Evening fell over Konoha, casting long shadows across the training ground. The leaves barely stirred. The air hung still and heavy, the kind of silence that pulled at memory.
Sasuke stood alone in the clearing, kunai in hand, chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. Sweat clung to his collarbone, trailing down his back.
He'd been here for hours.
Dozens of shuriken embedded in tree trunks around him—some centered, some slightly off, some lodged sideways from when his grip had faltered.
Not good enough.
Never good enough.
He adjusted his stance again. Legs firm, back straight. He flung another volley—three, this time, in rapid sequence. The first struck center mass. The second nicked bark. The third missed entirely.
His jaw tightened.
Naruto had smiled like a fool when they left that damned shop. His clones had moved sharper. Cleaner. Sasuke had noticed—everyone noticed. The idiot had actual control now.
And Sakura… even she walked differently. Like her head was quieter.
He wasn't jealous. He was angry.
Angry that a stranger could dangle power in front of them like it was something you could buy. Angry that Naruto had found some key that made him better. Angry that he still hadn't awakened it—his birthright.
He stared at the tree again.
His fingers tightened on the kunai.
"You're not worthy of it yet."
Itachi's voice, cold and casual, echoed in the back of his mind.
Sasuke threw the kunai with more force than needed. It embedded halfway into the trunk, handle quivering.
He dropped to his knees and let out a slow breath.
"Why won't it awaken…" he muttered.
He'd studied every theory. Every scroll. He knew the Sharingan required trauma—or at least emotional clarity. A moment of truth. Some spark to ignite the blood.
But what hadn't he already suffered?
He clenched his fists. His nails dug into his palms.
"Why him and not me?"
He remembered Naruto's dumb face, lit up in the glow of that store. The way he'd bounced around like a child who'd just been told the world was his playground. The way he'd looked at Sasuke—looked up to him—as if that dynamic would never change.
But now?
Now Naruto was catching up. The store was accelerating them all. And Sasuke…
Sasuke was still waiting.
Still chasing.
Still powerless.
He stood.
The shadows had lengthened. Distant sounds of laughter and chatter carried in from the village streets. He hated it—the contrast. The quiet peace of Konoha against the storm always howling in his chest.
He made the seal for Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
Inhale. Focus.
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"
A series of fireballs burst from his mouth and spiraled toward the target log.
Three hit dead center.
One fizzled mid-air.
His chakra pulsed erratically, responding to his anger—but not in the right way.
He collapsed back onto the grass.
He could still feel Ryuu's presence in that store. Calm. Detached. Like a man who'd seen too many versions of the same thing.
Sasuke hated that.
He hated the idea that Ryuu might already know how and when he would awaken it—and that he was just watching him squirm like some rat in a maze.
"You don't need to purchase a bloodline. Yours is already beyond it."
The words echoed again.
What did that mean?
Why did he say it like Sasuke's fate was sealed?
He reached into his pouch and withdrew a small scroll—one he'd purchased silently after the others had left the shop, pretending not to care.
[Chakra Control Pill – Genin Grade]
He hadn't used it yet.
Now, he looked at it.
He wanted to throw it away.
But he also wanted to win.
He opened the scroll, activated the small seal, and let the pill materialize in a flicker of light.
It glowed faintly—clean, potent chakra condensed into a form the body could easily absorb. A shortcut. A compromise.
He took it.
The warmth spread through his limbs. His breath steadied.
He stood again.
This time, the flames from his jutsu danced cleaner. More efficient. No excess.
It wasn't Sharingan.
But it was something.
Elsewhere – Top of a Nearby Rooftop
Unseen to Sasuke, a masked ANBU agent knelt on a tiled ledge, silently observing.
His hawk mask glinted under the moonlight.
Orders were clear: watch the Uchiha boy. Especially after what Kakashi had reported.
No interference.
Just eyes.
And ears.
[Dimensional Store – Back Room]
Ryuu glanced at the new entry in the store log:
[Customer: Uchiha, Sasuke]Affiliation: Konoha – GeninBloodline: UchihaPurchased: Chakra Control Pill (Genin Grade)Timestamp: 21:03
He stared at the record for a moment.
No emotion. No judgment.
He simply closed the menu and returned to reorganizing the taijutsu racks by affinity type.