unknown survivor

The rain hammered relentlessly against the windows of Konoha Hospital, each flash of lightning casting eerie shadows across the dimly lit room.

Sasuke Uchiha lay on the hospital bed, his body trembling as waves of unbearable pain coursed through him. Low groans escaped his lips while his breathing grew increasingly ragged. Every few seconds, his Mangekyō Sharingan flickered in and out of existence, the crimson pattern appearing and vanishing like the unstable image of an old television during a storm. Each flicker was accompanied by a violent surge of chakra that rippled through his body, leaving him gasping in agony.

Beside the bed stood Sarada, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Fear filled her crimson eyes as she watched her father suffer, powerless to ease his pain.

Naruto stood at the foot of the bed, his usual confident expression replaced by deep concern. As Hokage, he had faced countless enemies, but watching his closest friend slowly succumb to an unknown illness was a battle he could neither fight nor understand.

Boruto remained unusually quiet, his blue eyes fixed on Sasuke. The man who had always seemed invincible now looked frighteningly fragile.

The room fell silent except for the relentless rain outside, the rhythmic beeping of the medical monitors, and Sasuke’s painful groans. Each passing second seemed heavier than the last, and everyone in the room knew the same terrifying truth.

If Sakura could not find a cure soon, they might lose Sasuke forever.

A few moments earlier...

Sasuke and Naruto were discussing a mysterious new disease that had begun spreading among shinobi. Unlike ordinary illnesses, this one attacked not only the body but also the victim’s chakra network.

Sasuke had uncovered this alarming information during his latest mission and had rushed back to Konoha to report it to Naruto.

Suddenly—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shattered the windows of the Hokage’s office.

The entire village descended into chaos. It wasn’t just the Hokage’s Office that had been attacked—explosions erupted across different parts of the Hidden Leaf. Shinobi rushed into battle while medical ninja hurried through the streets, treating the wounded and helping terrified villagers escape to safety. Panic spread as smoke and dust rose above Konoha, turning what had begun as a peaceful day into a battlefield.

Naruto and Sasuke soon came face to face with an Ōtsutsuki clan member. His snow-white skin, emotionless eyes, and the single horn growing from his head made his identity unmistakable.

Naruto and Sasuke immediately prepared for battle, expecting the Ōtsutsuki to attack them. Instead, he completely ignored their presence and continued laying waste to the village. Buildings crumbled beneath his attacks as his cold, emotionless gaze swept across Konoha, as though he were searching for something—or someone.

Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Hey! Ōtsutsuki! We’re right here!”

The Ōtsutsuki glanced at them for only a brief moment before turning his attention back to the village, his cold eyes continuing to scan the streets.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a determined look and nodded in silent understanding.

Golden chakra erupted around Naruto as he entered his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, while Sasuke’s Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan blazed crimson.

Without another word, the two charged at the Ōtsutsuki from opposite directions.

To their surprise, he barely acknowledged their assault. He dodged their attacks, his gaze constantly sweeping across Konoha as though he was searching for someone.

Naruto and Sasuke finally realized the Ōtsutsuki’s true purpose. He wasn’t there to fight them—he was searching for someone.

“Hey, Ōtsutsuki! Who are you looking for?” Naruto asked, his voice laced with annoyance.

The Ōtsutsuki merely glanced at him before tilting his head. A faint smile spread across his lips as his gaze settled on Sasuke.

Without a word, he formed a sphere of black chakra in his palm and hurled it straight at Sasuke.

Sasuke barely managed to dodge the attack, throwing himself aside as the black sphere tore past him. He crashed onto the ground, and to his shock, his Susanoo vanished the moment it came into contact with the black void.

At that moment, Sakura and Sarada rushed onto the battlefield and helped Sasuke to his feet.

The instant the Ōtsutsuki saw Sarada, his emotionless eyes gleamed. A faint smile crossed his face as he stretched out his hand.

A transparent black barrier instantly formed around Sarada, trapping her inside.

With a simple hand gesture, he signaled the other Ōtsutsuki to stop their attack and gather around him.

“So... she’s the one,” he murmured.

A swirling dimensional portal opened behind him.

Just as he reached for Sarada, Naruto and Sasuke burst forward simultaneously.

Naruto shattered the barrier with a massive Rasengan while Sasuke used Amenotejikara to switch places with Sarada, pulling her safely out of the Ōtsutsuki’s grasp.

Before Sasuke could retreat, the Ōtsutsuki placed his palm against Sasuke’s chest.

Dark markings spread beneath Sasuke’s skin as a strange curse seeped into his chakra network.

Sasuke gasped in pain, his chakra instantly becoming unstable.

The Ōtsutsuki withdrew his hand and stepped back into the dimensional portal.

“We will return,” he said coldly.

With that, the portal closed, and the Ōtsutsuki vanished, leaving behind a devastated village and a collapsing Sasuke.

Now Sasuke was suffering from the aftereffects of the curse the Ōtsutsuki had inflicted upon him.

Sakura peered through the microscope, examining Sasuke’s chakra cells in disbelief. Instead of functioning normally, they were attacking one another, destroying themselves from within. She had never seen anything like it.

Unable to find a cure and feeling utterly powerless, she clenched her fists.

“Cha!”

With a furious punch, she smashed the nearby table into splinters.

At that moment, Tsunade entered the laboratory. One look at the microscope’s findings told her how dire the situation was.

Without wasting another second, she joined Sakura. The two greatest medical ninjas in Konoha searched frantically through research scrolls, medical records, and chakra analyses, determined to find a cure before it was too late.

