"This little guy is quite fierce," Darui sneered at Sasuke.
Ao, his Byakugan pulsing, clearly saw the chakra within Sasuke. This move was likely his last resort. To capture Sasuke before the Cloud Village, he had to take a risk, even if it meant sacrificing his teammates.
"Attention, follow me and block his attack!" Ao commanded. As soon as the words left his mouth, Sasuke charged forward, Chidori in hand.
"Stop him!" Ao roared, and the remaining five Mist Village ninjas surged forward to intercept.
"Shichitori!" Sasuke bellowed, his wing-like protrusions flapping as he flew towards them.
*Boom!*
Sasuke slammed into the Mist ninjas. One... two... three... By the fifth, Ao emerged from behind, hands forming a seal. "Water Style: Water Colliding Impact!"
Caught off guard by Ao's sneak attack once more, Sasuke crashed to the ground. The chakra within him had reached its limit. Forced to, he deactivated Curse Mark mode.
Seeing Sasuke's weakened state, Ao's lips curved into a sinister smile. "This time, the Mist Village wins!"
Just as Ao moved to strike, a torrent of sand swept across the area. A thick sand wall materialized before Ao, and Sasuke was swiftly enveloped in sand and transported to the other side of the forest. Gaara, leading the Sand Village forces, had arrived.
"Yo~ The Sand Village, with the Kazekage himself showing up, is quite intimidating!" Killer Bee and his companions waited, observing the scene.
Gaara, watching Sasuke being held aloft by sand, said calmly, "Because you are Naruto's friend, you are also my friend." He then placed Sasuke behind him. "But Naruto told me you don't understand him. Actually, people like us crave recognition. Revenge, for you, is a form of recognition – from that person in your heart. You yearn for Itachi Uchiha's recognition."
"Let's go," Gaara offered.
Sasuke scoffed. "Us?" he sneered. "What kind of person are you? What kind of person is that dead last?" He continued, his voice laced with pain. "Have you experienced my suffering? Watching my parents, my entire clan, slaughtered by my own brother!" He then spat, "If you haven't felt my pain, don't lecture me!"
Struggling to his feet, Sasuke paused, then turned and fled towards the edge of the forest.
"Damn it! You let him escape!" Ao roared at Gaara, enraged. "Weren't you after the Kusanagi sword?!"
Gaara's expression remained impassive. "Is such a thing important? It seems the Mist Village intends to provoke a war among the ninja nations." He summoned a swirling vortex of sand around him, effectively blocking Ao. The Mist ninja trembled with anger but was powerless to act.
"Lord Bee, let's take another route. The Sand Village's Kazekage is here, and we shouldn't offend him," Darui suggested. The Cloud Village forces then decided to circle around.
Stumbling, Sasuke reached a garbage shed near Short Sand Street. He slumped against the wall, weak, and began to bandage his wounds. Passersby cast contemptuous glances at him, sitting by the refuse. Sasuke looked down at his tattered clothes, blood-stained pants, and bruises. He looked like a beggar. Leaning against the wall, he let out a bitter laugh. "I never thought I'd reach this point..." He continued, his voice growing harsher. "Now, forget about avenging Itachi Uchiha. Even strangers think I'm a madman..."
He laughed hysterically. "Everyone who chases me and tries to kill me does so because they think I'm a nobody. But I will make them respect me! I will show them the price of angering me! One day!" He declared with conviction. "I, Sasuke Uchiha, will make them cry tears of laughter before my very eyes!"
After venting his rage, Sasuke pushed himself up against the wall. He had barely taken a few steps onto the street when Hidden Stone ninja appeared around him. Leading them were Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi.
Sasuke took a ragged breath and bolted towards a crowded area. "Everyone, block the path!" Akatsuchi commanded. "Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!" The ground rumbled, and massive earth walls erupted around Sasuke.
On the verge of despair, Sasuke turned to a lower section of the wall and roared, throwing himself against it. The impact nearly killed him; his chakra was nearly depleted. However, the wall crumbled, and he tumbled like a deflated balloon into an alley, landing before the entrance of the Eight Treasures Glazed Pavilion.
Suddenly, he felt a surge of new chakra within him, seemingly emanating from the building before him. "Damn it, he escaped! Everyone, capture him!" Akatsuchi shouted, waving his hand as the Stone ninjas surged forward.
Using his last reserves of strength, Sasuke staggered to his feet and stumbled towards the pavilion's entrance. From another angle, his legs, weakened by chakra exhaustion, were visibly trembling. A renewed will to live surged through him. As Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi closed in, he burst into the pavilion.
A strange power coursed through him. Sasuke's eyes widened as his wounds visibly healed, and his stamina returned. "This... this place is..." He scanned the interior of the pavilion. Suddenly, he remembered Orochimaru's last words before his death: "The Kusanagi sword is at the Eight Treasures Glazed Pavilion, in Su Mu's hands."
"Could this be the Eight Treasures Glazed Pavilion Orochimaru spoke of?" he wondered.
Outside, Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi, seeing Sasuke enter the pavilion, were undeterred and attempted to follow. Fortunately, Kurotsuchi arrived in time to stop them. "I forgot to tell you, this place has a rule. Anyone who enters the Eight Treasures Glazed Pavilion is under Su Mu's protection." She pointed to a nearby house. "You two almost made a grave mistake."
Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi looked over and saw a group of loyal retainers from the Kaguya clan watching them with smiles. They flinched. "Let's retreat. I'll explain to Grandpa when we get back." Kurotsuchi sent them away, then adjusted her clothes and entered the pavilion.
In a private room on the second floor, Su Mu watched Sasuke from the window. He shook his head with a sigh. "What a resilient fellow." He opened the door and walked out in light clothing. The crowd downstairs had been waiting for him. Upon seeing him, their enthusiasm remained high. Su Mu gave them a polite smile and ascended the platform.
"Everyone, we'll talk about the 'Ze Tian Ji' series next time," he announced. "Today, a new story." The audience perked up at the mention of a new tale. "What a character, Mr. Su is so full of surprises!" "I've already ordered a hundred bottles of apple wine. Let's see if the story is good enough to go with it!" Su Mu closed his fan and, with a bang on the table, stood up. "Everyone, listen closely!"
"Battle Through the Heavens!"