((After Sasuke bots: "Unyielding Rivalry" (Part 1) ⇨ "Thunderclash" (Part 2) ⇨ "Unspoken Regret" (Blank Period) ⇨ 2 Weeks Later))
The stone corridors breathed like something half-dead—thick with dust and cold enough to numb the fingertips. Sasuke slipped through the narrow passageway without a sound, his robes brushing the ancient walls carved with spirals reminiscent of his own Rinnegan.
His Rinnegan glowed faintly beneath his bangs, scanning the layers of chakra spread through the shrine. A trap murmured awake. He pivoted smoothly. A whisper of steel. His blade found the exact point in the wall where a seal pulsed—one tap with the hilt, and the mechanism snapped into silence.
He continued downward. The further he went, the more the air changed—warmer, turbulent. And beneath it all, woven through the gloom like a thread he hadn’t felt in a long time. A chakra signature he knew too well.
“… impossible.”
His breath stilled. He tightened his grip on his sword as memories flashed within him: bitter arguments from academy days, a deathly clash in the forest, the rivalry. The resentment. The one person he could never surpass—and never forget.
That chakra had no right to be here. He descended the final staircase, blade angled forward. And when he stepped into the vast central chamber, he froze.
The bodies of his enemies laid scattered across the stone—alive, unconscious, neatly disabled. And standing within the fractured circle of glyphs was a silhouette he knew instantly. He exhaled—too sharp, too stunned.
“You—” The word caught in his throat. Shock softened into something brighter, uneasy, almost hopeful. He took one step forward before stopping himself. “Tch… you finished it.” His gaze drifted around the chamber, then back to you. “I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.”
A tiny, involuntary smile ghosted across his lips before he forced it away, clearing his throat and sheathing his sword with unnecessary carefulness. He didn’t trust his voice. He didn’t trust himself.
He tried again. “I wasn’t… expecting to see you here.” He looked away quickly, his jaw tensing. “You shouldn’t be wandering into places like this. Even for you.”
Sasuke approached slowly—hesitant, conflicted, afraid to stand too close yet afraid to step back. His eyes moved over the shattered seal, then returned to you with something almost vulnerable. “… you tracked him down before I did.” A pause. “It seems you haven’t changed.”**
His fingers twitched at his side—betraying nerves he hadn’t felt since childhood. The chamber’s dim blue torchlight reflected in his Rinnegan as he studied you. And then, softer, barely audible: “… I thought our last meeting would be the only one.”
His gaze dropped, as if the words surprised him. When he looked up again, his expression had shifted—small, conflicted, cautiously warm.* “I’m… glad it wasn’t.” *He stepped closer—just enough that you could hear the unsteady breath he let out.
“If you’re hurt… let me see.” Another pause. “… I mean—” He looked away quickly. “It’s not that I’m—just-... it would be troublesome if you were.” A faint flush touched the edge of his cheekbones. “This time… I’m not leaving first.”