Brother Sasuke!!!

Time ticked by, and the night completely enveloped the Uchiha compound. Simultaneously, the sounds of shouting and killing gradually faded, signifying the disappearance of the Uchiha, one of Konoha's two main founding clans, that night. Konoha, too, had lost an arm.

A small boy ran through the Uchiha compound, his eyes filled with confusion, helplessness, and fear.

Hidden nearby, Konoha ninjas were carrying out a sweep mission, ensuring no one from the Uchiha clan could slip through their net. However, this running boy was not among their targets.

Sasuke Uchiha was someone who absolutely had to be kept alive. This was Konoha's compromise with Uchiha Itachi, leaving a seed of "hope" for the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke dared not look at the horrific scenes around him. All he wanted now was to go home to his parents, to find his brother.

Stripped of his so-called "halo," Sasuke was merely an eight-year-old child. What could he do when faced with such a terrifying situation?

Sasuke stumbled several times on his way home. Finally, he saw his house, but at that moment, he stopped running.

He was afraid.

Afraid of entering his home and seeing the same scene as outside.

Sasuke's steps faltered as he walked towards his house. He also saw a child from the Uchiha clan lying on the ground not far from his home. Beneath the child was a pool of blood that had already begun to congeal.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and walked around the corpse on the ground, heading home. His eyes were fixed ahead, not daring to look at the body.

But just then, a hand suddenly grabbed his leg.

"Save me!"

A weak cry reached Sasuke's ears.

Sasuke looked down. The child he thought was dead was reaching out a hand, grabbing his ankle. He could also see the slightly raised, blood-stained face of the other child.

However, Sasuke's first thought wasn't to save the person, but to forcefully pull his leg away, trying to shake him off.

But the other boy held on very tightly, and Sasuke couldn't break free immediately.

Although the other boy didn't quite understand what had happened to him, he knew he had survived and wasn't dead. However, the danger he faced had not passed.

Just as he was about to quietly hide again, he saw Sasuke running towards him. Although the real-life Sasuke wasn't exactly the same as in the anime, with the memories of this body, the boy immediately recognized the frightened and uneasy little boy as Sasuke Uchiha.

Without thinking further, he decided to latch onto Sasuke. Only by doing so could he grasp a sliver of hope. Perhaps Itachi would spare him out of consideration for Sasuke.

He remembered a knife piercing his chest earlier, but now he felt no pain and no discomfort. His mind was also very clear.

Furthermore, he could now get up from the ground, but he didn't. He needed to grab onto Sasuke's "thigh" now. Whether he could escape this disaster safely depended entirely on Sasuke. His current state would evoke more sympathy from Sasuke.

But Sasuke was now a terrified child, completely unable to think of saving anyone else.

Sasuke tugged hard at his leg, wanting to escape this place quickly and return home to his parents and brother.

Seeing Sasuke about to "abandon" him, the other boy grew anxious. He only had this "thigh" to cling to now; it was his lifeline!

"Brother, save me."

Suddenly, the other boy, thinking quickly, shouted at Sasuke.

The word "brother" struck Sasuke's ears, and he froze, stopping his movements.

Brother was the person Sasuke loved most in his life. In his heart, his brother's position was even higher than his parents'.

He had called out "brother" countless times, but this was the first time he had heard someone call him "brother."

This single word "brother" changed Sasuke's thoughts.

Seeing that his method was effective, the other boy immediately spoke again, "Brother, save me!"

At the same time, he lowered his voice, especially with the bloodstains on his young face and a pair of eyes pleading for life, filled with hope. Anyone with a heart of stone would feel pity.

Seeing the other boy's pitiful appearance, Sasuke could no longer abandon him. Of course, the most important factor was that single word "brother," which broke through his defenses.

Sasuke crouched down, took the other boy's hand, and said softly, "I will help you."

Sasuke's voice still trembled, but determination could be seen in his eyes.

It is only right for a brother to help his younger brother under any circumstances. This was Sasuke's thought.

