The morning air near the massive Exit Gate of Tetsu no Kuni was dry, filled with the sounds of a village waking up under a layer of fresh snow. Shopkeepers were busy sweeping their store entrances, their breath forming rhythmic puffs of steam as they grunted with the effort.
"Did you hear? Lord Mifune is expected to pass through the main square today," one elderly woman remarked to her neighbor while shaking out a heavy rug.
"Is that so?" the other replied, leaning on her broom. "With all the commotion at the market earlier, I'm surprised he isn't already here to restore order. This city hasn't been this restless in years."
Standing over the quiet chatter was the Great Exit Door—a huge structure made of strong wood and iron. Two Samurai stood as silent guards; one leaned against the cold stone of the left entrance, while the other walked back and forth on the wooden platform of the tower above, his hand always resting on the handle of his katana.
Hidden in the shadows of a nearby stone building, just out of the guards' sight, Ino and Karin were bent over. Both had their hands firmly planted on their knees, their bodies bent as they struggled for air.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Ino was huffing loudly, her blonde bangs sticking to her damp forehead. Karin, though also panting, managed to adjust her glasses and slowly stood upright, her senses calmed enough to scan their surroundings. She reached out and gently patted Ino's back.
"Hah... Ino, wait," Karin panted, looking back at the empty road they had just ran from.
"Where... where are the others? Did we lose them?"
Ino snapped her head up, her eyes filled with a mix of exhaustion and pure annoyance.
"Worry about yourself, Karin! Hah... we aren't exactly the 'powerhouse' duo like Sasuke kun or Naruto. If those Samurai catch us, we're finished!"
Karin flinched slightly but nodded, her face falling. "You're right... hah... we're not like them."
Ino's legs finally gave out, and she sat down, sitting directly on the frozen, dusty ground. Karin gasped, her eyes wide behind her frames. "What are you doing?! Why are you sitting down?"
"I'm sweating... and I'm thirsty," Ino groaned, waving a heavy hand in the air. "I can't move another inch without water."
Karin looked around hurriedly. They were in a dry, industrial sector leading to the gates. There were no wells, no tea houses, and the gutters were filled only with blackened, frozen snow. There wasn't a drop of clean water in sight.
Ino saw the helplessness on Karin's face and sighed, waving her off. "Forget it. It was a stupid request." She gritted her teeth and tried to push herself up. Karin quickly reached out, offering her hand and pulling Ino back to her feet.
"Arigato," Ino muttered, dusting off her clothes.
Karin looked at the massive iron doors ahead of them. "Where in the world are we? We ran so fast to get away from those Samurai, I didn't even look at the path."
Ino looked at the horizon. "We're at the Exit Gate, Karin."
"The Exit? Are you sure?" Karin asked, her voice hopeful. Ino gave a sharp, tired nod.
'We found it!' Karin thought to herself, a wave of relief washing over her. 'The exit! All we have to do is wait for the others to gather here and then we can finally get out of this freezing nightmare!'
Ino, however, was staring at the guards with a look of deep concern. 'This is bad,' she thought. 'Gathering everyone here will take too long, and we're easy targets. Maybe we should just slip out of Tetsu no Kuni now... find a safe shelter in the forest outside, and then signal the others. Sasuke kun and the rest are smart—they'll find a way out on their own.'
Ino turned to Karin, her expression serious.
"Listen, I think we should exit the village first. We can find shelter outside and then call for the others once we're in a safer spot."
Karin's eyes lit up. 'Yes! Thank goodness!' she screamed internally. 'I just want to save my own skin at this point! If we leave now, we can actually rest and get our strength back without looking over our shoulders every five seconds!'
"I agree!" Karin said aloud, nodding in agreement. "That's a much better option. We can regain our strength. When are we leaving?"
Ino's face immediately turned into a deep frown. She pulled back, looking at Karin with total disbelief. "Wait... are you serious? Would you really do that to your own comrades?"
Karin froze. "Huh?"
"My friends are everything to me!" Ino declared, crossing her arms and looking highly offended. "I would never set foot outside Tetsu no Kuni without them! If you want to be a coward and leave them behind, go ahead, but I'm staying!"
Karin's jaw dropped. 'What in the world just happened?!' she screamed in her head, her face turning a bright shade of frustrated red. 'She literally JUST suggested the plan! Now she's looking at me like I'm the villain?!'
