_AFTER A WHILE_
Sarada slowly opened her eyes. Her head hurt, and her body felt strangely light and heavy at the same time. The last thing she remembered was falling onto the roof, holding that strange kettle, feeling her power drain away.
But she wasn't the only one feeling something.
_SOMEWHERE IN THE VILLAGE_
Far from Sarada, in a different part of the broken village, Naruto stood with Sai. They were looking at maps, planning rescue missions. Suddenly, a huge burst of chakra, a powerful energy, filled the air. It was different from any chakra they had felt before. It was big, wild, and felt like it was pulling in energy from all around.
Naruto's eyes widened. "What was that?!" he shouted, his voice serious. "That's... that's the 'turtle's' chakra! It's active!" He felt a shiver down his spine. This was the moment.
Sai's face became very serious. "It's huge, Naruto! Much stronger than before! It's like it just woke up and took a lot of power!"
Naruto didn't waste a second. "Let's go, Sai! We need to get there now! It could be anywhere, but that chakra burst is our guide!"
He ran, his mind set on finding that dangerous kettle. Sai quickly followed, his usual calm face now showing clear worry.
They didn't know Sarada was there. They just knew the 'turtle' was active, and they had to get it.
_KONOHA LIBRARY TOWER_
Somewhere else, on a tall, broken tower, Sasuke stood alone, his Rinnegan eye carefully watching the darkness. He had been looking for any sign of the 'Rinneganman' or the 'turtle.'
Then, that same powerful chakra burst filled the air. Sasuke's eye glowed with fierce light. 'This is it!' he thought, his mind sharp as a blade. 'The 'turtle' is active! And that chakra... it's huge. Much stronger than a normal object.'
He didn't know where Sarada was, or if anyone was near the kettle. He only knew he had to reach it before he did. Sasuke vanished in a flicker of movement, his body turning into a dark streak as he raced towards the powerful chakra, his only thought to get there first.
_HOKAGE MONUMENT BASE_
Young Hikaru, far from anyone else, felt the same huge chakra burst. A wide, dark smile spread across his face. 'Finally!' he thought, his red eyes burning with a cruel joy. 'The 'turtle' is awake! It's calling out! It's time to take what's mine.'
He didn't run. He didn't need to. With a strange twist of chakra, he opened a dark, swirling portal in the air right in front of him. It shimmered, like water twisting into a doorway. He stepped through it without a second thought, sure that he would be the first to reach his prize.
_KONOHA ROOFTOPS_
Sarada groaned, slowly pushing herself up. Her head spun. The kettle was still in her hand, glowing faintly with that scary purple light. Her chakra was still draining away, but it felt a little slower now that she was just lying there. She felt very weak. She had to get help. She had to find Sasuke.
"Papa...?" she whispered, her voice very low and weak. She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. Her vision was blurry, but she slowly began to move, crawling then trying to stand, one painful step after another, her eyes looking around the destroyed rooftop for any sign of him. "Papa... where are you...?"
Suddenly, a cold feeling hit her. She felt like someone was behind her, very close, moving fast. Her heart jumped into her throat. She slowly, fearfully, turned her head.
What she saw made her eyes wide with shock. A person was running at her. He had spiky black hair, just like her father. But his eyes... his eyes were glowing a scary, blood-red. And in his hand, a bright blue lightning, a Chidori, crackled loudly.
The person shouted, a loud, angry roar that echoed across the empty roofs: "You!!"
Sarada's face changed. For a short moment, a small, happy smile touched her lips.
"Papa?" she whispered, a flicker of hope in her weak body.
But then, the smile froze. The person kept running, his face twisted into a very angry mask. The killing intent, a feeling of wanting to hurt very badly, hit her like a cold wave. It wasn't Sasuke. It couldn't be Sasuke. Her mind screamed in confusion and fear. This was someone else. Someone dangerous.
Then, the person shouted again, his voice filled with burning rage: "Hand me that damn turtle, you freak!"
