It didn't take long for Sasuke to realise that someone was -- if not following him on purpose, at least on a course to intersect with his own path in a matter of minutes. He kept a steady pace, subtly gathering chakra just in case it was needed: Uzushio might have been rebuilt under the auspices of Konohagakure, but that was no guarantee it was immune from the usual attacks on new hidden villages.

His direction would meet the stranger's at a bridge, he noted, letting the Sharingan flicker into his gaze. Standard shinobi movements, nothing to suggest threat just yet. He kept his body otherwise casual, not giving away that he'd seen his pursuer.