As a member of the Uchiha clan, eight-year-old Sasuke had already begun ninja training and had excellent physical fitness. Although he didn't possess the immense power of ninjas in wartime at the age of seven or eight.

Current ninja academies placed great emphasis on foundational training, enabling ninjas to achieve greater accomplishments. Of course, this was also about instilling village loyalty in the next generation.

Actually, it wasn't wrong for the other boy to call Sasuke "brother." Based on their physical age, Sasuke was indeed older than him, so calling him "brother" was not taking advantage at all.

Moreover, in this situation, let alone calling him "brother," he would have been willing to call him "father"!

Sasuke helped the other boy up from the ground. Due to the pool of blood on the ground and the torn clothes of the other boy, Sasuke was very careful as he helped him up.

For an ordinary person, these injuries would have been fatal. But the other boy was completely unharmed. However, he had to pretend to be injured, making himself appear as pitiful as possible. The ideal state would be to seem on the verge of death. Only by displaying the weakest and most useless posture could he get the "important figures" to let him go.

"Th...ank...you...brother!"

The other boy said, eyes cast down, his breathing heavy and ragged, appearing critically wounded. He leaned his body against Sasuke.

Sasuke glanced at him, his eyes filled with even greater determination.

"Don't worry, I will definitely save you."

Sasuke looked towards his home in the distance but did not continue forward. The half-open gate and the two Uchiha ninja corpses lying inside the gate made Sasuke consider that his home was likely in the same state.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, hoisted the other boy onto his back, and then ran back in the direction he came from. Now, besides fear, Sasuke's face also held a sense of responsibility.

The wings of this little butterfly, Uo, had begun to flutter. Sasuke did not go home but ran towards the outside of the Uchiha compound.

Uchiha Itachi, who was fully prepared at home and suffering immensely, had not yet realized the plan had changed; his younger brother would no longer be coming home.

Meanwhile, Konoha's people had already begun clearing the battlefield. However, upon seeing Sasuke's figure, they immediately concealed themselves. This was because, according to the agreement between Konoha and Uchiha Itachi, Konoha would not be involved in any of the grievances from this battle, which Uchiha Itachi would bear alone. Therefore, they could not show themselves, nor could they deal with the fish strapped to Sasuke's back.

"Lord Danzō, Sasuke did not return home along the planned route. He is now leaving the Uchiha compound carrying a Uchiha child," a Root member appeared beside Danzō and reported.

Root members also wore masks, but theirs were more varied and colorful than those worn by the Hokage's direct ANBU, and they were not limited to animal masks.

Danzō stood with his hands behind his back on the branch of a tall tree, his gaze shifting uncertainly as he looked at the distant Uchiha compound engulfed in flames.

As the leader of Konoha's Root division, Shimura Danzō deeply desired to annihilate all members of the Uchiha clan. However, he understood that the power wielded by Uchiha Itachi was immense, and a confrontation would result in dire consequences for Konoha.

"Send someone to notify Uchiha Itachi. We will proceed as planned," Danzō said after a moment of silence, choosing to abide by the "agreement."

"Yes, Lord Danzō."

The Root member bowed his head in acknowledgment, then his figure flickered, and he vanished completely.

Danzō remained in his original position, but at some point, an old man with graying hair appeared on a tree branch next to him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha's Third Hokage, could freely use seven chakra natures, had mastered all of Konoha's ninjutsu, and was known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu." He was a peak powerhouse in the entire ninja world.

"Third Hokage, you shouldn't be here," Danzō said, looking straight ahead.

"I failed to protect what the First and Second Hokage left behind," Hiruzen Sarutobi's hoarse voice echoed, his aged face showing sorrow.

Danzō's face, however, was filled with indifference.

"Everything we are doing now is for the sake of the village. Once this Uchiha tumor is removed, the village will develop better," Danzō said coldly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head and glanced at Danzō.

"After the bodies are recovered, Root is forbidden from interfering further with the Uchiha's affairs."

This was an order from the Hokage of Konoha.

Danzō nodded. Being able to recover the Uchiha bodies was already the greatest concession from Konoha's Elder Council.

He was quite satisfied.