That harsh, angry voice, those burning red eyes, the word 'freak' – it all hit Sarada like a punch. This was not Sasuke. This was Young Hikaru.
The dangerous man Naruto had warned everyone about. The one who could do terrible things with the 'turtle.'
Fear, cold and sharp, cut through her. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Her life was on the line. She was scared. Very scared.
Without thinking, she spun around, turned her body away from Young Hikaru, and forced her weak legs to move. She ran with all her strength, even though she had almost no chakra left. She ran to save her life.
As she ran, desperate thoughts crashed into her mind. 'Why?! Why did I even pick up this stupid turtle?!' Tears streamed down her face as she ran, mixing with the dust and sweat. 'My pride... trying to impress everyone... it's going to kill me! This is my end!'
She stumbled, but forced herself to keep moving. Her breath came in short, painful gasps. Images of her mother, Sakura, flashed in her mind. Her father, her friends, everyone important to her. She pictured them, feeling a deep, sad ache. 'I'm going to die,' she thought, the words a cold, terrible truth. 'I'm going to die right here, on this rooftop.' Her body felt weaker with every step, like it was giving up.
Sarada was running as fast as her weak legs could carry her. The angry shouts of Young Hikaru echoed behind her. She knew he wanted the kettle, and he wanted to hurt her. Her heart beat like a drum.
Suddenly, a loud voice cut through the air from the side. "Sarada! Run! Run towards me! As fast as you can!"
Sarada turned her head quickly. Her eyes, blurry from fear and exhaustion, saw a figure. It was a person with dark, spiky hair, just like her father. For a brief moment, a small, hopeful smile touched her lips. 'Papa?' she thought.
But then, the dark thoughts came back. 'No! No, he's not Papa! He's just another enemy! He wants the turtle! He wants to kill me too!' Her mind was so full of fear and confusion that she couldn't tell real from fake. She believed the person shouting was just another trick, another enemy who looked like her father.
Even though it was Sasuke, shouting with all his might, Sarada didn't stop. She kept running, pushing her body even harder, away from both the angry man behind her and the voice on the side.
Sasuke watched, his eyes wide with disbelief. 'What is she doing?!' he thought, a cold shock going through him. He had shouted for her, told her to run towards him. He expected her to jump into his arms, to trust him. But she ran past him, running even further away. 'She doesn't trust me?!' The thought hit him hard. He hadn't expected his own daughter to run away from him.
"Sarada! What are you doing?!" Sasuke roared, his voice filled with a mix of shock and desperate worry. He changed direction. He had no time to lose. He quickly ran after her, speeding up. "Sarada! Come here! Throw the turtle to me! I'm your father!"
Now, there were two figures chasing Sarada. Behind her, Young Hikaru was running with a deadly blue Chidori crackling in his hand, his red eyes burning. And behind him, gaining fast, was Sasuke, his face grim, shouting her name.
Sasuke glared at Young Hikaru. "Stop this! Leave her out of this!" he yelled. He attacked, throwing a fast punch coated in chakra.
But as soon as Sasuke moved, Young Hikaru twisted, he A dark, shimmering portal, like a hole in space, opened right in front of him. He stepped into it and vanished instantly, taking his Chidori with him.
Sasuke skidded to a stop, his eyes wide. 'What just happened?!' he thought, completely confused. One moment Hikaru was there, the next he was gone. But Sasuke had no time to figure it out. His daughter was still in danger. He shouted again, his voice filled with urgency, "Sarada! Stop! Come towards me! I'm your father! You can trust me!"
But Sarada was still running, her eyes half-closed from fear and exhaustion, her mind a tangled mess. She only heard the angry shouts and the crackle of lightning behind her. She didn't trust the voice. She just needed to escape.
Suddenly, a dark portal opened right in front of her! Sarada gasped and froze, stopping so fast her feet slid on the ground. Out of the swirling darkness stepped Young Hikaru, his spiky black hair wild, his red Sharingan glowing with anger, and that terrible blue Chidori still sparking in his hand. He was right there!
