“Sasuke! Aren’t we at your house yet?”
Sakura looked up at the darkening sky; she was already tired from walking.
The group had already left Konoha’s main streets, moving from the bustling noise into the desolate and quiet side paths, yet they still hadn’t reached their destination.
Sakura knew that since the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama took office, Konoha had been wary of the Uchiha Clan.
It wasn’t until the Nine-Tails Rampage several years ago that the Konoha high-ranking officials finally found a reason to further restrict the Uchiha Clan’s influence in the Village, “exiling” the Uchiha Clan along with the Konoha Military Police Force to a corner of the Village for surveillance.
But that knowledge actually still fell under the category of hearsay; she hadn’t expected it would take so long to get from the Ninja Academy to the Uchiha territory.
No wonder in the original story, after Uchiha Itachi slaughtered the clan, he still had time to stand on a utility pole waiting for the moon to come out just to strike a pose for the Sasuke returning home from school…
“We’re almost there, look… you can already see the painted Uchiha crest on the buildings ahead.”
Sasuke, who was leading the way at the front, glanced at the exhausted Sakura, slowed his pace slightly, and replied:
“It’s a miracle that with such a frail body, you were able to get a passing grade on the physical test in just one month.”
The appearance of the clan crest meant they had officially entered the Uchiha Clan’s territory.
Sakura merely glanced up at the “ping-pong paddle”-like Uchiha crest but didn’t speak to refute Sasuke; when people feel tired, their heads feel heavy, and they are unwilling to speak.
Speaking of which, although the Sakura in the original story was known for her “Monstrous Strength,” she did seem to have a bit of a “frail body” delicate persona.
For example…
fainting from time to time…
this matter is recorded in detail in the document “The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring: The Mortgage Isn’t Paid Off but the House Was Smashed by My Monstrous Strength First.”
Sakura became increasingly silent.
She hadn’t inherited the good brain of the “top student” persona after transmigrating—her current good grades were more due to the self-control in studying brought by her mental age, not a brain that learns everything instantly—but the “frail body” persona had intensified quite a bit…
Sakura could only hope that this problem would be alleviated or cured as she grew older. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Sakura, do you want to eat something first?”
Ino, worried about Sakura’s physical condition, asked.
They happened to be standing in front of an eatery called “Uchiha Senbei Shop.”
“It smells so good…”
Naruto also sniffed nearby, catching a pleasant scent.
The elderly couple running the senbei shop noticed the boys and girls, and especially noticed the figure of Sasuke among them.
“Little Sasuke, you’re out of school already?”
The kind landlady greeted Sasuke with a smile; she was clearly very familiar with him.
“Yes. Grandma Jīng, Grandpa Teyaki, these three are my classmates…”
Sasuke responded very politely and introduced the three with Sakura.
This guy wears an expressionless face every day at school, but at his own home, he’s no different from a normal kid his age.
“It’s truly rare; Little Sasuke actually brought so many friends home as guests… Itachi didn’t make many friends back when he was in school.”
Grandma Jīng looked at Sakura and the others with kind eyes, thinking from the bottom of her heart that Little Sasuke’s eye for choosing friends was quite good.
As Grandma Jīng spoke, she began to pack up the senbei from the stall and handed them to Sasuke.
After a brief refusal, Sasuke, who failed to pay, thanked Grandma Jīng.
After distributing the senbei to Sakura and the others, he explained:
“That’s because my brother graduated early from the academy.”
“Right, that was the case… When Itachi graduated early because of his excellent grades, the clan, which had been slumped for a long time, was rare and lively for a while. After all, before Itachi, the last Ninja who could graduate early from the Ninja Academy was the son of that White Fang.”
Contrary to Grandma Jīng, who was slow to notice external matters, Grandpa Teyaki clearly knew more and remembered the rare atmosphere within the clan back then.
Once old people start talking about the past, their memories don’t stop, especially when there’s a listener who knows how to find the right time to chime in—Naruto heard the title “White Fang” for the first time and couldn’t stop himself from asking Grandpa Teyaki curiously:
Naruto asked with a mouth full of senbei, his speech slurred.
“Naruto! Don’t be so impolite to your elders!”
Ino handed the remaining senbei to Sakura and scolded Naruto for his rash words and attitude.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Grandpa Teyaki waved his hand with a smile to show he didn’t mind and said: “‘White Fang’ was a hero who performed great service for Konoha during the Second Great Ninja War.”
Hero…
this word stirred a yearning in Naruto’s heart…
The Second Great Ninja War was too distant for him.
Even with Grandpa Teyaki’s explanation, the name of “White Fang” was still unfamiliar to Naruto.
The hero in Naruto’s heart was Minato Namikaze, who became famous in the Third Great Ninja War and became the Fourth Hokage.
If one becomes a hero, one can become Hokage and gain everyone’s recognition.
This was the simple thinking of the naive Naruto—the boy used his innocent logic to ask a cruel question: “Then why didn’t ‘White Fang,’ who was a hero, become Hokage?”
From the First Hokage to the Fourth Hokage, Naruto knew very well that this “White Fang” was not among the past Hokage.
“Because he is already dead.”
Sakura answered Naruto’s question on behalf of Grandpa Teyaki.
If White Fang hadn’t died, if the Fourth Hokage hadn’t died, if Rin hadn’t died, if Shisui hadn’t died…
the history of the entire Ninja World is filled with too many ‘ifs.’ If even one of those possibilities had become reality, perhaps the Ninja World would be happier than it is now.