Grass Lizard Marsh stretched endlessly in all directions.
Stagnant water soaked the land year-round. Thick reeds and tangled aquatic plants choked the ground, while peat and rotting mud swallowed anything that lingered too long. Beyond the marsh, a wall of green miasma sealed the region off from the outside world, dense enough to erase any sense of distance.
The moment Sasuke stepped forward, the swamp tugged at his foot, pulling him down. He sent chakra into his sole, stabilizing himself before the ground could claim him.
"Lord Sasuke," a voice thundered.
The sound rolled like a storm through the marsh. A colossal lizard rose into view, its body vast enough to blot out the sky. Even the smallest movement carried the weight of a mountain.
"Thank you for bringing me here, Shusaki," Sasuke said. "I'll be staying for some time. I'll rely on you while I'm here."
The great lizard lowered its head.
"I'm clumsy," Shusaki replied, voice deep and steady, "but I will protect you."
Sasuke nodded once. That was enough.
He went to work immediately.
Using ninjutsu, Sasuke cleared a section of solid ground from the swamp. He unsealed a storage scroll, laying out supplies with quiet efficiency: preserved food, medical tools, and a reinforced operating table. Several infusion bags hung nearby, filled with nutrient solutions he had prepared himself.
He didn't know how long this would take.
His body still required rest. Hunger and exhaustion could still claim him. Preparation mattered.
When everything was ready, Sasuke formed a seal.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
The marsh shuddered as chakra surged outward. One after another, shadow clones appeared, until nearly three hundred stood around him.
Sasuke exhaled slowly. His face had gone pale.
This was close to his limit. It consumed most of his chakra in an instant. He steadied himself, letting the dizziness pass.
The clones moved in silence. Each stretched once, took a measured breath, then sat down cross-legged. Eyes closed. Breathing slowed.
They entered meditation.
The marsh fell quiet.
Sasuke watched them for a moment.
Meditation wasn't foreign to him. Stillness sharpened the mind. Calm tempered the will. He needed that clarity now more than ever.
This wasn't training for the body.
It was preparation for what waited inside.
He rested, took several pills from his pouch, then repeated the process. Another wave of clones appeared. Then another.
By dusk, over a thousand sat in absolute silence, minds aligned toward the same purpose.
Sasuke stopped when his body refused to give more.
He recovered slowly, then stood before the operating table.
For a long moment, he didn't move.
Finally, he lay down and closed his eyes.
Two shadow clones remained at his side, watching, ready to intervene.
Darkness spread.
In his inner world, a figure took shape. Sasuke stood in a void without light or sound.
Before him sat another version of himself.
The other Sasuke did not move.
Its senses were sealed. Its presence was faint, barely there. Compared to two years ago, the madness was gone. The rage. The hunger.
What remained was emptiness.
No fear. No resentment. No loneliness.
Only silence.
Sasuke felt it and breathed out slowly.
He stepped closer.
"Your pain," he said quietly, "I'll take it."
He placed a hand on the other's head.
"Your loneliness," he continued, "I'll carry it."
The void trembled.