Sarada's mind screamed. She had nowhere to go forward. With no other choice, she quickly spun around, turned her body, and ran back the way she came, running past where she had seen Sasuke, putting all her tiny bit of strength into her legs. Now, Young Hikaru was chasing her again, but from a different direction.
She closed her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her face, forcing her tired legs to move faster, blindly running away from the glowing Chidori.
Then, a loud, powerful voice cut through the air, clear even over the sounds of her own pounding heart and Young Hikaru's angry shouts. "SARADA! THROW THE TURTLE AWAY!"
Sarada's eyes snapped open. That voice! It was clear. It was strong. It was filled with command, but also a deep kindness. It was Naruto voice! The one person she trusted more than anyone, the one who always protected the village. A small spark of clear thought cut through her fear. If Naruto said it, it had to be right.
With all the strength she had left, Sarada lifted her arm upwards and threw the black kettle high into the night sky. It spun upwards, a dark shape disappearing into the darkness above the broken city.
"NOO!!" Young Hikaru screamed, his voice filled with pure fury. "HOW DARE YOU!" He kept running, his Chidori still active, aimed at Sarada. But now the turtle was gone, out of his reach.
With the "turtle" no longer a worry, Sasuke's eyes burned with fierce anger. His daughter's life was more important than anything. He had no time for Hikaru's tricks. He moved very fast, ready to stop him from hurting Sarada.
Sarada was caught in the middle. In front of her, her father, Sasuke, was rushing towards Young Hikaru, his face filled with rage. Behind her, Young Hikaru was still running towards her with his Chidori. She couldn't understand what to do. There was no time to run forward or backward.
With a sudden, quick move, Sarada bent down low, ducking her head between her knees.
Young Hikaru, who was running so fast and was so close to Sarada, took a split second too long to understand that the girl had suddenly bent down. He was moving too fast to stop or change his path quickly. His foot hit Sarada's bent leg.
"Ugh!" Young Hikaru cried out in surprise and pain. His Chidori flickered and died. He stumbled, lost his balance, and fell hard onto the hard rooftop floor, sliding a few feet.
In that exact moment, Sasuke, who was filled with huge anger, grabbed Young Hikaru's head with one hand. Without a word, he slammed Young Hikaru's head hard onto the roof floor. Not once, but twice. The sound was sickening. "How dare you?!" Sasuke roared, his voice raw with fury. "How dare you try to hurt my daughter?! How dare you try to kill her?!"
Sarada, seeing her father's face so close, hearing his angry voice protecting her, finally understood. It was Sasuke. It was truly her father. A wave of relief, so strong it took all her remaining energy, washed over her. Her body went limp. Her eyes closed. She passed out and began to fall towards the hard ground.
But before she could hit the rooftop, a fast, warm hand caught her. Naruto, who had rushed up silently after his order, held her gently in his arms. He lifted her, keeping her from falling, her unconscious body safe.
While Naruto held the unconscious Sarada, watching with serious eyes, Sasuke was still attacking Young Hikaru. He was hitting him, letting out all his anger and fury.
Just then, Sai rushed onto the rooftop with a group of Jonin, the stronger ninjas. They quickly surrounded Young Hikaru, who was lying dazed and hurt on the ground under Sasuke's angry attack.
_THE HOKAGE MONUMENT_
High above the broken village, perched on the stone face of the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat the older Hikaru, the figure with the powerful Rinnegan eye. He was watching everything below him, a silent, dark shadow against the pale morning sky.
His eyes, cold and sharp, were focused on the rooftop where his younger self was being beaten by Uchiha Sasuke. He saw Uchiha Sasuke's strong hand grab his younger self's head, slamming it against the ground, not once, but twice. A feeling of anger and deep disappointment twisted inside Older Hikaru.
