Darkness swam before his eyes. Before he even opened them, the pungent, acrid smell of disinfectant assaulted his nostrils.
Sasuke opened his eyes. It wasn't that unfamiliar street. He was lying in a bed, in a not-so-spacious room.
The entire room was white, 'It looked like... a hospital?'
He sat up, looking around in confusion.
'What was this?'
Just as confusion arose in his mind, the door to the room was pushed open gently. A young woman in a pink nurse's uniform walked in, seemingly coming to change his IV bottle.
When she saw the figure sitting up in bed, she froze for a moment. Then, the tray in her hands clattered to the floor, bottles and jars shattering everywhere.
"You're finally awake!" she exclaimed in disbelief, then immediately turned to a younger nurse beside her, "Quick, go inform the Hokage! Uchiha Sasuke is awake!"
Sasuke paid no attention to the commotion outside the door. He remained sitting quietly on the bed.
Soon, several Medical-nin arrived upon hearing the news and began performing various checks on him.
He didn't resist, nor did he speak, allowing them to apply various green-glowing Chakra to his body.
'A dream?' Sasuke wondered, 'Or is this some kind of Kido spell someone cast?'
As this thought arose, his gaze inadvertently swept over a mirror in the corner of the room.
Reflected in the mirror was a small figure.
A child of about seven years old, wearing an oversized blue and white striped hospital gown, with black hair and black eyes, his face youthful.
It was exactly the same as he remembered himself before the night of the clan's massacre.
Except for those eyes.
'And... inform the Hokage?'
Sasuke's heart sank, 'Had I returned to Konoha? Returned to this unforgettable place?'
'Then what were those days training at the Shin'o Academy, in the Soul Society?'
'Were the powers I gained all fake?!'
Sasuke lowered his head in despair, instinctively sinking his consciousness inward, probing his own soul.
The next second, his whole body shuddered.
Deep within his consciousness, in that familiar mental space, a Zanpakuto was quietly suspended.
The cloth wrapped around the hilt, the scratches on the scabbard… everything emitted an aura he knew intimately.
'It wasn't an illusion.'
Zanpakuto, the manifestation of a Shinigami's soul, could absolutely not be imitated or forged.
It was here.
This meant his three-year experience in the Soul Society was all real.
'Not a dream...'
'I've returned to Konoha, and my soul, my power... all came back with me.'
In the hallway of Konoha Hospital, a series of hurried yet steady footsteps sounded.
Along the way, the Sandaime Hokage's inner turmoil was far greater than his calm exterior suggested.
Uchiha Sasuke had fallen into a coma lasting several days after the Uchiha Clan's massacre.
No matter how Konoha's top Medical-nin diagnosed him, they could find no physiological injuries.
If Sasuke had died like that, it would have been difficult for him to explain to Itachi.
Fortunately, he had woken up.
Pushing open the hospital room door, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes immediately fell on Sasuke sitting on the bed.
At this time, Sasuke was bowing his head, his small frame appearing especially frail under the oversized hospital gown, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.
However, when he heard the door open and looked up, the look in his eyes made Sandaime's heart sink violently.
Those were not the eyes a child should have.
There was no relief at having survived a disaster, not even sadness.
Those dark eyes held only a bottomless, extreme indifference.
"Sasuke, you're awake. That's truly wonderful." Hiruzen suppressed the shock and doubt in his heart, forcing a warm and kindly smile onto his face.
He walked slowly to the bedside and sat down, asking gently, "How does your body feel? Do you remember what happened the few nights before?"
This question instantly pierced the inner world Sasuke had just rebuilt, dragging him back to reality.
"The few nights before..." He repeated in a low voice, his cold eyes instantly stained crimson.
He raised his head, staring intently at the old man known as the 'Professor'. He described the hellish scene from that night.
He didn't cry out nor tremble, it was as if he was telling a story that had nothing to do with him.
After listening to Sasuke's account, Hiruzen fell silent.
He picked up his pipe, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke.
"Alas..." He sighed heavily, as if pained by the tragedy.
"As you described, based on our investigation, we can basically conclude that all of this was done by your brother, Uchiha Itachi."
He looked at Sasuke with feigned grief and continued, "Don't worry, the village has already classified Uchiha Itachi as an S-Rank Missing-nin and issued a highest-level bounty."
"We will use all our strength to hunt him down and make him pay for his crimes."
"No need." Sasuke interrupted him.
"This is a matter for my Uchiha Clan."
He lifted his chin, his crimson eyes filled with a resolute determination, "That man is my target. I will end him with my own hands."
Hiruzen looked at the child before him and sighed again, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness, "Since you've decided this, then work hard to become stronger, Sasuke."
After a brief silence, Sasuke made another request. "I want to see my father and mother's bodies. One last time."
This sudden question made Sarutobi's eyes flicker.
He moved the pipe away from his mouth, avoiding Sasuke's direct gaze, and said slowly, "They have already been laid to rest. It's best not to disturb the peace of the deceased anymore."
But in truth, when the Anbu cleared the scene, they found that the Sharingan of most victims were missing.
He slowly stood up and patted Sasuke on the shoulder.
"Rest well, Sasuke. The village is also your home. If you need anything, you can come to me anytime."
With that, Hiruzen turned and left the hospital room with two Anbu.
The moment the door closed, the warmth on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a grave expression.
He whispered an order to the Anbu beside him, "From now on, place Uchiha Sasuke under 24-hour surveillance."
Inside the hospital room, silence returned once more.
Sasuke, alone, slowly clenched his small fists.
"Laid to rest?" He muttered to himself, a mocking sneer curling his lips.
He might not fully understand the political intrigues of Konoha's higher-ups, but after three years in the Soul Society, even if he hadn't experienced it himself, he had heard too many lies and betrayals.
Hiruzen's evasive look at that moment did not escape his eyes at all.
Sasuke closed his eyes, roughly gauging his current situation.
'Konoha and the Soul Society... should be two completely different worlds. And I... have returned...'
He felt the familiar, powerful Reiatsu within him, and the Zanpakuto stirring restlessly, "Although I haven't mastered Bankai yet, it's enough for now."
The next moment, he abruptly threw off the covers, struggling to stand up from the bed.
A young nurse happened to push the door open and, seeing his movement, hurried forward to stop him, "Sasuke-kun, you just woke up! Your body is still very weak; you need to rest properly!"
She reached out, wanting to support Sasuke.
However, before her hand could even touch his clothes, it was easily brushed aside with a skillful force.
Sasuke didn't even glance at her, speaking coldly, "Get out of the way."
Staggering, he walked towards the door. He was going to that place, the place that held all his happiness and despair… the Uchiha Clan's compound.
He needed to see for himself what remained there.