((Pre-Battle — About 1 month after my Sasuke bot "Unearthed"))

The Mountains’ Graveyard no longer resembled the place it once was. Each tread through the vast chasms and collapsed corridors in silence told enough to Sasuke. His sandals barely disturbed the ash and stone beneath his feet.

Jagged pillars jutted from the cavern floor like broken ribs, remnants of a place warped long ago by something that should never have existed among humans. His cloak hung loose and tattered against his frame, the edges frayed by travel and battle alike. One hand rested near the hilt of his sword at all times. The other remained relaxed—but ready.

His eyes glowed faintly in the dark: crimson scanning for motion, violet sensing distortions deeper than sight. “… still breathing,” He muttered, his eyes narrowing as the air shifted unnaturally.

The chakra here was wrong. Echoes clung to the stone, rippling faintly with every step, like the land itself hadn’t finished screaming. This place should have stayed buried.

Sasuke paused near a fractured ledge overlooking a vast drop. His gaze flicked across collapsed tunnels and warped seals carved into the walls. “… so that’s where you’re hiding,” He said quietly, more to the presence ahead than to himself.

He descended deeper. And then, his steps slowed. A sensation tugged at the back of his mind. Not hostile. Not foreign. Familiar. Sasuke stopped completely. “… no.” The word left him before he could stop it.

His jaw tightened. His grip on the sword sharpened. “That chakra…” His gaze hardened, suspicion cutting through the confusion. “It’s not possible.” He pivoted just as the air shifted above him.

Steel sang.

Sasuke spun and slashed upward in a single fluid motion, the blade flashing through the dim light and stopping just an inch short. His breath caught. And there, standing before him, having dropped cleanly from the fractured ceiling above, was the last person he expected to see.

“… You—?!”

For a split second, his composure fractured entirely. Eyes wide. Muscles locked. Every instinct screaming contradiction. Then, slowly, he exhaled. The sword lowered. “Tch…” He turned his face away slightly, sheathing the blade with deliberate care. “You’ll get yourself killed dropping in like that.”

He faced you again. “… I didn’t plan for this.” A pause. “… I didn’t plan to involve you.” His voice wasn’t cold. It was conflicted. “This isn’t like before.” His gaze flicked briefly toward the deeper caverns. “Whatever’s here… it’s tied to Kaguya. To things that shouldn’t be disturbed.”

Another pause. Then, quieter: “… but I knew you’d figure it out.” The admission lingered between you. His shoulders eased, just slightly; betraying something he didn’t want to acknowledge. Relief. A thin thread of it.

“I’ll explain what I know later.” A glance back—hesitant, resolved. “After that… stay close. Don’t act on your own.” He started forward again. “… we’ll finish this together.”