The journey back to Sound Village took four days.
Sasuke pushed them hard—sixteen-hour travel days with minimal rest. His eyes throbbed constantly, the pain intensifying with each hour. But he refused to slow down.
They needed distance. Fast.
"Konoha will respond within forty-eight hours," he said on the second night, as they made camp in a dense forest. "Once the diplomatic envoy fails to arrive, they'll send search teams. When they find the camp site, the burn patterns, the Hyuga corpses—they'll know."
"Know what?" Karin asked quietly. She'd barely spoken since the mission.
"That someone is systematically targeting Hyuga. That this isn't random violence." Sasuke's Sharingan flickered briefly—the lavender patterns now visible even in his base state. "They'll upgrade security. Increase patrols. Maybe even recall all field operatives temporarily."
"But they don't know WHY you're hunting them," Suigetsu pointed out. "We burned everything. No evidence. No survivors."
"Exactly. Which makes it worse for them." Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, wincing. "Fear of the unknown is more powerful than fear of the known. They'll be paranoid. Uncertain. Making mistakes."
"That benefits us?" Jugo asked.
"In the short term. But it also means they'll be more aggressive in their response." Sasuke pressed his palms against his eyes—the pain was becoming unbearable. "Every village with a bloodline limit will hear about this. A systematic campaign against dojutsu users. They'll all increase security."
Karin stared at him. "You killed five civilians. Five unarmed people who—"
"We've had this conversation." Sasuke's tone was cold. "They saw us. They had to die. Discussion over."
Silence fell over the camp.
"So what's next?" Suigetsu eventually asked. "You said Byakugan collection is complete."
"After my eyes stabilize." Sasuke stood abruptly. "I'm taking first watch. Get some rest."
He walked to the camp perimeter, leaving his team in uncomfortable silence.
They reached Sound Village on the fourth day, just after dawn.
Kabuto was waiting at the entrance, medical supplies already prepared.
"I sensed your chakra signature from three kilometers out," Kabuto said. "Your eyes are in bad shape. Come."
Sasuke followed him to the medical wing without argument. His vision had been wavering for the past twelve hours—the dual main family Byakugan integration was creating severe strain.
"Sit." Kabuto began examining his eyes immediately. "How many did you absorb this time?"
"Two. Both strong—one main family, one branch family." Sasuke's eyes throbbed as Kabuto's diagnostic chakra probed them. "Total of ten Byakugan absorbed."
Kabuto's expression shifted to concern. "Ten? Your ocular chakra network is at critical stress levels. The Mangekyo pattern is showing micro-fractures around the edges."
"Can you stabilize them?"
"I can reduce the inflammation. Accelerate integration with targeted Hashirama cell injections." Kabuto prepared medical instruments. "But Sasuke-kun—you're approaching the limit. A few more rapid absorptions and your Mangekyo will start degrading permanently, even with the Senju genetics supporting them."
"How many more can I safely absorb? Total."
"Difficult to estimate precisely. Maybe fifteen more absorptions across all dojutsu types before you risk permanent damage?" Kabuto injected chakra-enhancing solution directly into Sasuke's optical nerves. The pain was immediate and excruciating. "But that's cumulative—every absorption adds stress. You need Eternal Mangekyo soon."
"I know." Sasuke's voice was tight with pain. "That's why Itachi is next. After I hunt enough Uchiha survivors to strengthen my base Mangekyo."
"When do you plan to move on Itachi?"
"Within the year." Sasuke's Mangekyo flickered involuntarily despite his attempts to keep it deactivated. "But first, I build power. Collect scattered Sharingan. Test my techniques against weaker opponents."
Kabuto finished the injection series. "I'm prescribing three weeks of complete recovery. No Sharingan activation, no Mangekyo usage, no combat, minimal chakra expenditure."
"Two weeks."
"Three. And that's non-negotiable." Kabuto's tone was firm. "Push yourself now and you risk destroying your eyes before you ever reach Itachi. Even Eternal Mangekyo won't fix eyes that have been shattered through overuse."
Sasuke was quiet for a moment. Then nodded reluctantly. "Fine. Three weeks."
"Good. I'll prepare the recovery regimen." Kabuto made notes on his clipboard. "Orochimaru-sama wants a full debriefing when you're stable enough."
The recovery period was worse than the Hashirama cell integration.
Sasuke spent the first week in complete darkness—thick bandages wrapped around his eyes, blocking all light. Kabuto insisted absolute sensory deprivation would accelerate healing.
But the forced stillness let his mind wander to places he'd been avoiding.
Five civilians. Dead. Because they saw something they shouldn't have.
No—because they were witnesses. Security threats. Acceptable casualties in pursuit of power.
But they weren't threats. They were just... people. Wrong place, wrong time.
"Stop," Sasuke muttered to himself in the darkness. "This is weakness. Sentiment. Pointless guilt."
Is it pointless? Or is Karin right? Am I losing something essential?
"I never had anything essential to lose. I'm not even really Sasuke Uchiha. I'm a ghost wearing his corpse."
But that's a choice too. Choosing to be a monster. Choosing to kill without hesitation.
"Yes. And I choose it. Every time. Because power is everything. And power requires sacrifice."
Whose sacrifice? Mine? Or everyone else's?
The internal argument continued for days. Circular. Exhausting. But Sasuke couldn't stop it.
Team Taka visited regularly.
Suigetsu came on day three. "You look like shit, by the way. The bandages are a good look though. Very mysterious."
"What do you want?"
"Just checking in. Making sure you're not dying or whatever." Suigetsu sat down. "Kabuto says your eyes are healing well. Says you'll be back to full strength in two weeks."
"Three weeks."
