Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Retrograde Chapter 14

Sasuke leaned back against the gate to the entrance of the hospital as he rotated his shoulder, massaging his neck where the Curse Mark was. A sharp hiss rattled through his teeth as Fumiyo's containment seal flexed and contracted. It painfully drained at his reserve chakra to repair itself and keep the Snake blind and suppressed.

Orochimaru was growing more and more agitated by the day. But he was getting close. His chakra was almost back to acceptable levels and he was confident he could open a portal to outside the village. But once the extraction was done, whether or not he would physically be capable of getting himself and Fumiyo back was another thing entirely. It was a basically the flip of a coin if he'd succeed or not. That fact alone had made Fumiyo tell him no when he last asked her to remove the Snake from his body.

A small pricking at the edge of his awareness drew Sasuke's attention and his eyes snapped open. He activated his Sharingan and quickly searched the area. Nothing immediately caught his attention, but that didn't mean anything. Root members were everywhere - constantly shadowing his every move at every opportunity they could get. Not that he gave them much to work with in the first place.

His mismatched eyes swept across the road and the rooftops of the buildings opposite the hospital. Movement on the rooftops seemed nonexistent, but for all he knew someone could be standing just beyond the edge of his vision. He searched the street, but at this hour foot traffic was minimal. An elderly woman with a limp and a wooden cane shuffled past him with weak chakra. Sasuke immediately dismissed her as a threat and kept searching the street. He spotted a couple chūnin he didn't recognize loudly talking amongst themselves. They slowed once they noticed him standing there, their eyes growing wide as recognition spread across their faces.

Sasuke flared his eyes at them. The corner of his mouth ticked up into a smirk when they jumped, nearly dropping the scrolls they were carrying. One angrily scowled at him before grabbing the other's arm and rushing past him.

Once they were gone, he swept the area again, but it was empty now, completely devoid of any sort of movement. Even the muted presence he'd sensed was gone.

"Sasuke?" He looked down and found his wife's bright green eyes worriedly staring up at him. "Everything okay?" she asked in a low voice, eyes quickly darting around them.

He dipped his head once as he pushed off from the gate, closing the already small gap between them. "Yes." He reached out and fingered the ends of her hair, watching in pleasure as Sakura blushed pink at his touch. "I like your haircut."

Sakura's hair was chin length now, softly framing her face in a way that made her eyes stand out. With her red hitai-ate in place of the headband she normally favored it reminded him of the way she had kept her hair in the future. It made Sasuke smile. He had been worried about his wife. She had been working nonstop trying to help his brother ever since they had stepped back inside the village. And it didn't help that Sakura was constantly worrying about him, so much so that it made her anxious. He had already caught her a few times chewing at her lip with a furrow between her brows when she thought he wasn't paying attention.

He ran his hand through her hair before cupping her cheek in his palm with a small smile. It was good to see she was making time for herself.

Sakura turned a darker shade of pink as she nuzzled against him but didn't look away. "You noticed?' she shyly asked. "I only had the ends trimmed a little."

"Of course, I noticed," Sasuke said, quietly enjoying the pleased smile that pulled at her mouth. He pulled away after a moment, but stayed close. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, holding up the scroll in her hand for him to see. "Yeah. Sorry for making you wait. It took longer than I thought it would to get these test results back," she explained apologetically. Sasuke wordlessly looked at the scroll and she looked away, immediately stowing it away in her pouch. "…Itachi's just a little anemic, thankfully. Nothing a few blood replenishing pills can't take care of."

Sasuke didn't reply except to dip his head once. Whenever the topic of his brother's health came up, Sakura always shut a piece of herself away from him. Almost like she was afraid of whatever his response would be if she told him. And for better or worse, it was Sakura's way of protecting him from himself.

Even if it caused her pain in the process.

It was no different than when the Ōtsutsukis had attacked them and she had thrown herself in front of him. And it was something he loved and hated about his darling wife.

Sasuke nodded again, accepting her words for now. "Let's go," he said before turning and leading them away from the hospital.

