Outside – Night
The moment Sasuke stepped out of the house, the cold night air hit his face.
He didn't stop walking until he reached the edge of the yard, where the faint glow of the moon reflected off the water.
He lifted his head slightly.
The sky was clear, the clouds gone, leaving only a wide spread of stars overhead.
"…Tch."
Sasuke let out a long, steady sigh — not from exhaustion, but from pure irritation, that dull sense of disconnect settling in his chest.
He didn't know how to fit in with those people inside the house… and honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted to.
Their views… their logic…
It all felt wrong.
Naruto shouting like an idiot, Sakura panicking over every small thing, Kakashi pretending nothing bothers him behind that stupid book… and Tazuna lying like his life wasn't tied to theirs.
They charged into danger without thinking, screamed about dreams out loud like the world owed them something, and hoped feelings would fix everything.
That wasn't reality... not the one Sasuke lived in, and definitely not the one he had to survive in.
He dropped his gaze, hands slipping deeper into his pockets as he walked along the dirt path.
"…Stupid."
He didn't specify who.
Honestly, the list was long.
What irritated him the most wasn't the kid, or the conversation, or even the mission.
It was the reminder.
The reminder that being around people who didn't think… who didn't prepare… who didn't understand the consequences of every step…
It made him feel suffocated and limited and painfully weak.
His footsteps slowed as he reached a small clearing near the water. The moonlight hit his face, highlighting the irritation simmering behind his eyes.
For the first time since joining Team 7, he murmured something he hadn't allowed himself to think in weeks:
"…I kinda miss those guys."
The masked ones he traveled with.
The ones who were strong like monsters.
The ones who didn't need speeches or promises or loud declarations.
There was no village nagging at him.
No sentimental drama.
No one yelling "believe it."
No one crying over problems they created themselves.
With them?
There were no rules.
No morality lectures.
No hypocrisy.
No pretending to care about the world.
Just pure, simple, direct purpose.
Do what you want.
Do what you must.
No excuses.
He clenched his fist slowly.
With them he felt free again completely himself honest in a way he couldn't be anywhere else more Sasuke than anything the village ever allowed him to be.
The night breeze rustled the leaves above him, as he closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"…Hn."
He turned his back to the house, choosing the quiet darkness of the forest path instead of going back inside.
He needed to stay away before all their foolishness infected him too.
--
Sasuke walked deeper into the forest, the quiet crunch of leaves under his feet the only sound.
The wind brushed past him, soft but cold, carrying the rustle of branches swaying overhead.
Then...
rustle… rustle…
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
That wasn't the wind.
He stopped moving, posture relaxed but sharp, and glanced sideways.
And there—leaning against a tree...was a tall figure in a spiral-patterned orange mask.
Head slightly tilted.
Looking straight at him. Almost… playfully.
Sasuke didn't panic, instead he just scanned the surroundings once, then started walking toward the masked man with his hands still in his pockets.
"Why would you actually show up here? Did something happen?" Sasuke asked, stopping right in front of him, voice calm but clearly confused.
The masked man lifted a hand and waved cheerfully.
"Long time no see, Sasuke-kun~! Look at you, all grown up now!" he sang, voice high-pitched and childish, exactly like the anime's goofy Tobi persona.
"You graduated, huh? Now you're a real shinobi! A loyal little genin of Konoha with a biiig bright future ahead of him~!"
He placed both hands dramatically against the sides of his mask and leaned forward.
"Tobi is so proud of you~~!!"
Sasuke stared at him blankly, not amused, just confused and annoyed as he deadpanned, "Can you be serious please, and why are you even here?"
The masked man tilted his head even further, humming.
"Ehhh? But Tobi always talks like this~! Tobi is a good boy! A very good boy!" he chirped, wagging his finger as if scolding him.
"Don't tell Tobi you forgot Tobi's beautiful, unique, unforgettable voice~~"
Sasuke's eye twitched.
"Stop talking like an idiot. What do you want?"
The masked man froze for a second.
Then his body language shifted—only slightly.
Just enough for Sasuke to notice.
He straightened his back.
The playful tilt vanished.
The atmosphere around him cooled by a few degrees.
But then...
pop!
His voice went right back to goofy.
