Chapter 118: Avenger - Uchiha Sasuke
Inside a hospital room in Konoha.
Sasuke, his eyes red-rimmed, sat on the bed, forcefully sniffling.
But this small movement inadvertently touched the bruises on his face.
"Hiss!"
Sasuke instantly sucked in a cold breath, lightly twitching the corner of his mouth.
"Damn it! This guy really shows no mercy when he hits!"
And, just now, he kept hitting his handsome face!
Thinking this, Sasuke glanced resentfully to his side.
He happened to meet Naruto's eyes, which made his body stiffen.
The teasing in those azure blue eyes was simply too obvious.
"Hmph!"
Sasuke's small, bruised face flushed slightly. He turned his head away, somewhat embarrassed.
Who knew why he couldn't help but cry just now!
Clearly, clearly he could have held it in!
But the result...
"Damn it! Naruto will definitely laugh at me for this for a lifetime!"
Sasuke pounded the quilt somewhat angrily, the sorrow and resentment in his heart also dissipating a little.
Just then.
"Sorry to disturb you at a time like this."
A lazy voice interrupted Sasuke's thoughts, pulling him back from his complex emotions.
"However, as the sole survivor of this incident, we still have some things we need you to confirm."
Hatake Kakashi stood before Sasuke's hospital bed, holding a notebook and pen, asking: "According to the intelligence we currently have, Uchiha Itachi is the main culprit behind the Uchiha clan's extermination."
"Then, what was his motive?"
Hearing that man's name, Sasuke subconsciously clenched his fists, a trace of hatred flashing in his eyes.
And deep within them...
Fear.
Huff!
Sasuke let out a long breath, forcefully suppressing the emotions in his heart: "That man said, killing his clansmen was to test his own capacity, to obtain even greater power."
Test his capacity, obtain power?
"Is that so."
Kakashi bit the end of his pen with a troubled expression, his tone complex: "That really is... a reason that leaves one speechless."
Although the entire incident seemed to exude an air of incredulity,
Sasuke, who experienced it firsthand, insisted that the clan extermination was Uchiha Itachi's doing.
After the incident concluded, ANBU launched a manhunt for the masked man calling himself Ame-no-Minakanushi and Uchiha Itachi.
But it had already been over ten hours since the night of the massacre, and there was still no trace of Uchiha Itachi.
He had probably already left Konoha.
Although the entirety of Konoha was enveloped by a sealing barrier, Uchiha Itachi, having once been an ANBU squad captain, wouldn't find it difficult to obtain a method to open Konoha's barrier.
If that's the case, besides fleeing out of guilt, there should be no second possibility... right?
However, some doubts still remained.
For example, where did the eyes of those Uchiha clansmen go?
And those Uchiha clansmen whose bodies weren't found.
Were their bodies completely destroyed in battle, or perhaps...
They didn't die at all?
The most suspicious point: by what means did Uchiha Itachi manage to annihilate the Uchiha clan right under Konoha's nose?
Even if he utilized his identity as a clansman, it should have been impossible, right?
"Could it be..."
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes narrowed slightly. He suddenly recalled the dozens of corpses near the Uchiha clan grounds.
According to the investigation, those were all Root ninja.
This couldn't help but make Kakashi think of some rather unpleasant things.
Moreover, Lord Third seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally directed ANBU ninja patrols to avoid the Uchiha clan's area.
Only Sarutobi Shinnosuke's team remained there.
Oh, no.
It should be said, only mangled chunks of flesh remained.
"I wonder if Lord Third can withstand such a huge blow."
Thinking this, Kakashi sighed somewhat helplessly.
He then stood up and bid farewell to Sasuke: "Then thank you for your cooperation. Please rest well. I'll be leaving first."
With that, he was about to turn and leave.
But just then.
"Excuse me, how do you plan to handle this incident?"
Naruto's calm voice sounded, and Kakashi's steps couldn't help but pause.
"How to handle it?"
A trace of annoyance flashed in Kakashi's dead-fish eyes: "I'm sorry, these matters are not for you to know."
Actually, he didn't want to sound so heartless either.
According to the analysis of the intelligence department, there were three main participants in this massacre.
Besides Uchiha Itachi, who killed the clansmen within the Uchiha clan grounds, there was also a man wearing an orange spiral mask.
