*Nightfall.*
"Those bastards from the Hidden Grass Village! Just for the sake of pointless war, they'd torture their own ninja to this extent?"
Naruto's furious voice echoed through Yuto's small house.
"Th-That's terrifying!" Sakura took a deep breath, her expression shaken. "I had no idea such horrible things were happening in other villages..."
"It's not just other villages," Ino sighed, patting her best friend's shoulder. "We've had our share of darkness in Konoha too."
As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Sasuke, who was leaning against the corner wall.
"I shared this story as part of today's lesson," Yuto said calmly, adjusting his black-framed glasses as he sat at the long table. "So, how do you all think we can prevent something like this from happening?"
"Punch the bad guys until they're too scared to try it again!" Naruto declared, slamming his fist on the table. "Make 'em swear they'll never do it!"
"Oaths won't mean much, will they?" Sakura frowned. "What's stopping them from just continuing once you're gone?"
"We should relocate the mother and her daughter somewhere safe," Ino mused. "Hide their identities so no one can target them."
"Hmph. A temporary fix," Sasuke scoffed, his voice icy. "It doesn't solve the real problem."
"Got a better idea, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Kill every last ninja in the Hidden Grass Village—except the mother and daughter," Sasuke said flatly, his gaze sharp.
"K-Kill them ALL?!" Sakura's face stiffened. "Isn't that a little… extreme?"
"A festering wound needs a harsh remedy. A village that treats lives as healing potions is beyond saving," Sasuke replied coldly. "Leaving them alive just means more victims."
"I don't agree with that !" Naruto shot up from his seat. "If you just slaughter people like that, what's the difference between you and those Grass Village scumbags?!"
"The difference is that I'm on the side of justice," Sasuke said coolly.
"Bullshit! That's not justice!" Naruto fired back.
"U-Um, guys…" Hinata, seated to the side, flinched at the rising tension. Her first instinct wasn't to retreat but to mediate—though her voice was too soft to be heard over the argument.
"Why don't we hear Yuto-sensei's take?" Shikamaru cut in, defusing the standoff. "If he posed the question, he must have an answer in mind, right?"
His gaze fixed on the bespectacled boy.
Shikamaru was more certain than ever—his friend was scheming something big.
And worse, he seemed determined to drag their classmates into it.
The thought left Shikamaru conflicted. Should he follow… or bail before things got messy?
For now, he had no answer. So he pried further, hoping Yuto's words would help him decide.
As soon as Shikamaru spoke, the room fell silent, all eyes turning to Yuto in anticipation.
"Sorry to disappoint, but there's no 'correct' answer here," Yuto said with a light chuckle. "Different values lead to different solutions. In other words, all your answers could be considered valid."
"All of them?" The group exchanged puzzled looks.
"Valid, but not your ideal solution, right?" Shikamaru pressed, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "Sensei, what's your answer?"
"Tear down the old system of the Hidden Grass village—and build a new one in its place," Yuto said, smiling calmly. "The two must happen together. One without the other is meaningless."
"Destroy the old… build the new?" The group murmured, turning the words over in their minds.
Shikamaru grasped the implication instantly. He let out a slow breath, his eyes shadowed. "The path you're choosing… it'll be paved with corpses. Is it worth it?"
"Death isn't what's frightening—it's not knowing why you died," Yuto replied, his glasses glinting as if reflecting some inner fire. "You understand that, don't you, Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru fell silent, his face conflicted.
"That's all for today, everyone," Yuto said warmly. "I've prepared some reading material that might help clarify things."
The "material" was actually excerpts from Yuto's self-authored textbooks on the Land of Waves—covering everything from the structure of the shinobi world to the origins of ninja and the true nature of daimyo and nobles.
The group collected their books and filed out—all except Sasuke, who lingered, his gaze intense.
"What you said earlier… it wasn't just about the Hidden Grass, was it?"
Though not as sharp as Shikamaru, the Uchiha was no fool. After a moment's thought, he'd caught the deeper meaning.
"Correct. Outdated systems plague the entire shinobi world," Yuto said plainly. "The Hidden Grass isn't unique."
"So you're planning to fight the whole world?" Sasuke asked quietly.
"Wrong again, Sasuke," Yuto said, his smile unwavering. "The oppressors clinging to the old ways don't represent the world. They just disguise their greed as the world's will while trampling on the weak."
Sasuke said nothing, lost in thought.
"By the way, there's someone here who's been eager to meet you," Yuto said, walking to a cabinet and pressing a hidden panel on the wall.
*Click.*
A dark passageway opened in the floor, leaving Sasuke stunned.
"Wh-What is—?"
"Go on. She's waiting."
Gulp.
Sasuke swallowed hard, his mind reeling.
'All this time… and I never realized how much he was hiding.'
'A secret base under his house? The Hokage would never allow this—had they really not noticed?'
And who was this "someone" who wanted to see him?
Curiosity warred with unease.
'I've stumbled onto his secrets. Will he silence me? Is this a trap?'
…Whatever.
Sasuke took a deep breath and stepped onto the stairs.
Backing down now would be pathetic. For the pride of the Uchiha, he'd face whatever awaited him—head held high.
To his surprise, the underground chamber wasn't the grim dungeon he'd imagined. It was bright as daylight.
The hallway led past rooms filled with futuristic research equipment before ending at a vast platform supported by towering pillars.
There, standing with her back to him, was a painfully familiar figure.
Long black hair, an elegant dark gown. She turned slowly, her smile gentle.
"Long time no see, Sasuke."
"…M-Mom?!"
Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief.
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