Awakening

What is happening to me?

Where am I right now?

And...

Who am I?

He only felt dizzy and lightheaded, his mind a chaotic mess, unable to recall a single thing. The surrounding noise and commotion made his already bewildered heart feel even more irritable.

Is this language... Japanese?

What is Japanese?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he tried to open his eyes and move his body, only to find he couldn't do it at all; it felt as if he were paralyzed.

Anesthetic? A sedative? Or... am I paralyzed?

The confusion in his heart didn't last long before a sudden, soul-eroding pain erupted in his brain, accompanied by a wave of memory fragments flashing by like a revolving lantern.

"Ah!"

Under the intense pain, he couldn't help but let out a weak, pained groan.

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?"

His voice was extremely faint, but it was still caught by a little girl with pink hair who had been keeping her attention on him.

The pink-haired girl was adorable, with fair skin, large eyes, and a delicate nose. A red ribbon was tied in her pink hair, pulling it back and revealing a forehead slightly larger than those of her peers.

The red ribbon looked a bit old, but it wasn't damaged in the slightest, suggesting it held special significance to her—or perhaps it was a gift from someone important, which was why she protected it so well.

Upon noticing that Sasuke seemed to be in great discomfort, the pink-haired girl felt a pang of anxiety and immediately wanted to step forward to check on him, but another little girl with blonde hair rushed to Sasuke's side faster than her, fussing over him.

"Sasuke-kun, are you not feeling well? Should I tell the teacher to take you to the infirmary?"

"Ino-pig! What are you doing?"

The pink-haired girl was instantly filled with anger; she clenched her fists and stepped forward to question her.

"Hmph! Big-forehead." Ino rolled her eyes, turning her head to look at Haruno Sakura with disdain.

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

"Damn it, it's people like you who suddenly rush in front of others that scare Sasuke, you stupid pig!"

The two little girls glared fiercely at each other, their eyes filled with a sense of rivalry, like proud lions asserting sovereignty over their territory.

Meanwhile, the other little ninjas nearby merely glanced at them before turning back to their own business as if nothing had happened.

Things like this happened every day; they were long used to it.

"Big-forehead!"

"Ino-pig!"

"..."

Just as the two were arguing incessantly, Sasuke, who had been keeping his eyes tightly shut, opened them and scanned his surroundings. The memories in his mind and the environment of the classroom felt momentarily blurred and confused, but after a few seconds, he cleared his head, and his eyes regained their composure.

The two arguing girls stopped instantly, both fixing their gazes on him, their eyes filled with anxiety, adoration, and concern.

"I'm fine, and also..."

Sorting through the memories in his mind, Sasuke mimicked the behavior from those memories, resting his chin on his hands, and spoke with a hint of annoyance and impatience.

"Please leave my vicinity; you're too noisy!"

Haruno Sakura was about to say something, but Ino quickly chimed in: "Sasuke, I promise to sit quietly by your side and won't be as noisy as Sakura."

Damn it!

Haruno Sakura felt the veins on her forehead bulge, her heart filled with frustration.

Sasuke frowned and continued in a deep voice: "Didn't you hear me? I said for both of you to leave my sight; you're hurting my eyes with your noise!"

His brain was still throbbing with needle-like pain, and fragments of memories belonging to this body kept popping up from time to time.

Memories belonging to a boy named Uchiha Sasuke.

Between the splitting headache and the bizarre situation he had found himself in, he just wanted some peace and quiet. He had no interest in caring about the emotions of little girls. Being able to maintain the persona and tone of the original owner under such circumstances was already the result of extreme restraint.

The two little girls left with disappointed expressions, though, of course, there was no shortage of sisterly bickering and petty gestures as they walked away side by side.

In the afternoon, the sunset over Konohagakure burned half the sky red. The beautiful fiery glow shone through the transparent classroom windows, creating a scene that looked like a gorgeous, colorful watercolor painting.

I've transmigrated!

Although it was unbelievable, once he confirmed it wasn't a dream, his years of mental fortitude allowed him to adapt within just a few minutes.

Sasuke maintained his pose, chin resting on his hand, looking cool and unapproachable, while his mind was constantly organizing and thinking.

My last memory is of falling asleep in my room at home.

No electric shock, no car accident, no buying some unremarkable antique, no encountering anything bizarre, no meeting any strange old man. I even only finished watching Naruto a year ago.

While thinking about his last memories before transmigrating and pondering why he had come to this world, his mind remained calm despite the situation, attempting to use his intellect and experience to judge the circumstances before him.

However, the information was far too scarce, and even he, who had been praised since childhood for his meticulous mind and ability to see the big picture from minor details, could not find a single clue.

Fortunately, he was never a stubborn person; seeing that his contemplation yielded no results, he did not dwell on it in the slightest and immediately began to organize the memories of this body.

So it was this period of time?

Sasuke's pupils constricted slightly, his breathing hitched, and his heart raced, yet he maintained a calm expression on his face.

Regarding the memories of this body, he skimmed through the emotional entanglements of past family interactions, brotherly training, life within the clan, and studies at the Ninja Academy like a revolving lantern, finally settling on today.

In his memories, when Sasuke left the house this morning to head to school, he saw many clansmen he rarely encountered on ordinary days, including official ninjas, members of the Uchiha Police Force, and even distant relatives.

It could be said that every Uchiha clansman and person related to the Uchiha that Sasuke knew had returned to the Uchiha clan today for one reason or another.

This was not normal!

It was extremely abnormal!

Even for a clan festival, it would be impossible for everyone with Uchiha blood to gather together, let alone when the festival was still five months away.

The Uchiha had many ninjas and police members; if they encountered emergency missions, they would miss the clan festival, and the clansmen would not blame them, for they were ninjas after all.

Secondly, it was now late afternoon, approaching evening. Under normal circumstances, Sasuke should have already returned home to eat by this time, but today the school had cited the final exams two days away as a reason for his class to undergo an extra hour or two of training tonight, meaning he wouldn't be able to return home until at least half-past eight.

This was also not normal!

The original owner had been attending the Ninja Academy for two years, and this was the first time he had encountered supplementary lessons. Although this was not the first time in the history of the Ninja Academy, when combined with the previous situation, he had already guessed what day it was.

Not to mention that in the sixth grade of the Ninja Academy, there were over a dozen classes, yet all other classes had left, leaving only Sasuke's class behind for extra lessons—and one had to know that there were Uchiha members in other grades and classes as well.

Combining this with the vague conflicts between the original owner's father and brother in the memories, as well as the disappearance of Shisui two years ago and the public opinion within the clan.

Today was the day of the Uchiha clan massacre!