Chapter 137: Fight [2]

The Chidori’s light painted everything white for a split second. Kael felt the heat of it against his throat and understood, all at once, why Sasuke’s eyes held that particular kind of hate.

So that was it.

Sasuke had seen him with Mikoto. At their house. There was no other explanation for the words, or for the raw fury behind them.

Kael could have ended the fight right there. The Two-Tomoe Sharingan tracked every flicker of chakra in Sasuke’s arm. One clean counter, one Rasengan to the ribs, and the Uchiha would be on the ground. He didn’t take the opening. The fault sat on his own shoulders. He had walked into that house. He had touched Sasuke’s mother. Everything after that was consequence.

Sasuke’s eyes shifted.

The tomoe warped and stretched. A new pattern burned into place—three interlocking shapes that Kael recognized only from memory. Mangekyō. The air around them seemed to tighten.

Kael stared into those eyes and thought, clearly, that he had made a serious mistake. Fucking Mikoto under her own roof had been reckless. Sasuke had already seen the Sharingan during the fight. If he walked away now he would carry that information straight to the clan. They would come for the eyes. They would not ask politely.

"Tell me why," Sasuke said. His voice was low and rough. "Why did you do it? Why did you fuck my mom?"

He paused, breathing hard. The Chidori still crackled in his hand, close enough that Kael could smell ozone.

"I could have forgiven you for Sakura," Sasuke continued. "I thought maybe the two of you actually felt something. I stepped back. I let it go. But my mother?" The lightning flared brighter. "There is no excuse."

Kael understood every word. Guilt sat heavy in his chest. He had taken Sasuke’s mother. He had taken the woman Sasuke still quietly wanted. And somewhere in the future that no longer quite existed, he had taken the daughter those two might have had. If Sasuke ever learned about Sarada, the Chidori would not stop at a threat.

While Sasuke spoke, Kael’s gaze flicked to the System window only he could see. Skills scrolled past in neat blue text. He needed something that would end this without killing the other man. His eyes landed on one entry and stayed there.

**Biology Change.**

Sasuke slammed Kael’s head against the dirt. "I asked you a question. Answer me."

Kael raised one hand and pressed it against the side of Sasuke’s neck. Chakra flowed. Light wrapped around his fingers and sank into skin.

Sasuke’s body jerked.

A strange emptiness opened low in his abdomen. At the same time a tight, unfamiliar weight settled across his chest. His eyes widened. The Mangekyō spun wildly as the truth hit him. The Chidori sputtered and died.

Kael kept his hand in place for another second, making sure the change locked in, then shoved Sasuke off and sat up.

Shikamaru was already running toward them, face tight with alarm.

Kael grabbed the front of Sasuke’s collar before the Uchiha could fully process what had happened. He leaned in close and spoke just loud enough for only the two of them to hear.

"If you want this reversed, meet me later. We talk. Peacefully. Until then, go."

Sasuke’s new body still felt wrong to him—too light in some places, too heavy in others. Panic and rage warred across his face. He saw Shikamaru closing the distance, saw Lee still supporting a bleeding Neji, and made the only choice left. He turned and ran toward the village gates at full speed, vanishing between the trees before anyone else could get a clear look at him.

Shikamaru skidded to a stop beside Kael, breathing hard. "What the hell just happened? One second you’re on the ground, the next he’s sprinting like the village is on fire."

Kael wiped dirt from his cheek and stood. "Leave him be for now. I’ll handle it later."

Shikamaru studied his face for a long moment, then nodded once. "Fine. But you’re explaining this eventually."

They turned to Neji. The Hyuuga was pale but conscious. Blood had run down into one eye and dried there. Lee looked furious and helpless at the same time. Together they got Neji on his feet and started the walk toward the nearest hospital outpost.

Kael barely spoke on the way. His mind kept turning over the same problem. Sasuke knew about Mikoto. Sasuke knew about Sakura. The Mangekyō had already awakened from the shock and anger of it. If Kael simply left things as they were, this world’s Sasuke might still walk the same dark road the original had taken—only faster, and with better reasons.

He could not allow that.

The Biology Change bought time. Nothing more. Sooner or later Sasuke would come looking for the reversal, and when he did they would have to talk. Really talk. Kael would have to find words that somehow made this mess survivable for both of them.

Until then he would keep the secret, keep the eyes, and try not to create any new disasters.

Neji was handed over to the medics. Shikamaru stayed to give a carefully edited report. Kael stepped back outside into the afternoon light and let the Two-Tomoe Sharingan spin once, just to feel the power of it, before he closed his eyes and started the long walk home.

He had really messed this one up.

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Give me power