1 - New Life

"I admit it. I... I lost."

These were words he never thought he'd say to anyone. After everything that had happened, everything he had gone through, the measures he had taken to ensure all the world's hatred was focused solely on him while severing ties with everyone close to him.

All of that had been undone by the determination and perseverance of a desperately naive and idealistic friend. A friend who never gave up on redeeming him, even when faced with certain death at his own hands.

In the end, Sasuke Uchiha's revolution had failed. All the pain and suffering he endured to gain the power necessary to plunge into darkness became meaningless as Naruto stubbornly held onto his hand and pulled him back into the light.

Yet, for some reason, he wasn't sad, nor angry or disappointed with the outcome. For reasons he couldn't understand, Sasuke felt as if the burden he'd carried all his life had finally been lifted from his shoulders. As if he was finally realizing the depth of the feelings others had for him and how much his bonds meant to them.

"Idiot!" Naruto shouted back, though he was immobilized and in as much pain as he was. "You don't get it? This fight was never about winning or losing at all, I just wanted to knock some sense into a stubborn friend!" Sasuke listened as best as he could in his current state, unable to help but laugh a little at how loud Naruto remained, even after taking the beating of his life. "And the real fight I want comes after doing that," Naruto finished his little tirade.

Internally laughing at the thoughts of his one lost friend, Sasuke figured it wouldn't hurt to let him know what he was thinking as well. "Hey, Naruto," he called.

"What!?" Naruto angrily replied, looking at him with a bruised eye.

"I just told you I respect you," Sasuke addressed as his blonde rival finally stopped talking and began to listen attentively. "If I die here, the long cycle of hatred that the Sage mentioned could end. That's also a kind of revolution. Release the Infinite Tsukuyomi once I'm dead by transplanting my left eye into Kakashi or someone else. I'm just ending myself." The last Uchiha felt his strength leaving him as his vision blurred.

"If you care so much about dying, stay alive and help me instead." Naruto looked at his friend, resembling a walking corpse with resolve and sadness. "What I want is for all shinobi to cooperate with each other. That includes you too."

"Idiot..." A final smile crossed Sasuke's face, the last words he spoke before the world around him darkened and eventually ceased to be.

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"Am I dead?" For some reason, he could still feel his body lying still on the ground, the throbbing pain present everywhere. But the sky had vanished, and Naruto was no longer by his side. Additionally, Sasuke felt the coldness of water, its ripples touching his back as a strange purple light emanated from the ground. This was a place he knew very well, a place he had seen before when he was about to die against Madara.

"This is not what you think." From the tone and age of the voice, Sasuke quickly recognized the person. He struggled to look at his new companion.

An old man floated with folded legs as a black staff rested in his hands and floating black orbs surrounded him. With two small horns on his head, a very long beard, and a strange third eye with patterns synonymous with the Rinnegan, there was no doubt this was Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths.

"What do you want this time, old man? Come to claim my soul to purge my sins?" A slight smile crossed the teenager's face, completely ignoring the reason for his presence.

"Not quite. You're in the realm between life and death, as you might have noticed. We've met here before. I'm here to offer you a second chance to atone for your sins." The Sage looked at his battered guest with pity.

"Me? Why should I do that? I don't deserve it anyway, just send me to hell alongside Danzō." Sasuke wanted to atone for his sins in the afterlife. A second chance for someone like him would be a waste. His brother Itachi deserved it more than him in every way.

"As the reincarnation of Indra, you made peace with the reincarnation of Asura, ending the eternal cycle of hatred and conflict between my two sons. As a testament to this peace, you declared that you preferred to end your life at that moment, unknowingly casting away the chakra that represented the hatred that had festered inside Indra and you for all these years. I am deeply grateful for that. Being indirectly my son, I would like to offer you a second chance to apologize for all the suffering you may have endured as your previous incarnations."

"Are you pitying me?" Sasuke asked, his voice laced with sharp sarcasm. His eyes, though tired and weakened, still reflected that defiant glint, that indomitable fire that had always burned within him.

Hagoromo smiled softly, his beard trembling slightly under the effect of a gentle, invisible breeze. "I don't think pity is the right word, Sasuke. What I'm offering you is far more than that. It's an opportunity for you to make amends, not just for yourself but for the world you tried to shape in your own way."

Sasuke sighed, his head resting heavily against the imaginary ground of this realm between life and death. "I've fought my whole life for what I believed was right. And now you're telling me it was all a mistake? That everything I did was for nothing?"