'Fool,' he thought, his gaze hardening. 'To be caught so easily! And the turtle... the most important part of the plan... it's lost!' His teeth gritted. This was a huge setback. His younger self had failed. He had no choice now but to pull back his plan, for now.
With a sigh of frustration, Older Hikaru stood up from Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen's stone head. He reached out, and a dark, swirling portal began to open in the air beside him, shimmering with dark energy. He put one leg inside the portal, ready to leave.
Just then, a sharp, loud sound echoed through the quiet morning. Clang! It was the sound of a metal-like object hitting hard rock.
Older Hikaru froze. His head snapped up, his Rinnegan eyes widening just a bit. 'That sound...' A small spark of hope, cold and surprising, flared within him. 'Could it be? Was that... was that the turtle? The one the girl threw?' He had seen Uchiha Sarada throw something, but he hadn't known where it landed. Could it have landed here, near him?
He quickly pulled his leg back out of the portal, making it disappear with a wave of his hand. His eyes darted around, searching the monument with a sudden, desperate hope.
He scanned the stone faces of the past Hokage. His gaze stopped on the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato's, stone face.
And there it was.
Lying almost perfectly on Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato's stone head, glowing faintly with a dark chakra, was the black kettle, the "turtle."
Older Hikaru stared at it. For a long moment, he couldn't believe his eyes. He slowly raised one eyebrow, a look of pure shock on his face.
'It's really here... it actually landed here?' And of all places, on the head of the Yondaime Hokage.
A slow, low laugh started in his throat. It grew, slowly at first, then became a loud, booming sound that echoed across the silent village. He grinned, a wide, wicked smile spreading across his face. He laughed and laughed, holding the turtle in one hand.
Then, filled with wild pleasure, he started kicking Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato's stone face with his free leg, kicking it again and again. "Minato!" he shouted, his voice full of cruel joy, as if he was talking to the real Minato himself. "Namikaze Minato! I never thought you'd be this useful to me! You useless freak! How can a dog like you be so useful?!" He laughed again, louder this time, kicking the statue with hateful glee.
He spread both of his hands wide, holding the turtle up in one of them, as if showing it to the world, to the dead Hokage, to the entire village. "Look at me! Watch me!" he roared, his voice filled with crazy power. "Even fate is on my side! Watch it, Minato, how I'll destroy the very village you protected as the Yondaime Hokage! I'll crush each and every person who comes in my way! I will be the one who starts the true destruction of the village which destroyed my life!" His eyes burned with a dark, terrifying fire. "I'll make the whole ninja world into ruins!"
He continued laughing, a harsh, crazy sound that faded slowly. Finally, after a while, his wild laughter died down. He opened the dark, swirling portal again and stepped inside, vanishing completely.
And then, from the last moments of night, the sun slowly rose, painting the sky with the colors of a new morning.
_KONOHA ROOFTOPS_
On the damaged rooftop, the scene was messy and still tense. Young Hikaru lay on the ground, beaten and unconscious. Blood trickled from the side of his head, from his nose, and from his mouth, staining the dirt on his face. His spiky black hair was messy, stuck with grime. Sasuke was still holding him down, his hand gripping the young man's head tightly, his face filled with cold fury. He was breathing heavily, his anger still burning.
Just then, Sai rushed forward with a group of Jonin, their faces serious. Sai looked at the messy scene, then at Sasuke.
"Sasuke, step back," Sai said, his voice calm but firm. "We can handle him now. The shinobi here can tie him up and take him away. It's safer if you let us handle it."
Sasuke's eyes, still burning with rage, turned to Sai. He didn't let go of Young Hikaru's head. "It's no use, Sai," he said, his voice low and harsh. "He's useless right now. The Rinnegan man is out cold. Unconscious."
With that, Sasuke finally let go of Young Hikaru's head. He stood up slowly, stretching his sore muscles. He looked down at the unconscious body of the young man he had just beaten. His rage, though still strong, seemed to settle into a cold, hard anger. As a final act, he raised his leg and gave one last, hard kick to Young Hikaru's head. The sound was dull, and the young man didn't even stir.
