Uchiha

Time returned to just after the four had parted ways.

Sasuke walked home alone, bored. Along the way, people had already begun looking at him with strange gazes—or rather, at the Uchiha.

This year, the Uchiha's reputation in the village had grown even worse. Provoked by the Konoha Higher-ups, the Konoha Military Police Force now resembled a powder keg. They wanted to endure, yet could not swallow the insult; they wanted to erupt, yet Uchiha Fugaku held them back. That stifling feeling made their enforcement far more violent than before.

So when Sasuke walked through the streets now, he was under considerable pressure as well.

Fortunately, because the Uchiha's foul reputation had spread far and wide, there were practically no civilians left once he neared the clan compound. They had all moved away over the past year. Sasuke slowly lifted his little head again, revealing a face covered in bruises.

"Eh? Is Little Sasuke hurt?" A clear female voice rang out beside Sasuke.

Sasuke turned toward the voice. It was a girl in a purple jacket and trousers, with long, smooth black hair. A beauty mark rested beneath her right eye, and paired with her gentle smile, it made her even more charming.

"Izumi."

Sasuke obediently greeted her. She was one of his brother Uchiha Itachi's few friends—and his only friend within the Uchiha Clan.

"Little Sasuke, do you want some dango?" Uchiha Izumi took out a skewer of Three-Colored Dango from the paper bag in her hand and offered it to Sasuke.

"Thank you, Izumi."

Seeing Sasuke accept the dango, a sly expression appeared on Uchiha Izumi's face.

"Since Little Sasuke accepted his big sister's dango, he has to tell her how he got hurt."

The Uchiha's position in Konoha had been worsening by the day, and she was afraid Sasuke had been bullied outside by children his own age.

The smile on Sasuke's face stiffened. Only his parents and brother knew about his sparring matches with Naruto, and none of them had told anyone else. As the son of the Uchiha Clan head and the younger brother of the Uchiha's greatest genius, he had his own pride. If outsiders learned that he kept losing to someone his own age, he would be too ashamed to remain in the Uchiha Clan.

"N-No, it's nothing. I just accidentally fell."

Sasuke gave such a clumsy lie that Uchiha Izumi naturally did not believe him. Who could fall once and end up with a face covered in bruises?

"Sasuke, if someone bullies you outside, you have to tell me. I'm pretty strong now too—I can help you!" Uchiha Izumi looked at Sasuke with a very serious expression.

Sasuke turned bright red and stammered, "I-I understand."

Seeing that Sasuke refused to say anything, Uchiha Izumi had no choice. The Uchiha were like that.

"Little Sasuke, come to think of it, hasn't your brother been home for a long time?"

"Mmm... yeah."

Sasuke answered Uchiha Izumi's question while eating, his cheeks puffed up.

But Uchiha Izumi's expression dimmed. She stared blankly at the paper bag in her hand, lost in thought.

"Little Sasuke, you can have all these dango. Your big sister has something to do, so I'll be going first."

Uchiha Izumi suddenly stuffed the paper bag directly into Sasuke's arms, then turned and ran off.

"Eh—"

Looking at the paper bag in his hands, Sasuke was still a little confused. He watched Uchiha Izumi's retreating figure and only thought that Izumi was acting strangely. Without thinking too much about it, he took out another skewer of dango and began eating.

Sasuke could be considered the Uchiha Clan's darling now. Unlike his brother Uchiha Itachi, who was full of hostility toward the clansmen, Sasuke was handsome and adorable, and his talent was not bad either. After walking a while longer, someone else showed concern for him when he reached the entrance to the clan compound.

"Little Sasuke, why did you come back hurt again today?"

It was a kind middle-aged couple.

"Uncle Teshao, Aunt Jing."

Sasuke once again bowed obediently to greet them. Then, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, he said, "I accidentally fell while training."

Seeing how sensible Sasuke was, Teshao and Jing liked him even more. They took some snacks and drinks from their own grocery store, packed them into a bag, and handed it to Sasuke.

"Little Sasuke, take these and eat them. You need to eat more so you can grow tall."

"This... Uncle Teshao, I..."

After another round of polite refusals and thanks, Sasuke finally left carrying the bag and hugging the paper bag.

At last, he reached the front door. With both hands full, it was inconvenient to open it. He had planned to call for his mother to help, but then he suddenly heard arguing inside.

"Itachi! Where have you been these past few days?"

"I was carrying out Anbu missions."

"You brat, have you forgotten that the clan raised you? Are you still an Uchiha or not?"

"The Uchiha are also part of the village."

"Konoha simply doesn't—"

"Enough!"

Sasuke immediately recognized the voices inside. Aside from his brother and father, the other two belonged to Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inaho, who often visited their home. He had heard they were powerful ninja in the Konoha Military Police Force, though he did not know why they were always arguing with his brother.

While Sasuke was still thinking outside, Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inaho had already come out.

"Captain, we'll be leaving first. Please do not forget about Elder Setsuna."

Tekka's face was still filled with anger, but out of respect for the clan head, he did not vent it further.

Uchiha Fugaku merely nodded faintly. Then he suddenly spotted his younger son outside the door. Seeing his appearance, his brows could not help but furrow.

Tekka and Inaho noticed as well. Following his gaze, their expressions changed.

"..."

"Sasuke, did someone in the village bully you?"