The morning sun rose over Konoha, but it brought no hope. Despite working through the entire night, Sakura and Tsunade had found no cure for Sasuke’s condition.

As Hokage, Naruto walked through the ruined streets of the Hidden Leaf, silently surveying the destruction the Ōtsutsuki had left behind. Broken buildings, shattered walls, and exhausted shinobi served as constant reminders of the previous day’s battle.

Suddenly, angry shouts echoed through the marketplace.

“Catch him!”

“Don’t let him get away!”

Naruto sprinted toward the commotion.

When he arrived, he found several shopkeepers surrounding a strange-looking man. They punched and kicked him while he desperately shouted in a language Naruto had never heard before.

“Stop!” Naruto ordered.

The crowd immediately backed away.

Naruto helped the battered man to his feet before turning to the shopkeepers.

“What’s going on here?”

One of the merchants stepped forward.

“Lord Hokage, this man has been selling us fake goods. He tricked dozens of shopkeepers and disappeared with their money. We finally caught him today.”

“Then why didn’t you report this man to the police?” Naruto asked curiously.

One of the shopkeepers stepped forward and lowered his head.

“We did, Lord Hokage... but they didn’t do anything.”

Naruto’s expression turned serious.

He glanced at the frightened merchant before looking back at the crowd.

“Now that I know about this, I’ll handle the matter personally. Don’t worry—I won’t let this go unresolved.”

Naruto escorted the foreign merchant toward the Hokage’s Office, intending to question him personally.

Halfway there, he ran into Sarada.

Unlike the worried expression she had worn the previous night, she looked genuinely happy.

The moment she saw Naruto, a bright smile spread across her face.

“Lord Seventh!” she called excitedly. “Mom and Lady Tsunade have found a cure!”

Relief washed over Naruto’s face, and a smile finally appeared.

“That’s great news.”

He took a step toward Konoha Hospital but suddenly stopped. Glancing at the bruised merchant beside him, he shook his head.

“Sarada, go ahead. I’ll be there soon. I need to deal with him first.”

Sarada nodded.

Just as she turned to leave, she froze.

Her body trembled.

“Aah...!”

She clutched her chest as her Sharingan suddenly flickered, appearing and disappearing just as Sasuke’s had. Dark markings began creeping across her neck and arms.

“Sarada!” Naruto shouted.

She collapsed onto the ground.

Naruto rushed toward her, but before he could reach her, the merchant stumbled backward in terror.

His eyes were fixed on Sarada’s Sharingan.

With a trembling finger, he pointed at her crimson eyes.

“Ozan’s... eyes...”

His face turned deathly pale.

“T-That’s impossible...”

He took another step back, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“How... how can this girl possess Ozan’s eyes?”

Naruto’s eyes narrowed.

“What is Ozan?”

The merchant remained silent, still staring at Sarada in disbelief.

Naruto’s patience wore thin. He was already irritated by the fact that this con artist had managed to deceive so many merchants while somehow escaping Konoha’s police.

“I asked you,” Naruto said firmly, “who—or what—is Ozan?”

The merchant took a shaky breath before answering.

“I... I know someone with those same eyes.”

Naruto’s expression froze.

“He... he lives where I come from.”

For a moment, Naruto couldn’t speak.

The same eyes...?

That was impossible.

As far as the entire shinobi world knew, Sasuke and Sarada were the only remaining members of the Uchiha Clan.

Without another word, Naruto lifted the unconscious Sarada into his arms and turned toward Konoha Hospital.

“You,” he said to the merchant, “you’re coming with me.”

The merchant nodded silently and hurried after the Hokage.

As soon as they reached Konoha Hospital, Naruto gently laid the unconscious Sarada on the bed beside Sasuke.

Sakura and Tsunade rushed over, their faces filled with shock.

“Sarada!” Sakura cried. “What happened?”

Naruto looked at her anxiously.

“It’s okay... you found the cure, right?”

Sakura hesitated.

“We did...”

Hope flickered across Naruto’s face.

“But...” Sakura continued, lowering her eyes, “this cure requires the chakra of another Uchiha.”

Silence filled the room.

Naruto’s expression changed.

“I... I think I know another Uchiha who’s still alive.”

“What?” Sakura gasped.

“That’s impossible, Naruto!” she exclaimed, glancing between Sasuke and Sarada. “As far as we know, they’re the only two Uchiha left in the entire world.”

“I know,” Naruto replied. “But there’s someone you need to meet.”

He looked toward the hallway.

“He should be here any second...”

A moment later, a battered merchant appeared at the doorway, escorted by Naruto.

“Naruto! Where are you going?” Sakura called after him when he had briefly stepped out to fetch the man.

Tsunade placed a reassuring hand on Sakura’s shoulder.

“Calm down, Sakura. Let’s hear what he has to say.”

Naruto led the frightened merchant into the room and stood him before everyone.

His blue eyes locked onto the merchant.

“Now,” he said, unable to hide the urgency in his voice, “start talking.”

“Where did you see those eyes?”

“I’ve seen those eyes before...” the merchant whispered, his voice trembling. “My... my greatest fear.”

His frightened eyes darted around the room, as if expecting someone to appear from the shadows at any moment.

“Hey!” Naruto snapped. “Stop looking around and answer me!”

The merchant swallowed hard.

“I saw those eyes on my continent. He... he has the same strange eyes. He’s incredibly dangerous.”

He hesitated before uttering the name.

“His name... is Ozan.”

Sakura stepped forward, tears welling in her eyes.

“Are... are you telling the truth?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Take us to him,” Naruto said without hesitation, his voice firm and commanding.