_THE UNKNOWN FOREST - NEAR THE HOLE_
The air around the giant hole was dark and silent again, after all the screaming and falling. Shadows stretched long and thick from the tall, unknown trees. The ground was rough, covered in twisted roots and loose dirt. A heavy quiet hung over everything, broken only by the faint sounds of crickets from deeper in the woods. This was the place where Sakura, Neji, Naruto, Lee, Ino, and Tenten had all vanished.
Hidden behind a thick cluster of bushes, Hinata was still there, her heart pounding like a drum. She had just seen the red-haired girl, Karin, fall into the terrifying darkness. 'I couldn't do anything... I'm so useless,' she thought, fresh tears stinging her pale Byakugan eyes. She was about to turn away, wanting to hide from the terrifying reality of the hole.
But then, a new sound ripped through the quiet night. It was loud, like a sudden burst of lightning, getting closer very fast.
"HAAAAGHHH!!"
Hinata gasped, her head snapping towards the sound. Her Byakugan eyes widened even further, trying to see through the darkness. A figure suddenly burst from the trees, moving at an incredible speed.
It was a young man, about 12 years old, with spiky black hair that had a hint of blue in the darkness, sticking out wildly at the back. His fair skin seemed pale in the dim light. His eyes were sharp and red, glowing with the Sharingan, two tomoe spinning in each eye.
He looked very serious and focused. He wore a dark, high-collared shirt with short sleeves and matching shorts. A tan pouch bounced on his lower back. White bandages wrapped around his arms and legs, and a protective gear covered one of his elbows. On his forehead, a metal Konoha headband shone dully. His feet wore black open-toed ninja sandals.
This was Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke was running incredibly fast, his right hand glowing with bright blue, crackling electricity. He was holding his Chidori, aimed forward as if he was about to hit something with full power. His breath came in ragged bursts, and he was yelling, "HAAAHH!!"
Hinata stared. Her mind reeled. 'No... it can't be... Sasuke-kun?!' In her timeline, Sasuke had left the village long ago, abandoning them all for power. Seeing him here, so young, so focused, and yet so different from how she last remembered him, left her utterly shocked. 'But why is he here? And... why is he using that jutsu?'
Far back in the deeper shadows, Mini Sasuke, only six years old, also watched. His dark eyes, usually innocent, were sharp with calculation. 'Another one... and this one feels... strong,' he thought, his small face showing no emotion. He saw the older Sasuke's determined sprint, the glowing blue hand. 'It would take a lot of effort to get rid of this one... more than the others,' Mini Sasuke concluded. 'He's an enemy too. Everyone here is an enemy. I need to get rid of them all to keep myself safe.'
Suddenly, Sasuke stopped. He skidded to a halt just a few inches from the very edge of the huge, dark hole. The blue lightning in his hand flickered and died. He looked around wildly, his Sharingan still spinning, but now filled with confusion.
'What?! Where am I?!' Sasuke's mind raced.
'This isn't the arena! Where's Gaara? Where's the Chunin Exam?!' He remembered the bright sunlight of the day, the roars of the crowd, the dust of the stadium. Now, it was dark night, cold, and utterly silent. 'Did someone use a Genjutsu on me?!' He looked at his hands, then at the strange, unfamiliar trees around him. 'This can't be real!'
He quickly performed a simple hand sign, trying to release any Genjutsu. "Kai!" he whispered. But nothing changed. The dark trees remained. The cold air stayed. He touched a tree trunk; it was rough and real. He stomped his foot; the ground was solid. 'No way... this is real?!' Sasuke's forehead started to prickle with sweat. A cold dread seeped into him. 'This isn't a dream. This isn't a Genjutsu. What in the world happened?!'
Hinata, still behind the bushes, watched Sasuke with wide eyes. 'It's really Sasuke-kun... but he looks so confused.' She was so focused on him, she didn't notice the tiny shadow of Mini Sasuke, perfectly hidden beside her in the thick foliage. Mini Sasuke was just as focused on the older Sasuke, studying him with intense, distrustful eyes.
Suddenly, both Hinata and Mini Sasuke heard it. A soft sound. A whisper. It wasn't coming from Sasuke in front of them. It was from behind them.
'Who was that?' Mini Sasuke thought, his little heart giving a scared thump. He quickly glanced at Hinata. 'Was she talking? No, that was a man's voice.' He looked back at Sasuke, still standing confused by the hole.
'Not him either.' The sound had definitely come from behind. That thought, of someone unseen lurking behind him, made Mini Sasuke's small body tremble with sudden, intense fear.
Hinata's ears twitched. She had just started to turn, her Byakugan flicking on, when a powerful hand clamped over her mouth, stopping any scream. At the same time, another hand moved quickly to her neck, holding a kunai with its cold, sharp edge pressing against her skin.
"Silence, little girl," a rough, male voice whispered close to her ear, full of danger. "We heard a sound. We know there's another one here."
Mini Sasuke, hiding just a few feet a
way, saw everything. His eyes widened, reflecting the scene of Hinata being grabbed.
'No... No! They're real enemies! They're dangerous! They're talking about me too!' His small body shook violently, and he started to pant, gasping for air, almost unable to breathe from terror. 'They know! They know I'm here!'
