The next day.
Having heard that Izumi's Mangekyo possessed the ability to resurrect the dead, Sasuke didn't doubt it for a second and immediately sought her out.
"Can you revive Naruto?"
Izumi actually held a glimmer of hope, wishing he would ask to revive Mikoto, or perhaps both Naruto and Mikoto.
But...
Sigh.
Izumi nodded with a complex expression and said, "It should be possible."
"To resurrect him, I'm willing to do anything!" Sasuke said hurriedly.
Izumi looked at him with a complex expression and sighed, saying, "Just don't make things difficult for your brother."
Sasuke was puzzled, but he still nodded firmly in agreement. "Okay. I definitely won't make things difficult for nii-san."
"Where is the body?"
"In my room." Sasuke hurriedly led the way.
—
"What happened to me..."
(Naruto!)
A flood of memories rushed into Naruto's mind.
When the seal on him was broken by the masked man and the dark side of the Nine-Tails devoured him, he came to a space filled with warmth.
(Naruto!)
There was a red-haired woman in front of him... it was mom!
(Naruto!)
It was his biological mother!
(Naruto!!!)
Kushina told him so much, then she cried, constantly apologizing and saying sorry.
(Naruto!!!)
Naruto snapped his eyes open, gasping for breath.
"Naruto!"
Naruto saw the overjoyed Sasuke in front of him and immediately came to his senses, feeling much more at ease.
"Sasuke? You're okay? That's great! Where's Papa Fugaku? Where's Mama Mikoto? Where's Itachi-nii-san?" Naruto was very happy.
But Sasuke's heart suddenly felt as if it had been stabbed. His pupils shrank as he recalled something, becoming despondent.
"That's right... Mom... Mom is also dead..."
He hurriedly turned around and grabbed Izumi. "Resurrect mom for me too! I'll do anything!"
Izumi patted his hand with a complex expression and shook her head slightly. This clear refusal left Sasuke dazed.
"W... Why?"
"I can only help you resurrect one person." Izumi said.
"Only help me resurrect... one person..." Sasuke muttered to himself, his expression grim.
Why specifically me? Why only help me resurrect one person?
He immediately thought of Hiromi and Shisui.
"Is it their order?" Sasuke asked in disbelief, his hatred surging.
Izumi shook her head, knelt down, stroked his head, and said, "Everyone was waiting for you to remember your mother, but..."
She patted Sasuke's shoulder, nodded apologetically to Naruto, and turned to leave.
"Sasuke..." Naruto felt very guilty.
Because he had died, Sasuke was unable to resurrect Mama Mikoto.
Although he didn't know how Izumi-nee-san brought the dead back to life...
"Sasuke! I will definitely make sure Mama Mikoto is resurrected!" Naruto bravely took responsibility.
But the tsundere Sasuke said with eyes full of hatred, "It's none of your business."
"She's my mother too!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke was stunned.
The hatred in his eyes slowly faded.
"Sorry..." Sasuke said.
"It's okay, we will definitely resurrect Mama Mikoto." Naruto hugged him and said firmly.
Sasuke nodded, his eyes filled with desperate determination.
Seeing that he had calmed Sasuke down, Naruto immediately said, "Then let's go see Itachi-nii-san right now."
"?"
Sasuke asked, "Why look for him?"
"Why wouldn't we look for him?" Naruto asked back in confusion.
"Because he's obviously on the side of Hiromi and Shisui." Sasuke said.
Naruto became even more confused and said, "But Mama Mikoto is also Itachi-nii-san's mother."
Suddenly, Sasuke froze. Then, he was pulled away by Naruto.
—
Soon, under Naruto's forceful pulling, they found Itachi. Along the way, Naruto noticed the Uchiha Clan Members' hostility toward Sasuke.
"Why is everyone looking at you so strangely, Sasuke? What did you do?" Naruto asked.
"Mind your own business." Sasuke said unpleasantly.
"I'm your best friend, how could I not care?"
"I told you to leave me alone."
With just two sentences, the two of them started fighting. However, rather than a fight, it was more like Naruto being one-sidedly beaten up. He was repeatedly knocked away, yet he kept rushing back. Finally, he was stopped by Raichi.
With eyes full of hatred, Sasuke used the Body Flicker Technique and left.
"Sasuke..." Naruto watched the direction he left with a bruised face, very worried.
Raichi also looked in the direction Sasuke had left, feeling a massive headache. "Brats are such a pain."
As she looked down, she saw Naruto bowing to her.
"Raichi-nee-san, I apologize to you on behalf of Sasuke. I'm sorry."
Raichi shook her head, patted his shoulder, and said, "Come on, I'll take you to see Itachi."
"Okay." Naruto nodded in agreement, his eyes resolute.
He believed that as long as Mikoto was resurrected, Sasuke would return to normal.
—
Raichi and Naruto informed Itachi about Sasuke's situation.
"Is that so..." Itachi sighed.
"Traitor Itachi, is there something wrong with your family's genes?" Raichi asked curiously.
"..."
