Natsume didn't immediately proceed with experiments to awaken Mikoto's eyes.
She'd just gone through a catastrophe—she needed a few days' rest.
And he had unfinished business.
Leaving security here temporarily to Shisui, Natsume returned to Konoha.
The Ninja Academy.
The hastily arranged exam had finally ended.
Sasuke looked up at the sky. Twilight had already passed, darkness spreading across the horizon.
Their new Uchiha settlement was far; by the time he got home, the moon would probably be up.
"I wonder if my brother will come pick me up?"
Sasuke fretted.
Lately, Itachi had been too busy.
Sometimes several days passed without seeing him.
For a brother complex, that was hard to bear.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura's voice rang from outside.
She noticed the look in Sasuke's eyes and bounced in excitedly.
Why is she so annoying?
Always wasting my time.
Sasuke complained inwardly.
He turned his head instinctively and saw another beaming face.
"Sasuke, how'd you do on the test?"
Naruto walked up and asked.
"Trivial."
Sasuke replied flatly.
"As expected of you!"
Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "I didn't do so well. I wasn't sure about the last question."
"…"
Sasuke's heart lurched.
He was the same, actually.
But since he'd bragged, he had to keep up appearances.
He silently prayed he wouldn't score lower than Naruto.
In combat, he couldn't beat him.
In theory, they were about the same.
More accurately, as an Uchiha, he'd been exposed to more knowledge, so he had a slight edge.
"Sakura and Ino are waiting for you again, huh."
Naruto sighed. "Sasuke, girls really like you."
"Hmph, troublesome."
Sasuke stood up, noticed his gaze, and felt secretly pleased, though he kept an impatient look.
In this respect, he always won.
But what he wanted wasn't that—it was to defeat Naruto.
"Let's go eat together?"
Sakura suggested.
"Sorry, I have to go home for dinner."
Sasuke refused without thinking.
"I'm meeting Lee—we're going to train."
Naruto waved, also turning her down in another way.
"Train?"
Sasuke grew alert. "How do you train with him?"
"Run laps around Konoha. Keep running until you drop."
Naruto paused, then invited, "Want to come, Sasuke? I think it works. After I pass out and wake up, I feel full of energy."
Sasuke's eyes lit up.
He didn't care about most people's invitations.
The Uchiha had plenty of training methods.
But Naruto was different.
He couldn't beat him.
If they trained together, maybe he'd discover the secret of Naruto's strength.
Sakura clenched her fists and fumed inwardly: "Damn it! Why do I have to compete with guys for a guy?!"
Ino stifled a laugh to keep from breaking their friendship.
After giving up the rivalry, she found it was still plenty fun.
"It's late today. I'll tell my father and go with you tomorrow."
Proud as he was, Sasuke still treated the Naruto he acknowledged fairly well.
"It's a deal!"
Naruto gave a thumbs-up and left after saying goodbye to the three.
"Have you noticed something?"
Ino tilted her head. "He really likes giving thumbs-up lately."
"True."
Sakura rubbed her chin, frowning. "It feels familiar."
"I'm heading out."
Sasuke didn't join the discussion and gave them no time to respond before slipping into the night.
"Sasuke-kun~"
Sakura's voice startled birds from the trees.
"Let's go."
Ino tugged Sakura along.
After a few steps, she looked regretful.
She'd forgotten to ask Naruto where Natsume lived.
…
The sun vanished completely, and night covered Konoha.
Thanks to the street lamps, it wasn't utter darkness.
Sasuke walked along the main road, feeling a bit lonely at the sight of couples everywhere.
Was his brother in the Anbu right now, or already home?
Thinking, he approached the Uchiha settlement.
"Halt!"
The sudden voice made Sasuke look up.
In front of him stood a ninja wearing a bull-patterned mask.
An Anbu.
Because Itachi was an Anbu captain, Sasuke knew a bit.
"This area is sealed off. No one is allowed in."
"…?"
Sasuke's eyes widened, a bad premonition rising. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. This is my home. Why can't I go in?"
"You're Uchiha Sasuke?"
The Anbu ninja hesitated, taking in his appearance.
Black hair and eyes, a black high-collared long-sleeve, and the clan's fan crest on his back—his identity was basically certain.
He wavered, unsure whether to let him pass.
Sasuke seized the moment he zoned out and used the Body Flicker to rush in.
"Poor kid."
The Anbu sighed and didn't give chase.
Sasuke burst forward at speed.
At night, the Uchiha compound lacked its usual bustle.
Pitch-black, with not a single light on.
By moonlight, Sasuke vaguely made out bloodstains not yet cleaned from the ground.
His heart clenched.
He sped up.
Moments later, he reached the center—his home.
Sasuke froze.
Strange ninja moved back and forth.
On the ground lay rows of corpses.
At the front was his father, Uchiha Fugaku.
"Is that… Uchiha Sasuke?"
The area was under Anbu control at the moment.
Of course, Root had already swept through and taken many things, leaving only corpses behind.
"Captain, what do we do?"
"The Hokage said to treat him kindly. Leave him be."
The Anbu exchanged a few words and ignored Sasuke.
"No!"
Sasuke screamed, collapsing.
He knelt before Fugaku's body as tears poured out.
His heart-wrenching howl echoed through the Uchiha compound.
"Sasuke."
A female Anbu wearing a frog mask, unable to bear it, stepped forward.
"Who did this?"
Sasuke lifted his head. A single tomoe appeared in his eyes, his face twisted. "Who?!"
"Uchiha Itachi."
The Anbu was slightly startled—she hadn't expected him to awaken the Sharingan at this moment.
"Impossible!"
Sasuke stiffened. "There's no way it was my brother. You're lying!"
"I have no reason to lie."
The Anbu said, "I know you don't believe it, but that's the truth. Your brother, Uchiha Itachi, killed the entire clan and chose to defect."
Sasuke's eyes bulged.
The tomoe in his eyes trembled wildly.
His chakra and ocular power became extremely unstable.
In the next instant, the Anbu knocked him out.
"Sasuke, get some rest."