Sasuke was usually very aloof and rarely sought anyone out. Most of the time, he was either on missions or training. His daily routine was simple, and he seldom socialized.
The only person he would actively seek out was usually his teacher, Kakashi Hatake, mainly to discuss training-related matters.
Other than Kakashi, the person he visited most often was Ethan, also for similar reasons. After training together for over half a month, Sasuke found that Ethan didn't mind sharing his training experiences, and since Ethan's occasional advice was indeed helpful, he became even more inclined to seek him out.
Today was no exception. During the Chunin Exams, or more accurately, during the war triggered by Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha, Sasuke had witnessed Naruto Uzumaki's astonishing strength.
They had all trained together, were teammates in the same squad, and classmates at the academy. No one understood Naruto's original strength better than Sasuke.
As the dead last of their year, Naruto's rapid growth after becoming a ninja had already made Sasuke feel threatened.
But what truly shocked him was Naruto's fierce battle against Gaara.
That... was not the level of strength a normal Genin should possess. Even he, hailed as a genius and a bearer of the excellent Uchiha bloodline, felt a deep sense of powerlessness when faced with such overwhelming force.
Just thinking about how Naruto had surpassed him and pulled so far ahead made Sasuke feel completely unsettled. In his frustration, he couldn't even train with a clear mind. Aimlessly, he wandered the streets and unconsciously found himself in front of Ethan's door.
"Maybe... he can give me some useful advice?"
Just then, Asuma returned carrying Ethan. Sasuke looked at the seemingly weak Ethan in surprise.
"You're injured?"
Naruto wasn't the only one who had shaken Sasuke. Ethan's performance had been equally astonishing. A Genin who had only recently graduated from the academy had managed to drive back Orochimaru, one of the Sannin...
The younger generation didn't have a strong sense of what the Sannin represented, but Orochimaru was different. Sasuke had personally experienced Orochimaru's terrifying presence in the Forest of Death.
Such a powerful figure had been forced back by Ethan?
However, in Sasuke's mind, Ethan had always been strong. So while it was still shocking, the impact wasn't as great as seeing Naruto, once the class dunce, suddenly surpass him.
Still, because of Ethan's achievement against Orochimaru, Sasuke instinctively came to him when he wanted to find a faster path to power. Subconsciously, he believed Ethan knew how to get stronger quickly and could help him realize his goal.
What he hadn't expected was to see Ethan injured.
"Who hurt you?"
Asuma carried Ethan into the house. Ethan's home was simple. There was no need to search for a room—it was just one building, and the resting area was visible at a glance.
After setting Ethan down, Asuma looked around.
This dwelling was truly run-down. Although it had been repaired enough to block out wind and rain, this was one of the poorest residential areas in the Leaf Village. Only those facing real hardship would live in a place like this.
Ethan... shouldn't be short on money, right?
"Haven't you thought about moving?"
"I've been looking. With the recent events, Konoha is planning to rebuild this entire street, so I've been trying to find a new place."
Asuma nodded. That battle had caused severe damage to Konoha. It wasn't surprising that the higher-ups would rebuild these old streets as part of the broader reconstruction effort.
"In that case... you probably can't go out house-hunting for a while, can you?"
"Yeah..."
His current place was about to be demolished, and he was recovering from injuries, making it inconvenient to search for a new home.
Though Asuma looked rough on the outside, he was actually very thoughtful and warm-hearted. He immediately offered to help Ethan find a suitable new place.
"I've got plenty of extra rooms. You can stay at my place until you find one."
Sasuke, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke, surprising even Asuma. He hadn't expected the usually cold Sasuke to invite Ethan to stay, even though the Uchiha compound had lots of empty houses.
"Is there something you want help with?"
Ethan didn't believe his relationship with Sasuke was that close. Sasuke wasn't the type to offer out of kindness. If he invited Ethan to stay, it probably meant he needed help and didn't know how to say it directly. Seeing the chance, he offered some "benefits" first.
"I want to get stronger... to become stronger quickly."
