Watching Naruto vanish into thin air, Sasuke could not have felt more frustrated.
For some time now, his clone had been following Naruto's clone every day, hoping to learn as much as possible about Naruto and find a way to unravel the mystery surrounding him. He had thought he was being completely discreet.
Yet not only had Naruto exposed him to his face today, his clone had actually been followed by someone else.
Naruto's words from earlier flashed through his mind. The Third Hokage might have already set out and be on his way to Naruto's home.
School had just ended at noon. After calculating the time and the routes Naruto usually took home, Sasuke quickly formed a Hand Seal, used the Transformation Jutsu to change his appearance, and took off running.
Over the past few months, Sasuke had continued training while often having his Shadow Clone secretly try to relearn everything about Konoha.
Leaving aside the secrets he had no way of investigating, merely studying Konoha's history had made him increasingly confused about the village. Too many things simply did not make sense.
Especially now. Sasuke was certain that if the Third Hokage discovered his clone had truly followed Naruto all the way home, things would go very badly.
Ever since confirming that outsiders could transplant the Sharingan, he had been exceptionally wary of the village. So much time had passed, yet none of the village's higher-ups had shown any intention of telling him where his clan members' bodies had been taken.
The thought made Sasuke shudder. He kept Naruto's words firmly in mind: unless absolutely necessary, he would never reveal that he had awakened the Sharingan.
Before long, Sasuke reached an intersection where several roads branched apart. After choosing a narrow path, he ran on for a while