Sasuke walked out of Konoha Hospital, looking towards the distant Hokage Rock, lost in thought.
'Sandaime had said 'the few nights before', not three years ago.'
'Did that mean that during the three years he was in the Soul Society, time in this world was relatively stagnant, only starting to flow again upon his return?'
"Get out, get out! Don't come near my store!"
A commotion pulled Sasuke back to the real world.
"You idiot, what are you staring at? Can't you understand human language?"
Not far away, a convenience store's owner was raising a broom high, aiming it at a blond-haired kid clutching some money, not daring to look up.
But the broom didn't hit Naruto's head as it usually would.
The moment the owner swung it, a cold glint flashed, and the soft handle was cleanly severed. The broom head fell to the ground.
"Bastard! My broom!"
Blinded by anger, the store's owner clearly didn't realize what had happened, only concerned about the useless broom.
He looked up, about to continue his tirade, when he suddenly found a blade pressed against his throat.
The blade was extremely thin, gleaming with an ominous light. The slightest movement could slice open his windpipe in the next instant.
All the owner's curses got stuck in his throat. He stared in terror at the child before him, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
Sasuke didn't look up at him, merely saying in a low voice, "Raising a weapon against someone weaker than yourself... how pathetic."
"You..." The owner's teeth began to chatter, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty. He couldn't understand this inexplicable statement.
Sasuke's gaze finally shifted slightly upward, landing on the man's fear-twisted face.
"You're noisy."
He stated a simple fact. Then, the blade pressing against the man's throat exerted a little more force, leaving a shallow cut.
"If I hear your ugly roar again, or see your disgusting face again..."
Sasuke's voice remained flat, yet it made the store owner feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"...I'll kill you."
As the words fell, he flicked his wrist. The Zanpakuto returned to its sheath with a soft ring.
The pressure instantly vanished. The store owner's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto his backside, gasping for air in small breaths, not daring to make another sound.
This was the most direct way of handling things he had learned in the 11th Division.
From beginning to end, Sasuke didn't glance at Naruto on the ground.
After doing this, he turned and continued walking towards the direction of the Uchiha Clan's compound, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.
All that was left behind was the store owner, slumped on the ground, and Uzumaki Naruto, who was covering his head, secretly opening his eyes to watch Sasuke's retreating figure.
…
Smoke swirled.
Hiruzen sat behind his wide desk, taking a deep drag from his pipe.
Before him, a crystal-clear crystal ball hovered, clearly reflecting everything that had just happened on the street.
From the store owner's roar, to Sasuke's extremely fast draw, to his cold threat afterward.
Hiruzen's brow was furrowed, his expression complex.
When he saw Sasuke intervene for Naruto, a flicker of relief passed through his heart.
"Even after experiencing such a tragedy, does he still retain the instinct to protect his comrades? This is the embodiment of the 'Will of Fire'..." He muttered subconsciously.
However, the next second, the image of Sasuke holding a blade to a villager's throat and the unhesitating 'I'll kill you' made his heart sink again.
It didn't seem like protection, it felt more like an offhand action.
And the long sword that appeared out of thin air in his hand... these were like sharp thorns piercing Hiruzen's heart.
"Hiruzen, it seems you've seen it too."
A gloomy voice came from the shadows of the office.
Shimura Danzo, leaning on his cane, had appeared there at some unknown time. The bandages wrapped around half his face made him appear even more sinister.
His gaze was also fixed on the crystal ball, but unlike Hiruzen's worry, his eye held a trace of undisguised greed.
"A surviving Uchiha, filled with distrust towards the village, wielding an unfamiliar power."
"Such an existence is too dangerous."
Danzo's voice was somewhat hoarse, like a venomous snake hissing, "He is like a sharp blade without a scabbard, always capable of harming the one who wields it."
He turned to look at Hiruzen and said, "Hand him over to me, Hiruzen."
"Only within 'Root' can we completely erase the unnecessary emotions in his heart and forge him into a weapon solely for Konoha's use. This is the most beneficial choice for the village."
Hiruzen remained silent, taking another drag from his pipe. The thick white smoke almost completely obscured his face.
"Danzo, I refuse."
"Why?!" Danzo's tone carried a hint of anger as he reminded him, "Are you still clinging to your naive ideas? The Uchiha Clan is naturally driven by hatred, especially a child who witnessed everything firsthand!"
"Letting him grow freely will only breed a second Uchiha Madara!"
"Precisely because he witnessed everything firsthand, we must not push him further into darkness." Hiruzen slowly put down his pipe, looking directly into Danzo's exposed eye.
"He is the son of Konoha's hero, Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto. He is a part of this village."
"We already owe the Uchiha enough. We cannot use dark methods to treat this sole survivor."
"Naive!" Danzo rebuked angrily, "A coward's kindness will only destroy Konoha!"
"I have my considerations." Hiruzen stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Danzo, looking down at the entire thriving village.
"I will send someone to guide him in the future. I believe that under the sunlight, leaves can grow strong and healthy. I will make him understand that Konoha is his home, not his cage."
"You will regret this, Saru!" Danzo slammed his cane heavily on the ground, "When this beast loses control and turns its claws towards the village, you will deeply regret today's decision!"
Hiruzen did not turn around.
"Enough. I will not regret it. Remember, I am the Hokage."
Bang!
Danzo fell silent in the shadows for a moment, finally snorting coldly and storming out the door in a rage.
The office fell quiet again.
Hiruzen looked at the empty doorway and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Have someone replace the door. Also, put the charge on Danzo's account."
Hiruzen lowered his head to look at the crystal ball again, but the worry in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
He knew Danzo's words weren't entirely without reason.
Sasuke's cold profile, and that sword that appeared out of thin air...
"I hope my choice... is correct." He murmured to himself, picking up the heavy pipe once more and looking towards the distant Hokage Rock.
"Sensei, everything that has happened these days... it was all for Konoha, right..."