Sasuke and Naruto's Situation

Hokage Building, office.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

A series of knocks interrupted the Third Hokage, who had been staring intently at a crystal ball with a flushed face.

"Ahem..."

The Third Hokage gave a light cough, silently deactivated the image on the crystal ball, and assumed a posture of sitting upright.

"Please, come in."

As soon as the words fell, Iruka walked in and said respectfully, "Lord Third!"

Huh?

Why is Lord Third's face so red?

It must be because Lord Third is getting on in years, and his blood pressure is prone to spiking.

"Ah, it's Iruka. Is there something you need to report?"

The Third Hokage spoke lightly, his tone imbued with a sense of great approachability and kindness, as if the person standing before him wasn't the leader of a village, but a benevolent grandfather from next door.

"Yes, Lord Third. Since school has been in session for a month now, I've come to submit the reports for the students in my class."

As he spoke, Iruka handed over a document with both hands.

"Look at my memory; I'm getting old."

The Third Hokage shook his head with a self-deprecating chuckle and took the files to look them over. They contained the students' grades and performance for the first month, as well as Iruka's analysis of their situations.

"Has teaching been going smoothly lately?"

After flipping through the pages for a moment, the Third Hokage asked casually.

Iruka replied in a deep voice, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Third. Everything in the class is going well!"

"Mm."

The Third Hokage nodded slightly and continued flipping through the pages. When he reached the file for Sasuke Uchiha, his hand paused, and his expression became much more serious.

"How is Sasuke doing now?"

The Third Hokage looked at Iruka and asked softly.

Iruka was silent for a long moment before saying, "Lord Third, Sasuke's personality has undergone some changes."

"Mm."

The Third Hokage nodded slightly, not at all surprised. After what that child had been through, it was normal for his heart to change to some degree.

"The old Sasuke appeared arrogant and aloof on the surface, acting indifferent toward his classmates, but it was clear that it was just a child's way of masking his inner shyness and timidity with a tough, haughty exterior. The current Sasuke..."

The previous Sasuke had given off the impression of someone trying to look cool, like a proud lion that was hard to approach, but he was actually cold on the outside and warm on the inside.

Iruka sighed and continued, "Lord Third, I even suspect that the current Sasuke has a schizoid personality disorder."

The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe: "Go on."

"Sasuke feels too calm now. It's not like..."

At this point, Iruka paused. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "A schizoid personality is one characterized by a lack of interest in the outside world and a lack of emotional experience. Although Sasuke responds when other students greet him and is very polite in his dealings, he basically doesn't initiate communication with his classmates, doesn't participate in activities, and avoids contact with those around him. On the surface, he has become more easygoing and polite, but he has completely closed off his heart."

Iruka could feel that beneath Sasuke's superficial politeness lay a deep sense of distance. There was no one in his eyes—or rather, the person who should be there was no longer around.

Thinking of what had happened to Sasuke, Iruka sighed inwardly.

Hadn't he been the same way back then?

During the Nine-Tails incident, he had witnessed his parents, both jonin, sacrifice themselves to protect the village. His personality had changed drastically; he was a happy-go-lucky person in front of his schoolmates, but when he was alone, he would often cry silently in front of the Konoha Memorial Stone.

This superficial calm—perhaps only the person experiencing it truly understands the pain within...

"Is that so?"

A ripple passed through the Third Hokage's eyes. He smoked in silence, recalling Sasuke's performance over the past two months.

He attended school every day as usual, never late, never skipping class, and after school, he would silently lock himself within the Uchiha compound to train.

In terms of interpersonal relationships, he was strictly business.

Staring at the calm face on the file, the Third Hokage sighed and set the document down.

"Iruka."

"Yes, Lord Third!"

"Where the leaves dance, the fire also burns. The First Hokage united the companions of various clans to create this village. The Second Hokage inherited the First's ambition and founded the Ninja Academy. Beyond teaching children the skills to become ninjas, the Academy must teach them to understand the meaning of companionship. Just like the ocean, an individual is like a single drop of water; a single drop cannot form an ocean, but when all the water gathers together, it becomes the sea."

The Third Hokage looked at Iruka and said earnestly, "Sasuke has closed off his heart, and his current behavior is very similar to yours when you were a child. You must put in more effort in the future. I hope that under your guidance, Sasuke will one day become a true successor to the Will of Fire."

As he said this, the Third Hokage sighed slightly in his heart, thinking of Kagami Uchiha, Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Itachi.

Guilt, nostalgia, complexity, and conflict—various emotions flickered across his eyes.

Iruka did not notice the change in the Third Hokage. He straightened his expression and quickly replied, "Yes, Lord Third!"

The Third Hokage nodded slightly and continued, "What about that boy, Naruto? How is he doing now?"

Mentioning Uzumaki Naruto, Iruka wore an expression of helpless amusement: "Third Hokage, that guy Naruto is still as much of a handful as he always was."

The Third Hokage chuckled: "It seems you have truly accepted Naruto in your heart, Iruka."

"Yes, Third Hokage, thank you for all the trouble you've gone through regarding this matter."

Iruka nodded, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Because his parents had died at the hands of the Nine-Tails, and Naruto was rumored throughout the village to be the incarnation of the demon fox, Iruka had once been unable to face Naruto when he first became his teacher, even going so far as to submit his resignation to the Third Hokage.

In the end, the Third Hokage gave him two choices: either choose to teach Uzumaki Naruto and try to open his heart to accept him.

Or, simply expel Naruto, out of sight and out of mind, forcing him to drop out of the academy.

Ultimately, the kind-hearted and gentle-natured Iruka chose the former.

"Although Naruto acts carefree on the surface, he is a very soft-hearted child deep down. He is lonely and yearns to be acknowledged by others, but perhaps he just hasn't found the right way to go about it yet."

As they spent more time together, Iruka discovered the loneliness within Naruto and slowly came to accept him, also understanding why he hoped to gain everyone's recognition, as Iruka himself had once held the same expectations for everyone when he was a child.

"Hahahahaha!"

Hearing this, the Third Hokage nodded and laughed heartily.