Karin took a deep breath, forcing her voice to remain calm despite the fact that she wanted to pull her own hair out. "Ino... you misunderstood me. I would never do something like that! I... I completely understand the bond of friendship. I would never get in the way of that!"
Ino sniffed, seemingly satisfied with the apology. "Fine. Just... don't say things like that to anyone else. I can tolerate your lack of loyalty, but the others won't be so nice about it."
'You two-faced, blonde brat...' Karin thought, cursing Ino in every language she knew. But on the outside, she just bowed her head slightly. "I'm sorry again. So... what should we do next?"
The wind howled through the empty backstreets of Tetsu no Kuni, kicking up fine white powder that swirled around their boots. Sasuke and Mini Sasuke walked in silence, their footsteps leaving a double trail of uneven gaps in the deep snow.
The cold was biting. Mini Sasuke's small ears had turned a bright, stinging red, while the tip of the Sasuke's nose was flushed from the freezing air. Despite the chill, the place where their hands remained locked together was remarkably warm—the only source of heat in the frozen world around them.
As they walked, Mini Sasuke kept twisting his head, his dark eyes darting toward every alleyway and rooftop they passed. Sasuke watched him from the corner of his eye for a few moments before finally speaking.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, his voice steady but curious.
"Are the others not following us?" Mini Sasuke asked, looking up at him.
"No," Sasuke replied shortly. "They aren't."
Mini Sasuke frowned, his pace slowing. "Why not?"
Sasuke let out an irritated huff, a cloud of steam escaping his lips. "You were right there, weren't you? You saw the Samurai chase us. You saw us jump from the hotel. We had to split up to lose them."
Mini Sasuke's expression shifted into a mirror of the older boy's irritation. 'Why is he always so mad?' he wondered to himself.
"I know that!" the boy snapped back. "I just thought... I thought they would have caught up by now."
"Well, they haven't," Sasuke said with a touch of sarcasm. "I'm not a Jonin or some leader that everyone is required to follow, you know."
Mini Sasuke closed his eyes and let out a small, complaining groan. "Hmph. We could have at least brought Usuratonkachi... or Nee-san with us."
Sasuke stopped in his tracks, looking down at the boy with a look of genuine annoyance.
"What is your problem? You should be grateful I saved your life. If I hadn't, you'd be lying back there in the snow, crying your eyes out."
Mini Sasuke didn't flinch. He looked up at his older self, his gaze turning cold and sharp. It was a look far too heavy for a child's face.
"If you didn't save my life, then who would?" the boy asked quietly. "After all... you're the one who told me that your life depends on mine. If something happens to me, something happens to you too, right? You had to save me. It wasn't out of care or love—it was a 'must' for you."
Sasuke felt the words hit him like a physical blow. He stared at the boy in stunned silence. The logic was cold, calculated, and heartbreakingly true.
"Right?" Mini Sasuke pressed, searching the elder's eyes.
"Tch," Sasuke finally muttered, looking away to hide his shock. "Where did you learn to run your mouth like that?"
A small, knowing smile broke across Mini Sasuke's face. "From you."
Sasuke went quiet. He reached out and roughly rubbed the boy's head, a small, tired smile tugging at his own lips. "It's nothing like that," he whispered.
But as they started walking again, Sasuke's heart felt like lead. 'What did a child like him ever do to the world?' he thought, his mind filled with a crushing sense of guilt. 'To be torn away from his entire family... his entire clan... only to spend his time with a loser like me.'
He looked down at the small hand gripping his own. In that moment, he made a silent, fierce vow to himself.
'I will fix this,' he swore. 'In time, I'll make sure you're holding the hand of your Nii-san again... and not a loser like me.'
The air in the center of the district was thick with the scent of pine smoke and the low hum of an restless crowd. Sasuke and Mini Sasuke rounded a corner and stopped dead. A sea of people had gathered, their voices rising in a restless wave.
'What is going on?' Sasuke wondered, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the backs of the villagers.
Mini Sasuke tugged hard on Sasuke's hand, his small face tight with curiosity. "I want to see! What's happening over there?"
"Stay quiet," Sasuke muttered, pulling him back. "We don't need to draw attention."
But the crowd was pressing in. A large man, hurrying to get a better view, shoved past them, nearly knocking the smaller boy into the ground. Mini Sasuke's eyes flared with that unmistakable Uchiha spark. 'Watch where you're going, old man,' he thought with a dark smirk.