The walk through the village to Fumiyo's house was made mostly in silence. Sakura kept close by his side, more subdued than usual. She usually filled the silence with chatter about her patients and the injuries she'd seen or questions about his day and the progress on the Uzumaki storage temple since she hadn't been able to spare much time to help. Just yesterday she had spent the entirety of their walk venting about Ino's blatant attempts to supposedly flirt with him in front of her and Naruto bailing on them at Yakiniku Q the night before at what was supposed to be a dinner between Teams 7 and 10. Something that had devolved into Chōji eating almost everything while Shikamaru made halfhearted attempts to stop him and Sai made comments he probably didn't understand with one of his false smiles.

He half expected her to stay silent, but Sakura finally spoke when they were halfway there. "So, what's the temple look like now? I haven't been able to go up there since they first started."

"We basically finished construction this morning," he told her. "I left since they didn't need me to put up the seals. I needed to meet Kakashi anyway."

Sakura hummed. "I bet Fumiyo's happy to see it all fixed up again," she murmured, glancing up at him.

"She and some of her clansmen cried when they saw it," he said, watching out of the corner of his eye as she nodded before falling silent again.

"And what did you talk about with Kakashi-sensei?" she asked after a moment.

"He told me the Hokage's going to make a decision regarding re-adding me to the roster tomorrow."

She glanced at him as they turned a corner with a small smile. "Naruto and I have been pestering Lady Tsunade about that ever since we got back. Hopefully, she says yes."

When she didn't say anything else, Sasuke took hold of her hand in his. Sakura stiffened at his touch before relaxing and threading their fingers together. He kept his eyes forward as they navigated the last few streets until they reached the path leading to Fumiyo's house.

Once they were close enough, Sasuke raised his free hand to his chest and made the Seal of Confrontation. Through his Rinnegan he watched as the invisible barrier surrounding the property reacted to his chakra. The thin, colorless wall in front of them rippled for a few brief seconds before an opening just wide enough for them to step through appeared.

Sasuke tightened his grip around Sakura's hand as he pulled her through with him and led them inside the house. Without breaking stride, he went straight to the kitchen and pulled back the curtain to look out the window over the sink. He quickly scanned the backyard with his mismatched eyes, immediately spotting what he was looking for. Naruto and Fumiyo were both locked in mediation in the grass while Hinata sat with a medical kit as she monitored them with her Byakugan. Shirasu was sunbathing over by the pond with his sake-filled red saucer cup. Satisfied, Sasuke released the curtain and walked out of the kitchen.

"Come on," he muttered as he guided them upstairs to his room.

He pushed Sakura to stand in the middle of the spartan room once they were inside, shutting and locking the door behind them. This wasn't something they were going to need an audience for. It was just between him and his wife and he didn't want any prying eyes for this conversation.

Sasuke closed the distance between him and Sakura until they were sharing the same breaths. She fidgeted under his gaze for a moment before sighing and dropping her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He wrapped his right arm around her back and rested his head on hers, keeping his voice low as he spoke.

"You're hiding something from me," he said and after a moment she nodded against his shoulder. "What is it?"

Sakura's fingers tightened around the back of his shirt. "Itachi..." she sighed, trailing off. "His condition's worse than I originally thought."

Sasuke stiffened at her words. He had already suspected as much, but it was still a shock to hear.

Fumiyo had warned him. She told him over and over again not to get his hopes up when it came to saving Itachi. A part of him had ignored her and thought it was going to be as easy as not being the catalyst to his death in the old Uchiha hideout. But then Sakura told him Itachi had been sick for who knew how long. It merely confirmed what he already knew to be true, but he'd ignored the signs and made his wife shoulder the burden he didn't want to acknowledge.

That time would find a way to make sure certain events happened in order to keep the natural order.

It was the reason why Naruto's aunt didn't have much faith in their mission despite agreeing to take it on.

Sakura held him tight and lightly pressed her lips against the thrumming pulse on his neck in a soft kiss. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I just wanted to protect you," she whispered as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. "You already lost him once."

He nodded mutely and tipped his head back to keep the tears from falling. "I know," he whispered back, barely able to get the words out. "I know, Sakura." They stood there in silence for a long moment before Sasuke pulled back to look her in the eye. "But I don't need you to protect me from something like this when it means you hurt yourself in the process," he told her, gently tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Do you understand?"

She dipped her head, fingers fidgeting around the fabric of his shirt. "Yes. I promise to try."

