At the lake.
Sasuke was there, practicing Ninjutsu. At seven years old, he was already able to perform the C-rank Ninjutsu, Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, which Fugaku had taught him on a whim.
But it was too late. Now, he needed to learn the B-rank Ninjutsu, Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, to shock his father and older brother with his growth.
Concentrating on practicing Ninjutsu, he caught sight of a young boy's figure in his peripheral vision. It looked somewhat familiar, making him unable to resist looking over.
Upon taking a closer look, his face was immediately filled with astonishment.
"Hiromi? You... how did you come here?"
Hiromi glanced at Sasuke and said calmly, "Practicing a new technique."
"Oh..."
Sasuke's words and actions couldn't help but carry a hint of nervousness and curiosity.
Itachi didn't seem to like talking about Hiromi, though it wasn't dislike, it seemed more like a bit of disapproving admiration?
He didn't quite understand.
But he knew about his father, Fugaku. Ever since that night of the clan members' excited, all-night celebration, his father hadn't praised his older brother. Although he didn't say it directly, he could hear the admiration for Hiromi in every word his father said.
Once, he overheard his father say something to his mother: "Mikoto, I'm sorry, he doesn't want to talk about Kushina's son. Once the Uchiha settles down, I will go and beg him."
Mikoto shook her head slightly. She knew this must be a village secret, especially after having seen the mysterious Naruto.
"Let it be. As long as you are all well, I am fine with anything."
Everyone has selfish motives. The Uchiha identity is sensitive, and the Fourth Hokage's son... the Uchiha cannot afford to touch him.
Just at this moment, he was discovered by his father, Fugaku.
"Why are you still not asleep?"
Mikoto immediately walked over, crouched in front of Sasuke, and asked gently, "What's the matter?"
Sasuke shook his head slightly and said to Fugaku, "I'm thirsty."
Fugaku gave an "Mm," and after a second, added, "Don't tell anyone."
Sasuke nodded quickly.
He didn't know why, but he knew that the "him" in his father's "beg him" must be Hiromi.
Now, seeing Hiromi walking over, he wanted to move aside to make some space for him. But he saw Hiromi walking calmly on the slightly rippling lake surface as if he were walking on solid ground.
His pupils constricted.
Even my Chakra control can't compare to his?!
At this moment, a voice sounded from behind. "Such exquisite control."
He turned his head and saw a few clan members in their twenties following behind. Seeing him look over, they smiled gently at him.
The gaze they directed at Hiromi carried a different kind of light. It was as if it was the gaze children had toward his father before he abdicated.
That was adoration.
The clan members said matter-of-factly.
"Of course. Hiromi is capable of using Fire Release Chakra Mode."
"I heard that only by training Chakra control to the extreme is it possible to activate that mode."
Sasuke turned his head and looked at Hiromi in confusion. "Fire Release Chakra Mode?"
At this moment, Hiromi, who had walked to the center of the lake, glanced in the direction of the Hyuga Clan, and as if confirming his destination, hot orange flames erupted from his entire body. The lake water beneath his feet was constantly being evaporated, and massive, terrifying amounts of steam billowed out.
Sasuke sensed danger and scrambled to retreat in a panic. Suddenly, a pair of large hands wrapped around his waist and pulled him back quickly.
Sasuke was stunned, and upon regaining his senses, he saw Itachi.
"Nii-san!" Sasuke was very happy.
Itachi smiled at Sasuke, put him down, ruffled his hair, and looked toward Hiromi, whose momentum in the center of the lake was growing ever more massive. The steam evaporated rapidly, expanding like a mushroom cloud.
He asked, "Hiromi, what are you doing?"
Hiromi replied, "Oh, I'm researching a technique that descends from the skies."
"Descends from the skies?"
Not only Itachi, but the clan members nearby were also bewildered.
Why research such a technique? What use does it have?
Soon, they knew.
Hiromi transformed into an orange rocket, soaring into the sky, breaking through the steam, and rushing toward the blinding sun, as if he had turned into a beam of light, disappearing high in the sky.
They didn't know how many thousands of meters it was, they looked for a long time but still couldn't see Hiromi's figure.
When Hiromi fell with rolling red flames that carried the force of a shockwave, they panicked.
"We must quickly evacuate the clan members!"
The next second, their expressions became strange. The direction Hiromi was descending seemed to be a bit off. It seemed to be in the direction of a certain clan's compound in the village.
Which clan was it?
They couldn't recall it for a moment.
Itachi's face changed drastically. He didn't even have time to explain, turning into a terrifying gale and rushing out in a hurry, his figure flashing rapidly as if teleporting, swiftly vanishing before the clan members.
The clan members were bewildered. But two seconds later, they remembered which clan's compound it was.
That was the Hyuga Clan's compound!
Their minds recalled Hiromi's disdainful words — Is it useful to go to the Hokage for this?
Going to Hiruzen is useless, so you're going to crash into the Hyuga Clan?
They were stunned for a second. Immediately after, upon regaining their senses, their expressions changed drastically.
"Holy crap!!!"
They broke out in a cold sweat and rushed out in a hurry.
They acted this way for two reasons.
First, they were worried that the Hyuga Clan would suffer too much damage and would want to kill Hiromi in retaliation, so they had to call the clan members to go and protect their leader.
Second, they held onto a sliver of hope that they could stop Hiromi before he landed.
Everyone ran off, leaving only Sasuke. He didn't know why but after he blinked, not only were the clan members gone, but even his older brother was gone.
However, standing here, he could see over there very clearly. The orange flames high in the sky were like a meteorite, transforming into a magnificent stream of light. The extreme speed caused a touch of rolling red destructive flame color to appear on the orange stream of light.
Shattering under the wash of the violent wind, it formed red flame fragments that blended with the orange flames, creating a brilliant tail flame. Under the brilliant morning sun, it was once again coated with a layer of golden light.
Orange, red, and gold—the rendering of three colors was a perfect combination of beauty and danger.
Coupled with the terrifying falling momentum like a shockwave, it was filled with an irresistible power like that of nature itself, making him unable to resist feeling awestruck.