Sasuke's twin sister, But Neji's first love

A Path of No Return

We continued walking out of the village, leaving it behind without a second glance. The silence pressed heavy, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves beneath our feet. At the crest of a hill, four figures awaited us.

The Sound Four.

"We've been waiting for you, Ryuko and Sasuke," one of them announced. All four dropped to one knee in unison.

I raised a brow, unimpressed.

"So what's with the change of attitude?" Sasuke asked, his tone flat, bored.

"It has already been decided," another replied, bowing even lower. "Once you chose to abandon the village, you became our leaders. Please forgive our earlier rudeness."

I grimaced, wrinkling my nose. "Ugh, you guys are freaks," I muttered, striding past them. Sasuke followed, wordless but clearly just as uninterested.

"Let's go," he ordered curtly.

We leapt into the trees, moving swiftly from branch to branch. Time blurred, the sky shifting from indigo to the pale glow of dawn. Then, without warning, the Sound Four came to a halt.

I landed beside them, narrowing my eyes. "What is it?"

One of them glanced at Sasuke, then at me. "Before we proceed, you must undergo the ritual. Your curse marks are strong, but still incomplete. To fully awaken them... you must take these."

He held out two small, ominous-looking pills.

My brows furrowed. "And what exactly are those supposed to do?"

"They will force your bodies into a state near death," another explained calmly. "Only then will your curse marks advance to their second stage. Without this... you will never truly wield their power."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but his hand was already reaching forward. "If this gets me closer to killing Itachi... I'll do it."

I stared at the pill in my hand, unease crawling through me. Orochimaru's methods were twisted, cruel—yet undeniably effective. If this was the path to true strength... then I had no choice either.

For a split second, Neji's face flickered through my thoughts. My chest tightened. I closed my eyes, steeling myself, then swallowed the pill.

Darkness consumed me.

⸻

The world was nothing but fire and agony. My veins burned, my body convulsed as the curse mark writhed across my skin like it was alive. I could hear Sasuke's ragged breaths beside me before everything went black.

⸻

When I woke, I saw wood above me. A crate. I shifted, noticing Sasuke's body stirring beside mine. My body ached, but it felt different—sharper, stronger. Power thrummed under my skin like a storm waiting to break.

We shared a smirk before destroying the crate and stepping outside.

A white-haired man fought Naruto in the clearing ahead. His voice rang out between strikes. "You two—continue to Lord Orochimaru."

Sasuke and I didn't hesitate. We darted past them.

"RYUKO! SASUKE!"

Naruto.

He chased after us, shouting.

"Stop being brainwashed by Orochimaru!"

Sasuke's jaw tightened, irritation flashing in his eyes. I scoffed, but kept moving.

"You can't do this!" Naruto yelled, desperation breaking his voice. "We've all risked our lives to save you! Shikamaru, Chōji, Kiba and Akamaru—"

I cut him off with a harsh laugh. "You think I care? I don't care about their lives. That was your decision. Back off and mind your own business."