After watching Sasuke leave with unwavering resolve, Sakura immediately turned to report the situation to Tsunade.
Before she could get far, however, Sasuke unexpectedly doubled back and knocked her unconscious.
It wasn't until the following morning that Sakura finally regained consciousness. When she opened her eyes, she discovered that both she and Naruto had been left lying in the grass.
After hurriedly checking herself for injuries, she immediately rushed toward the Hokage's office.
Naruto followed behind her with a convincingly alarmed expression.
Internally, however, he released a quiet sigh of relief.
Fortunately, I spoke quietly enough that Sakura couldn't hear what I said to Sasuke last night.
Otherwise, I might really have been forced to silence her as well.
…
Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade stared at Sakura in disbelief after hearing that Sasuke had deserted the village.
Her surprise quickly turned to fury.
She immediately remembered what Orochimaru had revealed when he approached her to heal his arms.
"That twisted bastard…"
Tsunade slammed her fist onto the desk.
"He really intends to take the Uchiha boy's body!"
Crack!
The solid wooden desk split cleanly in half.
Hidden in the shadows, Yamato watched the broken desk and released a silent sigh.
Orochimaru… Danzō…
Did the two of you create me just so I could grow trees around Konoha and replace every table, chair, and bench Lady Tsunade destroys?
If Naruto had been able to read his thoughts, he would undoubtedly have shouted:
You possess Wood Release! Of course every broken desk in Konoha is your responsibility!
After venting her anger, Tsunade immediately regained her composure and began considering the necessary countermeasures.
She summoned Shikamaru to the Hokage's office and addressed both him and Naruto.
"Based on your performances during the Chūnin Exams and the strength you've demonstrated since then, both of you will be promoted to chūnin effective immediately."
Shikamaru blinked in surprise.
Tsunade continued before he could respond.
"Sasuke left the village last night. He is most likely heading toward Otogakure."
"Wait. Why would Sasuke do something like that?" Shikamaru asked in shock.
Tsunade glanced briefly at the silent Naruto before carefully choosing her words.
"Orochimaru most likely tempted him with the promise of power."
"How could Sasuke allow himself to be deceived by someone that dangerous?" Shikamaru demanded. "Orochimaru is the man who killed the Third Hokage!"
"We don't have time to debate his reasons."
Tsunade frowned.
"What follows will be your first mission as chūnin."
"You want us to retrieve Sasuke?"
Shikamaru considered the situation.
"If there aren't any enemy shinobi accompanying him, that shouldn't be too difficult."
"Yes, your objective is to bring him back. However, this is an extremely urgent mission, and the situation may become far more dangerous than you expect."
Tsunade's expression became solemn.
"Orochimaru's subordinates are most likely escorting Sasuke to Otogakure."
Shikamaru's shoulders slumped.
How troublesome…
"Why don't you assign a jōnin to the mission?" he asked.
"That isn't possible," Tsunade answered helplessly. "Except for the shinobi required to defend the village, every available jōnin has already been sent out on missions."
She gestured toward Naruto.
"However, Naruto's combat strength has already reached the level of a jōnin. He will serve as the main fighting force for this mission."
Shikamaru turned toward Naruto with open disbelief.
He found it difficult to accept that the former dead last—who had once skipped classes alongside him at the Academy—now possessed strength comparable to a jōnin.
Of course, possessing jōnin-level combat strength didn't mean Naruto was qualified to hold the rank itself.
A jōnin needed more than raw power. Leadership, judgment, experience, intelligence gathering, and the ability to coordinate a squad were all essential.
Only during wartime were those standards sometimes overlooked.
As previously established, Konoha had suffered enormous losses during the Konoha Crush.
However, the village couldn't afford to show weakness before the other hidden villages. To maintain the appearance of strength, Konoha had continued accepting missions at an exhausting rate.
The jōnin had been affected most severely.
Kakashi, for example, had departed on another mission yesterday afternoon, shortly after speaking with Sasuke.
"Shikamaru, other than Naruto, gather the most capable genin you can find," Tsunade ordered. "You only have half an hour."
She pointed toward the door.
"Naruto will remain here. Shikamaru, go assemble your team."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Shikamaru cast another glance at Naruto before quickly leaving the office.
Once the door closed behind him, Tsunade silently stared at Naruto.
After several moments, she finally spoke.
"You allowed Sasuke to leave last night, didn't you?"
Naruto said nothing.
"With your strength, there is no possibility that Sasuke could have escaped after knocking both you and Sakura unconscious," Tsunade continued. "You deliberately let him go and then pretended to have been defeated."
Naruto released a long breath before grinning.
"Granny Tsunade, Sasuke's goal is to avenge his clan by killing Uchiha Itachi."
His expression became serious.
"Itachi is an S-rank missing-nin who slaughtered his entire clan. What's wrong with Sasuke wanting to kill him?"
