Sasuke's Family

For Naruto, this was a perfect day.

He rekindled the fighting spirit in the dejected Rock Lee and helped Sasuke further understand his own aspirations.

More importantly, he showcased his strength and the Will of Fire.

He was confident his standing with the Third had risen another notch.

Inside the Hokage's office.

"Naruto's Taijutsu is this outstanding? Wearing so much weight at such a young age to begin training. His will to grow stronger cannot be ignored."

The Third took his pipe from his mouth, shifting his gaze away from the crystal ball, his face lost in thought.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki coming into contact with the Uchiha Clan was hardly good news.

The Uchiha Clan had always been a powerful family the Konoha higher-ups yearned to control.

Their Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, was hailed as the foremost bloodline limit in Konoha.

But for all its power, the Sharingan was also called a cursed Kekkei Genkai—it required the stimulus of life-and-death situations to awaken, and the Mangekyo Sharingan even demanded the death of a blood relative to develop.

All of this shrouded the Uchiha in an aura of bloodshed and cruelty.

Coupled with the fact that their founder, Madara Uchiha, had helped build Konoha alongside the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, only to later descend into darkness.

Many villagers came to define the Uchiha as darkness and bloodshed.

They regarded them with deep wariness.

The Konoha higher-ups, led by the Third, used political maneuvering to force the Uchiha into a remote area and assigned them the thankless task of managing the Konoha Military Police Force.

Over time, friction between the Uchiha and other villagers grew ever greater.

This was why the Uchiha were so unpopular in Konoha.

For the Third, they had to prevent the Uchiha from growing any stronger.

They could not allow the Uchiha to gain Naruto's friendship.

Otherwise, unforeseen consequences might arise.

With that thought, the Third furrowed his brow.

In a position of high authority, one did not simply think of relentless suppression—one had to weigh all factors.

Just as he had allowed Root to be established; while it had somewhat divided his authority, it also gave him a department to handle the dirty work.

"For now, I'll wait and see. Naruto, who inherits the Will of Fire, might be able to assimilate Sasuke."

"Let him come to love Konoha, just like his brother Itachi."

The Third murmured to himself.

Elsewhere, Sasuke returned home and soon received a warm, familial welcome.

A certain brother-conspirator's expression shifted the instant he saw Sasuke's battered and bruised face.

A seething murderous intent brewed within him.

The Uchiha Clan might not be well-liked in the village, but that didn't mean they could be bullied.

Who was it?

Who had hurt his little brother?

But in an instant, he restored his usual gentle smile and stepped forward to ask Sasuke, "Sasuke, how did you get so many injuries on your face?"

Sasuke touched the wounds and winced in pain as he replied, "I sparred with Naruto today. The gap was pretty big, so I kept losing."

"But it's fine. With Naruto's guidance, my Taijutsu is improving steadily."

"Naruto is really good. He patiently fed me moves."

"Uzumaki Naruto." Itachi Uchiha narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning hostile.

"I didn't expect Naruto's talent to be this remarkable—even Sasuke can't beat him." Fugaku Uchiha wore a contemplative expression.

It seemed Naruto had likely inherited the talent of his father, Minato Namikaze.

If so, Konoha would probably tighten its grip on him.

At that thought, Fugaku's eyes darkened a shade.

For the Uchiha, this might not be a good thing.

He worried Konoha would use Naruto as an excuse to harass the Uchiha again.

Fugaku sighed.

The Uchiha Clan's patience through endless concessions was nearing its limit.

If this continued, rebellion would be unavoidable.

"Enough talk. Dinner is ready. Go wash your hands first." Sasuke's mother, Mikoto Uchiha, emerged from the kitchen, speaking gently.

The family sat around the table, and Sasuke continued recounting the details of that day's training.

From his Taijutsu to his ninjutsu.

"Sasuke, you actually used the Great Fireball?" Not just Itachi, even Fugaku looked incredulous.

Sasuke's control over ninjutsu was still unstable, but even so, the power of a Great Fireball was not something a five-year-old child could withstand.

When they heard that Naruto had cleaved through the fireball with a single slash, their expressions turned to sheer shock.

"Naruto's Taijutsu and swordsmanship might already be at the level of a genin." Itachi Uchiha exchanged a glance with Fugaku and gave a slight nod.

He decided to observe more closely over the next few days.

"Naruto said that not trying only wastes talent, so I'll work even harder. Mother, from now on I'm going to train with Naruto and Rock Lee every day. I can't lose to them." Sasuke was brimming with fighting spirit.

Fugaku naturally raised his hand in approval of Sasuke's decision.

He had always felt that Sasuke was living too comfortably under his brother's protection.

Now this was good—having experienced setbacks and understood the struggles of ordinary people, he believed Sasuke could go further in the future.

Night fell.

Mikoto had just finished cleaning the dining table when Sasuke, who had barely finished eating, dragged Itachi to the yard for extra training.

In his own words: the gap between him and Naruto was too large, and he might not even be a match for Rock Lee. He had to work even harder. He couldn't lose, because he was a proud Uchiha.

Watching Sasuke's back in the yard, Mikoto Uchiha's eyes held a trace of melancholy. She washed the dishes with a complicated expression, lost in thought.

Fugaku Uchiha stepped out from behind her and said in a low voice, "The relationship between our Uchiha and the village is growing more tense by the day. As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto will definitely be kept under the Third Hokage's control. We can't change Naruto's situation."

"I know, but he is still Kushina's child. If the village didn't hold such hostility toward us, at least we could give Naruto a decent life—not like now, where he's despised by so many." Thinking of her departed friend, Mikoto silently wept.

Fugaku sighed.

"None of this can be changed. As long as the Third Hokage's faction exists, our Uchiha will never see the light of day," he murmured to himself.

Ever since the Third Hokage took power, the top clans and combat strength of Konoha had been withering at an alarming rate.

In just over a decade, even the Uchiha had now fallen into an unprecedented crisis.

"Will the Uchiha ever have a tomorrow in Konoha?" Fugaku's eyes were filled with intense struggle.

Where leaves dance, fire burns ever on.

Naruto set down the "Will of Fire" and rested his chin in his hand, lost in thought.

He had been probing the Will of Fire that had sustained Konoha to this day.

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

Naruto was trying to dissect the ideals of Konoha's upper echelons from within the Will of Fire.

Through repeated searching and investigation, Naruto discovered something.

After the Third Hokage took office, the Senju Clan, Konoha's founding family, gradually withered away and was even wiped out during the Ninja Wars.

And the Uchiha Clan, the counterpart to the Senju, was now in a precarious position as well.

They had been relocated to a remote area, and although they nominally controlled the Konoha Military Police Force, their reputation and standing in the village had been steadily declining.

"First, annihilate the most threatening Senju Clan, then divide the Uchiha. Even though they control the Military Police Force, what they actually manage are trivial, thankless tasks that breed resentment. Exploit the Uchiha's arrogant nature to create conflict between them and the villagers, cutting down their strength at the root."

"Maybe in a few years, the Uchiha will be wiped out for one reason or another."

Naruto's face was wary as a conclusion formed in his mind.

"There's no way one Hokage could do all this alone. The Third must have a very important ally. What is that ally's attitude toward me?"