"Ino, do you know anything about Sasuke?" a pink-haired girl asked the blonde beside her.
Ino shook her head. "No. I only heard he went back to his house from the hospital."
"Really? Then… does that mean he'll come back to the academy soon?" The pink-haired girl's face lit up with joy.
Ino didn't answer. She just watched her friend's excitement in silence, though inwardly she thought, Who knows…
Unlike her friend, who came from a civilian family, Ino was born into a clan. Her understanding of the village's affairs ran deeper.
The Yamanaka were one of the most skilled clans in Konoha, her clan. And to her, the idea that the Uchiha Clan could be wiped out by a single man seemed impossible. Especially with the ANBU constantly watching over the village. That much her father had confirmed when she asked him about the tragedy.
But why had it happened?
The Uchiha had been one of the strongest clans in the village, yet they had fallen overnight. Her father hadn't explained, only telling her this wasn't something she should be involved in.
Still, Ino understood enough to know things were far from as simple as they seemed.
"Look, it's Sasuke!"
"Sasuke's back!"
"Stay away from him…"
The sudden whispers and shouts drew everyone's attention toward the door.
Sasuke stepped into the classroom.
The moment he entered, the atmosphere shifted. There was something different about him now, an edge in his presence, a weight in the air that hadn't been there before.
Ignoring every curious gaze, Sasuke walked straight to the back row, toward the window seat.
The boy sitting there glanced up, ready to say something until Sasuke's cold, sharp eyes met his.
A shiver ran down his spine. "I… think the front's better today," he muttered quickly, standing and moving aside.
Sasuke sat down without a word, his gaze fixed on the window.
He had no interest in wasting time at the academy. But here in Konoha, without the strength to oppose the village, he had little choice but to follow its rules, at least for now.
Of course, he could send a shadow clone in his place. And he would. Just not today. His clone was busy at the Uchiha compound, checking something important while he diverted the ANBU's attention by being here in person.
What he wanted to confirm was simple, resources. The clan might have been annihilated, but it was impossible for everything to have been taken. Senior members, especially the elders, would have ensured some things were hidden away. He couldn't risk searching their homes yet, but he could check what his own father had left behind.
Sasuke knew of several hidden compartments in their house, along with the methods to open them. Some he had discovered long ago. Others, his father had revealed to him just days before the massacre. That alone told Sasuke his father had seen the end coming.
He didn't know whether to hate or love him for it. As a father, Fugaku had done his duty, ensuring both his sons would survive. But as a leader, he had failed.
He had sacrificed his wife and clan for his own feelings. He had allowed his son to butcher those who had devoted their lives to the Uchiha name.
Though Sasuke didn't want to admit it, part of him saw his father as a coward, indecisive, and one of the main reasons for the clan's decline.
If Fugaku had taken a stand, if he had been decisive when it mattered, perhaps not everyone would have died. Even if a coup had still taken place, Sasuke didn't believe that acting aggressively would have been without consequences, but at the very least, more would have survived.
In the chaos, some could have escaped the village. They could have lived. Instead, they had been led quietly to the slaughter.
Sasuke exhaled slowly, a sound caught somewhere between a sigh and a growl. These thoughts returned to him again and again, each one a reminder of the debt he owed his clan, a debt born from his father's choices.
"Sasuke-kun… are you okay?"
The voice pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see Sakura, her face still carrying the softness of childhood, overlapped in his mind with the image of another girl, chasing after another version of himself.
She hadn't done anything to him, not yet. And still, a cold disgust twisted in his chest.
"Stay away from me," he said flatly, like she was nothing more than an annoyance.
Sakura froze. Her lips trembled, eyes glassy. "I… um…" Nothing came out. She just turned away, head down, and walked back to her seat. A soft sniffle slipped out before she could stop it.
That was all it took for the class to start buzzing. "What's his deal?" "Seriously, what a jerk." "Poor Sakura…"
Sasuke didn't even blink.
In those other memories, she was decent at theory, good at chakra control. Sure. But she wasn't anything special. Still, she somehow ended up as Tsunade's apprentice.
Why? Easy, because of him and Naruto. She liked one, the other liked her. A nice little love triangle to keep both of them hooked. She was basically a leash with pink hair.
And yet, she came out of it like the main character.
Got one of the strongest men alive as a lover, married the other, trained under the best medic-nin in the world.
No tragedy. No real sacrifices. No scars that wouldn't heal.
All gain. No loss.
A small part of him felt… jealous, maybe. But the rest? Disgust. Hatred.
He'd already decided he wouldn't have any kind of bond with this village. No friendships, no attachments, nothing that could make him hesitate. When the time came to burn Konoha to the ground, he wouldn't let emotions get in the way.
Yes. He was going to destroy Konoha. There was no doubt in his mind. This village had erased his family from existence, he would return the favor. The clans who knew but turned a blind eye, the shinobi who carried out the slaughter, the elders who planned it all…
They would all pay. Every last one.
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