"Sasuke, wake up. It's time for your meal."
In front of him appeared a woman in her early thirties, with long black hair and violet-red eyes—none other than Ginji's mother in this life, Mikoto Uchiha.
Although he could understand her, he couldn't utter a word. At this point, Sasuke was less than three months old as a newborn. That's right: Ginji had now been in the world of Hokage for three whole months. Yet, speaking was still impossible.
With no way to reply, he could only let out a few wailing cries. The woman picked him up. "Good boy, Sasuke. Don't cry, don't cry."
If only Sasuke could tell her he wasn't actually crying, but whatever he tried to say came out as a baby's wail. That frustration had lasted for the full three months. Imagine—in his mind he was already twenty-five, but everyone thought of him as nothing but a crying infant. No one else knew, but it annoyed Sasuke deeply.
Mikoto took out a baby bottle and put it in Sasuke's mouth. As luck had it, he was indeed hungry—so he drank, sucking with all his might! Again and again, until he was exhausted and finally finished, and promptly fell asleep again. Whether it was being a baby or another reason, Sasuke found himself sleeping for most of each day.
Bang…
Sasuke was sound asleep when a thunderous rumble jolted him awake. He realized he was in his mother's arms, being carried outside. The whole house seemed to tremble and shake—was it an earthquake? That was his first thought. Once outside, Sasuke saw not only Itachi and Fugaku, but dozens of Uchiha clan members—almost a hundred all told.
"Mikoto, take Sasuke and join the others in the Uchiha underground shelter!" Fugaku instructed Mikoto quickly.
"Fugaku, what's happening? Why are we in such a rush?" Mikoto asked as she joined the group moving outdoors. Sasuke looked up at Fugaku as well, hoping for an answer. Truthfully, Sasuke already had his own suspicion but wanted it confirmed.
"Hmph! Someone released Kurama. Right now, Kurama is attacking the Hidden Leaf Village," Fugaku replied, his tone almost relishing the chaos.
"What? Kurama?!"
Mikoto and Sasuke both called out at the same moment—only Sasuke's voice was just a little baby's wail.
So, my guess was right, Sasuke thought; this means the main hero is being born right now. Naruto Uzumaki, huh? Hmph, in my last life I was so annoyed by Naruto! Ginji just couldn't understand how someone like Naruto managed to live so freely in the cruel World of the Hokage. Was it just because he was the protagonist? Sasuke told himself, Either way, I'll keep my distance this time around; I have no wish to be bothered and dragged into his mess again.
"Father-sama, shouldn't we help the other shinobi? After all, we're also part of the Hidden Leaf Village," Itachi ran forward and asked Fugaku. Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by his brother's voice, so he looked up at Fugaku, waiting for a reply. (Despite thinking of himself as Sasuke, he never truly regarded Fugaku as his father.)
Fugaku's pace slowed and his once-smiling face grew dark. He turned his head slowly toward Itachi. Sasuke followed his father's gaze to his brother. This time, unlike before, Itachi did not lower his head—instead, his eyes stared determinedly at his father's. The intensity made the very air seem to freeze, pressing down on everyone present. Their staredown lasted only three or four seconds but felt like hours to Sasuke; he didn't dare even breathe.
Finally, it was Mikoto who broke the tension.
"Fugaku, Itachi! Hurry up! Kurama is too close—we're not safe here. Get to the shelter right now!" she urged, noticing the gravity of their silent battle and intentionally interrupting them.
But Itachi remained focused on his father, unwavering, awaiting a reply and ignoring his mother's words.
Fugaku glanced over at Itachi, a faint smile finally flickering at the edge of his lips. In a surprisingly gentle voice, he said, "Itachi, do you know what's happening? Kurama is attacking. Kurama is the most powerful of all the Tailed Beasts. It doesn't matter how many shinobi go up against it—only someone as strong as the Hokage makes any difference. Both the Third and Fourth Hokage are already there. If we showed up, we'd only get in their way."
"But as the Uchiha, as members of the Leaf, shouldn't we help protect our village?"
Itachi refused to look away, searching for an answer he could accept.
"Itachi, remember: Uchiha are Uchiha, and the Leaf is the Leaf. You must not confuse the two." Fugaku narrowed his eyes, speaking loud and slow, his presence intensifying and pressing down on Itachi. Is this what true shinobi power is? Sasuke marveled—if Fugaku's mere aura felt this overwhelming, just how strong was Kurama?
"But…" Itachi tried to argue.
"No buts. Remember: I am the patriarch of the Uchiha. Your job is only to obey. If you weren't my son, you wouldn't even have the right to question me," Fugaku interrupted coldly. He turned to the rest of the clan and barked, "Anyone who leaves the Uchiha grounds tonight will be punished as a traitor."
"Yes, patriarch!" the entire clan answered in unison.
"Let's go," Fugaku ordered, waving them onward.
Sasuke looked at the faces of his clansmen. None of them seemed the least bit conflicted—it was as if not helping the Leaf was completely natural. No wonder the top leaders of the Leaf never trusted the Uchiha; nobody in power could tolerate such a strong yet disloyal subordinate. The Uchiha truly brought about their own downfall, Sasuke thought.
But there was one exception: Itachi's face was full of struggle and frustration. Sasuke watched as his brother's fists clenched and loosened over and over—showing the conflict raging inside. In the end, Itachi looked once at the sky—lit up red by the distant glare—before running toward the clan's shelter with the others.
A deep, howling roar echoed from the far horizon. Sasuke turned toward the crimson-lit sky and saw a massive fox, engulfed in blood-red flames. Its nine enormous tails swept through the air, raising clouds of dust and uprooting trees, radiating overwhelming power.
Is this Kurama? It is even bigger and more terrifying than in the anime. I can't believe anything could be this powerful—so just how strong was the First Hokage, who once defeated Kurama, or Madara, who controlled it?
It looks like I have to learn to talk and walk, fast. Only then can I really begin to gain strength. Right now, I can do nothing—and that's a waste. Sasuke set a goal for himself: Kurama's arrival shocked him to his core, and it was a warning bell for everything to come.