Ethan nodded. Just as he had guessed. Right now, Sasuke was focused entirely on how to become stronger. Since Ethan had demonstrated considerable strength and they had a decent relationship, it was natural for Sasuke to ask for his help.
In fact, Sasuke didn't have many options to begin with. It was either himself or Kakashi.
"How strong do you want to be?"
Sasuke hadn't expected Ethan to ask so suddenly. He was stunned for a moment before his cold, murderous expression returned.
"Strong enough... to kill Uchiha Itachi?"
"..."
Sasuke froze, then nodded. There was no point hiding it—that was exactly what he intended.
Asuma, watching the two young men talk, suddenly felt a wave of frustration. There had to be a deeper reason behind Itachi's massacre of the Uchiha clan. While he didn't know the details, the fact that Itachi was still a Konoha spy meant it was no simple matter.
The sole survivor of the Uchiha clan just happened to be Itachi's younger brother. No matter how you looked at it, that didn't seem like a coincidence. Yet this younger brother was now fixated on killing his older brother.
He suddenly recalled an old rumor, one that very few people knew. If he weren't the Hokage's son, he might never have heard it:
The Uchiha are a cursed clan.
"Maybe... that wasn't just a rumor..."
As he sighed to himself, Ethan suddenly sat up and looked Sasuke straight in the eye.
"Do you know how I got injured?"
Sasuke was caught off guard. He didn't understand why Ethan suddenly brought this up. He had been curious about it earlier. After all, Ethan was very strong—he couldn't think of anyone capable of hurting him.
"Not long ago, Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and I had an encounter with two suspicious individuals."
Sasuke's expression turned serious. Those were all Konoha elites. For Ethan to still be injured even with those three together, the enemy must have been terrifying... But why was Ethan suddenly bringing this up?
Could it be...?
A sudden thought crossed Sasuke's mind. His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Ethan, who was still meeting his gaze calmly, as if confirming his guess.
"One of them... was Uchiha Itachi."
Sasuke suddenly stood and turned to rush out, but just as he got up, a long, emerald-green whip wrapped tightly around him, completely restricting his movement.
"Let me go!"
Itachi had returned to Konoha! He had to find that man!
"You want to go after him? First of all, he's already gone. Second, even if you found him, what would you do?" Ethan held the rose whip with one hand. To avoid injuring Sasuke, the whip had no thorns.
However, a few crimson rose petals remained attached to it, and Sasuke felt the strength draining from his body. Soon, he couldn't even stand. He had no energy left to struggle, and could only glare at Ethan in frustration.
"You can't even handle me right now, and you think you're capable of defeating Itachi?"
Although Sasuke had suffered a huge blow recently, his growth up to this point had been smooth. Combined with the natural pride of the Uchiha bloodline, it only took a little stimulation to unbalance his mindset.
At times like these, Ethan preferred to stomp on him a few more times, forcing him to face harsh reality and shatter his false pride. Only after the tantrum ended would he start reasoning with him.
"You want me to help you get stronger, which means you know very well that you're not strong enough! And now, while you're still this weak, you want to charge at the enemy. Do you have a death wish?"
Sasuke said nothing. His fury drowned out any rational thought, but Ethan's whip had already drained him of strength. He couldn't even walk, let alone leave, and could only sit there with a scowl on his face.
"I really wonder why he left you alive..."
"!?"
Sasuke's expression froze. Although he had never given that question serious thought, deep down, he had probably asked himself more than once. Maybe he wanted to confront Itachi just to hear the answer. Maybe, somewhere in his heart, he was still holding onto something.
As for his eyes? The current Sasuke hadn't considered that yet.
Realizing the question he had been avoiding, Sasuke's expression grew even darker. He completely missed the frantic signals Asuma was giving Ethan on the side: "Stop talking! You're about to spill too much!"
Ethan rolled his eyes. It didn't matter anymore if Itachi's identity was exposed. He had already delivered the Akatsuki's intel and completed his mission. There was no reason to stay in hiding.
He was even thinking, after a few more years, when his strength was "sufficient," he might as well go find Itachi again and just tie him up and drag him back.
(To be continued.)
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