Tsunade's expression stiffened.
She opened her mouth several times, but no words came out.
Among the classified documents left behind by the Third Hokage, she had discovered the supposed truth behind the Uchiha massacre.
According to those records, Uchiha Itachi was secretly a shinobi who had remained loyal to Konoha.
Tsunade found the entire affair difficult to believe. Even so, she understood that the massacre concealed far more secrets than the official account revealed.
"Then answer me honestly," Tsunade said, narrowing her eyes. "During this mission, will you bring Sasuke back?"
"Honestly? That depends on what Sasuke wants."
Naruto smiled.
"But I'll kill every one of Orochimaru's subordinates who stands in our way. How does that sound?"
Tsunade released a tired sigh.
"Fine."
Konoha's available forces were already stretched dangerously thin. Whether she liked Naruto's answer or not, she needed his strength to deal with Orochimaru's subordinates.
…
Half an hour later, at Konoha's main gate—
Shikamaru had assembled Chōji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, Neji Hyūga, and Rock Lee.
In this timeline, Lee had never suffered the crippling injuries that once threatened his career, so he was still in perfect condition.
Including Naruto and Shikamaru, the retrieval squad consisted of six shinobi.
Once everyone had gathered, Shikamaru quickly explained the mission and established their formation.
Tsunade had appointed Shikamaru as captain because she didn't trust Naruto to lead the squad responsibly.
With his exceptional intelligence and tactical ability, Shikamaru was also the most suitable person for the position.
They would travel in a single-file formation.
Kiba and Akamaru would take the lead, using their heightened senses to track Sasuke and detect any approaching enemies.
Shikamaru would follow behind them, allowing him to observe the entire squad and issue commands.
Rock Lee would take the next position as their close-combat specialist.
Naruto would remain near the center. As their strongest fighter, he could quickly reinforce either the front or rear of the formation.
Chōji would follow Naruto, providing destructive power whenever the formation needed to break through an obstacle.
Neji would guard the rear, using his Byakugan to monitor their surroundings and eliminate any blind spots.
"Wait!"
Just as the squad prepared to depart, Sakura's voice rang out behind them.
Everyone turned around.
Shikamaru looked at her and spoke without softening his words.
"Lady Tsunade already told me what happened. I'm sorry, but you can't come with us."
Sakura froze.
"You couldn't convince Sasuke to stay last night. From this point onward, we may have to use force to bring him back, and you aren't suited for that."
Sakura lowered her head, grief covering her face.
A moment later, tears began streaming down her cheeks.
She looked toward Naruto.
"Naruto…"
Her voice trembled.
"This is the request of a lifetime. Please bring Sasuke back!"
Naruto stared at the crying Sakura as dissatisfaction rose within him.
Just like in the original story.
You've never cared for me the way you care for Sasuke, yet whenever you need something, I'm the first person you ask.
What exactly do you think I am?
"Sakura."
Naruto's voice suddenly became cold.
"If I killed Sasuke and then slaughtered your parents, your friends, and everyone you went to the Academy with… would you seek revenge against me?"
Shikamaru and the others were caught off guard by the question.
After a moment, thoughtful expressions appeared on their faces.
Sakura stood frozen.
She immediately understood what Naruto meant.
Several times, she tried to say that she wouldn't seek revenge.
However, the words refused to leave her lips.
She knew it would be a lie.
"Then don't ask Sasuke to abandon a hatred you could never abandon in his place," Naruto said.
He turned and began walking toward the village gate.
"And stop deciding what Sasuke should do based only on what you want."
Naruto glanced back at her.
"You aren't asking what would make Sasuke happy. You only want him to remain beside you and return your feelings."
His gaze hardened.
"That is your selfish desire, not his."
"Heh."
Naruto turned away again and continued walking without looking back.
The others silently followed him.
…
At the same time, in a forest far from Konoha—
The Sound Four stood around Sasuke.
They handed him a small container holding a drug known as the [Mind Awakening Pill].
Once consumed, the pill would forcibly advance Sasuke's Cursed Seal of Heaven to its Second State, granting him far greater power.
However, forcing the seal to evolve carried a deadly price.
The Cursed Seal would rapidly consume his body, eventually killing him.
To prevent that, the Sound Four would place Sasuke inside a large wooden barrel and perform the Four Black Fogs Formation. The barrier would suspend him in a state of false death while his body adapted to the Cursed Seal's Second State.
Sasuke didn't hesitate.
He had already abandoned Konoha and believed there was no path left for him to retreat.
If he wanted enough power to kill Itachi and surpass Naruto, he had to accept the risk.
Sasuke swallowed the [Mind Awakening Pill] without hesitation.
His consciousness quickly faded.
The Sound Four placed his sleeping body inside the large wooden barrel, preparing to begin the ritual that would awaken the Cursed Seal's Second State.