The gentle morning light had only just pierced the night, spilling across the earth, when the Uchiha clan compound became lively.
In the courtyard of the clan head's residence, Sasuke paced back and forth beneath the covered walkway. His usually proud face was filled with tension and anxiety.
A moment later, Itachi, fully dressed, slid open the door and stepped out of his room.
Sasuke hurried over. "Brother, are you ready?"
Itachi rubbed Sasuke's head and smiled. "Don't worry."
"I-I'm not worried!" Sasuke turned his face aside and declared with absolute certainty, "Even the Fifth supports you, Brother, so you'll definitely succeed this time!"
"The Fifth only nominated me," Itachi replied calmly. "Whether I succeed will depend on today's contest."
Sasuke hesitated before quietly saying, "Brother, I can lend you my Rinnegan."
"You fool!"
Itachi smiled and headed outside.
Sasuke quickly followed. Though he was already fourteen or fifteen and had grown much taller, he still trailed closely behind Itachi as he had when he was little. "Brother, I only awakened the Rinnegan because you gave up your chance to fuse the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan for me. So even if you use my Rinnegan, no one will say anything."
"So you really are worried about me," Itachi said.
Sasuke shook his head repeatedly. "I'm not!"
The brothers chatted all the way to the front courtyard of the residence. At the gate, Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, dressed formally, had already been waiting there before dawn.
"Itachi, are you confident?"
Fugaku stood with his arms folded. His expression looked calm enough, but the flicker of anxious anticipation in his eyes exposed his true feelings.
Mikoto stepped before Itachi and lightly straightened his clothes. "Just do your best. Winning or losing isn't important."
Sasuke pouted. "Mother, how can winning or losing