Ch 167

Long after Jiraiya left, I stood in the same spot, longer than I should have, staring at nothing. But the feeling faded quickly, like everything else always did. I was used to the disappointment.

I let out a slow breath and forced myself to think. I didn't have the luxury of standing still. Everyone was moving now. Every piece on the board had already begun shifting into place, following paths they believed were their own.

Naruto and the Leaf were searching for Itachi Uchiha, hoping he would lead them to Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke, in turn, was hunting Itachi himself.

Somewhere out there, Deidara and Obito were searching for Sasuke.

Kabuto was moving too, tracking Naruto for his own reasons.

And me? I was looking for Kabuto.

I closed my eyes briefly, piecing it together. It was all connected. Every path looping into another, every goal feeding into someone else's.

A perfect, terrible circle—each person convinced they were the one in control, when in reality, they were being pulled along by something much larger.

Fate.

I had tried to break away from it many times. Some were successes, others had failed. It didn't matter. My fingers tightened slightly at my sides.

This time... I couldn't afford to fail again.

I forced the weight in my chest down and let it rest somewhere it couldn't reach me. I didn't have time for grief.

Not right now. I had things to do.

Finding Kabuto at this stage was unlikely, he was too careful. He would stay hidden until everything was ready, until he had secured his position for the war he intended to shape.

I already knew how it would unfold. By the time he revealed himself, he would have perfected the reanimation jutsu.

That was when I would find him. Not before.

Until then, chasing him would only waste time I couldn't afford to lose. So I shifted my focus.

Sasuke Uchiha.

If I couldn't intercept the architect yet, then I would move toward the blade.

I wanted to see him. Not out of curiosity, but to measure something within myself.

How far was I willing to go to save Itachi Uchiha?

Sasuke was the one who would kill him. That much was set.

I could stop it.

I could intervene, disrupt the outcome, force a different path.

But it wouldn't change the end. Itachi would die anyway. And if I took that from Sasuke—if I denied him that final act—it might change everything between them.

It might even turn Itachi against me.

The thought almost made me laugh. Itachi hating me.

It wouldn't be undeserved. Just like my hatred for him wasn't. There was a balance in that. A symmetry I couldn't ignore.

If anything, it would be fitting.

He had taken everything from me once. My family. My past. So if he came to hate me for interfering with his choices, for taking something from him in return... he wouldn't have the right to complain.

It was irony at its best.

I let out a quiet sigh and leaned my head back against the trunk of the tree, the rough bark pressing gently against my skin.

I stayed still, listening, waiting. Somewhere in the distance, the aftermath of the explosion still filtered through the forest.

Deidara was dead.

I had seen the light fade only minutes ago, the sky dimming as everything went back to how it was.

It was over. I didn't feel sad. It was what he wanted. He chose that end.

He gave everything he had just to take Sasuke Uchiha down with him. And he almost did.

I could acknowledge that much. It was an admirable effort, in its own way. But only to someone just as unhinged.

I closed my eyes, letting the peace surround me.

A light breeze moved through the trees, brushing against my face, slipping through my hair. For a moment, I let myself breathe without thinking about what came next.

It had been a long time since I had truly rested. A long time since I had allowed myself to be still like this.

My thoughts drifted, unbidden to earlier years.

To childhood.

Not that it had ever been light.

Even then, there had always been something hanging over me. A certainty that everything had an end, and that mine had already been decided.

I had known for as long as I could remember. A date fixed in my mind. A life measured before it had even begun.

And yet... I still slept peacefully.

Night after night, I lay in my bed without fear. Without panic.

The weight of that knowledge never stopped me from closing my eyes, from drifting into rest like any other child.

At least, until that year. Until everything changed.

My fingers shifted slightly against the bark as I breathed in again, slower this time. Even with everything I knew... there had been moments back then that felt almost normal.

And for a brief second, resting there beneath the open sky, I let myself remember them.

Let myself reminisce of the better times.

Let myself hope for those times to come in the future. 

Let myself...

My eyes snapped open.

There.

It was faint—barely there—but I felt it.

Sasuke Uchiha.

I straightened instantly, the calm from moments ago vanishing as my focus sharpened.

The sensation was weak, almost slipping through my grasp the moment I noticed it.

I wasn't a trained sensory type. I had never refined that skill the way others had. But I knew his chakra.

That was enough.

I closed my eyes again briefly, concentrating, reaching for that thread before it disappeared completely. It flickered unsteadily at the edge of my awareness.

Direction.

That was all I needed.

My gaze shifted toward the horizon as I locked onto it. If I moved now, if I got closer, I could track it more clearly.

The signal would strengthen with distance closed.

I pushed myself up from the tree in one smooth motion, the last traces of rest falling away from me.

No hesitation.

No second guessing.

I had found him.

Now all I had to do was make sure I didn't lose him.

A/n Alright people! Midterms are over and I made sure to finish my assignments early so I can write more! I am tired and so is Ishi so that means write! Write! WRITE!!! Enjoy~