As the man pushed forward, Mini Sasuke intentionally stuck his foot out, putting it firmly over the man's heel and pressing down with all his weight. The man gasped in sharp pain, stumbling and looking down, but Mini Sasuke had already scrambled up. Before older Sasuke could protest, the boy hopped onto his back and lifted himself up until he was sitting firmly on Sasuke's shoulders.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Sasuke whispered through grit teeth, staggering slightly. "You're heavy!"
Mini Sasuke didn't care. He slapped his tiny hands over Sasuke's eyes for a second before moving them to his forehead. "Shut up! I want to see too!"
Sasuke grumbled but steadied himself, his hands holding Mini Sasuke's small legs which hung over his chest. He looked toward the raised platform at the end of the square.
A tall figure stood there. He wore light green samurai armor with a unique, small breastplate covering only the upper right side of his chest. His long black hair framed a face with a short, sharp goatee and calm, black eyes. He carried a classic katana at his hip, radiating an aura of absolute authority.
"Mifune-sama!" the crowd began to chant. "Mifune-sama has arrived!"
'Who the hell is this Mifune supposed to be?' Sasuke thought.
Mifune raised a single hand, and the cry of the crowd died down instantly. The silence was so sudden it felt heavy. Mini Sasuke leaned down, his small hand covering Sasuke's ear as he whispered, "They all stopped... it's scary."
"Move your hand, it tickles," Sasuke muttered, though his focus was locked on the figure.
"Villagers of Tetsu no Kuni," Mifune's voice boomed. "Do not be restless. We have a guest from the powerful village of Hi no Kuni. The Hokage has personally sent an Elite Shinobi to handle the recent disturbances."
Mifune stepped aside, gesturing to the shadow behind him. "I ask that you cooperate with this Elite Shinobi of Konohagakure."
Sasuke's heart did a violent somersault.
'Konoha?!' In his desperation to see, he pushed forward through the crowd, ignoring the complaints of the people he pushed. He looked up, his eyes widening in total disbelief.
Standing there was a young man, barely fifteen, but he carried the cold energy of a seasoned killer. He had spiky white hair swept sharply to the left. A navy-blue cloth mask covered his face up to the bridge of his nose, and a white porcelain ANBU mask with red fox markings was perched on the side of his head.
But it was the left eye that made Sasuke's blood run cold. A vertical scar ran through the eyelid, and within it sat a glowing red Sharingan with three black tomoe. A short sword was sat horizontally across his back, and the red flame-like ANBU tattoo was visible on his bare shoulder.
"What the..." Sasuke breathed, his voice failing him.
"Please, trust in his skill," Mifune continued. "The Hidden Leaf has sent one of their finest."
Sasuke bent his head, hiding his face behind the person in front of him. 'Crap,' he hissed to himself. 'Is this for real? Is that really him?' He risked one more glance. It was unmistakable.
"Is something wrong?" Mini Sasuke asked from his shoulders, sensing the sudden tension in Sasuke's muscles.
Sasuke didn't answer. He couldn't.
"Allow me to introduce him," Mifune said. "Welcome... Hatake Kakashi of Konohagakure."
The figure stepped forward and gave a polite, efficient bow. "I am Hatake Kakashi," he said, his voice muffled slightly by the mask but sounding terrifyingly calm. "I look forward to your cooperation."
Mifune smiled at the boy. "He may be young, but do not judge him by his age. He was once the student of—"
"That is enough information, Mifune-sama," Kakashi interrupted smoothly, his lone visible eye curving into a closed-eye look that wasn't quite a smile. "There is no need to go into depth."
Mifune let out a hearty laugh, but Sasuke was trembling.
'It really is him,' Sasuke thought, his mind racing a mile a minute. 'Kakashi... If he catches us, there's no way we can explain our way out of this.'
He looked at the exit, then back at the cold figure on the stage. 'What are we going to do now?'
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📊 BATTLE REPORT: 69-IRON 📊
LOSER: Uchiha Sasuke 👁🗨🛑
SNEAK PEEK LINES 💬
"If we get caught by a super-strong ninja before we find the others, we're totally toast! Dattebayo!"
"She has a very, very bad cold! Her head is swollen from all the sneezing! Don't come close, it's super contagious! Dattebayo!"
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—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫
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