Never Trust Your Rinnegan (Tales of Sasuke's Travels)

Chapter 25

I don't think I've ever been this stressed about an update haha...

Just a reminder for anyone who didn't know, I have chapter outtakes/deleted scenes and a sidestory posted on my AO3, which has the same name as my Wattpad account. Check it out if you haven't yet ^u^

Sasuke sits in a meditative pose and reaches inward to check his Chakra. He was released from the hospital just a few hours ago, and his Chakra's reaction to what All for One did to him is worrying, to say the least. There's probably some reason behind why it was so averse, but he can't figure out what that might be.

It does feel a little weird. Slightly different than it should. Like water that's been left out for just a little bit too long.

He attempts to access it, but is immediately reminded of the presence of the Cursed Seal sitting on his shoulder. Pain shoots from his shoulder to the bottom of his foot and he sits, completely still, as he waits for it to pass.

His teeth grind together as he tries not to make any sudden movements.

It feels a bit like he's been electrocuted, Sasuke realizes.

He looks down at his hands to see slight burn marks on his skin where his Chakra pathways are underneath his skin.

That's certainly not good.

He stands up gingerly and flexes his fingers, then toes, then the rest of his body.

He locks the door to the bedroom and stands in front of the full-length mirror in the room.

It would be good to know how much damage he's just done to himself, and if the marks he can see on his skin are any indication of how it is everywhere else, then there's something seriously wrong.

He examines his face first, where his Chakra pathways lead to his eyes and ears.

Sasuke's skin is very pale, so any blemishes would be easily visible.

At first glance, it doesn't seem like anything is wrong, but when he moves his hair to see his Rinnegan, the skin is slightly raised in certain areas, as if he was using a Byakugan.

He contemplates activating his Sharingan to test, but ultimately decides against it. He should avoid doing anything that would put too much strain on his Chakra coils, if he can avoid it.

He takes his shirt off and resists a grimace at the sight. He never likes looking at his body. It's not only littered with scars, but it's also just... disfigured. Even through all that, though, he can see where his Chakra sits under his skin more prominently than he should be able to.

It's weird.

He puts his shirt back on and wonders what he can really do about it.

There are no Chakra specialists here, nobody like Sakura or Tsunade to check him over.

"Sasuke, can you unlock the door?" It's Yamada.

Oh, that's right. He'd been meaning to look quickly and then unlock the door before anyone noticed, but maybe he spent more time than he thought.

He unlocks the door and figures he should apologize in some way, shape, or form, but he doesn't really know what to say. Yamada will probably bring it up anyway.

"You're free to lock the door all you want, but just let one of us know, okay?" Yamada smiles at him and it takes a lot of mental fortitude for Sasuke to not wrinkle his nose.

"Hn." Sasuke nods.

"I just wanted to ask what you wanted for dinner? 'Zawa's gonna be out on patrol for a bit, so it's just the three of us."