It wasn't the Uchiha compound, but a different apartment where Sasuke had lived since the Night of the Extinction. Today, however, something was different about Sasuke... his mother had made him breakfast.
"Mom, I'm finished!"
Sasuke felt a bit too full, likely influenced by the long-lost atmosphere of a family home. Come to think of it, it had been far too long since he'd tasted that familiar "mother's cooking."
After finishing his meal, it was time for school, but Mikoto stopped him just as he was about to head out.
"Sasuke, take some for Naruto as well."
Sasuke turned back to see Mikoto snapping the lid onto a bento box before walking over to hand it to him.
"Why should I have to do that?" Sasuke curled his lip, turning his head away.
"Naruto—that child lives alone, doesn't he? He might oversleep and miss breakfast," Mikoto said with a gentle smile, a hint of heartache in her eyes.
"Hmph~ that sounds like his 'dead last' style." Sasuke's words were sharp, but he obediently took the bento box. It was surprisingly heavy.
"Get along well with your classmates!" Mikoto looked down at Sasuke as he put on his shoes in the entryway.
"I'm leaving," Sasuke muttered dismissively before walking away quickly.
He really hasn't changed, Mikoto thought helplessly. Sasuke had always been distant from his peers, and now it had likely worsened.
The weight of his clan had affected him deeply; she could hardly imagine how he had survived these years. He had probably been living on nothing but spite.
After being moved back to the village from the light curtain space, Mikoto had met with the Third Hokage. That was to be expected.
However, she knew nothing about the light curtain; for her, the resurrection was sudden. She couldn't describe the world after death—it was as if she had been in a dream, or as if one second she was dying and the next she was alive.
The Third didn't make things difficult for her. After a brief questioning, he arranged for her to live in the apartment next to Sasuke's.
This was for the best; Mikoto didn't want to return to the Uchiha compound or revisit those heavy memories.
Facing his mother after being separated by the veil of life and death for so long, Sasuke had finally broken down once they got home.
He was just a vulnerable child, wanting only to pour out his pain in his mother's embrace, crying as he spoke a thousand words.
Mikoto was heartbroken, but aside from her guilt, there was little she could do except double the motherly love she had lost. She knew what Itachi carried, but she couldn't speak of it—at least not yet.
But that was yesterday.
Today, students gathered at the Ninja Academy as usual, everyone buzzing with excitement about the Ninja Mobile Game. Naturally—what else would they talk about?
Sasuke entered the classroom and immediately saw Naruto slumped over his desk, dozing off.
Tap, tap, tap.
"Still alive, loser?" Sasuke tapped the desk. Seeing no reaction from Naruto, he simply slammed the warm bento box onto Naruto's face. The heat startled Naruto awake instantly.
"Sasuke! What are you doing?!" Naruto yelled.
"Heh! Coming to class with dark circles under your eyes? No wonder your grades are trash if you don't sleep at night," Sasuke mocked coolly.
Naruto was speechless. He couldn't exactly say it was because of Sasuke's mother—he'd spent the whole night fantasizing about what his own mother might have been like. Aunt Mikoto is so gentle; I bet my mom was a beautiful lady, too, right?
Seeing Naruto daze out, Sasuke grew annoyed. He flipped open the bento box and shoved Naruto's face toward it.
"Agh! You bastard, Sasuke!" Naruto bristled, grabbing the bento box as if to throw it at Sasuke's face.
"Are you sure you want to give that back to me? Not even going to look?"
Naruto froze. When he saw the steaming bento filled with a perfect mix of aromas, his brain short-circuited.
"This is... for me? Aunt Mikoto, right? She made this for me?" Naruto guessed quickly. It wasn't hard—it's not like Sasuke would have made it.
"Consider it compensation for turning down her dinner invitation yesterday," Sasuke said nonchalantly.
Naruto held the bento box, unsure of what to say. A person who loved excitement as much as him had a reason for not going; he couldn't bring himself to intrude on Sasuke's reunion with his mother.
"Thanks," Naruto said, looking down.
"Wash it and give it back when you're done," Sasuke said, taking a seat.
Their interaction was watched by everyone in the room, their expressions turning slightly odd. But looking at Sasuke, who had already resumed his cold, "cool guy" pose with arms crossed, no one dared to interrupt.
Naruto didn't care. After a silent "itadakimasu," he started eating. It was as delicious as he'd imagined—especially because someone had prepared it specifically for him.
From the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw Naruto eating while silently shedding tears. He looked away in total disgust.
That idiot! Forget it, I don't even want the box back!
Despite his thoughts, Sasuke remembered his conversation with his mother yesterday.
"Why do you care so much about Naruto?" Sasuke had asked when Mikoto was questioning him about the boy's well-being.
"Because... his mother was my dear friend!" Mikoto had said, patting Sasuke's head. "Besides, he revived me. We both owe him a great debt."
Friends, huh...
Sasuke's gaze shifted, turning deep. What one says and what one thinks are two different things. It was an indescribable feeling—a sense of awkwardness.
He hated being in debt to others, yet he had received exactly what he needed most. It was a mix of gratitude, joy, and a nagging irritation. It was complex enough to give him a headache.
The classroom gradually filled with students. When it was time for class, Iruka walked in punctually.
"Alright, students, get ready for class."
Naruto had put away the bento box, replaced now by an orange mobile phone. Not just him—Sasuke and every other student in the room pulled out phones of various colors. Even Iruka did the same.
Everyone stared at their screens, where a countdown was ticking away.
[Time until Ninja Mobile Game Official Launch:]
[10 Minutes Remaining.]
Ten minutes wasn't long, but it held the hearts of everyone present—and everyone in the entire ninja world. An announcement yesterday had confirmed the launch for this morning, something no one could ignore.
In different places but with the same action, everyone gripped their phones, watching the time slip away like sand in an hourglass. And then, jumping out from that opening, was a ferocious beast.
[ROAR!!!]
[Twelve years ago, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox suddenly appeared in the Hidden Leaf Village, its roar rending the very earth...]
Twelve years ago, the Nine-Tails attack.
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