"Good." Sasuke released her but stayed close. Slowly, he raised his hand and gently poked Sakura on the forehead, watching in quiet pleasure as she blushed pink. "But thank you," he murmured.

Sakura's blush deepened and she lifted up to shyly press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "You're welcome."

Neji stood beside Lord Hyūga in the outer corridor of the main compound open to the inner courtyard where he usually trained with Hinata. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he watched as Lady Uzumaki's two red panda summons tumbled around in the grass. They suddenly sprung apart, both aiming wind jutsu at one another that made the leaves of the tree above them sway in the otherwise still air.

"She's so pretty!" a voice gasped in amazement. "Like some kind of queen."

He looked beside him and found Hanabi standing in the space between him and her father. "Does she?" Neji asked as he followed her gaze to look at the woman standing beside Hinata and Lady Uzumaki in the courtyard.

She had arrived with Lady Uzumaki early that morning and Naruto's great-aunt had introduced her as the last Uzukage, shocking them. Lord Hyūga had faltered at her words before recovering and welcoming them inside the compound for Hinata's training. But Neji could barely force out a polite greeting.

Shikamaru had already made his distrust of Lady Uzumaki clear to him, so when he told him about his brief meeting with her and the man who had been with her, Neji hadn't believed his claims of having met some sort of yokai or demon. Things like that didn't exist. But then a few days later Neji saw one for himself. Lady Uzumaki had been walking near the main gate when he'd gone to meet Guy-sensei and the others to leave for their mission. He hadn't paid much attention to her until he overheard her arguing with someone. Neji had assumed it was one of her red panda summons, but when he looked over she was standing with a man he had never seen before. At first glance, he had seemed normal enough with his long red hair and tan skin, but it was the horns on his head and the strange glowing eyes that made him think he wasn't human.

Neji stared at the woman and tried to imagine what Hanabi saw. He supposed the long dark purple kimono she wore with its gold lotus flowers and the elaborate hairpins and combs in her red hair made her appear like she belonged in some sort of daimyo's court along with the proud way she carried herself. But he couldn't see past the ivory horns on her head or the way her dark eyes held an unnatural glint in them.

To Neji, she looked like some kind of oni demon.

"You think she looks like a queen?" he repeated.

"Yep! Like one straight out of a fairy tale," Hanabi grinned up at him. "So, who is she? I saw her arrive with Lady Uzumaki earlier."

Lord Hiashi answered without looking away from Hinata as she copied Lady Uzumaki's hand seals. Surprisingly, she kept up with her rapid pace with ease until a seal brightly glowed in the palms of their hands. "She is Lady Fumiyo's lady mother if what they told us is to be believed," he said, folding his hands inside the long sleeves of his kimono.

"And do you believe it?" Neji asked his uncle.

"Yes," he answered, shocking him. "Other than their exceptional sealing abilities, the Uzumaki were known for dealing with unexplained phenomena and their relationship with the Reaper Death God. Some say the spirit was once a member of their clan, so it's not beyond reason."

Neji frowned. He didn't know what to make of that, but before he could say anything the oni woman spoke.

"Now," she begun, pulling out a black fan from one of the long sleeves of her kimono and fanning herself with it. "Other than the basic framework of our sealing style, I know that Fumiyo has been teaching you her jutsu. Which brings us to the topic of specialization."

"Specialization?" Hinata repeated.

Lady Fumiyo dipped her head once with a small smile as she dropped her manicured hands down to rest on her hips. "For example, when I was training under Mito-shishō, I originally specialized in barrier fūinjutsu. Barriers using chains created from my chakra. Colored light barriers created with and without cooperation. And of course, the ones formed using multiple talismans like I've already taught you, just to name a few," she said, holding up a blank tag for her to see.

"I specialized in traps when I was a young girl," the oni woman said as she continued to fan herself. "But when I became Uzukage, I expanded beyond that for emergencies and the like."

"I did the same, but more out of necessity than for any desire to learn," Lady Fumiyo said with some bitterness in her voice. "But one thing to note is that you don't need to specialize, Hinata."

The oni woman nodded her head, peering at Hinata over the top of her fan. "You really don't, but it's something to think about when it comes to learning fūinjutsu. It will help guide you toward the kinds of jutsu you want to learn later on."

