The sun wasn't even up yet.
But Sasuke was.
He stood in the Uchiha compound's backyard courtyard, shirtless, barefoot, and mildly regretting everything.
The ground was cold. The air was colder. His joints creaked like rusty door hinges. But he ignored it.
His body was weak. That wouldn't change unless he made it change.
So, he moved.
Push-ups.Squats.Core stretches.Controlled breathwork.
Every motion burned, but in the best way possible — the kind of pain that made him feel alive. That reminded him he had a body worth sharpening.
He took a short run around the compound perimeter. Twice. Then three times. And by the end, he was panting like a dog and glaring at the morning sky like it had personally betrayed him.
But he didn't stop.
"Stronger body. Sharper chakra. More control."
He'd made a promise — to himself, to the boy whose body he now shared, and to the world that stole everything from them both.
After freshening up, Sasuke scarfed down a protein-heavy breakfast — eggs, miso soup, grilled salmon, and rice.
Somewhere, in the depths of his soul, the adult part of him mourned not having coffee.
The walk to the academy was peaceful.
Until it wasn't.
A blur of orange and blue came charging straight at him from down the street.
"HEY! SASUKEEEE!!"
Sasuke blinked.
"Watch ou—"
Too late.
Naruto tripped over absolutely nothing and tackled him to the ground in a glorious, flailing heap of limbs and apologies.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Sasuke barked, shoving him off.
"Sorry sorry sorry!" Naruto scrambled upright. "I was trying to catch up and didn't see the rock—"
"There was no rock."
"I—I felt a rock!"
"You felt your own stupidity," Sasuke muttered, dusting off his pants.
Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned like the sun had baked his brain.
"Anyway! I saved you a seat!"
Sasuke blinked again. "…What?"
"In class. I saved you the window seat! Since you always sit near the window looking cool and tragic or whatever. I figured, y'know—habit."
Sasuke sighed long and deep.
"…Thanks," he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Class was a blur of lectures and shuriken theory, during which Naruto fell asleep twice, drooled on his desk, and accidentally set the corner of a scroll on fire while trying to "enhance it with chakra."
Iruka looked ten years older by lunch.
During break, Naruto followed Sasuke around like a particularly talkative puppy, telling him about his dream to become Hokage, his favorite ramen stand, and how he once tried to jump off the academy roof with an umbrella to see if it worked like in cartoons.
"I broke my leg, but it almost worked," Naruto said proudly.
Sasuke blinked at him. "…You're an idiot."
Naruto grinned. "I get that a lot."
Sasuke didn't laugh.
But he smiled — just a little.
________
After class, Sasuke slipped away before the mob could crowd the halls. He didn't like noise. Or crowds. Or being looked at like some tragic story everyone thought they understood.
So, as usual, he headed for the woods behind the academy. Quiet. Empty. Perfect.
Or so he thought.
Crunch. Crunch.
Sasuke paused mid-step. A twig snapped behind him.
He turned slowly.
There he was.
The blond idiot.
Naruto crouched behind a bush — poorly — with his bright orange jacket glowing like a beacon in the green forest.
"…What are you doing?" Sasuke asked flatly.
Naruto yelped and fell over backwards. "AH—! N-NOTHING! Just, uh, looking for frogs!"
"In a tree?"
Naruto blinked, looked up at the branches he was under, then gave a sheepish laugh. "They climb! You don't know that?"
"…Stop following me."
"I'm not following you," Naruto protested as he jogged to catch up. "I was just… heading this way! Because I thought I saw a mysterious figure sneaking off mysteriously after class, and I was like, 'Whoa, what's that about?' And then I was like, 'Oh, it's just Sasuke being dramatic again.'"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You are deeply annoying."
Naruto gave a big, dumb grin. "Thanks! I practice."
Sasuke said nothing. He kept walking.
Naruto kept following.
They reached the clearing where Sasuke trained. No one else ever came here. It was silent except for birds and the occasional rustle of wind through the leaves.
Naruto looked around, eyes wide. "Whoa. You've got a whole secret forest lair. That's so cool. Do you train here alone all the time?"
"Yes."
"Are there traps?"
"No."
"…Secret scrolls?"
"No."
"Is this where you go to cry?"
Sasuke turned and gave him a look.
Naruto laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Kidding! Kidding. Mostly."
Sasuke sighed and walked over to the tall tree he'd been working on. He pressed his palm against the bark, channeling chakra slowly to his soles.
Naruto watched with open curiosity, mouth slightly open. "Wait. Are you doing that chakra thing Iruka-sensei was talking about? Tree climbing without hands?"