A vein popped on Itachi's forehead, but he couldn't really refute it, so he could only say tactfully, "Is there anything else?"
"Nothing, I'm just waiting for your answer." Raichi said with a chuckle.
Itachi felt helpless and said, "Raichi, enough. Hiromi trusts me, and I trust Hiromi. There's no need to keep testing me."
"It's your family's genes that tested me first." Raichi said, acting innocent.
"..."
Itachi couldn't help but clench his fist slightly.
If this continued, he didn't know how much more irritated he would get.
So he said, "If you don't leave, I'll call father over."
"Tch." Raichi left.
But before leaving, her words drifted back faintly: "Always reporting to your dad."
Itachi: "..."
Naruto: "..."
Itachi felt a bit awkward.
Meanwhile, Naruto felt that the situation within the Uchiha clan seemed a bit strange.
Shouldn't it be very oppressive? Why did Raichi-nee-san and Itachi-nii-san still have the heart to bicker?
"Naruto, the darkness in Sasuke's heart is too deep. He's prone to getting stuck in a dead end right now. I hope you can help him." Itachi said.
"I understand, it's what I should do." Naruto agreed without hesitation.
Immediately after, he asked, "Itachi-nii-san, do you know how to resurrect Mama Mikoto?"
Suddenly, Naruto remembered the tragic deaths of Teuchi and Ayame before he was taken away, and he immediately grew tense.
"And Uncle Teuchi and Ayame-nee... Right, Kakashi-sensei, Guy-sensei... and, what happened to everyone else?"
Itachi's expression darkened as he said, "In the entire Uchiha Imperial City, only these people are left now."
"These... people?" Naruto's pupils trembled, feeling extremely uneasy.
"Yes, only dozens of Uchiha Clan Members remain."
Naruto's pupils constricted, his heart ached so much he could hardly breathe. He clenched his fists as veins bulged on his arms.
However, after Itachi's next sentence, he was stunned.
"It's nothing. When the war ends, they will all come back."
"???"
Naruto looked bewildered.
Come back? They're already dead, how can they come back?
Itachi looked at him calmly, as if saying, "Weren't you dead too?"
Naruto, shocked, guessed a possibility.
Everyone could be resurrected when the time came!
That was why no one was worried.
But...
"Then why is the atmosphere in the clan so depressing?"
"Naruto, there are some things that I can't easily tell you." Itachi said.
"Then why resurrect me now?" Naruto asked intensely.
"Don't you know why?" Itachi's counter-question left Naruto stunned.
A figure immediately popped into his mind.
"Be... because of Sasuke..." Naruto's hands trembled.
"The darkness in his heart is too deep,"
Itachi sighed and said, "Naruto, I hope you can help him."
"I understand!" Naruto knew what he had to do.
—
On the other side.
After Sasuke left, he went to a deserted tree. He sat alone on a branch, head lowered, his face grim as if lost in turbulent thoughts.
At that moment, an extremely raspy laugh rang out.
"If you choose to become a traitor to the Uchiha, perhaps Hiromi will reward me with your eyes."
Sasuke didn't even look up as he sneered, "One of the former Sannin of Konoha, and now you're enjoying being a dog this much?"
"Hehehe."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, looking at Sasuke with a smile. "All the mysteries are about to be revealed. Perhaps the path you've chosen will win."
Sasuke frowned. "What exactly are you here for?"
"Hehehe..." Orochimaru left.
This made Sasuke feel as if he had stepped into a quagmire, sensing that conspiracies seemed to be everywhere.
Just then, Naruto's shout came from behind.
"Sasuke!!!"
"Sasuke!!!"
Sasuke looked impatient and turned to head further away. But Naruto behind him had already spotted him and was in hot pursuit.
"Sasuke! It's me, Naruto!"
"Sasuke!!!"
No matter how Naruto shouted, Sasuke didn't stop. The two of them dashed and chased through the forest.
After shouting "Sasuke" countless times, Naruto couldn't help but yell, "Are you hiding from me!!! Sasuke!!!"
"Hiding?" Sasuke was so angry he laughed, coming to a halt.
Naruto caught up and landed on a branch.
"Sasuke..."
Before Naruto could say "come back with me," he was ruthlessly interrupted by Sasuke.
"Naruto, what right does someone as weak as you have to make me hide?" Sasuke looked at Naruto with utter disdain.
Naruto could tell at a glance that Sasuke was in a predicament where his eyes were clouded by his own power, but he couldn't express it.
He could only struggle to explain, "It's not like that, Sasuke! We're friends!"
"Friends?" The proud Sasuke sneered. "I don't have friends as weak as you."
"Sasuke!!!" Naruto clenched his fists, feeling very angry.
This has nothing to do with strength at all! Why don't you understand!
Sasuke laughed. "What? Can you only bark like a dog?"
"Sasuke!!!"
Naruto was still just a twelve-year-old child, after all. Sasuke had successfully provoked him.
He charged forward with his fists clenched. If words couldn't communicate, then he'd use his fists. He would use his fists to beat some sense into his best friend.