Sasuke Comprehends the Ultimate Secret of "Disguise"

A campfire crackled by the riverbank.

Hyuga Kiyonari cleaned the remaining three rabbits, skewered them on sharpened branches, and set them over the flames to roast slowly.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

Fat rendered from the rabbit meat, dripping onto the burning wood and releasing an enticing aroma along with a rhythmic, popping sound.

Kiyonari handed a golden, glistening rabbit to Itachi Uchiha and another to Sasuke Uchiha. "It's not quite up to the standards of the Akimichi Clan, but I'd like to think it's passable."

Sasuke Uchiha had actually been hungry for a long time, but he had been too proud to show it.

They had been tracking this wild boar for nearly a day. Of course, the main reason it took so long was to give him a chance to show off his tracking skills in front of his brother. To that end, he had dragged Itachi out of bed at the crack of dawn, bringing only a few rice balls for the journey.

With food as a bridge, the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

After finishing a rabbit leg, Sasuke's chatterbox opened. "Between the Gentle Fist Technique of your Hyuga Clan and our Uchiha Fire Style, which one is actually stronger?"

Faced with the provocation, Kiyonari simply smiled. "I couldn't say, as I haven't begun training in the Gentle Fist Technique yet. As for the fame of the Uchiha Fire Style, I've only heard of it; I've never seen it with my own eyes."

Although he didn't get an answer, Sasuke wasn't disappointed. Instead, the response sparked a sense of vanity within him.

"But I've already mastered the Great Fireball Technique."

"Really? Sasuke, that's amazing! To master a ninjutsu of that level at our age—you truly are a genius of the Uchiha!"

This unreserved praise made Sasuke's cheeks flush with pride, a sense of satisfaction welling up from the bottom of his heart. He buried his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, and took a large bite of the rabbit to hide his expression.

As two clans renowned for their ocular prowess, the Uchiha and the Hyuga had always looked at each other with mutual disdain.

In Sasuke's eyes, receiving praise from a member of the Hyuga—especially in front of his brother—was equivalent to this Hyuga guy admitting that he was inferior.

Yes, that was it. Whether it was ocular prowess or ninjutsu, the Uchiha were the strongest!

Hyuga Kiyonari watched Sasuke's expressions and movements, barely holding back a laugh. Child psychology was truly effective.

Across from them, watching his younger brother try so hard to act mature while failing to hide his smugness, Itachi Uchiha couldn't help but curve his lips into a smile.

The bystander sees more than the player; he could naturally see through Hyuga Kiyonari's tactics.

Still... even if it was just polite flattery, given their respective positions, it was no small feat to set aside clan prejudices and offer such words.

It was no wonder the Hokage was keeping an eye on this child.

After a simple meal of roasted meat, the sense of estrangement between the three dissipated significantly.

Itachi Uchiha drew the ninja blade from his back, his scarlet Sharingan manifesting. He drove the blade into the boar's carcass, slicing precisely along the muscle fibers and joints. The thick hide, tough tendons, and large chunks of meat were separated cleanly and efficiently.

The entire process was fluid, without a single wasted movement or unnecessary exertion.

Immediately after, Itachi cut off an entire hind leg to set aside, then pulled a blank scroll from his ninja pouch and spread it on the ground.

He quickly formed a few hand seals and pressed his palm onto the scroll.

"Poof!"

A cloud of white smoke rose, and when it cleared, the mountain of pork on the ground had vanished into thin air, while the character "Meat" appeared on the surface of the scroll in Itachi's hand.

This was a storage scroll created with Sealing Technique, usually used by ninjas to store tools, though if one had the money, they could store whatever they pleased.

Itachi Uchiha tied the remaining hind leg with a rope and handed the scroll to Kiyonari. "Take this."

Hyuga Kiyonari didn't stand on ceremony and reached out to take it. "Are you sure you only need one leg?"

Sasuke stood to the side, hands in his pockets. "Our family isn't lacking for food."

"Easy for the wealthy to say."

Extinguishing the campfire, the three returned to Konoha together. Sasuke remained immersed in the high of Kiyonari's earlier praise, his footsteps noticeably lighter.

Just as they passed the village gate, two unexpected figures appeared, causing nearby pedestrians to subconsciously step aside, as if acknowledging their extraordinary status.

It was a tall, blonde woman with an impressively generous figure, followed by a black-haired girl holding a small pig. Her eyes always carried a hint of weariness, but when she saw the trio walking toward her, her brows arched slightly, and she became a bit more attentive.

Two Uchiha brats and a Hyuga... to think children from these two clans would actually be together.

Because of the Drift Bottle, Tsunade subconsciously paid a little more attention to the three, but they simply brushed past each other without stopping.

After walking a bit further, the three parted ways.

Watching Hyuga Kiyonari's retreating figure, Sasuke couldn't help but ask, "Brother, you seem to be paying him a lot of attention. Why?"

Itachi Uchiha led Sasuke toward home. "I observed his quiver and the equipment on his body; they are quite worn. Furthermore, he came to the Forest of Death alone, which suggests the child's living situation is tight, forcing him to risk hunting in the forest."

"Sasuke, you might not have seen it clearly, but my Sharingan does not lie. That final arrow that pierced the boar's left eye and created the opening? It was his."

Sasuke's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, his entire body stiffening. "He... he shot it? How is that possible!"

His cheeks burned instantly, stinging with heat. The thought of himself boasting so smugly while the other party had actually done the heavy lifting—and had even turned around to praise him instead—was unbearable.

An indescribable sense of shame welled up in his heart.

Itachi stopped and looked back at his younger brother, continuing, "He is likely about your age; perhaps you will be classmates at the Ninja Academy. Sasuke, try to make more friends when you start school."

"Tch."

Sasuke Uchiha feigned composure and quickened his pace to catch up with his brother. "I won't make friends with those mediocre people. At the very least... at the very least, they have to be like Kiyonari, someone who can surpass me in some aspect."

And yet... the feeling of being so smug in front of someone, only to realize their true skill after the fact thanks to his brother's reminder, was absolutely terrible.

From now on, he must never be smug over such trifles again. At the very least, he had to be like him!