Chapter Text
The sky burned red.
Konoha trembled under the roar of the heavens splitting apart, the wind howling with the sound of the world ending. From the edge of the Hokage Tower, Sasuke stood unmoving, his eyes reflecting the colossal meteorite blazing toward the village like a divine punishment.
He could feel it, that alien chakra that was ancient, cold, wrong. It pulsed like a heartbeat across the atmosphere, crashing down with impossible force. Naruto wasn’t here, off in another world saving the Hyūga girl. Which meant only Sasuke could stand between Konoha and annihilation.
He drew his sword. The air vibrated with his chakra as violet lightning and blue fire spiralled around his body. His Rinnegan burned, the tomoe in his eyes spinning faster and faster until his vision fractured into light and shadow.
Then, he leapt.
The impact shattered the sky.
His Chidori burst forth, a wrath made of pure chakra. The shockwave flattened the trees beyond the walls and sent dust spiralling into the heavens. The meteor cracked under his jutsu, breaking apart into molten fragments that rained harmlessly over the mountains.
The village was safe.
But Sasuke was not.
His chest tightened, breath caught. He stumbled mid-air as his chakra writhed out of control like something foreign was inside him, burning through his coils like acid. He landed hard on the Hokage Tower balcony, knees buckling as his vision blurred.
Kakashi was shouting his name.
“Sasuke! Hey, stay with me!”
He could barely hear him. The world was spinning, his ears ringing so loud it drowned everything else. His Sharingan flickered, bleeding through his eye socket. His body convulsed as sparks of chakra lashed out from his skin, twisting in wild, uncontrollable bursts.
The Otsutsuki energy—what was left of it from the meteorite—had merged with his own. It was too much. His system couldn’t hold it.
He gasped, a wet sound escaping his throat. Warm blood spilled down his chin, staining the cold tiles beneath him. He felt Kakashi’s hand grip his shoulder, trembling, his voice cracking through the chaos–
“Sasuke!”
But he couldn’t answer. His lungs refused to draw breath. The light was fading from his vision, and the world was tilting sideways, swallowed by the darkness clawing at the edges of his consciousness.
The last thing he saw was the pale, horrified reflection of himself in Kakashi’s eyes before everything went black.
Silence.
A complete void.
Sasuke’s awareness floated in a sea of darkness. There was no sky, no ground, no sense of self. Just an endless gloom pressing against him from every direction.
He tried to breathe.
He couldn’t.
His throat clenched, lungs seizing as though the air itself had turned to fire. The void felt alive–hot, choking, suffocating. Sweat poured from his skin. The heat grew unbearable, coiling around his chest like invisible hands. He gasped again, desperate, clawing at nothing.
He couldn’t move.
He couldn’t see.
He couldn’t breathe.
His heart hammered painfully, then stopped.
He felt himself falling.
Down.
Down.
Down.
And then–
Light.
His eyes snapped open as a raw scream tore from his throat. His back arched violently, lungs dragging in air like a drowning man breaching the surface.
The ringing was deafening.
His ears screamed. His heartbeat thundered. The world blurred with shapes, shadows, and colour all bleeding together.
And then… the noise stopped.
Slowly, sound filtered back in…soft, trembling, human.
Like someone was calling his name.
“…Sasuke… Sasuke!”
He blinked, eyes adjusting. His vision cleared, and what he saw made his heart stop.
A woman was leaning over him, her dark eyes wet with tears, her gentle hands cupping his face. The curve of her lips trembled between joy and disbelief.
“Sasuke,” she breathed, voice cracking. “My baby, you’re finally awake.”
Her arms enveloped him, pulling him into her chest, holding him so tightly it hurt.
He couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. He could only stare–frozen, uncomprehending.
Mikoto Uchiha.
His mother.
His mother, who had been dead for over a decade.
His lips parted, a fragile whisper escaping–
“…Kaa-san…”
She sobbed at the sound, pressing her face against his hair. “Sasuke, my sweet boy, I thought we’d lost you…”
He couldn’t look away. His mind screamed this was a dream–had to be–but her warmth, her scent, the faint tremor of her breath against his neck… it all felt too real.
His eyes shifted and froze again.
A figure stood just beyond her shoulder, dark hair falling over familiar eyes filled with quiet, unshakable love.
“Itachi…”
Sasuke’s lips trembled. His brother smiled softly, kneeling beside them.
“We’re so glad you’re awake, Sasuke,” Itachi said, voice low and tender. He placed a steady hand on his brother’s back, joining their mother’s embrace.
Sasuke’s body shook. His vision blurred. Tears slipped down his cheeks before he could stop them.
If this was death–if this was what came after–then maybe he didn’t want to wake up again.
He clung to them both, hands trembling, the weight of a thousand memories pressing into his chest.
He was home.
Or at least, in this fragile, impossible dream–
it felt like he was.