Time whisked away like a shooting star, leaving behind a trail of memories as Sasuke found himself in the familiar embrace of the Forest of Death.
Perched atop his summoned beast, Sasuke made his way through the Forest Of Death leisurely. The wolf who turned out to be a girl, was named Luna by Sasuke. For reasons Sasuke has yet to understand, his summoned beast has continued growing upon receiving his training in how to control her chakra. It now stood at a proud 4m in height and had luscious silver-grey fur that glistened in the morning sunlight.
Sasuke who is now 10 years old looks remarkably different from his previous self. He now possessed a more mature and defined set of facial features, framed by his spiky black hair. His onyx-black eyes gleamed with intelligence as they darted around, analysing his surrounding environment and he was clad in a high-collared, grey shirt.
"You sure that guy is over here?"
Seemingly talking to the air, Sasuke inquired.
"Yes, he's over by a large clearing ahead. He's claimed that and its surrounding areas as his territory," Luna communicated to Sasuke through their mental link. Her voice, reminiscent of an adolescent girl, resonated with a newfound intelligence and understanding. The wolf had not only undergone significant physical growth but had also evolved spiritually, an opportunity Sasuke seized to teach her how to speak the human language- albeit telepathically.
As they ventured towards the location Luna had indicated, a menacing presence awaited them—a colossal gorilla standing at an imposing height of 3 meters. Its ferocity was evident in the pronounced, well-defined muscles that rippled beneath its coarse, jet-black hair. The gorilla's jaws were lined with a set of ferocious teeth and had beady black eyes that, filled with a wave of primal anger, locked onto Sasuke and Luna.
The gorilla in front of them was the king of this forest, rumours said it had around the strength of a Jonin. The reason it was left here seemed to be due to some sort of agreement it had with the Sarutobi Clan's summoning beasts, but it's not like Sasuke cared about that. Should the need arise, he would resort to his tried and true strategy: framing Danzo.
"Luna stay out of this," Sasuke instructed Luna. His skills and techniques had evolved over the years, and at this moment, he sought to test the extent of his newly developed abilities in preparation for his impending early graduation.
Luna gracefully retreated to the periphery of the clearing, creating space for the young Uchiha to directly face the imposing gorilla. The air grew heavy as the pair stared at each other, tension lacing the atmosphere.
Sasuke seized the initiative, a habit he had honed through countless encounters in this forest and activated his Mangekyou in preparation for the fight. Arcs of crimson lightning soon began dancing around Sasuke as he suddenly vanished from his location.
The hue of the lightning was due to Sasuke's recent exploration into Lightning Nature Transformation, which he had started soon after reaching a bottleneck in advancing his Fire Nature Transformation.
Lightning Style: Body Flicker
Before the gorilla could comprehend the unfolding events, its vision became a swirl of numerous blurry images of Sasuke. Unbeknownst to the beast, Sasuke had subtly woven a Genjutsu through his Mangekyou Sharingan, ensnaring its senses in a web of confusion.
With precision and agility, Sasuke's fist crashed into the gorilla's skull, disorienting the large gorilla. Before it could fully recover, Sasuke executed a midair twist, delivering a powerful kick directly to the gorilla's jaws. A mesmerizing trail of luminescent cyan flames followed the trajectory of the kick, slamming into the beast with undeniable force.
The luminous cyan flames, born from Sasuke's years of progress in Fire Nature Transformation, painted the skin around the gorilla's chin. These flames weren't merely a display of destructive power; they mirrored Sasuke's profound understanding of himself and his elemental mastery.
The gorilla's agonized roar reverberated through the forest as the intense azure flames enveloped it, their scorching heat mercilessly melting the flesh of its chin.
The once-mighty king of the jungle now found itself ensnared in the deathly grip of Sasuke's formidable Fire-Style, but it wasn't the type to simply give up.
Abruptly, before Sasuke could evade, the gorilla's enormous hands closed around him with a vice-like grip. A hideous smile contorted its still-burning face as it held Sasuke captive in the palms of its hands.
However, Sasuke's body soon began to expand within the gorilla's grip, and an ominous realisation began to set in for the beast. Suddenly, an explosion erupted, consuming the surrounding area in a blinding burst of blue light.
Fire Style: Shadow Clone
Completely engulfed in cyan flames, the gorilla unleashed a primal scream, a symphony of both rage and agony echoed through the forest. Gazing at Sasuke in the distance, the gorilla, soon realised its imminent defeat. Despite this, it resolved to inflict at least some injury upon its foe before succumbing to its injuries. With steel-like determination, the blazing creature proceeded to propel itself towards Sasuke.
However, before the gorilla could draw near, Sasuke began to rotate rapidly on the spot and spewed fire from both his palms and his mouth. The flames spiralled around him, forming a colossal fiery vortex that enveloped Sasuke.
