The atmosphere became silent.
Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other in silence.
“I’m sorry…”
After several breaths, Naruto was the first to rein in his emotions.
He apologized to Sasuke for prying and causing the unpleasant atmosphere, shrinking back into his seat like a wilting plant.
Sasuke also immediately realized his attitude was inappropriate after letting his harsh words slip out.
He stared at Naruto, who had returned to his seat and was no longer looking at him.
His lips moved, but in the end, he didn’t say anything to try and salvage the situation.
The conflict that erupted between the two was sudden and intense.
It dissipated just as quickly, yet it lingered faintly, still clinging to them.
Ino’s uneasy gaze wavered back and forth between Sasuke and Naruto.
Even Uchiha Fugaku noticed the abnormality in Sasuke’s current mood.
Only Sakura, holding a cup of Barley Tea, was once again marveling at Uchiha Mikoto’s culinary skills.
Even with a simple homemade beverage requiring no special technique, Uchiha Mikoto managed to concoct something that made one feel physically and mentally refreshed upon drinking it.
“I know why, Naruto.”
Sensing the time was right, Sakura put down her teacup and proactively inserted herself into the conversation before the rift between Naruto and Sasuke grew too large to mend.
Sakura’s sudden remark drew everyone’s attention, including Uchiha Fugaku’s.
“Sakura, how do you know?”
Naruto asked back curiously.
See, he was just that kind of person… fond of prying, oblivious to the atmosphere, and incapable of learning his lesson even after being harshly rebuked…
The only reason was his desire to get closer to someone, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him instead of just gazing up at a receding figure, and to become friends, rivals, forge bonds, and grow together on equal footing.
“During recess at school, I spend most of my time in the office listening to the teachers gossip, so I know lots of’secrets from the past’!”
Sakura winked at Naruto, who nodded in understanding.
Among the freshmen at the Ninja Academy, two students familiar to the teachers frequently appeared in the office.
One was Sakura, who had already integrated herself with the teachers;
The other was Naruto, who was often dragged into the office by Iruka for frequent pranks and lectured.
Naruto often saw Sakura while he was being scolded.
Then, Naruto heard Sakura continue, “And among the various secrets that trace back to the founding of the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Itachi happens to be connected to one of them.”
Naruto looked at Sakura.
Her emerald eyes curved into a smile, and she made no attempt to conceal the guiding nature of her words: “Want to know what secret it is?”
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Sasuke called Sakura’s name, speaking up to stop her.
If he didn’t intervene, Naruto’s personality meant he would definitely blurt out the word “yes.”
But what secret could Uchiha Itachi, his older brother, have at the Ninja Academy?
It was nothing more than being a genuine genius recognized by everyone, graduating after only one year due to his excellence, and formally becoming a Ninja at the tender age of seven.
It wouldn’t matter if Naruto knew about these things, but Sasuke was afraid that the person revealing them would be Sakura.
Because Sakura would certainly transition the topic from Itachi to him—that was her true goal.
He had already figured out why Sakura insisted on visiting his home: Sakura wanted to lay everything bare!
Just like Sakura had told him during the practical training class earlier, thinking silently by oneself would only lead to sorrow and melancholy.
That was Sakura’s idea!
It was a completely different approach to handling the confusion, bewilderment, and anxiety in his heart compared to Sasuke’s own method.
Unreservedly exposing his confusion, bewilderment, and anxiety might indeed lead to answers.
Sakura had consistently been guiding the situation in this direction.
But Sasuke didn’t want this.
If the answer wasn’t good… if he truly was just a replacement for his brother in his father’s eyes…
If… there were simply too many possibilities.
The fact that his father still didn’t acknowledge his current status made Sasuke feel sick to his stomach and afraid when he thought about the terrifying truth eroding his consciousness after everything was revealed.
Anxiety and dissatisfaction overlapped on Sasuke’s face, and Naruto, for once, managed to suppress his overwhelming curiosity.
“I… Sakura, I think I’ll wait until Sasuke is willing to tell me himself.”
