"Sasuke-kun, how are you feeling now?"
Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino stood inside the hospital room.
The two girls placed the flowers they brought on the windowsill before turning to look at Sasuke by the bed.
Originally, visitors weren't allowed.
But after discovering that Sasuke had woken up again and was just sitting there blankly like an idiot, unmoving and unresponsive,
the Third Hokage had no choice but to let some peers visit, hoping it might have a positive effect.
So, after school, the two girls heard someone say that Sasuke had woken up but no one seemed to care—how pitiful that was.
"Do you need something?"
Sasuke looked up at the two girls. His eyes were completely emotionless, but he finally spoke.
"N-no, not really… We were just worried about you, Sasuke-kun."
Sakura shook her head excitedly—he actually talked to her!
"Sasuke-kun hasn't come to school in a long time, so we're here on behalf of everyone to check in.
Everyone is hoping you recover soon, so… please be strong and get better quickly!"
Ino had always been perceptive since she was young. She could feel the sorrow radiating from Sasuke's entire being.
And with everything related to his clan, she had heard her father talk about it too.
Sasuke truly was pitiful now.
"If there's nothing else, go. I need to rest."
After giving the two girls a brief glance, Sasuke lay back down on the bed.
He didn't want to see anyone.
What he needed now was composure—to organize his hatred and resentment properly,
and make sure the higher-ups in Konoha didn't detect anything unusual about him too early.
As for his parents' bodies...
The leadership still hadn't called on the Yamanaka Clan to search his memories,
so it was likely they weren't planning to act in that direction—at least not for now.
"Sasuke, I actually think—"
Sakura tried to speak again, anxious because Sasuke clearly didn't want to interact.
But Ino reached out and quickly covered Sakura's mouth, dragging her to the door.
"Sasuke-kun, we'll all be waiting for you at school. No matter what, please stay strong."
Standing at the doorway, Ino finished speaking, then gently closed the door and pulled Sakura out of the hospital.
Some things just couldn't be said—saying them would only further hurt Sasuke.
As someone who had grown up with Sakura, Ino knew all too well how much she disliked her own parents.
So regardless of whether she meant well, Ino had to get her out of there—she couldn't let this airhead say something inappropriate.
"A bunch of people who know nothing…"
Listening to the faint noise in the hallway, Sasuke exhaled, not caring at all about what others thought or said.
Though he had made a choice, revenge was still something he had to pursue.
Only now, compared to the original Sasuke, he had many more targets to take revenge on.
And the foundation for all of this... was power.
"Uchiha Sasuke, how much do you remember from that night?"
The night Sasuke awoke again, the Third Hokage came to the hospital.
His gaze was gentle as he looked at Sasuke, truly resembling a kind, benevolent old man.
But this same person was, in truth, nothing more than a politician—
and one of the key culprits behind the destruction of the Uchiha clan.
Sasuke knew everything… yet could only act as if he knew nothing.
"Itachi… that man… why did he do it? Why…"
Tears slid down his cheeks as Sasuke questioned, his voice filled with anger.
The crying, the rage—it all perfectly matched the state he was expected to be in:
Painful, helpless, consumed by hatred—yet completely powerless.
This version of Sasuke was reassuring to those watching him.
And to those who may have once held even a sliver of hope for him…
he now evoked only disgust.