Inaho had a quick temper. The moment he saw the injuries on Sasuke's face, he flared up. "Tell me. I'll go arrest every last one of them!"

Sasuke hurriedly shook his head. "I accidentally fell from a tree while training."

Inaho did not quite believe him, and just as he wanted to ask more, Tekka pulled him away.

Watching the two leave, Sasuke secretly let out a breath. Those two uncles were not bad people, but they were too fierce. They always wore stern expressions, just like his father.

"Come inside."

Seeing the bruises still on his son's face, Fugaku naturally knew what had happened, so he said nothing.

"Okay." Sasuke hurried into the house. The moment he entered, he saw his brother, Uchiha Itachi.

Sasuke immediately put down his things and ran toward Uchiha Itachi.

"Brother!"

The gloom on Uchiha Itachi's face gave way to a rare smile when he saw his younger brother. He had only come home this time to see Sasuke, but he had not expected to run into those two men.

"Sasuke."

Itachi directly embraced Sasuke as well. Looking at the injuries on Sasuke's face, a hint of scarlet unconsciously flashed in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

"Sasuke, did you lose to Naruto again?"

"Yeah." Sasuke looked a little downcast, but quickly brightened again. "Brother, you're back. Can you train with me tomorrow?"

"That way, I can become stronger faster and defeat that guy."

"This..." Uchiha Itachi hesitated. After some deliberation, he still shook his head. He reached out and tapped Sasuke's forehead with two fingers. "Sorry, Sasuke. Next time."

--

(This part is from the anime. Those who have seen it can skip it.)

Late at night, the moon carried a faint tinge of blood.

Inside Naka Shrine was an eerie atmosphere, sinister yet blazing. In the dark, even somewhat damp surroundings, several torches crackled explosively in the silent secret chamber, illuminating a small portion of the darkness.

Uchiha Itachi disliked this feeling, especially the oppressive aura coming from Fugaku, which made him feel irritated.

Uchiha Fugaku lowered his head and looked at the stone tablet before him, said to have been passed down for hundreds of years. The contents carved upon it were said to have been personally written by the Sage of Six Paths.

It recorded the history of the Uchiha Clan, the conditions for the Sharingan's evolution, and many unknown secrets. The contents within could only be read layer by layer as one's Sharingan evolved.

"Only those in the clan who possess the Sharingan can read this stone tablet, but even then, they can only understand part of it."

"You possess the Mangekyō Sharingan. You should be able to understand more."

Uchiha Itachi's eyes widened slightly at those words. He had not expected his father to have already seen through his Mangekyō Sharingan. His eyes had awakened after he fell into despair over the Uchiha.

Yet his expression did not change at all as he calmly said, "Do you want me to tell you its contents?"

"That won't be necessary."

Uchiha Fugaku slowly turned around, revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan, its hollow pattern formed from three tomoe.

"Mangekyō! Father has it too?"

Uchiha Itachi was finally utterly shocked. An Uchiha with the Mangekyō was far too dangerous to the village!

"During the Third Shinobi World War, my friend saved me at the cost of his life. Only through blood and tears did I awaken the Mangekyō. Yet what a misguided situation the Uchiha are in now!"

Uchiha Fugaku turned back toward the stone tablet and began recounting the reason he had awakened the Mangekyō.

"Even so, you cannot attempt to overthrow the village by force—"

"The village's higher-ups fear us, which is why they persecute us." Uchiha Fugaku clenched his fists and interrupted Uchiha Itachi. "They fear the power of the Sharingan. Since they fear it, we can only take power ourselves!"

"Father, are you planning to become Hokage through force?"

"Because it is the clan's desire, I cannot stop everyone. But to avoid using force, I have always concealed the fact that I possess the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"Why?" Uchiha Itachi did not understand. If his father intended to stage a coup, why conceal the Mangekyō's existence?

"The Mangekyō Sharingan can control the Nine-Tails. If the clansmen learn of it, they may do something even more terrifying. You can see it with your own eyes!"

Uchiha Fugaku turned back, the Mangekyō pattern in his eyes spinning as he pulled Itachi into the future he had seen.

Uchiha Fugaku controlled the Nine-Tails and triggered another Nine Tails Rampage within Konoha. This time, no one could step forward.

"Gasp... gasp... gasp..."

Uchiha Itachi awoke from the genjutsu and fell to his knees, eyes wide as sweat dripped from his forehead. He gasped for breath without pause.

"H-How could this be?"

"Many within the clan harbor resentment toward the village. If they are pushed too far, they would absolutely do it. When that happens, both sides will suffer catastrophic losses."

Uchiha Fugaku's voice was somewhat low when he said this, but it soon rose again.

"But Itachi, as long as you are there, you can catch the higher-ups off guard and bring them under control. Though small-scale fighting cannot be avoided, as long as you, an Anbu, lend a hand—"

Uchiha Fugaku turned around, his gaze burning as he looked at Uchiha Itachi.

"A bloodless revolution can succeed!"

"A bloodless... revolution?" Uchiha Fugaku's words left Uchiha Itachi somewhat bewildered. He had clearly heard from his father's tone that he did not want a coup, so why...

"Itachi, you are my son. Please, help the clan!"

When his vision shifted again, Uchiha Itachi was already kneeling before the Konoha Higher-ups.