Sakura indicated her understanding.
It seemed the matter had ended inconclusively right there.
Sasuke could still hide his thoughts.
The inferiority complex—the fear that he could never surpass Itachi and would never gain his father’s approval—remained confined to his heart, known to no one, just as before.
However, Sakura was a difficult person to deal with.
“Uncle Fugaku, are you interested? Do you want to know?”
The subsequent rapid-fire questioning, allowing no time for silence, struck Sasuke’s body and spirit like a thunderclap.
“Sakura, shut up!”
For the first time, Sasuke glared at Sakura with a fierce look.
He understood Sakura’s good intentions, but he didn’t need them.
He felt that Sakura was indeed a troublesome presence, just as his first impression of her suggested.
Normally, Sakura probably would have kept quiet to respect Sasuke’s feelings.
Excessively prodding someone’s weakness or sensitive topic was not something a grinder like her—who was determined to maximize friendship points with all the Konoha Rookies—would do.
But at this moment, the person qualified to decide whether to continue or end the topic was neither Sasuke nor Sakura, who had introduced it.
It was Uchiha Fugaku.
Sakura ignored Sasuke’s fierce glare and looked directly into Uchiha Fugaku’s eyes.
This man, who had toiled for half his life for the Uchiha Clan and to maintain the rusty, fragile friendly relationship between the clan and Konoha, might be seeing Sakura for the last time.
This was Sakura’s only chance.
The only chance to detonate Sasuke’s inner inferiority complex right in front of Uchiha Fugaku.
Konoha’s apprehension toward the Uchiha Clan, exacerbated by the Village’s two encounters with the Nine-Tails Rampage, could not be healed, and the voices of the radical faction within the Uchiha Clan could no longer be suppressed.
Even though the currently ruling Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen was striving to maintain relations with the Uchiha Clan through gentle means.
His indulgence of Danzo Shimura also indicated that, compared to Konoha, the Uchiha Clan’s importance might have diminished.
The decline of the Uchiha Clan was already a foregone conclusion.
Even if Uchiha Shisui hadn’t revealed the Kotoamatsukami information to the Konoha higher-ups, Danzo Shimura would have found another way to destroy the entire Uchiha Clan.
Uchiha Shisui voluntarily revealing the Kotoamatsukami information would only intensify Danzo Shimura’s ambition, making him even harder to deal with.
After all, he had already completed extensive research on the Sharingan and Wood Release…
He wouldn’t miss this “legitimate” opportunity to gain control of the Sharingan.
He wouldn’t miss the possibility of becoming Hokage and injecting his will into Konoha.
All of this ultimately led Uchiha Itachi to choose Konoha and slaughter the Uchiha Clan entirely.
And the inability to ever personally hear his father’s acknowledgment became the lifelong, unresolved shadow over Sasuke in the original work.
This was precisely what Sakura intended to ignite.
The shadow in Sasuke’s heart would gradually accumulate as he began to call himself an avenger, eventually pulling himself completely into darkness… defecting from the Village.
Sakura needed to perform a Controlled Demolition, carving out a blank space in Sasuke’s heart before too much darkness accumulated.
She would embed herself and Naruto into that blank space, increasing the probability that she could pull Sasuke back from the abyss of revenge and Orochimaru’s grasp in the future.
Even if Sakura’s current actions were futile, and even if the probability was minuscule, she had to try.
And the fuse that could ignite the explosion was now placed by Sakura into Uchiha Fugaku’s hands.
“Tell me about it.”
Uchiha Fugaku said.
He was very interested in the anecdotes concerning his excellent eldest son at school.
Compared to his younger second son, who was still chasing his older brother’s shadow, he naturally wanted to know more about his eldest son’s unknown past at this moment.
Because Itachi was the bridge connecting the Uchiha and Konoha, an extension of the Uchiha will, but Uchiha Fugaku might have already begun to notice that his eldest son’s thoughts were perhaps not entirely focused on the Uchiha.
Why was this?
Uchiha Fugaku needed to know the reason.
And so, he lit the fuse.