Awakening

What was wrong with me?

Where was I?

And...

Who was I?

He only felt dizzy, his mind a chaotic mess, unable to remember anything. The clamor and horseplay around him made his already confused heart grow even more irritable.

This language is... Japanese?

What is Japanese?

As those thoughts crossed his mind, he tried to open his eyes and move, only to discover that he could not do so at all. This body seemed to be paralyzed.

Anesthetic? Drugged? Or... am I paralyzed?

The doubts in his heart did not last long before a sudden, soul-piercing pain erupted in his mind. Along with the agony came waves of memory fragments, flashing past like a revolving lantern.

"Ah!"

Under the excruciating pain, he could not help letting out a weak, subdued cry.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?"

His voice was extremely faint, but a pink-haired little girl who had been focused on him all along still noticed it.

The pink-haired little girl was adorably pretty, with fair skin, large eyes, and a delicate nose. A red ribbon tied up her pink hair, exposing a forehead slightly broader than those of children her age.

The red ribbon looked somewhat old, yet it was not damaged in the slightest. Clearly, it held special meaning for her—or rather, it had been a gift from someone important, which was why she had protected it so carefully.

When she noticed that Sasuke seemed very uncomfortable, the pink-haired girl's heart tightened, and she hurriedly stepped forward to check on him. However, another blonde little girl rushed to Sasuke's side before she could and asked with concern,

"Sasuke, are you feeling unwell? Should we tell the teacher and have her take you to the infirmary?"

"Ino-pig! What are you doing?"

The pink-haired little girl immediately flared up, clenching her fists as she hurried forward to demand.

"Hmph! Forehead girl." Ino rolled her eyes, turning to give Haruno Sakura a disdainful look.

"Can't you see Sasuke isn't feeling well? What if your yelling startles him? You idiot!"

"Damn it, someone like you who suddenly rushes up in front of people is the one who'll scare Sasuke! You stupid pig!"

The two little girls glared fiercely at each other, their eyes brimming with rivalry, like proud lionesses declaring sovereignty over their territory.

The young ninjas chatting nearby merely glanced at them before turning back to their own business as if nothing had happened.

This sort of thing happened every day. They had long since gotten used to it.

"Forehead girl!"

"Ino-pig!"

"..."

Just as the two were arguing fiercely, Sasuke, whose eyes had been tightly shut, opened them. He swept his gaze over the surroundings. The memories in his mind and the classroom before him briefly became muddled together, but a few seconds later, he emerged from the confusion, and his eyes regained their calm composure.

The two girls stopped arguing at once and fixed their gazes on him, their eyes filled with unease, affection, and concern.

"I'm fine. And..."

After sorting through the memories in his mind, Sasuke imitated the manner from those memories, propping his chin on both hands. With a trace of annoyance and impatience in his voice, he said,

"Please stay away from me. You're too noisy!"

Haruno Sakura was about to say something when Ino quickly said, "Sasuke, I promise I'll sit quietly beside you. I won't be noisy like Sakura."

Damn it!

Haruno Sakura's forehead veins bulged as her heart filled with displeasure.

Sasuke frowned and continued in a low voice, "Didn't you understand? I said both of you should get out of my sight. You're hurting my eyes with all that noise!"

His mind was still being assaulted by waves of needle-like pain, and memories belonging to this body kept surfacing now and then.

Memories of someone named Second Pillar.

With the agony in his head and this sudden, incomprehensible turn of events, all he wanted now was some peace and quiet. He had no mind to care about little girls' feelings. That he could still maintain the original owner's persona and tone under these circumstances was already the result of extreme restraint.

The two girls left with dejected expressions, though even as they walked side by side, they did not forget to trade barbs and make little gestures at each other.

That afternoon, the sunset over Konoha had scorched half the sky red. The beautiful fiery hues shone through the classroom's clear windows, forming a picture like a dazzling watercolor painting.

I transmigrated!

Though it was unbelievable, once he confirmed that it was not a dream, the composure and prudence he had cultivated over many years allowed him to adapt within just a few minutes.

Sasuke still kept his chin propped up, wearing that cool, unapproachable expression, but his mind was constantly organizing and analyzing information.

My last memory was falling asleep in my room at home.

No electrocution, no car accident, no inconspicuous antique purchase, no unbelievable incident, and no strange old man. I didn't even watch Naruto until I caught up on it a year ago.

As he recalled his final memories before transmigrating, he also considered why he had arrived in this world. Even after encountering something like transmigration, his mind remained calm as he attempted to assess the situation with his knowledge and experience.

But there was far too little information. Even he, who had been praised since childhood for his meticulous mind and ability to perceive the subtle, could not find the slightest clue.

Fortunately, he had never been someone who got stuck in a rut. Seeing that further thought was fruitless, he did not dwell on it and immediately began organizing this body's memories.

So it was this point in time?

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. His breathing caught, and his heart raced wildly, yet his face remained calm.

Regarding this body's memories, he skimmed through emotional entanglements such as past family interactions, training with his brother, life within the clan, and studies at the Ninja Academy as if watching scenes flash by. In the end, his attention settled on today.

In the memories, when Sasuke left home for school this morning, he had seen many clan members who were usually difficult to spot. Among them were quite a few full-fledged ninja and Uchiha members of the Konoha Military Police Force, and even relatives by marriage.

It could be said that every Uchiha clansman Second Pillar knew, along with everyone related to the Uchiha by marriage, had returned to the Uchiha clan compound today for one reason or another.

This was not normal!

Extremely abnormal!

Even a clan festival could not possibly gather everyone connected to the Uchiha bloodline in one place, much less when the clan festival was still five months away.

The Uchiha had many ninja and Military Police members. When they received urgent missions, they would miss the clan festival, and the clan would not blame them for it. After all, they were ninja.

Second, it was already late afternoon, nearing evening. Under normal circumstances, Sasuke should have returned home for dinner by now. But today, citing preparation for the final exams two days later, the school had arranged one or two hours of extra training for his class that evening. This meant he would not get home until at least eight-thirty.

This was not normal either!

The original owner had attended the Ninja Academy for two years, and this was the first time he had encountered supplementary lessons. Though it was not the first time in the academy's history, combined with the earlier situation, he had already guessed what day this was.

Not to mention that among the dozen or so sixth-year classes, every other class had left. Only Sasuke's class had been kept behind for extra lessons. Other grades and classes also had Uchiha students.

Combined with the faint conflict his father and brother had displayed at home in the memories, as well as Shisui's disappearance two years ago and the clan's rumors surrounding it...

Today was the day of the Uchiha Massacre!