Kakashi suspected he was the one who caused the Nine-Tails Rampage back then; the Police Force was also wiped out by him alone this time.
He already harbored hostility towards Konoha; destroying the Uchiha clan could effectively weaken Konoha's overall strength.
It wasn't strange that he could do such a thing.
Furthermore, there was that man wearing a three-eyed cat-face mask, possessing exceptionally formidable strength, calling himself Ame-no-Minakanushi.
His origin, identity, purpose – all unknown.
And it couldn't be confirmed that these three were the only ones.
Since Konoha's founding, such a vile clan extermination incident had never occurred.
The Third Hokage was currently still unconscious, and the ANBU Director was confirmed dead.
He was just a lowly ANBU squad captain, with no authority to make decisions regarding such a heinous event.
...Just as he couldn't defy the Hokage's orders and had to have prolonged contact with Teacher Minato's child.
"Really now, what am I thinking nonsense about again?"
Kakashi shook his head, temporarily甩 (shuǎi - fling/throw) out the bold thoughts from his mind.
Immediately, with a Body Flicker, his figure vanished before Naruto and Sasuke.
The hospital room fell into a bizarre silence for a moment.
"Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, asking intentionally or unintentionally: "I don't need your care."
Naruto, arms crossed, heard this, a smile appearing on his face.
The person who should leave has already left. But he can't leave now.
"So, you've already determined that Uchiha Itachi and that masked man are the culprits who destroyed the Uchiha clan?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Sasuke couldn't help but freeze.
Otherwise?
Isn't this a very obvious matter?
"How strange. You used to be very smart."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, saying meaningfully: "Don't you have any doubts at all? Why would the Uchiha, under Konoha's protection, be completely slaughtered by Uchiha Itachi alone?"
From Hatake Kakashi's words, he had already roughly understood the massacre incident.
The Uchiha, known as Konoha's number one prestigious clan, had countless members who had awakened the Sharingan; they were an important piece of Konoha's puzzle.
But such a prominent clan was actually exterminated overnight?
Where were Konoha's ANBU and Root?
Even thinking with your toes, you could figure out Konoha definitely played an extremely important role in this massacre.
"Hmm?"
Sasuke had already regained his basic rationality by now.
Prompted by Naruto, he instantly frowned.
Just like with Naruto, Uchiha Itachi had always been an omnipotent existence in his heart.
But having spent a long time with Naruto, he had gradually learned to think calmly.
And also, unconsciously,
A gentle feeling gradually spread throughout Sasuke's body.
Making his mind clear, soothing the fear and confusion in his heart.
"Yeah."
Sasuke frowned deeply, murmuring: "To silently eliminate the Uchiha clan within the village, one would not only have to bypass the village's patrol teams and guards but also silently eliminate everyone."
However, that night was definitely not "silent".
Someone launched a large number of signal flares into Konoha's sky, illuminating the entire sky above the Uchiha clan grounds.
Connecting this to the abnormalities that occurred that night, a light flashed in Sasuke's eyes.
"Meaning, ANBU and Root, under the circumstances that the Uchiha clan might be invaded, chose not to provide support at the first opportunity?"
For a moment, Sasuke's mind was in turmoil, his doubts multiplying.
"Sasuke."
Naruto beside him suddenly spoke: "In your eyes, what kind of person is Uchiha Itachi?"
What kind of person?
Sasuke heard this, and couldn't help but recall bits and pieces of his past interactions with that man.
Undoubtedly, that man was a calm, rational, and also very talented fellow.
Honestly, if the incident wasn't laid out right before him,
Sasuke simply couldn't imagine that man would do something as cruel and heartless as slaughtering his entire clan.
However, if one were to speak of that man's flaws...
He was a bit taciturn when facing others, not good at communication, and his relationship with the clansmen was very tense.
Wait!
Very tense, why?
"After school last night, I actually wanted to go to the Uchiha clan grounds to find you."
Looking at the pensive Sasuke, Naruto spoke again to remind him: "But ANBU seemed to have long known some mishap would occur and directly stopped me before I left."
"And as far as I know, the Uchiha clan's reputation in the village isn't very good."
The Uchiha clan had been a prominent clan in the ninja world since ancient times, their history even longer than that of the Five Great Nations.
But now, of the Uchiha in Konoha, only Sasuke remained as the sole seedling.
It had to be said, this was truly an astonishingly good move in a chess game.
