Kuro: Yo, Let's Talk About Our Hearts... Second Pillar

The full moon hung alone, its light pouring down from the sky, enveloping the entire Konoha in a cool and gentle atmosphere.

Time had quietly slipped into the dead of night before we knew it. Dinner time had passed, and the neighborhood streets were brightly lit. We could faintly hear the sounds of dishes being cleared and laughter from families playing around coming from a few windows.

However, amidst the myriad lights of the city, only a large mansion in the distance had a single, solitary lamp lit, appearing exceptionally desolate in the darkness.

In Kakashi's house, in the only lit room, Sasuke sat expressionlessly at the dining table, picking at the freshly prepared food with his chopsticks.

The large house was unusually quiet, unlike its usual noisy state.

He looked up at the plates of food still steaming slightly on the table, then at the empty room around him, and felt a little uneasy.

Normally, even though Kakashi is busy with work, he would try his best to come back around mealtimes, and while cooking, he would chat with me casually.

Not to mention Naruto, as long as that idiot is around, there's no way he'll stay quiet.

That guy was always a chatterbox, and he also had Uncle Minato and Aunt Kushina living inside him.

During the time I lived with that idiot, his mouth almost never stopped, except when he was sleeping.

Kakashi will probably be back very late tonight because of a mission.

Naruto has been staying at Konoha Hospital for the past few days to take care of the Fifth Hokage, who is lying in the hospital, and can only come back occasionally during the day.

He was now the only one left in the large room.

Sasuke had been secretly hoping for a peaceful time, but when it finally arrived, he found himself not as happy as he had imagined.

"... Is it because I've spent too much time with them?"

He murmured something under his breath, then gently placed the bowl and chopsticks he was holding on the table.

The food tasted alright, but I didn't seem to have much of an appetite.

Sasuke silently stood up, carefully sealed the few plates of almost untouched food on the table with plastic wrap, and put them in the refrigerator.

Then I cleaned up the dishes, swept and mopped the floor, and wiped every corner of the kitchen and living room clean.

After doing all this, he casually turned off the living room light, plunging the entire mansion into complete darkness.

Sasuke groped his way through the dark corridor, pushed open the door to his bedroom, and then gently closed it behind him.

He didn't turn on the light; he simply leaned against the cold wooden door and slumped helplessly to the ground.

The bright moonlight streamed into the bedroom through the open window, not as bright as the lamplight, but enough to illuminate the small room.

The moonlight fell on the Ninja Academy textbooks on the desk, and also on Sasuke's face, which was illuminated by the moonlight.

He made no move to turn on the light, simply staring blankly at the high-hanging full moon outside the window, the emotions he had forcibly suppressed during the day's training and busyness rising in his chest.

Pain, confusion, hatred, fear—all of these surged forth in my heart at this moment.

Although living with Naruto did help him gradually Earth Flow from the state of being a useless person who couldn't even take care of himself after the massacre of his clan.

But the pain he was suppressing in his heart was not lessened in the slightest.

He simply learned to hide his pain behind a cold and calm mask in front of the few remaining people who cared about him.

Sasuke didn't want them to see him like this, didn't want them to worry, and even less did he want to become a burden in anyone's eyes.

Now, with himself all alone in this house, he finally has the time to face that cruel reality again.

I am now all alone.

Sasuke stared blankly at the bright, full moon, then closed his eyes in anguish.

Months ago, that night, stained crimson with blood and fire, involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

The night of the red moon, the Night of the Uchiha Massacre.

His family, his life, and even his entire world collapsed overnight!

The culprit behind all of this was none other than his most admired, relied upon, and beloved older brother— Uchiha Itachi.

"Uchiha... Itachi!!"

Sasuke curled up on the ground, his voice hoarse and trembling.

His hands dug into the wooden floorboards, his fingernails scraping against the smooth surface with a sharp, grating squeaking sound.

Because of the excessive force, the tips of all ten fingers were scratched and bled.

But Sasuke seemed completely oblivious to the stinging pain emanating from his fingertips; his once clear black and white eyes were now filled with countless crimson blood vessels.

The emotion he felt, hatred, had already eroded his already crumbling reason.

Sasuke instinctively wanted to vent, imagining himself smashing everything he saw like a child.

But the upbringing he received made it impossible for him to do such a thing.

He subconsciously wanted to hurt himself, trying to alleviate the tormenting pain in his heart with intense physical pain.

But a deep-seated desire not to let Naruto worry about him forced him to firmly hold back his hands, which were already about to smash against the wall.

Sasuke could do nothing but contort his beautiful face, curling himself up in the deepest corner where the moonlight couldn't reach, his whole body trembling violently and silently.

No matter how extraordinary his talent may be, no matter how magnificent his future may be, at this moment, he is just a seven-year-old child.

The sole survivor who recently witnessed the massacre of his entire clan.

Even though the Night of the Uchiha Massacre was actually full of suspicious points, for Sasuke, who was still a child, just recalling the horrific scene of that night was enough to make him lose all his reason.

He could only struggle desperately within those painful memories, like a drowning person grasping at the only straw that kept him afloat, clinging desperately to that sole reason to live.

Kill the culprit who caused all this, kill Uchiha Itachi, for the tragic deaths of my parents, for the sake of my Uchiha Clan... revenge!!

After a long while, Sasuke finally managed to break free from those painful thoughts.

He was panting heavily, his black hair now stuck to his forehead with sweat, looking disheveled and pathetic.

(They've been completely messed with...)

Sasuke lowered his head, using his still slightly trembling hand to support himself on the floor, and slowly stood up.

"Uchiha Itachi, one day, I will definitely kill you!!"

Just as he took a deep breath, preparing to compose himself in case Kakashi, who might return at any moment, noticed something amiss,

A light, almost frivolous voice drifted in from the direction of the open window.

"Wow! You recovered so quickly? Your mental fortitude is impressive..."

As expected of the most resilient person in our Uchiha Clan after me!

Upon hearing that teasing remark, Sasuke's pupils instinctively contracted sharply!

He suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

He knelt with his back to the high-hanging full moon, his robes fluttering gently in the night breeze. His face, which appeared particularly roguish yet handsome in the moonlight, bore a half-smile.

He looked at Sasuke, who was staring at him nervously, smiled, and said casually, as if greeting an old acquaintance:

"Yo, hello there. Let's have a heart-to-heart talk... Sasuke Uchiha."