(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Valley of the End.
Many years ago, this place was simply a flat plain.
After the battle between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, the terrain was abruptly transformed.
A waterfall now cascaded down the cliff.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had ordered huge statues of the two combatants to be carved here, commemorating his brother's prestige.
As for why Madara Uchiha was included?
Perhaps he wanted people to know that even someone as powerful as Madara Uchiha would lose to Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobis.
That white-haired Hokage was truly cunning.
The sky had turned grey, and a drizzle was falling at this time.
The once smooth statues were now full of small holes, with countless pebbles strewn across the ground.
Clearly, another battle had taken place here.
Sasuke sat on the ground panting, looking at the unconscious Naruto with a complex expression.
He knew he had lost again.
If it weren't for Naruto's mercy, his Chidori in the cursed state would have been no match for the Massive Rasengan.
Whether his arm could be saved after that was questionable.
"Waiting for me here?"
Colt's figure appeared silently before Sasuke, shocking the Uchiha who still had his three-tomoe Sharingan active.
How did he move without leaving even a trace?
"Have you already dealt with those Sound ninjas?"
Sasuke asked and then turned his head away from Colt's smiling face.
Colt nodded calmly.
In truth, Sasuke had the urge to challenge Colt again, but reason told him to refrain.
Colt wouldn't be as merciful as Naruto.
"I could be your spy in Orochimaru's ranks, but I want to know the truth you have talked about before," Sasuke said, as he attempted to be indifferent but his eagerness was obvious in his voice.
A large part of why he defected was because of that conversation.
Sasuke already vaguely felt that the Uchiha massacre wasn't as simple as it seemed.
"Yes, but I can only reveal part of it now. I'll tell you everything after you get what I need," Colt replied after checking that Naruto's condition was stable.
Sasuke thought for a bit and then nodded his head.
"What do you want?"
Sasuke was curious. Something that even Colt desired must be very powerful or special, right?
"The Reanimation Jutsu. But Orochimaru's current version is incomplete. I need you to induce him to perfect this technique."
Colt stated his purpose.
Orochimaru's current core technology was still lacking. Except for the complete version of the Impure World Reincarnation, there was nothing else worth coveting at the moment.
Sasuke silently committed the name of the jutsu to memory and agreed to Colt's proposition.
Then it was his turn to ask questions.
"Is Itachi Uchiha the perpetrator of the massacre, and why did he do it?"
This was the biggest doubt in his mind, and the motives for Itachi to do that were truly puzzling.
"Yes!" Colt affirmed without hesitation.
"More accurately, he's only one of the perpetrators. There are two other culprits."
"One is also in the Akatsuki organization, which is Itachi's group. The other is a high-ranking official of Konoha."
Sasuke's hands trembled.
"Konoha's top brass were involved in attacking the Uchiha?"
This was an answer he had never considered. All along, he thought Itachi was the sole enemy.
Colt picked up a fallen leaf, blew it into the distance, and asked softly.
"What do you think a village is?"
Without waiting for Sasuke to answer, he continued, "A village is actually an aggregation of the will of its ninjas."
"And when there's darkness in that will, it's not surprising that it leads to excessive actions."
"However, this so-called darkness has already been targeted by me. It's unlikely you'll have a chance for revenge, so keep your focus on Itachi."
Colt chose not to hide the role of Konoha's executives, stating it directly.
As for Danzo, he couldn't be left for Sasuke to deal with.
Once he found an excuse, Colt would definitely eliminate that Konoha parasite as soon as possible.
Sasuke gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe that the village where he had lived for over a decade was actually his worst enemy.
"Why? Why did they target the Uchiha?"
"And Itachi, why did he collaborate with these people?!"
Sasuke's state was becoming unstable, the black curse marks crawling up his face again.
Colt shook his head.
"That's all I can tell you for now. The purpose is to motivate you to train harder."
"If you want to know more, trade the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu with me."
After speaking, he created a Shadow Clone to carry Naruto back the way they came.
Sasuke, after venting his anger for a while, left for Otogakure without looking back.
When Colt returned to where he had met Choji; Shikamaru and the others were already waiting there.
Although everyone had signs of battle, they were still in good shape.
Seeing the unconscious Naruto, they all looked worried.
"Don't worry, it's just superficial injuries and chakra exhaustion which caused his coma."
Colt reassured them and led everyone back to Konoha.
After asking Shikamaru to take Naruto to the hospital, he went to the Hokage's office to report on the mission.
Tsunade didn't care that Colt hadn't brought Sasuke back.
Sasuke's behavior was no different from willful defection, especially considering Orochimaru's involvement.
Just taking into account the feelings of Naruto, Kakashi, and the others, she had issued a pursuit order, not an elimination order.
Colt didn't mention his deal with Sasuke.
After all, these matters were quite sensitive, particularly in regards to the Impure World Reincarnation.
Just as Tsunade was about to speak, there was a rapid knock at the door.
"Come in!"
As soon as she spoke, the door was forcefully opened without waiting.
Sakura rushed in, "Tsunade-sama, is Sasuke back?"
Tsunade shook her head. "Sasuke has already reached Orochimaru."
"What?!"
"But Naruto and Colt went after him. Colt is so strong, why couldn't he bring him back?"
Sakura clearly couldn't accept this fact and started speaking incoherently. From her rush, she didn't even notice Colt was there.
Colt's expression darkened. Was this brat serious?
"Suh boldness, Sakura Haruno! Are you questioning me?"
His words were calm, but they caused her to stiffen up in place.
"I..." Sakura fell silent, not knowing how to explain herself.
"You're just a mere Genin. Where did you find the audacity to barge in here and yell at me, and even the Hokage at that?"
Colt showed no mercy with his words. This girl needed a reality check.
"Now, leave immediately. Not everyone will be as patient with you as Naruto is,"
After speaking, he added something more, still irritated.
"Get out!"