The swirling maelstrom then unleashed two dragon-shaped flames that violently collided with the gorilla, entwining around its limbs and effectively trapping it in a fiery embrace.
The gorilla fixed a hateful gaze on Sasuke, who stood motionless across from it. Sasuke then raised his index finger, directing it at the formidable creature before him. Suddenly, a bolt of red lightning shot out from Sasuke's finger, homing in on the gorilla's skull. The impact resulted in a small but intense explosion that sent dust on the ground scattering into the air.
With the dust settling, the lifeless form of the gorilla lay sprawled in the forest clearing. Half of its face had promptly vanished, obliterated by the force of the lightning bolt unleashed by Sasuke.
Luna gracefully strolled towards Sasuke, her pace unhurried, and admiration gleamed in her gaze as she stared at her summoner.
'Master, that was a splendid fight,' Luna conveyed her admiration telepathically, her thoughts echoing in Sasuke's mind.
"That wasn't much, Luna. Come on, we need to get going. Send me to the outskirts of the forest," Sasuke directed, hopping onto Luna's back
As he hopped onto Luna's back, Sasuke's movement caused the sleeves of his shirt to ever so slightly roll back, revealing a talisman-like paper attached to his arms. On it were several strange symbols, but the most striking of them all was '重力'...
(重力= Gravity)
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In the Hokage's Office, Iruka stood before Hiruzen earnestly.
"Lord Hokage, please reconsider this! Sasuke is only a child. He shouldn't even be allowed to graduate so early, let alone join Anbu," Iruka pleaded with a tone of concern, the weight of worry coating his words as he addressed Sasuke's early graduation application.
"Iruka, I understand your concern, but you shouldn't worry too much about Sasuke. He's much stronger than you give him credit for. And it's not like he's graduating the earliest ever, in the history of the academy," Hiruzen calmly replied to the distressed Chunin.
"But that was at times of war, now h—" Iruka, who continued speaking, was abruptly cut off.
"Iruka," the Hokage interrupted, his faint gaze prompting Iruka to recompose himself.
"Yes, Lord Hokage?" Iruka responded, his words reflecting the inner sadness of realising he could no longer shield his student from the harsh realities of the ninja world.
"Go back to the academy and prepare to hold Sasuke's Graduation Assessment," Hiruzen swiftly ordered.
Iruka nodded despondently before silently exiting the room. The weight of his concerns for Sasuke lingered, but preparations for the young Uchiha's graduation could not be delayed.
As Iruka exited the room, another person swiftly barged in.
Hiruzen squinted at the figure now seated in front of him. "Danzo?" he called out, recognizing the familiar presence.
"Hiruzen! Sasuke must be trained at Roots! He will be honed to perfection and will soon become a pillar for this village..." Danzo's voice echoed in the Hokage Office. Hiruzen's eyes slowly lost focus as he listened to Danzo's nagging words once again, his greed for a new Uchiha to be placed under his control crystal clear.
However, his lapse in judgment was swiftly halted as an Anbu ninja appeared beside him, whispering into his ears.
His features soon contorted with anger, and a fierce flush of red painted his face. The Anbu ninja, having delivered the message, swiftly departed the room, leaving behind an atmosphere thick with tension.
"Damn it, Danzo! Was it you who took Haru's life?" Hiruzen demanded, his expression seething with a mixture of anger and sorrow.
"Haru?" Danzo's confusion was palpable, but an ominous feeling began to creep over him. Didn't this situation seem eerily familiar to him?
"The gorilla in the Forest of Death, he's dead now. They say his body bears scars from potent Fire Ninjutsu. Specifically, Fire Ninjutsu so powerful that it seems to be the result of a coordinated effort from a legion of skilled ninjas. I can't think of anyone else here with a legion of skilled ninjas other than you and me," Hiruzen replied before continuing.
"Is this how you spite me, Danzo, for that minor problem a few years ago? By killing an ally of my clan?" Hiruzen slammed his palm onto his desk, his voice containing a mix of frustration and anger.
"Ridiculous! Hiruzen, your attempts to frame me are getting worse! And what do you mean by 'minor problem'? You stripped me of all my political power simply due to a whim of yours!" Danzo retorted, his voice escalating into a shout towards the end of his words.
"Hiruzen! Mark my words, you will regret making a fool of me!" Danzo huffed, his frustration evident as he stormed out of the room.
Danzo's response left Hiruzen bewildered.
"It wasn't him?" he muttered, a note of confusion present in his voice.
"No, only his Roots are capable of that level of Jutsu. I mean, what other reason could there be? A Kage-level shinobi specializing in Fire Style sneaked into Konoha to kill a gorilla? Don't be ridiculous, Hiruzen! It can only be Danzo!" Hiruzen pondered aloud to himself, before swiftly reaffirming his suspicions regarding Danzo.