Far outside Konoha, Sasuke wiped out a bandit stronghold.
After dealing with the trash inside, Sasuke stood at the stronghold's entrance, feeling a weird sense of emptiness.
Upon returning to Konoha and confirming Orochimaru hadn't lied—that Naruto was actually captured by the Hidden Cloud—Sasuke's trust in the snake was restored.
He chose to take this C-rank bandit extermination mission as part of the mental training regimen Orochimaru designed for him.
Orochimaru claimed that, according to his psychological research, extreme arrogance was just a manifestation of extreme inferiority.
He warned Sasuke that if he couldn't maintain a calm mindset while leveling up, every power spike would impulsively lead him to pick fights with god-tier opponents and get beaten to a pulp.
Therefore, after enhancing his power, Orochimaru highly recommended Sasuke go "noob-stomping" to break the cycle and stabilize his fragile ego.
"Big brother~"
As Sasuke stood there lost in thought, the villagers from the foot of the mountain cheered and ran toward him.
Leading the group was a snot-nosed little boy.
"You're welcome..." Sasuke started to say.
"Big brother, why didn't you come sooner?! If you had come just half a month earlier, my mom and dad wouldn't have died! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO KILLED THEM! GIVE THEM BACK TO ME!"
Sasuke was about to put on his usual edgy facade, toss out a cool remark and turn away when the kid at the front of the crowd started screaming accusations at him.
Sasuke froze.
If he remembered correctly, this mission was part of a nationwide sweep.
After the daimyo went missing, the Hokage initiated a blanket cleanup of the Land of Fire to consolidate military control.
In short, this mission wasn't requested by the villagers.
They didn't pay a single ryo for it.
The mission was an official, top-down sweep initiated by Konoha.
It wasn't that the villagers posted a bounty and Konoha deliberately delayed it, they never posted one in the first place.
This bandit nest had only recently been mapped by the Intelligence Division.
It only became an active mission after the report reached headquarters.
"He's right! If Konoha's ninja had come sooner, the money and grain I stored in my barn two years ago wouldn't have been stolen!" an old man yelled.
"There's nothing left in the stronghold! YOU MUST HAVE HIDDEN IT ALL! THAT WAS OUR HARD-EARNED MONEY!"
"YOU CAN'T LEAVE! IF YOU GO, WHAT WILL WE EAT?!"
"Yeah, what will we eat?!"
After the kid's first accusation, the rest of the ungrateful mob chimed in, demanding compensation.
The stuff in the stronghold? Sasuke didn't taken a damn thing.
As a noble Uchiha, he wouldn't stoop to looting dirty bandit gold!
And listen to what these leeches were saying!
They were even bringing up money stolen two years ago!
These are bandits, not a fucking bank.
Did they think it was a savings account? You just deposit it and withdraw it later with interest?
Don't bandits live like there's no tomorrow, spending whatever they loot on booze and gambling?
Forget two years—money stolen today would be gone by tomorrow morning!
Sasuke felt exhausted, his vision blurring.
The villagers' screeching accusations echoed in his ears, making his head feel like it was about to split open.
'Am I about to awaken the Mangekyō over this bullshit? Or am I just going to die of sheer frustration?'
Suddenly, Sasuke remembered the methods Orochimaru taught him for dealing with people.
More accurately, the way things were handled in the Hidden Rain Village now.
Sasuke clutched his aching head and looked up.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan flared crimson as he scanned the mob.
...
One day later.
Having "completed" his mission, Sasuke returned to the Hokage Office and tossed the mission scroll onto the desk.
"You took a while. Run into any trouble?" Kakashi asked casually as he stamped the document.
It was a routine question, Kakashi didn't expect any real complications.
It was just a camp of bandits. Even a team of fresh Genin could've handled it.
"I ran into some complications..." Sasuke stated coldly. "That evil bastard Orochimaru used his Living Corpse Reincarnation to possess the bodies of a poor little boy and some innocent villagers. It took me some time to deal with them."
Using the Hidden Rain's method—murdering the witnesses and blaming Orochimaru's cursed seals—really did make him feel much better.
"Huh? OROCHIMARU?!" Kakashi was dumbfounded.
Hasn't Orochimaru already been redeemed... er, reconciled with us?
Didn't we already clear up that misunderstanding where you thought the snake was tricking you?
Why are we blaming Orochimaru again?!
Could it be that since Danzo, the ultimate scapegoat, is dead, people are just throwing blame at Orochimaru for everything now?
"Yes, Orochimaru," Sasuke explained smoothly. "Every Cursed Seal Orochimaru places on someone is a fragment of his soul, which he can use to resurrect himself. His main body might seem normal now, but the soul fragments he scattered won't change instantly. That guy is terrified of death, so he cast a wide net... Anyway, that's what happened."
"Really?" Kakashi asked, his lone eye squinting in heavy skepticism.
'Weren't we supposed to be working with the Hidden Rain to deceive Sasuke?' Kakashi thought.
'Why do I feel like I'm the one getting played right now?'
"But I heard Orochimaru has strict genetic requirements for his vessels. That's why he targeted you in the first place. The Sound Four weren't even qualified to hold his soul..." Kakashi trailed off.
"Who knows Orochimaru better, you or me?" Sasuke cut off Kakashi's doubts with an icy glare.
He didn't bother saying another word.
Sasuke turned around, returned home in sullen silence, and, despite it being broad daylight, burrowed straight under his covers like a depressed teenager.
Sasuke dealt with the villagers using the Hidden Rain's method, which brought him a fleeting sense of satisfaction.
But the relief didn't last.
The villagers' inherent greed and their bullying reminded Sasuke of Naruto's childhood.
'Was letting Naruto return to Konoha really the right decision?'
Sasuke originally planned to march to the Hidden Cloud Village to bring Naruto back, just as Naruto had come to Otogakure for him.
But now, Sasuke held himself back.
He held back through agonizing mental pain!
He trembled under the covers.
Good news: Sasuke's mental resilience is incredibly high.
Bad news: Sasuke's mental resilience is incredibly high.
He still hadn't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!
Makoto's script was comprehensive, but even he couldn't predict exactly what psychological trigger would awaken Sasuke's eyes, or what specific abilities they would manifest.
For example, if Sasuke awakened his eyes right now, according to the "Eye that Reflects the Heart" principle, he'd likely gain a cursed ability similar to Makoto's 'Wonder of U.'
This ability could be applied to Naruto and himself, causing anyone who verbally abused them to suffer from festering mouths and facial sores.
If he awakened his eyes while searching for Naruto, he'd likely gain a tracking-type dōjutsu.
If he awakened them after being defeated and humiliated by the Cloud ninja, he might truly end up with the basic Amaterasu and be stuck with it forever.
When dealing with the Uchiha, never pursue raw power.
Seek only love and intense emotions.
Madara Uchiha, the one who pursued power most relentlessly, never demonstrated a single unique Mangekyō ability.
Itachi and Sasuke, who also pursued power, ended up with the shitty non-lethal Amaterasu.
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator