"Hey, have you heard… Fugaku's son had it really rough."
"Tsk tsk, I always said that kid wasn't all there in the head. Bound to get himself killed sooner or later."
"No wonder Konoha had another blackout… turns out it was that kid again."
"The way he died… ugh, just thinking about it ruins my appetite."
On his way to school that morning, Sasuke listened to the villagers gossiping on the streets, his frown deepening.
He couldn't shake the feeling…
That they were talking about him.
What power lines… blackouts…
I only did it once!
Why are people still harping on about it?
"Shh, does this kid even know about his brother yet?"
"Let's go, let's go… don't say anything else. If he hears, who knows how upset he'll be."The villagers caught sight of one of Fugaku's foolish sons, some going about their work while others set out on missions.
Me... my brother?
Kaito?!
Sasuke, sensing something amiss, immediately leaped in front of the group and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Tell me! What happened!"
"You... what did you just say!?"
Sasuke glared fiercely at the people before him. Though he often called Kaito an annoying pest, that didn't mean he would tolerate outsiders speaking ill of him.
After all.
As an older brother, he had to shoulder the responsibilities of one.
And besides...
That guy Kaito had disappeared early in the morning, and even Runtu, who was usually at home reading, was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing the hostility in Sasuke's eyes, the villagers took a step back, their faces filled with alarm.
They exchanged glances, their voices tinged with sorrow as they spoke.
"Sasuke... didn't your father tell you...?"
"Did something happen to Uchiha Kaito?"
"Ah, this kind of thing... it's not our place to say."
The villagers sighed regretfully, offering Sasuke words of encouragement. "Your brother... he will watch over you as a star in the sky."
"You should hurry to the shrine to see him off."
Sasuke: ???
Hearing their words, Sasuke felt as if struck by lightning—more intensely than the day under the power pole.
He stood frozen, his mind gradually slipping into a daze.
So...
These people were just talking about Kaito...?
Finally realizing the truth, Sasuke's eyes burned crimson with the Sharingan as he roared in fury at the people before him.
"You...!"
"What nonsense are you spouting!!"
But by the time he reacted, the people who had been standing in front of him had long since vanished.
The once-bustling street was now eerily quiet.
Sasuke's momentary lapse had clearly lasted much longer than he thought.
Suddenly, a sense of foreboding rose in Sasuke's heart. As he looked toward the shrine, he found himself inexplicably running in that direction.
From walking, to quickening his pace, to jogging, then sprinting wildly.
His emotions shifted from disbelief to fear, to terror.
And rage.
"No way!"
"That guy... that guy couldn't have died so easily!"
"Ah!!"
Sasuke howled, arcs of lightning flickering across his body as he unleashed unprecedented speed, a trail of blue light trailing behind him as he raced toward the Uchiha clan grounds.
Even though he knew how absurd this all was, a sliver of dread still crept into his heart.
"Wait... did I just see that right?? The Lightning Release on the clan head's foolish son... and that speed..."
"Shut up, let's go."
A few Uchiha civilians glanced around, pretending nothing had happened as they circled the streets a few times before returning to their homes.
Meanwhile, by the time Sasuke mustered all his strength to reach the Naka Shrine, he saw many clansmen dressed in black, their faces solemn as they gathered together.
In the center lay a coffin.
Clan head Fugaku and Mikoto stood at the front, holding white chrysanthemums, their stern expressions unable to mask the grief beneath.
From the rooftops, Sasuke even spotted his brother holding a white chrysanthemum, standing in the line as well.
When he took in the scene before him, Sasuke nearly stumbled and fell off the roof.
No way! No way!
That guy had the Shinobi Flower! He could heal...!
There's no way he could have died under a power pole!!!
Overwhelmed with fury, Sasuke channeled all his chakra, his speed increasing even further.Boom—
A thunderous crash echoed as Sasuke landed heavily in front of the shrine, his blood-red Sharingan glaring as he roared at the gathered crowd.
"Fugaku!!!"
"Come out and face me!"
Sasuke couldn't believe it—just last night, his brother had gifted him a ninja sword… and now, by morning, he was gone.
Even harder to accept was the fact that his father had already gathered the clan to hold Kaito's funeral at the break of dawn.
At this moment, he even shouted his father's name directly, his usual fear unable to suppress the fury burning inside him.
The assembled clansmen silently parted to either side, clearing a path straight to the coffin.
As they looked at Sasuke, sorrow and helplessness filled their expressions, their heads bowing low without a single word spoken.
Fugaku, Mikoto, and Itachi stood before the coffin.
Among them, Fugaku—the father—held a black-and-white photograph of his son.
When Sasuke saw Kaito's smiling face in the picture, the rage that had been about to erupt suddenly froze. His fragile heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer.
Tears welled uncontrollably in his eyes, streaming down his cheeks.
After staring for a long moment, Sasuke lifted his foot and began walking forward, each step agonizingly slow, his legs as heavy as if filled with lead.
His gaze was vacant, fixed only on Kaito's portrait. He couldn't even hear the words of his parents or his brother.
The distance wasn't far, but to Sasuke, it felt as long as the years from age one to six.
Fugaku didn't rebuke his son for shouting his name earlier. Instead, he sighed, blinking away a few artificial tears as he feigned grief.
"Say your goodbyes to Kaito."
Slap—
Sasuke swatted the photo away. "I don't believe it!!!"
"You—all of you—are lying to me!!"
"Bring Kaito out!!"
He raised his head, twin tomoe swirling in his pupils, glaring at his father before lunging toward the coffin.
"Sasuke! Stop!"
Itachi reached out to grab Sasuke's shoulder, but the moment his fingers made contact, a sharp pain shot through his hand, forcing him to recoil.
"Sasuke… don't look."
Mikoto covered her face with a handkerchief, blinking rapidly as she tried to console him.
Other clansmen moved to stop Sasuke's reckless actions, but before anyone could intervene, Fugaku barked out—
"Halt!"
"Let him face it himself!"
Fugaku's voice was stern, but beneath his solemn expression, there was a flicker of excitement.
Perfect…
The boy has finally awakened his Sharingan!
And it's already two tomoe!!
At his command, everyone froze, watching helplessly as the boy clung to the coffin's edge.
Sasuke gripped the wooden frame tightly. Just moments ago, he had been demanding to see Kaito—but now, fear crept into his heart.
He was terrified that the one lying inside… really was him.
An eternity seemed to pass before Sasuke finally mustered the courage. He squeezed his eyes shut and violently shoved the coffin lid open.
After three full minutes of keeping them closed, he finally looked.
When he saw the charred corpse, he still couldn't accept the absurdity of it all.
"This isn't Kaito!!"
"This guy isn't Kaito!!"
Sasuke whirled around, shouting hysterically. Fugaku, exasperated, strode forward and kicked him square in the backside.
"You brat! What nonsense are you spouting!?"
"On a day like this… can't you let Kaito rest in peace?"
"Stop acting so weak."
"Uchiha Kaito is dead!!"
The moment those words hit him, Sasuke's tears burst forth uncontrollably.
"I…"
"I don't believe it…""That jerk promised to grow up with me!!!"
Six-year-old Sasuke knelt before Kaito's coffin, weeping bitterly.
At this moment, Uchiha Kaito, still unaware of his own death, wandered the streets of the Land of Iron with heavy dark circles under his eyes.
Suppressing his drowsiness, he weakly muttered, "Alright, alright... staying up all night counts as Cultivation of Immortality, huh..."
Last night, upon hearing that he had urgently reached the Qi Refining Stage, Kaito racked his brain and realized the only thing connecting him to Cultivation of Immortality...
Was pulling all-nighters.
To test his theory, he stayed up the entire night.
Immediately, the progress bar for his Qi Refining Stage cultivation in his [Status] jumped forward...
As for why he was in the Land of Iron...
Well, that had to do with the money-obsessed ninja cat that dumped him here right after their transaction.
Just as Kaito was lost in thought while walking, a burly man suddenly blocked his path.
The man stood before him with a grin, flashing a terrifying smile.
"Oh ho, young man, care to experience the world of adults~"
...
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