"But for now, we're going to focus on another type of fūinjutsu – using sealing techniques in live combat." Lady Fumiyo clapped her hands together with an excited grin as she looked to the oni woman. "Are you ready, Mother?" she asked, cracking her knuckles.

"This won't be like when you were a child," she warned with a sly grin of her own as the two women faced each other. They both formed the Seal of Confrontation and the tips of her ivory horns ignited blue with chakra like a flame. "I won't hold back, Fumiyo-chan."

Lady Fumiyo grinned. "I expect no less." And then they both shot forward as they began to spar.

At first glance, it didn't look like they were fighting. It was more like the two women were dancing, their movements smooth and flowing as they traded blows that each were able to deflect and turn into their next movement. To be honest, it looked like they were toying with one another with how evenly matched they appeared.

Just as suddenly as they came together, they flew apart, each one landing on one side of the courtyard. Neji watched as a slow smirk curved at Lady Fumiyo's mouth before she shot forward to attack first. But the oni woman was prepared. She deflected her strike with her forearm and turned it into her own attack, landing a firm blow to the back of her shoulder as she swept her legs out from underneath her. It didn't look like much of an impactful move, but the sudden spread of kanji and other characters on the Uzumaki woman's shoulder said otherwise. The seal rapidly wrapped around her body, pinning her arm to her side as she twisted in the air.

Neji frowned and activated his Byakugan to take a better look at the oni woman. Not once had he seen her make any hand seals in the few instances he'd caught glimpses of her hands.

Lady Uzumaki twisted her body, landing firmly back on the ground, while rapidly weaving a set of half seals with her free hand. The seal came undone just in time for her to draw her arm up and block the oni woman's next attack. She withdrew and renewed her attack and again it was like they were dancing. But now it was more intense between them as they traded blows, each taking turns to press a seal on the other's body whenever they saw an opening to gain dominance.

"Do you see their hand seals?" Neji asked his uncle.

"No," Hinata answered instead from beside him as one of Lady Uzumaki's summons curled itself around her shoulders while the other dangled from her arms. "Fumiyo-shishō and Lady Mikoto are both skilled enough keep their seals prepared in advanced."

"Their movements. The calculated aimed attacks they're making," Lord Hiashi murmured as he closely watched their spar with his own Byakugan, "It's almost as if they're targeting areas around the body's chakra points when they apply their sealing jutsu. They're not accurate, but it's close enough."

"It's why she wants to teach me those seals," Hinata said as they watched the oni woman make the final decisive strike that sent Lady Uzumaki skidding backward on her toes. In one fluid motion she rushed after her and pulled a kunai from the long sleeve of her kimono that immediately went to Lady Uzumaki's throat. "She intends to help me create a new jutsu."

Neji frowned at her words. Then what was that jutsu she had used that day during their spar? Lady Uzumaki hadn't taken Hinata on as her student yet. He was certain of it. But that didn't make any sense. Had he just imagined it?

Lady Uzumaki and the oni woman made the Seal of Reconciliation before crossing the courtyard to stand in front of Lord Hiashi. "Are you pleased with what you've seen today, Lord Hyūga?" Lady Uzumaki asked, dropping her hands to rest on her hips again.

Everyone looked to Lord Hiashi in anticipation, waiting for his answer. He peered over Hanabi's head to look at Hinata and after a long moment he spoke. "Yes," he said with a slight nod of his head, "I am, Lady Fumiyo. You may continue teaching my daughter."

A warm smile turned the corners of her mouth up and Lady Uzumaki politely bowed her head. "Thank you, Lord Hyūga. I'll be sure to teach Hinata everything I know."

His uncle nodded again, pleased, before turning and retreating inside. Once he was gone, Hanabi began fawning over the oni woman only for Hinata to softly scold her for being rude while Lady Uzumaki merely laughed. Neji quietly observed them, his head spinning as he tried to piece together his thoughts.

Something was going on with his cousin, but what? If he didn't know any better, he would have thought Hinata had already been undergoing fūinjutsu training with Naruto's great-aunt for some time. But that wasn't possible.

He glanced at Hinata again, noting the way the red panda summons casually spoke to her like they did with Lady Uzumaki.

Right?

"Are you ready?"

Sasuke dipped his chin once in answer to his wife's question. "Yes," he murmured as Sakura fussed over his shirt, smoothing away imaginary wrinkles. He pulled her hand away and let her thread their fingers together.

