Leaving the bustling streets, the surroundings gradually quieted down.
Sasuke walked expressionlessly on the path leading to the Uchiha Clan Compound, his mind racing, organizing all the information he had received since his return.
The Third Hokage’s evasiveness, and the power of the Shinigami deep within his Soul… He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he instinctively ignored the deliberately lightened footsteps behind him.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the person behind him seemed to step on a stone, and their footsteps suddenly became erratic.
Sasuke’s steps abruptly halted.
He slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping towards a low wall.
Is it a monitor, someone sent by the Third Hokage?
This thought flashed through his mind, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he remained silent.
Behind the wall, Uzumaki Naruto’s heart was pounding in his throat.
He had been so focused on Sasuke’s back that he completely forgot to watch his step.
When he saw Sasuke stop, he immediately shrank his entire body back, pressing his back tightly against the cold wall.
“Was I not discovered?” Naruto muttered softly.
He stayed in place for a while, and only after feeling no movement outside did he cautiously peek out half his head.
The street was empty, and Sasuke’s figure had disappeared.
“Huh?
Did he leave?”
Naruto sighed in relief, a little disappointed, and walked out from behind the wall, scratching his head, “What a strange guy…”
“Are you looking for me?”
A cold voice, without warning, sounded behind him.
Naruto’s hairs stood on end instantly, and he stiffly turned his head, coming face to face with a pair of dark eyes.
Uchiha Sasuke, at some point, had appeared behind him, and even more critically, the long Zanpakuto that had just cut through the broom was now resting steadily against his neck.
“You…” Naruto was startled, but strangely, he felt no fear.
“Following me, what do you want?” Sasuke’s tone was somewhat cold.
Most people in this situation might have just frozen, but Uzumaki Naruto’s thought process was clearly different from others.
He completely ignored the threat at his neck, his bright blue eyes sparkling, and he excitedly exclaimed:
“Hey!
What was that just now?
How did that sword just appear with a ‘whoosh’?
It’s so amazing, can you teach me?!”
“…” Sasuke’s eyebrow twitched imperceptibly.
Naruto seemed to completely miss his increasingly cold expression and continued to press: “And, and, why aren’t you afraid of those adults?
That boss was super fierce, but you actually dared to point a sword at him, that was so cool!”
“Where did you get your sword?”
So noisy… This was Sasuke’s only thought.
Why was this Yellow-Haired Brat so familiar?
Even stranger, he didn’t seem to feel any aversion towards him.
He retracted his wrist, and the Zanpakuto instantly returned to its sheath.
“Scram.”
He squeezed out a single word through clenched teeth, then turned and activated Shunpo without hesitation.
“Hey, don’t go!”
Naruto only saw a blur, and Sasuke’s figure had already appeared more than ten meters away, and was rapidly moving further.
“Damn it, you’re not getting away!”
Naruto suddenly got excited, stretched his legs, and began to chase after him with all his might.
Next, a strange scene unfolded on the street.
A boy in black walked unhurriedly ahead, occasionally his figure would flash, and he would appear at the other end of the road.
Behind him, a Yellow-Haired Brat, panting heavily, was like an unshakeable piece of taffy, stubbornly following close behind, constantly shouting:
“Hey, wait for me, why are you running so fast?
Teach me.”
Sasuke’s expression was somewhat dark; he didn’t like this feeling.
It was like a dazzling ray of sunlight insisting on shining into the darkness he had long grown accustomed to.
Truly… an eyesore to the extreme.
Finally, after another Shunpo, the noisy voice behind him completely disappeared.
Sasuke stopped, looked back at the empty street, and only after confirming that the Yellow-Haired Brat had not followed him again, did he retract his gaze.
Then, with a few flashes, he completely disappeared at the end of the street.
On the other side, Uzumaki Naruto leaned his hands on his knees, panting heavily, looking in the direction where Sasuke had finally disappeared, a clear trace of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
“Tch, he runs really fast…” he muttered softly, and plopped down on the steps by the roadside.
Sasuke was amazing, so cool, and seemed different from everyone else.
He didn’t look at him with disgust like the other adults; although he said’scram’, Naruto could feel that it was just impatience.
But he still unhesitatingly shook him off in the end.
“Does he also hate me, like everyone else?” As this thought emerged, Naruto’s chest felt tight.
He had finally met someone who was kind to him, but it still turned out this way.
He sat on the steps, head down, in silence for a long time.
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he abruptly jumped up from the step.
“Hmph!
What’s so great about it?
One day, I’ll become even stronger than you!”
He punched the air, then showed a smile, “Just you wait, I’m going to do something big and make everyone in the Village acknowledge me!”
He looked in the direction Sasuke had disappeared, then turned and ran towards another destination.
Meanwhile, Sasuke returned to that familiar land.
The Uchiha Clan Compound.
The doors and windows of the houses on both sides of the street were tightly shut, a scene of deathly silence.
A faint smell of blood still permeated the air, mixed with the foul stench of dust, making one nauseous.
He walked to the front of his family’s residence, looking at the caution tape that had been put up, and the dark red bloodstains that had long dried on the door; his dark eyes were once again filled with hatred.
“Father, Mother.” His hand caressed the cold sword hilt.
“Itachi…”
He whispered the name, “I will definitely kill you.”
On a tall tower not far away, two Anbu wearing animal masks observed everything.
“He returned to the Clan compound.
His emotions seem stable, yet something feels off,” one Anbu, codenamed “Nightingale,” whispered.
“Yes, he’s too calm.”
The other person nodded, “This state is more dangerous than hysterical crying and shouting.
Report the situation truthfully to Hokage-sama.”
In the Hokage’s office, Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to the Anbu’s report, speechless for a long time.
He had seen Sasuke shaking off Naruto through the crystal ball, and he also knew that Sasuke had eventually returned alone to the Uchiha ruins.
A child who should have grown up in the sunlight was instead burdened with such heavy darkness prematurely.
And on the other hand, Naruto, who should have been the hero’s son, was suffering unwarranted ostracization in the Village.
Why did it turn out this way…?
The Third Hokage placed his pipe on the table, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes, which was then quickly replaced by determination.
This is all for Konoha.
And Danzo was right, Sasuke cannot be allowed to wallow in hatred alone; it’s very dangerous.
Sasuke needs someone who can both guide him and suppress him, and who also bears their own pain.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but look at a silver-haired Anbu member in the shadows.