"Ehehehehe~! Tobi just missed little Sasuke-kun~, that's all!"
Sasuke sighed through his nose.
This night was getting worse by the minute.
He turned around, ready to leave this bastard, but Tobi stopped him. "Okay okay I won't joke this time. I actually came to tell you something interesting."
Sasuke stopped in his tracks. He slowly looked back over his shoulder, expression flat.
"...Interesting?" he repeated.
The masked man tilted his head with a little bounce, like a kid about to reveal a secret.
"Mm-hmm~! Very interesting! Tobi found something reaaally fun today, you know~?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"What."
Tobi tapped the side of his mask with a sing-song hum.
"Our Captain decided to send his students to the Chunin Exams this time~!" he announced proudly, like a parent bragging about their kid's school project.
"And guess what? They're aaall super strong~! Personally trained~! Just like Sasuke-kun~!"
Sasuke's fingers twitched inside his pockets.
Trained like him.
Students of that man.
Tobi giggled, tilting his head with exaggerated joy.
"Do you knooow what that means, Sasuke~?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed further, thoughts twisting beneath his calm exterior. On the outside, he only exhaled and muttered,
"…I don't know."
He turned away from the masked idiot and started walking deeper into the forest.
Then...
High above him, from the branches, Tobi's voice rang out again in that annoying, cheerful sing-song.
"Oooh~! Tobi almost forgot the best part~~!"
"Captain said if you wiiin… he'll give you a big surprise! You should know what that is, Sasuke-kun~~!"
Sasuke froze mid-step.
"Do your best, Sasuke-kun! Ganbatteeee~!"
And with a soft woosh, Tobi vanished.
The forest went quiet.
Sasuke stood alone, heart thudding with a sharp burst of excitement as his fingers curled into a fist.
"…Chunin Exams," he muttered.
"I'll show them. I'll win."
--
Next Morning
The sun had barely risen when trouble came knocking.
Or rather...
when trouble walked straight into its own funeral.
A squad of Gato's hired thugs marched toward Tazuna's house, loud, drunk, and stupidly confident.
They didn't even reach the front gate.
Sasuke intercepted them first.
And by "intercepted," it meant the forest floor was painted with dead bodies before Kakashi even stepped outside.
Sasuke moved like a blade through paper — ruthless, precise, not wasting a single movement.
Kakashi arrived just in time to see the last thug hit the ground.
"…You could've saved one for me," the jōnin muttered.
"Why? Do you have some hobby of killing fodders too?" Sasuke asked, giving him a weird look.
"..."
Kakashi just stared at him, completely speechless — he'd only done that to show he was surprised.
There was something different about him.
Yesterday he looked like he'd already given up on helping with this mission, but today he was up early in the morning trying to finish it fast. It was weird.
Naruto and Sakura exchanged looks.
"W-What's up with him today?" Naruto whispered, scratching his head confused.
"I-I don't know," Sakura whispered back, clutching her fists. "He seems… fired up?"
Fired up was an understatement.
Sasuke was already walking away.
Kakashi scratched the back of his head.
"Well… at least he's motivated."
With that, the mission was finally over... leaving behind a very emotionally damaged Tazuna and Inari.
--
Later – On the Train Back Home
The train rattled steadily along the tracks as Team 7 settled into their seats.
Naruto couldn't take it anymore.
He leaned so close to Sasuke that the Uchiha had to physically push his face away.
"HEY! Sasuke! Spill it! What happened last night?!" Naruto shouted.
Sakura nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Sasuke-kun… you do seem different today. Did something happen?"
Sasuke kept staring out the window.
"…Nothing important."
Naruto slammed his hands on the table.
"LAAAAAIR! There's definitely something you're hiding!"
Sasuke didn't even look at him as he replied, voice cold:
"I don't tell dogs my business."
Naruto's soul left his body.
"D-DOG—!? I'M A DOG NOW!? HOW COME I KEEP GETTING DEMOTED EVERY DAY!?!"
Sakura rolled her eyes and punched the back of Naruto's head.
"Quit bothering Sasuke-kun!"
"OWWWW—SAKURA-CHAN WHY—?!"
"Because you're loud."
Naruto cried in three different emotional languages while the scenery outside blurred past the window.
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