"Okay." She nodded to herself before smiling up at him. "Okay. Good, that's good."

Naruto held out his hand. "Here."

He looked down and smirked a little at what he saw. "Hn. You and Fumiyo are exactly the same, loser," Sasuke muttered as he took back his hitae-ate from him. He ran his fingers over the jagged line he'd scratched into it before pocketing it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto demanded with one of his stupid expressions.

Sasuke wordlessly turned to show him the back of his shirt. "She gave this to me before she left this morning," he told him.

When Fumiyo had knocked on his door early that morning and handed him the plain wrapped package, he had expected to find more of the Fourth Hokage's clothes inside. But instead he found a new outfit with his clan symbol stitched into the back of the shirt. It had surprised him a little. He'd only made an offhand comment about not having clothes with the Uchiha clan symbol anymore during dinner once when they had first arrived in the past, but she had remembered. And judging by the stitching, she had taken the time to do it all herself.

Sakura gently traced the uchiwa on his back with her fingertips, sending a small shiver down his spine. "I'm jealous," she pouted in a low voice as a group of chūnin passed them to enter Hokage Tower. "I barely got to wear any of the clothes you had made for me before you-know-what happened." He squeezed her hand in reassurance and made a mental note of her words but didn't respond.

"Well, if Auntie gave you that before going to see Granny Tsunade, then you don't have to worry about anything," Naruto grinned as he folded his arms behind his head.

He rolled his eyes. "We'll see," he grunted before turning to go inside.

"Good luck!" he heard them call out behind him and he raised a hand in acknowledgement before stepping inside the building.

The walk to the Hokage's office felt longer than it actually was. A part of him was expecting to be told bad news at this meeting despite Fumiyo's reassurances and Naruto's unrelenting optimism. And it didn't help that Orochimaru had almost cracked his containment seal in half yesterday afternoon. He was so close to being ready to get rid of the damn Snake bastard, but at this rate, he half expected him to strike at any moment.

Including in the middle of the Hokage's office at this meeting.

Sasuke paused in front of the door to the Hokage's office. As if to prove his point, his seal flared and contracted as it drained his reserve chakra, more painful than ever before. He bit back a cry of pain and readjusted the high collar of his shirt before quickly rapping his knuckles on the door.

"Come in."

He stepped inside, mismatched eyes immediately landing on the Fifth Hokage where she sat behind her desk. Her expression was unreadable as she watched him approach. Kakashi stepped forward with him, pushing off from the wall behind the door where he'd been leaning. His sensei sent him a smile from behind his mask as he stowed his book away in his pouch, but Sasuke could detect some stiffness in it.

"You're early for once," he noted, eyeing him with suspicion. The man never once arrived on time to training sessions and missions alike, but yet he showed up ahead of schedule this time.

"Maa, this is important, Sasuke," Kakashi said with another smile.

Sasuke frowned at him before turning to face forward. "Hokage," he greeted.

The Hokage sharply nodded in return as she folded her hands. "Do you know why we're here today?" she asked, immediately skipping any pleasantries. "Do you understand how few people get an opportunity like this?"

Sasuke nodded once. "I do."

He knew better than anyone else that this wasn't something that she just handed out lightly. After the war, he'd spent weeks if not months locked in a cell after surrendering himself to the village, prepared to serve time and be punished for his crimes. If it weren't for Naruto's good relationships with each of the kages of the Five Great Nations and his own part in ending the war, he most likely would have stayed there.

"Lucky for you, Sasuke, you had Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi on your side working hard to have you reinstated as a Leaf shinobi. Kakashi even came in early to plead your case to me one last time." She pulled out a large scroll marked with the familiar crest belonging to the Uzumaki clan and held it up. With a flick of her wrist, she unfurled it across the desk and Sasuke immediately recognized Fumiyo's neat handwriting. "And for having just met you a few weeks ago, you were somehow able to convince my cousin that you were worth returning to our ranks. She had a lot to say in her reports about you. Want to hear a part that stuck out to me?"

He nodded again, but more for Kakashi's and the Hokage's sakes than for any real desire to know what Fumiyo had written. He could easily guess what she had said about him. The woman had already told him to his face what she saw when she looked at him. And even knowing all the terrible things he'd done, she still trusted him despite it all.