Hinata struggled fiercely against the strong grip, but the person was much too powerful. 'I have to fight! I can't be useless!' Her Byakugan blazed with renewed resolve. With a burst of strength, she slammed her open palm into one of the attacker's chakra points on his arm, using her Gentle Fist technique.
She hit another vital point near his neck. The attacker's grip instantly loosened. His eyes rolled back, and he slumped forward, unconscious.
Hinata pulled away quickly, breathing hard, sweat pouring down her face. She looked at the fallen figure, then around her with wide, terrified eyes. 'There's more of them!'
Just as she scrambled to her feet, Mini Sasuke burst out of the bushes, his little legs pumping. He couldn't stay hidden any longer.
He needed to run, to follow Hinata to whatever safety she was heading for.
"There! He's here!" a new voice shouted from behind them. Another shadowy figure emerged from the trees, pointing directly at Mini Sasuke.
Hinata spun around, seeing not just the new figure, but others emerging from the gloom. They were surrounded. Her heart sank. 'More of them! What do I do?!' She thought of Neji, her strong cousin. 'Neji-niisan... I'm so useless! I can't even protect myself!' Despair washed over her.
But then, a thought flashed through her mind.
'Sasuke-kun!' Her eyes darted to where Sasuke stood, still confused, a few feet from the hole. 'He's strong! He can help!' Then a second, conflicting thought hit her. 'But he's... he's bad now. He left the village. Why would he protect me?' Her gaze returned to the menacing figures closing in. 'No... being with Sasuke-kun, the one I know... that's better than facing these strangers alone. They want to kill me!'
With newfound determination, Hinata made a split-second decision. "Sasuke-kun!" she cried out, her voice barely a whisper of hope, but loud enough in the quiet night. She turned and sprinted towards him, full speed, Mini Sasuke a terrified blur of motion just behind her, following her lead. Far behind them, the enemy shinobi surged forward, their dark forms chasing, their intent clear.
Sasuke was still deep in thought, staring down, trying to understand his impossible situation. 'How do I get back? Where even is 'back' from here?!' His eyes were fixed on the rough ground when they suddenly widened.
Just a few inches from his feet, a gaping, black void stretched into the earth – the enormous hole. It was almost right under him, maybe two or three inches away. 'What?! This hole! I almost fell in!' A shiver ran down his spine. 'I need to move back. I can't fall into that thing!' He slowly, carefully, began to take tiny steps backward, his eyes glued to the terrifying darkness of the pit.
He was so focused on the hole, he didn't check behind him. Hinata, running full speed, her desperate eyes fixed on the chasing shinobi, didn't see him either. She didn't notice the distance between them shrinking rapidly, nor the small, child-like figure of Mini Sasuke running silently beside her, completely unnoticed by her.
Then, it happened. Hinata, running with all her might, slammed directly into Sasuke's back! The force of her run, the sheer momentum of her body, was so great that it gave Sasuke a powerful shove forward.
"A-ARGH!" Sasuke grunted, surprised and off-balance. His feet left the ground. He stumbled, then fell. "What the—?!"
Both Sasuke and Hinata tumbled over the edge, screaming as they plunged into the dark, unknown depths of the hole.
Mini Sasuke, seeing the opportunity, didn't hesitate. With a burst of surprisingly quick movement, he too leaped into the hole. He landed perfectly on Hinata's back as she fell, clinging to her with a fresh, desperate grip, riding her down into the abyss.
The air inside the massive hole was thick with darkness and the terrifying sound of falling bodies. Sasuke, pulled backward by an unseen force, tumbled into the abyss along with Hinata. 'What in the world?!' he thought, completely disoriented. He was falling, fast.
He looked down, but it was just a deeper, darker blackness. 'This is it... am I going to die?!' Fear, cold and sharp, pierced through his usual calm. He instinctively reached out, trying to grab something, anything, to stop his fall.
Suddenly, he felt a small hand grab his shirt from behind. 'Someone's clinging to me!' Sasuke realized. The extra weight made him pick up even more speed, plummeting faster into the terrifying unknown. 'This isn't good! I have to let go!' He tried to shake the hand off, pushing at it without looking, desperate to save himself.
But the hand held on tight. A small, desperate voice from behind him pleaded, "P-please... s-save me!"
Sasuke glanced back quickly. It was Hinata, her face pale with fear, her eyes wide as saucers. ' Hyuga Hinata?!' He knew her from the village, a shy girl, not someone he usually paid attention to. 'Why is she here?! And why is she holding me?!' He still didn't care. His own survival was all that mattered. He tried again to pull his shirt free, pushing her hand away. "Let go! I can't hold us both!" he growled, his voice tight with panic.
But Hinata clung to him even tighter, her grip surprisingly strong. "No! P-please! I don't know how to stop!" she cried, tears welling in her eyes.
Sasuke was about to give one last, powerful shove to free himself when his eyes suddenly landed on something else, clinging to Hinata's back. It was a small boy, an exact copy of himself, his own younger face, pale and terrified, staring up from Hinata's shoulder.
