A month passed without ceremony.
Team Seven moved from errand to escort, from village chores to assignments that brushed the edge of national politics. The pace never slowed. By mid-spring, Konoha stood under clean sunlight and soft wind, the kind of season that made even hardened shinobi careless.
Inside a private laboratory on the village outskirts, Sasuke focused on his hands.
Chakra gathered along his palm, thin and precise. A faint green edge formed, sharp as glass. He drew it across his forearm.
The cut opened cleanly. Blood surfaced.
Before it could fall, green light bloomed at the wound. Flesh closed. Skin knit itself whole.
Kabuto watched from nearby, smiling as if the result had never been in doubt.
"Impressive control," he said, adjusting his glasses. "You've already stabilized Yin Healing Wound Destruction. It took me years."
Sasuke lowered his arm. The skin was unmarked."I learned quickly because you taught clearly."
The reply was polite. Measured. Not the way most people expected him to speak.
Kabuto's smile lingered. "Even so, mastering it this fast is rare."
Sasuke turned his wrist once, testing sensation. "It works best when layered before combat. You don't lose focus when you're injured."
Kabuto nodded. "Exactly. Healing without interruption. That's its value."
At first, Sasuke had dismissed the technique. If you could predict an attack, avoiding it seemed simpler. But Kabuto had framed it differently. The chakra was not a reaction. It was preparation. A quiet safeguard placed in advance, ready to answer damage without thought.
Efficiency appealed to him.
Kabuto folded his arms, gaze drifting. "Still, it's a modest art. Compared to the Uzumaki vitality techniques… this barely qualifies as profound."
Sasuke shook his head. "Power isn't only scale. You understand the body better than anyone I know. If someone were to go beyond those techniques, it would be you."
Kabuto laughed softly, waving it off. "You overestimate me."
He changed the subject with practiced ease. "By the way, Team Seven is getting attention."
Sasuke glanced up. "For what reason?"
"I keep records," Kabuto said. "D-rank missions in the hundreds. Then B, A, and even an S-rank. Two months out of the Academy."
"People talk," Sasuke said.
"They do more than talk." Kabuto smiled. "Especially after the Land of Snow sent its letter."
Sasuke understood. The new daimyo's gratitude had been public. Too public. A reclaimed throne, a former fugitive revealed to be a well-known actress. Stories like that traveled faster than reports.
Konoha had not discouraged the attention.
Fame was a tool like any other.
Sasuke looked back to his hand, flexing his fingers. Then, without warning, he spoke.
"Kabuto-senpai. Do you think humans can have a third eye?"
Kabuto paused. His gaze sharpened, just slightly.
"In what sense?"
Sasuke did not elaborate. His expression stayed calm, unreadable, as if the question were idle.
Kabuto smiled again, but this time it was thinner."In this world," he said, "vision takes many forms."
The room fell quiet. Outside, the wind moved through the trees.
Sasuke said nothing more.