The shuriken whizzed through the air, spinning rapidly before embedding itself firmly into the target.
"Huh... I hit it?" Sasuke muttered, blinking in disbelief.
Compared to the absolute disaster from earlier—where his second brother had not only missed the target but somehow managed to stab himself in the forehead—this was a massive improvement.
What changed?
Satoru adjusted his stance, rolling his shoulders as he analyzed the throw.
The posture was better. The release was smoother. And yet, it still wasn't a perfect bullseye.
Where was the gap?
Was it the wind speed? Gravity? Some unseen force of the universe working against him?
Satoru narrowed his eyes in thought before raising his arm and launching another shuriken. Then another. And another.
A series of sharp thunks echoed through the training grounds as the throwing stars struck their marks.
Cold steel gleamed from the centers of multiple targets.
Satoru had found the rhythm.
He realized that after releasing the shuriken, the follow-through was just as crucial. If he maintained a steady trajectory, the weapon would naturally follow the intended path.
That meant he didn't need to obsess over the exact release point.
As long as he aimed within a certain range, the physics would take care of the rest.
With that in mind, Satoru kept throwing.
And he kept hitting.
Sasuke, who had been watching the entire process, was stunned. Just moments ago, his second brother had been the laughingstock of shuriken practice. Now, it was as if he had suddenly activated some hidden prodigy mode.
His improvement wasn't just fast—it was terrifying.
How could someone go from absolute incompetence to pinpoint accuracy in such a short span of time?
"This... this is amazing," Sasuke whispered, his wide black eyes locked onto Satoru's movements.
For a brief moment, his older brother seemed almost unfamiliar.
Then—
"Oi, little Sasuke!"
Satoru spun around with a grin, waving at him enthusiastically.
"Did you see that? I'm amazing!"
Sasuke's deadpan expression returned in an instant.
"...What the hell," he muttered, exasperated.
Two seconds. It only took two seconds for his second brother to return to his usual ridiculous self.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
Yeah. This was still the same Satoru.
"You're speechless? I'll take that as admiration!" Satoru beamed, hands on his hips. "Hahaha! Witness my invincible genius!"
Sasuke crossed his arms, unimpressed.
Satoru smirked and leaned in conspiratorially.
"Want to know the secret to my technique, my dear brother?"
Sasuke hesitated. The second brother was usually full of nonsense, but… his progress just now had been real.
There had to be some kind of trick, right?
Reluctantly, he nodded.
Satoru grinned.
"The trick is—"
His expression shifted in an instant. His senses sharpened. Without a word, his hand shot out, launching a shuriken at an unseen target.
THUNK!
Sasuke flinched as the sound rang through the training ground.
What was that?!
Satoru walked forward, his expression unreadable as he approached the target.
Lying on the ground, skewered by the shuriken, was a small white snake.
Its golden eyes stared blankly ahead, already lifeless.
Satoru frowned.
"Tch. I hate these squishy, slippery, cold-blooded things," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the corpse.
The snake's golden irises reminded him of someone.
Someone he didn't particularly want snooping around.
Just to be safe, he plucked the shuriken out and ignited a small Fire Style technique, burning the snake's body to ash.
He wasn't taking any chances.
Somewhere in a distant, dimly-lit cave, a deep chuckle echoed through the cavernous walls.
"Hehehe…"
A figure clad in dark robes leaned forward, sharp golden eyes gleaming with amusement.
"What a sharp boy," Orochimaru whispered, his voice rasping with intrigue.
His gaze lingered on the image of the white-haired Uchiha in his mind.
That level of adaptability… that keen perception…
Originally, he had come to observe a different Uchiha child. But this one…
This one was interesting.
A sinister smirk curled his lips.
"Fufu… How enticing."
Meanwhile, back at the training grounds, Sasuke was still staring at his second brother suspiciously.
"Second brother, what were you doing just now?" he asked, eyeing the burned patch of grass.
"Ah, nothing much," Satoru replied breezily.
"Just saw a greedy little snake that tried to swallow something bigger than itself and choked to death."
Sasuke frowned.
"...Where in the world would you find a snake that stupid?"
"Ahaha! Have you become smarter?" Satoru gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "My cute little Sasuke, you've evolved!"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
Yeah. Something was definitely weird.
But for now, he let it go.