"Not everything," Hagoromo calmly replied. "Your actions had consequences, some disastrous, others... necessary. But what you accomplished, Sasuke, is breaking a millennia-old cycle of hatred. You brought peace to a conflict that had torn this world apart for generations. That's a fact you cannot deny."

"And what good is it if I die here? That peace will have been just a stolen moment, a mirage in the desert of reality," Sasuke retorted, a hint of cynicism coloring his voice.

Hagoromo closed his eyes for a moment, as if meditating on the Uchiha's words before responding. "That is precisely why I don't want you to die here, Sasuke. There is still so much to do, so much to discover. But not in this world."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite himself. "Not in this world? What do you mean, old man?"

The Sage opened his eyes, revealing a glimmer of wisdom but also a spark of mystery. "There are other worlds, Sasuke, other dimensions that escape human understanding. Some are linked to what you know, while others are distorted reflections or parallel realities. One of these dimensions... concerns me particularly. It is unstable, fragile, and I fear it will descend into chaos without outside intervention."

Sasuke sat up slightly, curiosity overtaking his exhaustion. "And you want to send me there, is that it? For what? To save another world? I'm not Naruto, I'm not going to become some savior of the oppressed."

"I'm not asking you to save a world, Sasuke," Hagoromo replied with a new gravity in his voice. "I'm asking you to watch over that place, to understand its workings, and to ensure that the dimension doesn't collapse in on itself. Other Otsutsuki might set their sights on this world, just as my mother did. This mission, though different from what you've known, is just as crucial. And it might give you a new perspective on what redemption truly means."

A heavy silence settled between them, filled with unspoken thoughts and reflections. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, weighing the Sage's words. A part of him wanted to refuse, to give up this second chance, and accept his fate. But another part, the one that had survived so many battles and losses, refused to remain idle.

"And why me?" he finally asked, his voice softer, almost contemplative. "Why not send someone else? My brother Itachi is perfectly suited for this mission."

"Because you are the only one capable of understanding the complexity of the situation, Sasuke," Hagoromo replied. "Your experience, your worldview, and your power... They are necessary to maintain balance in that dimension. I recognize your brother, Uchiha Itachi ; he possessed the blood of my son Indra but the ideals of my other son Ashura. An admirable person, but unfortunately, my power only allows me to interact with the reincarnations of my sons."

Sasuke remained silent, contemplating the Sage's words. Knowing that another person besides himself recognized his brother's actions made him happy internally, but he wouldn't show it.

Finally, he let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. "Alright. I'll do it. But don't think for a second that it's because I believe in your mission. I'm doing it for me. To understand what you seem to want to tell me."

A satisfied smile spread across Hagoromo's face. "I expected no less from you, Sasuke."

"How does it work?" Sasuke asked, ready to end this philosophical conversation. "I close my eyes and wake up in this new world, is that it?" A hint of skepticism settled in his mind, unable to imagine such a thing existing.

Naturally, he hadn't had the opportunity to explore all the capabilities of the Rinnegan, so he wasn't aware of the dimensional travel his divine eye could perform.

The Sage of Six Paths nodded slowly. "In a way. But there is one thing you must be aware of, Sasuke. To succeed in this world, you will have to start from scratch. You will no longer be the Sasuke Uchiha you know. You will be reborn in this world in another form... a kid. My power is not great enough to reincarnate you with all your abilities. It will be a trial of humility, but also a chance to rediscover who you truly are."

"A kid, huh?" Sasuke shrugged, a smirk appearing on his lips. "It's ironic, don't you think? Being forced to relearn everything, to rebuild everything... Maybe that's what I need after all."

Hagoromo nodded, his features serious. "I believe so too. Prepare yourself, Sasuke. This journey will not be easy, but I am certain you will find your path."

"What about my eyes? My memories? I want you to take me there without restoring my arm."

"Your Rinnegan will remain intact, you will be able to use it once you are more powerful. The same goes for your Sharingan, nothing will be taken from you, so don't worry about that. Why do you wish not to restore your arm, by the way ?" Curiosity piqued the old man's interest, living life with one arm is a disadvantage.

"This missing arm will remind me of all my past sins as well as serve as a constant reminder of my former life." As an Uchiha, it is a sort of honor to keep a trace of one's battles. This arm will be proof of that even in this future world.

"I have one last request, old man." Sasuke closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. A strange warmth filled his body, as if the very energy of the universe was concentrating around him.

"State your request, my descendant." The Sage watched the reincarnation of Indra disappear with a plastered smile on his face.

"Thank Naruto for everything." With those last words, he vanished, leaving behind the deadly silence of that realm and an old man nodding his head.