Ao.
The moment Sasuke took in the man's features, the name surfaced on its own.
A veteran of Kirigakure. An elite jōnin. The Byakugan in his right eye was taken during the Third Shinobi War, stripped from a Hyūga main branch member and worn like a trophy. That single eye had earned him a place on Konoha's highest bounty lists, with the Hyūga clan pushing hardest for his head.
Sasuke had always found one detail strange.
How did a secondhand Byakugan unravel a genjutsu strong enough to bind even a so-called perfect jinchūriki?
Especially one that bore the fingerprints of an Uchiha who should not have existed anymore.
He set that thought aside.
Ao being here was unexpected, but only barely. When threads were followed long enough, they always met.
Ao steadied his breathing. The red of the Sharingan pulled at memories he had no desire to revisit.
"Uchiha," he said carefully. "It seems there's been a misunderstanding. My intentions weren't hostile."
"Oh?" Sasuke replied. His tone was mild, distant. "Then do you need something?"
Ao felt irritation flare, then forced it down.
"Kurosuki Raiga was a Kirigakure missing-nin," he said. "His body carries information belonging to our village. And the Thunder Fang blades are Mist heirlooms. I ask that you return them."
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't threaten.
Because he already knew the answer.
"Why?" Sasuke asked.
Ao paused.
"He was my enemy," Sasuke continued. "I killed him during my mission. His body and his weapons are spoils of battle. On what grounds should I hand them over to you?"
One of the Mist shinobi stepped forward, impatience breaking through. "Ao-sama, he's barely standing. Look at his wounds. If we move now—"
"Enough," Ao snapped.
His gaze never left Sasuke.
Peace was the village's policy now. And more than that, Ao could see it clearly.
Sasuke was injured, yes. Burned. Torn. On the edge.
But his chakra was surging.
Not flaring wildly, but burning cleaner, denser, as if the fight itself had stripped something away and left something sharper behind.
A breakthrough.
Ao had seen it before, in war. Children who survived death came back changed.
But this was different.
This was immediate.
This was monstrous.
He exhaled slowly. "Konoha and the Land of Water have been negotiating for over a year. Trade. Cooperation. Stability. You wouldn't want to jeopardize that over a single corpse."
Sasuke considered this, one finger brushing his chin.
"That's true," he said. "I suppose that makes sense."
Ao relaxed, just a fraction.
Then Sasuke looked straight at his right eye and smiled.
"Your Byakugan," he said. "If I kill you and bring it back to Konoha, the Hokage and the daimyo would probably praise me."
The smile sharpened. "You are still on the bounty list, after all."
Steel whispered half an inch from its sheath across the Mist formation.
Ao's men tightened instantly, weapons half-drawn, shifting to shield him.
Sasuke raised Homura, its edge leveled at the group.
"Well?" he asked. "What do you think, Kirigakure shinobi?"
Sweat gathered at Ao's temple.
If they fought, someone here would die. Possibly everyone.
And then—
"Sasuke!"
Naruto and Sakura burst onto the scene, skidding to his sides. Naruto's eyes raced over him, then he exhaled hard.
"You're alive. Good. I thought the sea exploded or something."
Sakura didn't speak. She stared at Sasuke's injuries, jaw tight.
"What's going on?" she asked quietly. "Why is Mist here?"
"Not a fight yet," Sasuke said. "That depends on them."
All three turned toward Ao.
Ao clenched his fist once, then lifted his hand.
"We're leaving," he ordered. "Rendezvous with Zabuza's position."
As he moved, his Byakugan caught one last detail.
Naruto's chakra.
Immense. Coiled. Something ancient stirring beneath it.
A jinchūriki.
Ao didn't hesitate again.
They vanished into the mist.
They arrived too late.
Lightning still crackled across the water as Kakashi withdrew his hand from Zabuza's chest. Blue chakra faded. Blood poured freely.
"It's over," Kakashi said. "Zabuza."
Mist shinobi froze in shock.
Kakashi turned, already alert.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura reached him moments later.
Only then did the battlefield finally fall silent.