"Fumiyo said and I quote, 'Sasuke Uchiha is not perfect. Yes, he decided to turn his back on the village to take hold of our enemy's hand. Yes, he decided to walk Orochimaru's path and abandon the bonds he'd created in a selfish pursuit of power'," the Hokage read aloud. There was no inflection in her voice and her face remained expressionless still. Sasuke held back a frown. He couldn't tell if this was going to be good or bad for him anymore. Even Kakashi looked a little unsure now. "'But in the past few weeks since I took the boy into my care and gotten to know him and watch him interact with his former teammates and others in the village, I have learned that Sasuke has come to regret those actions as evidenced by his decisions to turn against and kill Orochimaru and to return to the Leaf with his missing-nin brother as prisoner before voluntarily handing himself over. Unlike my exuberant and loud nephew, Sasuke does not possess the burning passion of an enraging inferno for Lord Hashirama's Will of Fire, but rather a quiet flame that can easily turn into a wildfire when set ablaze. And having a Will of Fire the most important quality to have in our ninja. Thus, it is my firm recommendation that he be reassigned as one of the Hidden Leaf's shinobi.'"

The Hokage rolled up the scroll when she was done and folded her hands again as she stared him down. "I don't know what you said or did for Fumiyo to say that, but she's right," she said after a moment. "The Will of Fire is fundamental in our shinobi and it's good to hear that you possess it. But putting aside her reports and the multiple testimonies Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura gave, I'm not completely convinced you should return to our ranks."

"Lady Tsunade—!"

Sasuke shot his arm out and cut off Kakashi as he faced the Hokage head on. "I know I should have never turned my back on the village to join Orochimaru, especially when he had just murdered the Third Hokage," he said, shaking his head. "Nothing I say will change that fact. There are no words to excuse my actions either. I had been too consumed by hatred and saw no other way to gain more power and strength to face my brother and kill him. And I regret it all." Sasuke stepped forward, ignoring the sudden tingling in his left arm. "But actions speak louder than words. It's why I killed Orochimaru and apprehended Itachi in order to turn him over to you. And if you give me the chance, I'll prove to you and the rest of the village that I'm loyal."

Kakashi stepped next to him, dropping his hand down on Sasuke's shoulder and squeezing. "Give Sasuke a chance, Lady Tsunade. As his teacher, I'll take full responsibility for his actions."

She steepled her fingers together under her chin as she slowly nodded in acknowledgement to their words. "Thank you for saying that, Sasuke...I never formally thanked you for what you did. So thank you for eliminating Orochimaru and bringing in a member of the Akatsuki, Sasuke," she said as she pulled open the top drawer of her desk and took something out. He stared at the brand new hitae-ate she held out for a long moment before meeting her gaze again. "I've been hesitant because of the Rinnegan you possess and its immense power, but not once have you made any moves against the village. And combined with what you did, I'm comfortable giving this to you. Take it."

Kakashi's firm grip on his shoulder relaxed as he let out a relieved sigh. "Go on, Sasuke," he urged when he didn't immediately take it from her.

"No." He pulled out his old hitae-ate, gently running his thumb over the scratch across its Leaf symbol. "I'd like to keep my old one instead. As a reminder."

Of all the poor decisions and mistakes he'd made and the terrible things he'd done while consumed by hatred. Of the people he had hurt along the way. Of the long path he'd walked that led him to becoming the man he was today.

The Hokage stared at the forehead protector in his hand for a long moment before slowly nodding. "Of course," she softly agreed. She put aside the one in her hand and pulled out a stack of paperwork. She opened the file on top and Sasuke immediately recognized it as his Ninja File with its outdated photo from just after he'd graduated from the academy. "Effective immediately, Sasuke Uchiha, you're to be returned to active duty as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. For now, you'll be limited to D-rank missions under Kakashi's supervision." To punctuate her words, she stamped his file back as active again.

Relief flooded his chest at her words and he felt the corners of his mouth turn upward just a little. Just this once, Sasuke politely bowed his head to the Fifth Hokage. "Thank you. I won't disappoint you, Hokage."

"Good luck, Sasuke. Don't make me regret this."

For many reasons, I have decided to no longer continue posting to this website. This is the last update.

Retrograde will continue on AO3.