"Right. Three." Pause. "Hey, Sasuke... that thing with the civilians. You good with that?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Just asking. Karin's been weird about it. Jugo too. They keep talking in low voices when they think I'm not listening."
"And you?"
"Me? I don't give a shit. Dead is dead. Doesn't matter if they were shinobi or civilians—they saw us, they had to go." Suigetsu's tone was casual. "But the other two... they're having doubts."
"Doubts about what?"
"About you. About where this is all going." Suigetsu stood. "Just thought you should know. Team cohesion and all that."
He left.
Jugo came on day six. He sat in silence for several minutes before speaking.
"I've killed a lot of people," Jugo said quietly. "During my episodes. When the curse mark takes over. Innocents. People who didn't deserve it."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I know what it's like to become a monster. To have blood on your hands you can't wash off." Jugo's voice was sad. "But the difference is... I don't choose it. The curse mark chooses for me. You... you chose those civilians. Deliberately. Coldly."
"Your point?"
"I'm not judging you. I can't—not with my history." Jugo stood. "But I'm asking... do you feel anything? Anything at all? Or have you truly become something completely cold?"
Sasuke was quiet for a long moment.
"I feel nothing," he said finally. "They were obstacles. I removed them. That's all."
"That's what I was afraid of." Jugo walked to the door. "I'll keep following you, Sasuke. You give my curse purpose. But... I hope you find something worth protecting eventually. Something beyond just collecting power."
He left.
Karin came on day ten.
She sat beside his bed without speaking. Just... present. Sasuke could sense her chakra—troubled, conflicted, but loyal.
Finally: "I don't know what to say to you anymore, Sasuke-kun."
"Then don't say anything."
"I keep thinking about those people. The noble who begged. The attendant who tried to run. You killed them like..." She struggled for words. "Like they were nothing."
"They were nothing. Witnesses. Security risks."
"They were people. With families. Lives. Dreams." Karin's voice cracked slightly. "And you erased them without hesitation. Without even... caring."
"Caring is weakness."
"No. Caring is what makes us human." She stood. "You're becoming something else, Sasuke-kun. Something cold and terrible. And I don't know if the person I agreed to follow even exists anymore."
"He never existed. I told you that."
"I know. But I didn't really believe it until now." She walked to the door, then paused. "I'll stay with Team Taka. I'll follow your orders. But know this—I'm not doing it because I believe in what you're becoming. I'm doing it because somewhere, buried under all this cold calculation, I think there's still something salvageable. Something worth saving."
"There's not."
"We'll see." She left.
Sasuke sat alone in the darkness.
They're right to doubt. I am becoming something monstrous. Cold. Inhuman.
But that's the point. Humans are weak. Monsters have power.
Is power worth this? Worth becoming something everyone fears?
"Yes," he said aloud to the empty room. "Because in the end, power is the only thing that matters. Everything else is just sentiment. Weakness disguised as morality."
Keep telling yourself that.
Maybe one day you'll even believe it.
On day fourteen, Kabuto removed the bandages.
Sasuke blinked in the sudden light. Vision was clear. Sharp. No pain—just a dull ache that was almost pleasant compared to the previous throbbing.
"How do you feel?" Kabuto asked, running diagnostic jutsu.
"Better. Complete."
"Your eyes have stabilized remarkably well. The ten Byakugan have fully integrated with your Mangekyo structure." Kabuto pulled up chakra scans. "Both eyes now display permanent hybrid patterns—Uchiha and Hyuga merged at a fundamental level."
Sasuke activated his Sharingan. The world exploded into detail—360-degree vision, perfect chakra point perception, the ability to see through objects. All seamlessly integrated with Sharingan's precognition and copying abilities.
"This is beyond normal Byakugan," Sasuke observed. "The range, the clarity, the detail—it's all enhanced by the Sharingan's processing."
"You've created something unprecedented. A true fusion of two bloodline limits." Kabuto made notes. "Now try your Mangekyo."
Sasuke activated both eyes simultaneously.
The spiral patterns blazed—but they'd changed. The lavender coloring was no longer just a tint. It was integrated throughout the entire pattern, creating intricate weaves between the red Uchiha design. The six sharp points converging inward were now connected by lavender channels that pulsed with Hyuga chakra.
The hollow centers had begun to fill. Each absorbed Byakugan was represented—ten small nodes arranged in a circle within each eye's pattern, like gems set in a mandala.
"Beautiful," Kabuto breathed. "Terrifying, but beautiful. Your eyes show the complete collection."
Sasuke tested his vision. Through his Mangekyo-enhanced Byakugan, he could see:
360 degrees with no blind spotThrough solid objects up to fifty metersEvery chakra point in a body with perfect precisionChakra flow in real-timeMicroscopic details at extreme range
And when he focused his Sharingan aspects:
Perfect precognition of movementsAbility to copy any technique he sawGenjutsu casting and resistanceEnhanced processing speed
"This is complete," Sasuke said, deactivating his Mangekyo. "Full Byakugan capability, fully merged with Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Which means you're ready for the next phase," Kabuto observed.
"Yes." Sasuke stood from the examination table. "Sharingan hunting. Time to target Uchiha survivors."
"Orochimaru-sama has updated the target list. There are eighteen confirmed Uchiha sightings across five nations. He wants to discuss prioritization."
"Tell him I'll meet with him tomorrow. I need to debrief Team Taka first. Make sure they're still committed."
"They have doubts."
"I know." Sasuke's hybrid eyes gleamed. "But they'll follow. They always do."
He walked out of the medical wing, his vision perfect and terrible.
The Dojutsu Hunter's Byakugan collection was complete.
Now the Sharingan hunt would begin.
And this time, he'd be hunting his own clan's survivors.