One Encounter with Sasuke, a Lifetime of Regret

"Ah!..."

Following a piercing scream that shattered the eardrums, the woman fainted dead away.

Sasuke returned, and seeing that the situation was dire, he immediately activated Star Treading, instantly killing the two Genin who had broken into the house.

The woman's reaction was perfectly normal.

However, Inari's behavior was completely unexpected to Sasuke.

It was because not only did Sasuke fail to see terror in her eyes, but he even observed a glimmer of hope.

What was going on?...

Sasuke found it very strange, but considering that Gato had already made a move against Tazuna's family, he figured Team 7 must definitely be pinned down right now.

Therefore, without further delay, Sasuke looked at Inari beside him and asked:

"Did your Brother Naruto and the others go to the River Bridge?..."

His words were concise, with no wasted breath.

"Mm!"

Inari nodded.

Hearing this, Sasuke turned to leave, but just as he reached the door, he was called back by Inari.

"Brother Sasuke, thank you!..."

Hm?...

Hearing this, Sasuke felt completely bewildered.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around.

He saw that the glimmer of hope in Inari's eyes had grown even more intense.

Like a spark, it was on the verge of starting a prairie fire!

Puzzled in his heart, he asked aloud:

"Thank me for what?..."

He certainly didn't think that Inari, at her young age, would be grateful to him for killing people.

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard Inari say in an excited, crisp voice:

"Thank you, Brother Sasuke. It was you who made me believe again in what Brother Naruto told me in private. Thank you, really..."

As she said this, Sasuke became even more curious:

"Naruto spoke to you in private before?"

"What did he say to you?..."

Upon hearing this, Inari responded with an excited tone:

"Brother Naruto told me before that if I work hard, all the beautiful things I want will come true."

"I didn't believe it before, and even when those two bad men were holding Mom hostage just now, I fell into complete despair."

"But seeing Brother Sasuke kill those two bad men the moment you struck, Inari believes it now! Hard work really can achieve things!"

"I will work hard! When I grow up, I will become a strong person just like you!..."

Her small fists were tightly clenched, and in her starry eyes, a flame seemed to dance, burning endlessly.

She had expected Sasuke to agree with her point of view and lean in to affectionately pat her little head.

Just like her father used to do when he was alive.

But at this moment, she saw Sasuke standing at the door, sighing and shaking his head as he said:

"Although I know that saying this must be very cruel to a child like you."

"I still want to express my true thoughts."

"I do not agree with Naruto's way of the ninja. That hard work will get you what you want—that depends on the person."

"He, Naruto, can do it, but others perhaps cannot..."

Inari was stunned.

She had never expected Sasuke to say something like that.

In an instant, her face was once again filled with its original look of confusion.

Seeing this, Sasuke sighed and continued:

"I believe that choice is more important than hard work."

"Only when you know what you want and work toward it will your fate gradually come into your own hands."

"Otherwise, the idea that so-called hard work will realize your dreams is purely self-delusion."

"If a sheep works hard at eating grass, will it escape the fate of being eaten by a wolf?"

"Obviously not, but when sheep grow fangs and dare to fight, then over time, one day, the fate of being eaten will change."

"Did you understand what I said?..."

The reason for suddenly saying so much.

It was because Sasuke felt sympathetic towards Inari, that ambitious child.

She was like a lost lamb.

Wanting to find a way out, she hit a wall everywhere, her fragile heart on the verge of collapse.

As for Naruto's "talk no jutsu," it should be put away!

For himself, this was absolutely not wrong.

After all, if the original plot continued, he would definitely become the Seventh Hokage and realize his initial ideal.

But what about ordinary people?

Inari wanted to not be bullied, to live a good life, and for Tazuna's family to have hope for the future.

Did they still have to fool people with Naruto's "talk no jutsu" for a lifetime?

Or should they let the child fish for a lifetime, and then hope that people like Gato wouldn't bully him?...

This was no different from blinding Inari's eyes, making her like a donkey, hoping day and night, and ultimately wasting her life.

Although Naruto had no ill intentions.

But wouldn't the result of doing so be equivalent to becoming Gato's accomplice?

"Choice is greater than effort?..."

Inari stood in place, repeatedly murmuring Sasuke's words.

It was as if something had suddenly been grasped by her.

But it was like a butterfly dream, sometimes near, sometimes far, elusive.

Seeing this, Sasuke pondered for a moment, and finally, he couldn't bear it, fearing that Inari, at such a young age, would go astray.

So, with a wave of his right hand, a scroll flew in front of Inari:

"This is a scroll for the basics of chakra condensation."

"If you want your family to live a good life, the first step is to take fate into your own hands."

The scroll was purchased when he bought ninja tools earlier.

The ninja tool shop owner, wanting to curry favor with him, had quietly placed it within a sealing scroll.

This scroll was not of much use to someone of Sasuke's level and had been gathering dust in the sealing scroll.

At this moment, it was perfect for Inari.

It was a way to build good karma, asking for nothing in return, only wishing good people peace throughout their lives.

Holding the scroll, Inari looked down in a daze.

After a long while, she seemed to awaken from a dream.

When she looked up, the handsome figure at the doorway had long since disappeared.

Anxiety surged in her heart, as if she had lost something. She rushed to the doorway, forming her small, tender hands into a trumpet shape, and shouted anxiously towards the distant mist:

"Brother Sasuke, can I come to Konoha to find you when I grow up?..."

In an instant, as soon as the words fell, from within the mist.

A young, still tender voice slowly replied:

"Little girl, the mountains are high and the rivers are long, perhaps I won't be in Konoha by then..."

The voice was long and lingering, never ceasing.

A clear tear slid from the corner of Inari's eye.

At such a young age, for some unknown reason, a sense of inexplicable loss began to rise in her heart.

Previously, Naruto's image had been instantly erased from her mind.

But at this moment, Sasuke's voice and appearance lingered in her mind, refusing to fade.

"Brother Sasuke, when Inari grows up, I will definitely come to find you."

"Wait for me, Inari, Inari will definitely catch up to your footsteps and always be by your side in the future..."

A single conversation in her confusion, and her life was forever changed by meeting Sasuke.

Only regretting that you were born when I was not yet born, longing for the old person in a haze.

Inari took off the straw hat from her head.

Accompanied by two lines of tears, her three thousand strands of black hair fluttered in the wind.

At this moment, she had grown up.

Everything seemed unchanged, yet in the eyes of little Inari, everything had taken the shape of that person.

On the other side.

"Your combat instincts really aren't weak, are they?"

Looking down, Haku saw Naruto gripping his legs tightly, grinning foolishly, though there was no telling what kind of nonsense was running through his head.

Turning away, Haku felt a dark line appear beneath his mask, and he shook his head in disappointment.

"I take back what I said before..."

He suddenly thought of Sasuke, wondering to himself, how could the gap between people be so vast?

One was a supreme genius with a steady mind, as if tempered by decades of experience.

The other was all grins and giggles, acting like a foolish, adolescent brat...

And that wasn't even the worst of it; how could Konoha have possibly placed the two of them in the same squad?

Just how many strings did this silly kid have to pull to get here?

With that thought, Haku regained his focus. Raising a slender hand, he sent several more ice needles whistling toward the vital points all over Naruto's body.

Although this would most likely leave Naruto severely injured, he knew that Naruto would definitely not die.

To finish the mission quickly and alleviate the pressure on Zabuza's side, he had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

After all, not killing the Naruto beneath his feet was already giving Sasuke plenty of face.