"Big brother… I'm sorry. I lost."
Sasuke returned to the Uchiha house, frustration written all over his face.
The news had already spread. Uchiha Clan Chief, Fugaku, glanced at Sasuke with cold disdain, snorted, and turned away. His displeasure was obvious.
As a mother, Uchiha Mikoto gently tended to his wounds.
Sasuke endured the discomfort and humiliation silently, not daring to speak to his parents.
It wasn't until Uchiha Itachi returned that Sasuke approached him, bowing his head and quietly sobbing.
"Sasuke, it's okay. Just try harder next time."
"But… the dignity of the Uchiha family…"
"What dignity? Sasuke, how old are you? The pride of the Uchiha family isn't yours to carry yet. You just need to train, grow stronger, and stop overthinking."
Uchiha Itachi gently stroked Sasuke's head, frowning.
From outside, he could hear the murmurs of the clan.
The Uchiha family had fallen into a state of wild frenzy—excited, paranoid, and obsessive.
Sasuke's loss caused an uproar.
"The patriarch's son lost to an orphan! What a disgrace to the Uchiha family!"
"Our family has always produced geniuses. Losing at the start of school is humiliating. We've lost the chance to be first this year!"
"Sasuke is usually so good… how did he lose?"
"What can he do? As the son of the patriarch, he's never faced real pressure. He can't even win a child's sparring match. Pathetic."
"But I heard he awakened his Sharingan… a One-Tomoe Sharingan at this age. That's very impressive."
"Bah! Even with awakened eyes, he lost. That makes it meaningless."
The voices came through the walls, and Sasuke listened, growing angrier with each word, shaking with frustration—but he could not respond.
He couldn't say a word.
"Sasuke, ignore their nonsense. If you train diligently, you'll be stronger in the future."
"Um… sorry, Sasuke, I have a mission to attend to. Remember—don't let gossip defeat you. The only person who can defeat you is yourself!"
Uchiha Itachi vanished, leaving only these words to comfort Sasuke.
Sasuke felt utterly lost.
This wasn't the first time he had felt this way. His beloved older brother rarely had time for him.
But then Sasuke straightened his back.
"Uzumaki Naruto… I will definitely defeat you."
"Big brother must have important work. I won't get in his way. The only one I can beat… is myself. I will remember that."
Later, Uchiha Itachi appeared at Sasuke's door. Lightly tapping the empty space, the door rippled as he passed through, then returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
Outside, the town was bright and bustling.
Farmers tended their crops, smiling and happy.
Uchiha Itachi walked through the town and saw children playing with eagles, chasing chickens, laughing loudly. He couldn't help but smile softly.
This was the result of the Red Sun Society's work over the past two years.
"If you want to achieve the great goal of unifying the ninja world, the most important thing is to spread hope. Strength is necessary, but hope is more important."
These were the words of Naruto, president of the Red Sun Society.
Over the past two years, Uchiha Shisui, the only idler among the trio, had been sent on errands, collecting orphaned children from around the ninja world and bringing them to the town to plant the seeds of hope.
Uchiha Itachi and Naruto served as their teachers, instructing them, imparting knowledge, and instilling ideas—teaching them that life isn't just about food, clothing, shelter, and safety, but about striving to grow and transform themselves.
"Teacher Itachi, hello!"
"Teacher Itachi, you taught me how to throw a shuriken yesterday. I didn't understand something—can you show me again?"
"Teacher Itachi, you look handsome again today!"
Seeing Itachi appear, the children crowded around, chatting happily.
Uchiha Itachi smiled warmly in return.
Finally, he moved on.
Approaching a tall building, Itachi activated his pupils at the gate's camera. Once scanned, the gate slid open.
"Tsk tsk… this technology is impressive."
Itachi thought to himself, impressed by the Red Sun Society president's ability to manage anything.
Inside the bright conference room, Uchiha Shisui sat at the table, biting the end of a pen, staring at a report with a frustrated expression.
"Lord Itachi, please have some tea."
A red-haired girl brought a cup, trembling like a frightened rabbit.
"Excuse me, Shorin."
Itachi smiled gently at her, kind and reassuring.
Shorin blushed and quietly stepped aside.
"Itachi, you're here."
"Why is she still so timid?"
"She suffered greatly in Kusanagi Village, and her mother is scarred as well. Now that they've settled in Red Sun Town, it will take time to adjust," Shisui explained, setting down his pen with a sigh.
Shorin and her mother had only just been brought back from the Kusanagi Village on Naruto's instruction.
What Shisui saw in Kusanagi Village had been horrifying.
If he had lost his composure, he would have unleashed Susanoo and wiped out the entire village.
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