Naruto even suspected if the Konoha higher-ups had spies sent by Menma-nii or other organizations.
Sasuke, combining this with details he usually observed, also thought of more.
The truth behind that man slaughtering the entire clan was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
"Could it be... because of coercion from the Konoha higher-ups and the masked man?!"
Thinking this, a hint of joy couldn't help but appear on Sasuke's face.
In that case!
Doesn't that mean Itachi actually...
But just as joy and relief rose in his heart,
"Sasuke, I think I need to remind you."
Naruto's expression was very cold, his tone low: "There might be other hidden circumstances behind the massacre, but what Uchiha Itachi did is definitely not fake."
"Uchiha Itachi is the executioner who cruelly slaughtered his entire clan, and there's no possibility of him being controlled."
Looks like Sasuke is still holding onto some wishful thinking?
How can that be?
Sasuke couldn't help but freeze upon hearing this.
His cheeks, which had just regained some color, instantly turned deathly pale again.
"Humans themselves are extremely complex creatures. You cannot understand the thoughts of a madman."
Looking at the pale-faced Sasuke, Naruto's eyes were profound as he said meaningfully: "Whether anyone coerced him or not, Uchiha Itachi, possessing power, showed no signs of resistance whatsoever!"
"The fact that he personally killed his own parents and clansmen is laid out right before you!"
"Undoubtedly, he is a cruel and foolish executioner!!"
As soon as these words were spoken, that scene couldn't help but reappear before Sasuke's eyes.
The scene that had replayed endlessly in the Tsukuyomi space.
A cruel, bloody, nauseating scene!
Uchiha Itachi, that man, he personally killed his clansmen, personally killed his parents!!
Even those children, those elderly people, did not escape his butcher's knife!
"I understand!"
Sasuke's eyes gradually changed from fear to determination: "The spirits of the Uchiha need salvation, salvation through that man's pain and death!"
Since he is still alive, then the Uchiha clan has not been destroyed!
From now on, he is not just Uchiha Sasuke!
He is also the avenger bearing the spirits of the Uchiha!
Thinking this, Sasuke's eyes turned scarlet.
The four tomoe began to spin rapidly, even faintly showing afterimages. (Again, four tomoe, an anomaly for basic Sharingan)
Then, under Naruto's amused gaze,
An extremely vibrant chakra erupted within his body. Sasuke suddenly felt his mind become much clearer.
The next second,
The originally spinning two tomoe gradually slowed, finally completely turning into three tomoe.
"That's more like it."
Sensing the increasingly powerful pupil power in Sasuke's eyes, Naruto smiled: "No matter what the truth is, it's just a few more targets for revenge, that's all."
Meanwhile, the sky gradually darkened.
A small cargo ship, having drifted for a day and a night, rounded the Land of Wind's strait via the sea, gradually approaching the port of the Land of Snow.
Meanwhile, in the lowest deck cabin of the cargo ship.
Menma sat lazily on the bed, quietly flipping through intelligence reports about the Land of Snow in his hand.
Rustle~
Suddenly, Menma's page-turning motion paused. He slowly shifted his gaze to the bed on the other side.
A woman with long black straight hair lay quietly on that bed, eyes tightly closed.
But looking closely, one would find her expression sometimes serene, sometimes turning ferocious.
As if constantly switching between beautiful dreams and nightmares, the chakra and pupil power within her body fluctuated bizarrely.
"Oh? Has it started already?"
Menma's gaze became playful: "Will you indulge in false beauty, or face cruel reality?"
...
Within a residence in the Uchiha clan grounds.
Uchiha Izumi sat outside in the courtyard, arms wrapped around her legs, her aura tranquil and elegant.
As if sensing something,
She slowly looked up at the scarlet full moon overhead.
The red moon reflected in Izumi's dark eyes, making them appear even hazier, more lost.
Looking at the bewitching, full moon, she couldn't help but sigh with deep emotion: "Tonight's moon... is truly beautiful."
But... why does it feel like I've forgotten something important?
Can't remember... could it be an illusion?
Just as she was troubled,
A gentle, familiar voice suddenly came from inside the house into her ears.
"Izumi, time to eat! We have your favorite dango today!"
This voice...
The haziness and trance in her dark eyes gradually faded. Uchiha Izumi's gaze completely cleared.
"Mom!"
(End of Chapter)
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