I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

Chapter 112 No Need for the Power of Time!

Konoha Prison, three underground levels. The iron door at the end of the corridor opened, the sound of the key turning particularly crisp in the silence.

Bai pushed open the door and stood in the doorway.

Zabuza sat on the edge of the bed, his hands resting on his knees. The sealing technique on his wrists had been broken—it had been broken three days ago, with Minato signing it.

Chakra has been restored.

Mei Terumi has taken the Executioner's Blade back to Kirigakure as a condition for the opening of the port and a 50% reduction in tariffs.

Minato kept his promise; the sword was gone.

"Lord Zabuza, Lord Sakugo requests an audience with you."

Zabuza stood up, did not answer, and walked past Haku.

The "Shadows'" base is located deep in the Konoha Forest and was converted from the Root's headquarters.

Passing through the hidden entrance, there was no feeling of darkness.

Instead, it suddenly brightened up.

There were no signs on either side of the corridor, and the walls were bare gray stone slabs with a luminous pearl embedded every ten steps.

Zabuza went inside, with Haku following behind.

Sakugo stood in the center of the arena, without a sword. On the long table in front of him was a sealing scroll, and next to the scroll was a short sword. It was not a guillotine, but an ordinary high-grade ninja sword with a black scabbard and a dark blue cloth wrapped around the hilt.

"The sword is gone." Sakugo didn't exchange pleasantries. "The Executioner's Blade has been returned to Kirigakure. It's the best one in Konoha's armory; see if it suits your hand."

Zabuza walked over, picked up the short sword, pulled it out to examine the blade, then put it back in and put it down.

Weapons were merely a means for ninjas to kill.

Before obtaining the Executioner's Blade, he rose from a genin to a jonin by using kunai and shuriken.

Shuoge glanced at him but didn't press the matter.

"From today onwards, you are a Kage." Not an Anbu member, but a Kage. Directly under the Hokage, your identity will not be revealed, your missions will not be recorded, there will be no compensation if you die, and no one will acknowledge you as a Konoha ninja.

"I'm basically your captain."

"Understood." Zabuza's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.

In his view, it was nothing more than a wandering sword becoming a sword of Konoha.

The reason I agreed was simply because I didn't want Bai's efforts to be in vain.

"Your codename is 'Demon Man.' The mask is on the table." Shogo gestured with his chin toward the other end of the long table. On the table was a mask, similar to the Dark Guard's mask, but with some differences.

There were no marks, no knife marks, and it was spotless.

Zabuza picked up the mask and tucked it into his waistband.

"Now that the decision has been made, let's move forward."

"The mission starts tomorrow. Bai will tell you the details."

Shuoge turned and left.

Zabuza stood still, and Haku stood beside him. The two remained silent for a moment. Haku took out a shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and twirled it between his fingers.

"Zabuza-sama————"

Where is my room?

The next morning, Zabuza and Haku walked out of Konoha Village together. Zabuza was wearing a black combat suit, his Executioner's Blade was gone, and he had two ordinary kunai at his waist. He was unarmed and felt a little out of place.

However, time will resolve these issues.

Haku walked ahead, his steps light and quick. Zabuza followed behind, his steps steady and deliberate.

At the entrance of Konoha Village, the setting sun cast long shadows of two people.

Minato stood beside the gatepost, a corner of his Hokage robe fluttering in the evening breeze.

Shuoge stood half a step behind him, with his knife behind his back and his mask tucked into his waistband.

In the distance, Zabuza and Haku's figures grew smaller and smaller, about to disappear into the twilight. Zabuza carried an ordinary short sword, while Haku walked ahead, his steps light and quick. Neither of them looked back.

"If it weren't for you—" Minato began, but didn't finish his sentence.

Shuoge understood what he meant.

Minato doesn't trust Zabuza, nor does he trust Haku.

A rogue ninja from Kirigakure, a ruthless fugitive who kills without blinking an eye, his hands stained with the blood of Konoha ninja.

A few months ago, Minato would not have let them leave Konoha alive.

But he trusted Schogor.

If Shuoge says it's okay, then it's okay.

"Nobody likes being a rogue ninja." Sakugo gazed at the two blurry figures in the distance. "Unless there's no other choice."

Shuimen did not respond.

Sakugo understands Zabuza and Haku's past and why they went down that path.

Having stayed in Konoha for so long, they should have already seen another possibility.

Even if Zabuza defectes again, so what?

He's only at the level of a Jonin, after all.

It can't stir up any waves.

In the distance, Zabuza and Haku's figures completely disappeared below the horizon. Minato turned and walked towards the Hokage Building.

"I'm going back now; I still have a lot of documents to process."

Shuimen only took a break to get some fresh air; he felt like he was going to get moldy from staying in the office all the time.

Training ground, dusk. Sasuke stands before the wooden stake, a kunai in his hand.

The bullseye was filled with kunai and shuriken, each one in the bullseye.

He stared at the bullseye for a long time without throwing the next one.

Naruto's shouts echoed from afar, full of energy, reverberating in the setting sun.

Naruto is training with Jiraiya, and he can now condense the Rasengan into a complete sphere. Although there are still some flaws, his chakra control is much stronger than it was a few months ago.

Sasuke heard it, but didn't turn around. He closed his eyes, and the lines of the cursed seal appeared on his neck, spreading all the way to his left cheek.

The pain wasn't the pain of being pricked with needles; it was a dull ache, like something was drilling into my bones.

He gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his nose from his forehead.

He opened his eyes, the curse mark faded, and the two tomoe in his pupils slowly rotated before stopping.

He looked down at his hands; his fingers were long and slender, and there were calluses on the base of his thumb.

These hands can form hand seals, wield kunai, and unleash the Chidori. But how long will it take him to catch up with Naruto? Naruto has the Nine-Tails within him, the guidance of Jiraiya, and an inexhaustible supply of chakra.

What does he have? Orochimaru's cursed seal is on his neck, which can give him power at any time.

No time or arduous practice is required; all that's needed is a single thought.

"You're thinking about that thing again." Kakashi's voice came from behind.

Sasuke didn't turn around, and put the kunai back into his ninja tool pouch. "Nothing."

"The power of the cursed seal isn't yours." Kakashi walked to his side. "Orochimaru gave you the cursed seal not to help you, but to control you. Every time you use it, its influence on you deepens. When you become completely dependent on it, you won't be yourself anymore."

Sasuke lowered his head, staring at the kunai on the bullseye. "Naruto's gotten stronger."

"You've gotten stronger too." Kakashi looked at his profile. "Your Chidori is more than twice as fast as it was a month ago. Your taijutsu is improving every day. You don't need the Cursed Seal anymore."

Sasuke did not respond.

Kakashi stood there for a while, patted him on the shoulder, and left.

The sun had set, leaving only a dark red glow on the horizon.

Sasuke stood alone on the training field, his hand on his neck, the cursed seal lines slightly warm to the touch under his fingertips.

Orochimaru lost to Minato. Minato was the Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash, the fastest man in the ninja world. Orochimaru losing to him wasn't shameful. Sasuke knew he couldn't be as fast as Minato, but he knew Sakugo—Uchiha Sakugo, the Mangekyou Sharingan, a monster who could cut through shadows with a single strike, someone even Orochimaru feared.

As long as he stays in Konoha and waits for the Sharingan to evolve, he can also learn that power.

But how long will it take?

a year?

Two years?

Five years?

Naruto is getting stronger every day, and Itachi is getting stronger too. He can't wait. The power of the cursed seal is there; it doesn't need to wait, it doesn't need to be trained, it only requires a single thought.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.