'My... my younger self?!' Sasuke's mind reeled. The sight of the child version of himself snapped him back to reality. He had to save him. 'If I save him, I have to save Hinata too,' he realized. A new, fierce determination filled him.
He quickly pulled a shining kunai from his bag, holding it tightly in his left hand. His right hand, which Hinata was still clutching, now squeezed her hand, a silent signal for her to hold on. He aimed the kunai at the hard, rocky wall rushing past them. 'I'll pierce it! It will create friction and slow us down!' He pressed the kunai point hard against the wall, ready to stab it deep.
But then, something strange happened. The hard, solid rock wall suddenly became soft, like thick mud or clay. The kunai didn't pierce it; instead, it just slid along the slippery surface without any grip.
'What?! It's soft?!' Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. 'This isn't working! The wall changed!' A wave of trouble washed over him. He had no idea what to do now. The plan had failed.
Further down in the hole, Lee suddenly noticed it too. His eyes widened. 'The walls... they changed! They look... slippery!' He looked at Naruto, Ino, and Tenten. "Naruto-kun! Tenten! Ino-san! The walls! They've gone soft and slippery!" he shouted, his voice filled with alarm.
Naruto frowned, looking up into the darkness. "Huh? Slippery?" He tried to see, but it was too dark. "What do you mean, Bushy Brows?"
Sasuke's mind raced, searching for another solution. 'If I can't pierce it... I need chakra!'
He took a deep breath, focusing his energy.
He pushed all his chakra into the five fingertips of his left hand, pressing them against the now-soft wall.
Immediately, their speed slowed. A slight drag, a resistance against the wall, began to fight against gravity. 'It's working! But... not enough!' He realized he couldn't maintain this for long, especially with the added weight of Hinata and his younger self. 'I have to act fast!'
He looked down at Hinata. She was still holding his right hand, cradling Mini Sasuke with her other arm like a child, hugging him tightly to her chest. Her face was pale, anxious, and terrified as she looked up at him through the gloom.
"Hinata!" Sasuke shouted, his voice sharp and urgent, trying to cut through her fear. "Listen to me!"
Hinata flinched, but her eyes remained fixed on him, waiting.
"When I give the sign," Sasuke yelled over the wind rushing past them, "you have to let go of my hand! You need to slide down the cave walls! Understand?!"
Mini Sasuke, already dizzy and nauseous from the falling, heard this. His small head popped up from Hinata's shoulder. "What?!" he shrieked, his voice thin with panic.
Hinata's eyes widened even more. "What?! No!" she cried, shaking her head. "I can't!"
"Now!" Sasuke roared, cutting her off. He forcibly let go of Hinata's hand.
"AAAAHHH!" Hinata screamed, and Mini Sasuke screamed with her, as they suddenly picked up speed again, sliding rapidly down the slick, soft wall of the cave. Their forms became blurs in the darkness.
Sasuke took a deep breath, focusing his chakra on his feet, creating a light friction against the wall, and followed them, sliding down just a few feet behind.
Seconds later, with a soft thud, Hinata landed on the rocky floor at the bottom of the hole, covered in mud and dust, her body sliding a few feet before stopping. Mini Sasuke, still clinging to her, landed safely on her back.
Then, with another thud, Sasuke landed smoothly on his feet beside them, also covered in grime, but otherwise unharmed. He looked around at the surprised faces of Naruto, Lee, Ino, and Tenten.
The entire group was now together, standing on the rough, dusty floor of the mysterious, suddenly slippery hole.
---
QUESTION:
What made the 12-year-old Sasuke decide to save Hinata and the child clinging to her, despite his initial instinct to save only himself?
Options:
A) Hinata convinced him with her desperate plea for help.
B) He saw Naruto and the others waiting below and felt obligated.
C) He recognized the child clinging to Hinata as his younger self.
D) He realized saving them would make him a better ninja.
Share your answers in the comments down below!
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Phew! What an electrifying ride Chapter 6, "Unseen Push, Unexpected Alliance," turned out to be! ⚡️ We plunged into fresh chaos with the dramatic, Chidori-wielding entry of a certain brooding Uchiha. His sudden appearance—and even more sudden fall—really cranked up the tension!
It was a blast delving into Hinata's bravery in the face of peril and her desperate sprint for safety. And the reveal of Mini Sasuke's chilling, calculated actions, pushing characters into the abyss, adds such a fascinating, dark twist to the narrative. His cold reasoning, even as a child, truly sets him apart. Plus, the quick thinking required by the characters mid-fall, especially with those mysteriously slippery walls, kept us all on the edge! 💧
Now, with everyone gathered, the stage is truly set for some major developments.
Hold onto your ninja gear, because the adventure is just getting started! 🚀 In the very next chapter, our growing group of displaced shinobi are finally together at the bottom of that mysterious hole. What will they discover in its depths? And how will the arrival of Uchiha Sasuke affect the group dynamic? Prepare for new revelations and perhaps, the truth behind this bizarre, timeline-shifting world! 🗺️
Thanks for sticking with 'NARUTO: A CHANGE IN TIMELINE'! Your support fuels this journey. See you on the other side of the fall! 👋✨