Sasuke didn't answer. He focused, took a step, then another. The bark cracked slightly under his feet. He made it halfway up before his chakra wavered — and he jumped down smoothly, landing in a crouch.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "WHOA. That's so cool. Teach me!"
"No."
"C'mon! Just a little!"
"I said no."
Naruto pouted, then tried it anyway. He charged the tree with all the grace of a drunk duck, slammed into it, and bounced off with a loud thud.
"OW."
Sasuke watched him struggle like a cat trying to swim. "You're molding too much chakra. And it's unstable."
Naruto sat up, rubbing his forehead. "Okay, okay, so what if I do the opposite of that?"
"You'll still be wrong."
"But wrong differently. That's progress!"
Sasuke exhaled through his nose. Somehow, the blond was harder to ignore than an actual storm.
But Naruto was watching him again — not with jealousy, not with pity, just… interest. The same way he looked at ramen. Or frogs. Or weird insects under rocks.
Like Sasuke was some rare puzzle he had to solve.
It was infuriating.
And oddly… comforting.
"Tch. Fine," Sasuke muttered. "I'll show you once. You're hopeless otherwise."
Naruto's face lit up like a festival. "YEAH! Teamwork! Woo!"
"It's not—" Sasuke paused. "Never mind."
They spent the next hour trying.
Naruto fell. A lot. He yelled and got back up every time, brushing off dirt like it was part of the training. He asked too many questions. Called Sasuke "sensei" once. Got glared at so hard he nearly tripped again.
But by the end of it, Naruto managed to stick to the tree for a whole three steps before falling on his butt with a triumphant cheer.
"I DID IT! Kinda!"
Sasuke crossed his arms. "…Hn."
Naruto wiped his brow and gave him a wide grin. "Y'know, you're not so scary when you're bossing people around."
"I wasn't—forget it."
"Wanna train again tomorrow?"
Sasuke hesitated.
Naruto didn't wait for the answer. "Great! Same time, same secret lair."
And just like that, the blond idiot bounded off through the woods, leaving a trail of broken branches and overly enthusiastic humming.
Sasuke stood alone for a moment, staring at the tree.
Then he allowed himself a small, nearly invisible smile.
"…Dope."
________
Later That Night
The moon hung high and cold over the Uchiha compound, casting pale silver light over the rooftops. The silence was deep — the kind that settled into your bones. Most of the village slept peacefully.
But Sasuke didn't.
He stood alone in the training yard behind the compound. No shirt. No shoes. Just loose pants and bandages wrapped tight around his hands and forearms.
A single leaf rested on his forehead.
Perfect stillness.
He didn't move.
Not even to breathe.
The leaf trembled slightly — and fell.
"Tch."
He exhaled, slow and measured, and reset. Another leaf. Another attempt. Again.
Focus the chakra. Balance the output. Keep it steady. Not too much. Not too little.
This was harder than it looked.
No, not the technique. The silence.
There was no laughter here. No talking. No dumb questions. No blond idiots crashing into trees.
Just him. And the leaf. And the whisper of wind through empty windows.
He crouched. Hands flat on the bark of the old training tree. The same one his brother used to climb when they were kids.
That thought twisted something in his chest. He shoved it down.
Focus.
He inhaled and molded chakra to his feet, pushing the energy downward, feeling the subtle pull between bark and sole.
He took a step.
Then another.
Then four more.
And slipped.
He flipped midair and landed on his feet, scowling.
The old him — the broken version who sat in a pit of self-pity after the massacre — would've quit.
But this Sasuke?
This Sasuke didn't stop.
He couldn't stop.
Not until he was strong enough.
Strong enough to never feel powerless again.
Strong enough to find the answers.
Strong enough to destroy anyone who stood in his way — even if that someone was the man who once patted his head and said, "I'll always be here to protect you."
He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists.
And began again.
Tree walking. Chakra balancing. Leaf concentration. He rotated through them like rituals, like prayers. Again. And again. And again.
By the time the clock neared midnight, sweat dripped from his jawline. His legs trembled from fatigue. His forehead was red from leaves falling one too many times.
But still he stood.
One last time, he placed a leaf on his head and sat cross-legged in the dirt.
Stillness. Calm. Controlled breath.
And this time…
The leaf stayed.
Sasuke opened his eyes slowly, staring up at the stars.
There was no applause.
No cheering.
No loud voice yelling, "You did it, teme!"
Just the night. And his own quiet satisfaction.
He allowed himself a tiny nod.
Progress.
He stood, wiped his face with a towel, and made his way back inside.
The compound was still empty.
But he didn't feel quite as alone anymore.
Not after today.