemed them healthy enough to leave.

Among them was Sasuke Uchiha.

He lay unconscious for two days after being struck by Itachi's Tsukuyomi. When he finally woke up, there was no light in his eyes. Just emptiness... and rage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi came to visit him personally. Dressed in his robes, his face tired and aged, he sat beside Sasuke's hospital bed. He began to speak gently, trying to comfort the boy.

"How are you feeling, Sasuke?"

"I'm... I'm alright, Hokage-sama," Sasuke half acknowledged the old Hokage's presence and replied.

Hiruzen, seeing the child's mental state, sighed. He mentally cursed himself for listening to Danzo now. He shouldn't have.

"Sasuke… I am truly sorry for your loss. Your parents were brave people. Konoha has failed you… and the others. Itachi Uchiha has gone rogue. He betrayed this village and committed unforgivable crimes. We are doing everything we can to find him."

Sasuke stared ahead, silent. He barely seemed to hear Hiruzen's words. His hands gripped the sheets tightly. All he could see in his mind was that night. His brother. The blood. The tears.

Hiruzen sighed. He could feel the hatred growing in the boy. "If there's anything you need… anything at all, you may ask me directly. I'll make sure it's done." That was the least he could do for the boy.

For the entire Uchiha clan, for that matter. Not only the Hokage but even the higher-ups felt no animosity toward the Uchiha survivors. There was nothing to show animosity anymore. Those who wished to rebel had died, leaving behind broken people who needed the village—just like, in the coming times, the village might need them.

Hiruzen would at least make sure that no harm would come to the remaining Uchiha. At least until village safety was not in the way.

Sasuke didn't reply to his offer, making Hiruzen pity the boy. Sighing, the old man was about to leave the boy to mourn his dead parents and relatives when he heard a voice from the doorway.

"I'd like to join the Ninja Academy."

Hiruzen turned, surprised. A young girl stood there. Pale skin, short black hair.

"Kiyomi..." Sasuke seemed to finally come out of his dazed self... like the girl had put a soul inside him again.

She stepped forward with calm but determined steps. "I want to become stronger. I don't want to be helpless again."

Sasuke finally turned to look at her. For a moment, his eyes softened—but only for a second.

Hiruzen gave a small nod. "Very well… you'll be enrolled."

xxx

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