'That's for trying to hurt my daughter,' Sasuke thought, his jaw tight.
His anger now focused, Sasuke turned and quickly walked towards where Naruto stood, holding Sarada gently in his arms. Sarada was still unconscious, her face pale, her eyes closed.
Sasuke knelt down beside Naruto. He carefully reached out and placed a hand on Sarada's cheek. It was cold to the touch. He felt a wave of worry, but also a deep sense of relief that she was safe. 'She's so small,' he thought, his gaze softening slightly as he looked at his daughter. 'And she went through so much.'
"She's already pushed herself past her limits, Sasuke," Naruto said softly, his voice full of concern as he looked at Sarada's tired face. "Her chakra is really low."
Sasuke nodded, his thumb gently brushing Sarada's cheek. "She did more than enough," he replied, his voice gruff but filled with pride. "Much more than enough." He felt a surge of pride mixed with fear for what she had just been through.
While Naruto and Sasuke were talking, Sai quietly approached them. He knew the next question was very important and couldn't be heard by too many people.
"Naruto," Sai whispered, his voice low.
"Sasuke. Where is the turtle? Did anyone find it?" His eyes darted nervously around the rooftop, looking for the dangerous black kettle.
Naruto's eyes widened slightly. 'The turtle!' he thought. In the worry for Sarada and the fight with the Rinnegan man, he had almost forgotten the main mission. The dangerous object was still out there.
"You're right, Sai!" Naruto said, his voice suddenly urgent. "That's also very important! We need to find it!"
He carefully handed the unconscious Sarada into Sai's waiting arms. "Take care of Sarada, Sai," Naruto said, his voice serious. "Get her to safety and get her healed. We'll find the turtle."
Naruto and Sasuke turned, ready to begin their search, their eyes scanning the rooftops and the damaged village.
But before they could move, a sharp, loud shout came from one of the shinobi who was guarding the unconscious Young Hikaru. "Hokage-sama! The Rinnegan man... he's gone!"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai snapped their heads back. They looked at the spot where Young Hikaru had been lying just moments before.
It was empty.
The Young Hikaru was gone.
---
QUIZ QUESTION:
Where did the "turtle" (black kettle) ultimately land after Sarada threw it, and who found it?
A) It landed in Naruto's hands, and he secured it.
B) It landed on the rooftop, and Young Hikaru quickly grabbed it.
C) It landed on the head of the Yondaime Hokage statue, and Older Hikaru found it.
D) It landed far away in the village, and its location remained unknown.
Share your answers in the comments down below!
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey everyone! Chapter 49: Rooftop Climax: A Twist of Fate 💥 was an intense ride, pushing our characters to their limits and revealing their vulnerabilities.
It plunged our top shinobi, Naruto and Sasuke, into a desperate race for the "turtle."
The rooftop climax, with Sarada's terrifying chase and pivotal choice to throw the "turtle,"
showcased her strength and Sasuke's powerful protective fury for his daughter! 🏃♀️💨😱🔥
Just when Young Hikaru seemed defeated, a shocking twist of fate unfolded. Older Hikaru's unexpected discovery of the "turtle" on the Yondaime Hokage's monument was a chilling moment of villainous triumph 😈✨, reminding us how unpredictable this fight is 🤯. With the Rinnegan man vanishing, tension is at an all-time high! ⬆️
With Hikaru now gone, the full impact of his chaos weighs heavily on the village. What will Naruto and Sasuke do now that the "turtle" is in enemy hands, and how will Konoha begin to rebuild after such a devastating night?
Thank you so much for reading and for your incredible support as we delve deeper into this unfolding story! Your enthusiasm keeps me going ✨. Let me know your thoughts on "Rooftop Climax: A Twist of Fate" in the comments! ❤️