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At the border town in the Land of Fields, as night began to fall...

Sasuke and Neji, staying in an inn, received a visit from a somewhat familiar face.

"Long time no see, Sasuke-kun."

"You’re..." Sasuke thought for a moment. "Kabuto?"

"I’m honored. I didn’t expect Sasuke-kun to still remember me." Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Under Lord Orochimaru’s orders, I’m here to assist you..."

He glanced briefly at Neji.

"...and Neji-kun."

"Got it," said Sasuke, who was sitting in a yukata while maintaining his blade. He gave Kabuto a fleeting glance. "We’ll rest for the night and leave in the morning."

"Understood."

Kabuto gave a polite smile, then left the room, closing the door behind him.

"That guy..." Neji recalled. "He participated in the Chūnin Exams with us, right?"

"Yeah, he’s Orochimaru’s subordinate and was a spy in Konoha at the time."

Sasuke raised his sword, inspecting its polished blade, and then sheathed it with satisfaction.

While tidying up his tools, he added, "He’s a cunning guy. Don’t trust a word he says."

"Understood."

Neji had a scroll spread out and was writing on it with a brush.

Sasuke put away his maintenance kit and glanced at Neji’s work.

"’Sage Art: Gentle Fist’?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You’re actually writing it down? No one but you could use it, considering Sage Mode isn’t something just anyone can learn."

"I know. I was just lucky."

Neji reached up and touched the Sage Art marking on the back of his neck.

"But who knows?" he said, continuing to write. "Maybe one day, another Hyuga will master this."

"Fine, whatever makes you happy."

Sasuke lost interest and looked away.

"By the way, going to Orochimaru doesn’t really help with your uncle’s situation, does it?" Neji remarked. "It’s more like this is for your training."

"Hmph." Sasuke’s tone turned sour at the mention. "There’s nothing for my uncle to do at the moment."

"So, you’re basically working for Orochimaru?" Neji teased.

"Of course not!" Sasuke snapped. "We’re there to monitor the collaboration between Orochimaru and Ryūchi Cave!"

"Fine, whatever makes you happy."

Neji lowered his head and resumed writing.

"Hmph!" Sasuke huffed, walking away. "I’ll make the beds."

He opened the closet, grabbed bedding, and laid it out on the tatami floor.

"By the way," Sasuke said, looking at Neji. "Weren’t you planning to check the black market for any bounties on the Hyuga clan?"

"I will."

Neji put away his scroll, brush, and ink.

"However..." He walked over to the closet and pulled out another set of bedding. "After thinking about it, I realized that those with the Caged Bird Seal still in place will probably stay quiet for a while."

"There must have been some Hyuga clan members captured during this time," Sasuke said as he finished preparing his bed. "Why haven’t you rushed to rescue them?"

"We both come from prominent clans. Don’t tell me you don’t know this already," Neji replied, laying out his bedding beside Sasuke’s. "As shinobi, dying on a mission is too common. Does everyone get rescued every time?"

"Besides," Neji’s expression turned colder, "there aren’t many in the clan I’m close to."

"With no leads and no certainty that anyone has even been captured, there’s no point in attempting a rescue without a clear direction." He shook his head.

"If it were me, I’d probably think the same way," Sasuke admitted, nodding.

Both slipped under their blankets.

"I’m turning off the lights."

Sasuke reached into his ninja pouch on the floor and pulled out two shuriken.

Swish!

One shuriken flew in a curved arc, snuffing out the flames of three candles on the table before embedding itself in the wall.

"Tch."

All that show for blowing out candles.

Neji smirked faintly and extended a palm.

"Eight Trigrams Air Palm."

A soft chakra wave extinguished the three candles on the windowsill.

The room was plunged into complete darkness.

"Tch."

Sasuke set the remaining shuriken on his pillow.

I should’ve thrown both at once.

Sasuke thought, mildly annoyed.

"Hey," Neji’s voice cut through the darkness. "Have you ever thought about going back to Konoha?"

"No," Sasuke replied flatly. "Why, do you want to go back?"

"No." Neji’s tone sounded stiff.

"Tch, it’s fine if you want to go back. After all, you’re different from me," Sasuke said, staring at the invisible ceiling. "My family isn’t in Konoha, so I have no reason to return."

"What about Naruto? Kakashi-sensei? Sakura?" Neji asked softly. "And isn’t your brother in Konoha now?"

"Don’t mention that guy. I don’t have a brother anymore," Sasuke said coldly.

"Naruto seems pretty persistent about you," Neji added.

"That guy..." Sasuke sighed. "I’ve already made things clear with him. He shouldn’t try to bring me back to Konoha anymore."

"Are you talking about Naruto?" Neji asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Ever since Uncle Minato came back, his outlook has changed a lot." Sasuke chuckled softly. "Still an idiot, though."

"When you and I defected, he seemed really angry," Neji recalled Naruto’s reaction.

"What about you? Is it the clan or your comrades you’re reluctant to leave?" Sasuke shifted the topic. "It’s probably more about your comrades, isn’t it?"

"..." Neji fell silent.

After a long pause, he spoke again. "I just feel guilty toward Guy-sensei."

"Might Guy risked his life trying to stop you." Sasuke recalled Guy’s relentless attacks, feeling a chill. "That man is... intense."

"Guy-sensei is someone who lives his beliefs to the fullest," Neji said softly. "He may seem foolish, but... I’ve always respected him."

"In his mind, he wasn’t stopping me—he was helping me," Neji added quietly. "It’s not that he didn’t understand; it’s that he had his principles."

"Well, there’s nothing you can do about it." Sasuke seemed to understand Neji’s emotions. "Your goals are different. You have your own path to walk."

"True," Neji said with a faint laugh. "Maybe in the end, all paths lead to the same place."

"Exactly." Sasuke agreed. "Don’t worry. On the stage where the world gets saved, we’ll end up as comrades again."

"Hopefully," Neji murmured, closing his eyes. "Good night."

"Good night."

As the night deepened, the room grew quieter. Only the sound of their breathing and the gentle fall of snow outside the window filled the silence.