The day after learning that Sasuke had been hospitalized, Naruto took Rock Lee to visit him. They weren't the only ones—most of the classmates had also come.
Sasuke, however, was no longer the same. His presence had changed. His entire body radiated a cold, oppressive aura.
The girls in class instinctively shrank back, afraid to approach. Their fear was mixed with pity. They whispered to each other, convinced that Sasuke's change must have come from the tragedy in his family.
They quietly placed down their flowers before standing still, watching him in silence. Sasuke met their stares with an expressionless face. Only when his eyes fell on Naruto and Rock Lee did his features shift slightly, as though he wanted to speak—but in the end, he said nothing.
Sensing the tension, Naruto stepped forward.
"Everyone, don't crowd him. Uchiha Sasuke-kun needs rest."
Right after, Iruka-sensei added, "That's enough, class. Let Sasuke-kun recover."
The students reluctantly began to file out. Iruka closed the door softly behind them.
The room fell silent.
Sasuke sat on the bed, hugging his knees, his gaze empty and unfocused. Slowly, he lowered his head, burying his face against his knees. Tears slid down his cheeks, his eyes filling with grief and bitterness.
The atmosphere around him grew heavier, darker.
He remembered the words of the Third Hokage—the revelation that his own brother had slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, even their parents. At first, Sasuke had refused to believe it. But he had seen it with his own eyes: Itachi cutting down their kin, one after another, as if the massacre were nothing more than a test of his strength.
How absurd.
Did the lives of his clan mean so little?
A flicker of hatred flashed through Sasuke's eyes. His vision blurred crimson, and a single tomoe of the Sharingan began to spin within his pupils.
Then, a voice echoed inside his mind. It wasn't external—no, it resonated directly in his consciousness.
An illusion?
He looked around in alarm. A figure appeared before him—Naruto. Just as Sasuke opened his mouth, Naruto's voice rang clearly in his thoughts.
Don't talk. Be careful—the walls have ears. Sasuke, calm yourself. This isn't as simple as it looks.
Naruto's tone was steady, deliberate.
Do you sense a chakra point within your mind? Focus on it. Reach for it with your chakra. No—forget it, I'll pull you in.
A sudden tug enveloped Sasuke, and in the next moment, he found himself in a strange inner space. Naruto stood there, waiting.
"Sasuke," Naruto said gravely, "think about it. Even if your brother is a genius, could he really slaughter the entire clan so quickly?"
Sasuke's anger faltered.
Naruto's words struck at the heart of his doubts. Could even Itachi, prodigy that he was, wipe out the entire Uchiha clan in such a short span? His father, Fugaku, and the elite jōnin of the clan—they would not have fallen so easily.
Naruto pressed on.
"And if Itachi acted alone, then why didn't even one person escape? Not a single soul sought help from the village? Doesn't that strike you as strange? Could someone have delayed the clan, or silenced those who tried to resist?"
Sasuke froze.
He had never considered that. If Itachi was truly alone, surely someone could have fled to Konoha. The thought unsettled him deeply.
"Tell me!" Sasuke snapped. "What really happened?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Calm down. You're too weak right now. Even if you knew the truth, what could you do with it?"
The mocking tone infuriated Sasuke.
He lunged forward with a punch, but Naruto effortlessly caught his fist and shoved him back onto the bed with a light push.
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock.
He knew Naruto's strength—Naruto had always hidden how powerful he truly was—but for Sasuke to be overpowered in a single move was unthinkable.
"Don't let your emotions control you," Naruto said coldly.
"Do you really think Konoha doesn't know the truth behind the Uchiha massacre? Do you think they were blind?"
The words cut deep.
Once again, Sasuke was left speechless. Each question Naruto asked only made the events surrounding the night of the massacre seem stranger and more sinister.
So the annihilation of my clan… it's not that simple after all.
His shoulders slumped. After a long silence, Sasuke finally muttered, his voice low but resolute:
"What do I need to do?"
Naruto's expression softened with a small nod.
As expected of Sasuke. He would resist and rage, but once confronted with the truth, he couldn't ignore it.
"All you need to do is keep getting stronger. Only then will you be qualified to seek the truth."
Naruto's calm words lingered in the space of consciousness before his figure faded away.
The next moment, both of them returned to reality. For a brief instant, their eyes met in silence. The half-open window let in a gentle breeze, setting the white curtains billowing.
The wind brushed through Naruto's blond hair, and his blue eyes—clear as sapphire—held a quiet depth, carrying both mystery and determination.
"I'll speak with you again later, Sasuke-kun."
With that, Naruto's figure slipped out through the window in a single motion.
Unbeknownst to Sasuke, a shadowed figure that had been perched on the rooftop vanished as well.
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage exhaled a long stream of smoke from his pipe, the scent of tobacco curling through the air. He fixed his gaze on the half-kneeling Anbu before him.
"So… you're saying Naruto went to visit Sasuke afterwards?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage," the Anbu replied respectfully. "But their meeting did not end well. Sasuke grew agitated when he saw Uzumaki Naruto and attacked. Naruto stopped him with a single strike. Before leaving, Naruto seemed to tell Sasuke he would speak to him again later."
The Anbu had not heard their conversation, so he relayed only what he had seen.
"I see. You may go."
With a short bow, the Anbu disappeared in a blur of movement, leaving the Hokage alone once more.
The Sandaime puffed his pipe, his voice low. "So… Naruto has been concealing his strength."
It was not surprising. Given his training, it was only natural that Naruto was stronger than Sasuke at this age. After all, he was the son of the Fourth Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina—two shinobi of exceptional talent. That he would inherit a measure of their ability was expected.
Hiruzen estimated Naruto's true strength to be at least that of an elite genin, possibly nearing chūnin if he had already mastered several ninjutsu. And he was only eight years old.
At this rate… by the time he graduates, if carefully guided, he may well reach jōnin level before twelve. With the Nine-Tails sealed within him, he is destined to grow into a shinobi of Kage-level power.
That thought made the Third Hokage's brow furrow slightly.
I cannot allow Naruto's strength to develop too quickly. If he grows beyond the village's ability to control him…
He let out another plume of smoke, then smiled faintly. "Still… it has been some time since I last spoke with Naruto directly."
For Hiruzen, the Uchiha clan—the greatest threat to his authority—had been erased without him lifting a finger. Only words had been necessary. And with that, the village had moved one step closer to stability.
...
TN:
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