A Luo, Big Brother Will Carry You Home

"A Luo, Big Brother will carry you home."

At the hospital entrance, Sasuke crouched down and carried A Luo on his back. One hand held his little brother steady to keep him from falling, while the other carried the medicine the doctor had prescribed.

Under the cover of night, the small figure walked through Konoha's streets. Occasionally, several ANBU carefully leaped across the rooftops nearby.

"A Luo, you'll live with Big Brother from now on. Big Brother has to go out tomorrow morning to buy some necessities. When A Luo wakes up, wait at home for Big Brother to come back..."

As he walked, Sasuke worried that A Luo might fall asleep and catch a chill, so he told him about what they needed to do tomorrow and the changes that would follow.

After returning home, Sasuke found a clean room, laid down the already sleeping A Luo, and covered him with a blanket he had found for the time being.

Only after making sure his little brother was sleeping soundly did he close the door and walk into the room where their parents had been killed.

"Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'll definitely take good care of A Luo. I'll become stronger. I'll kill... kill that man..."

Sasuke knelt on the floor and stared at the bloodstains that had yet to be fully cleaned away. Unable to hold it in, he burst into tears.

He was still only a child. Before this happened, he had basically grown up being doted on.

But he could not cry in front of his little brother. He did not even dare mention their father and mother in front of him, much less that man...

His little brother... had always been very well-behaved.

Back then, he would always ask his mother why his little brother never came out to play with him.

His mother said that his little brother was in poor health, that he could not play, and that he could not be disturbed.

He had asked his father whether his little brother could practice with him. That way, he could get healthier and come out to play.

His father had said no. His little brother was fine as he was now. If he got hurt or exhausted, it would throw the whole family into chaos...

Except for... that man...

When he had been very young, that man had told him that his little brother was weak, but he was still their little brother, family they had to protect forever.

But why...

Why had things become like this? Why had the man who always told him to take good care of his family destroyed their home and killed their father and mother...

"Lord Naruto, is it really all right for Sasuke Uchiha to mature psychologically overnight like this?"

The masked ANBU stood slightly behind Naruto and asked cautiously.

They were on a rooftop in the Uchiha Clan Compound, with a clear view of Sasuke Uchiha kneeling on the ground, weeping in grief and resentment.

He had clearly been a child who knew nothing and had never experienced suffering, yet he had suddenly become so mature...

"This is how brothers of the Uchiha clan are. Once he takes on the role of an older brother, he will naturally grow. It is a good thing that he has become more mature. His little brother is here..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not finish his sentence. His inscrutable gaze lingered on the crying Sasuke for a few moments before he dispelled the Shadow Clone.

He still had much official business to handle. If he had not been worried that Sasuke Uchiha's condition would spiral out of control, he would not have needed to come observe him personally.

This was good. Being younger while mentally steadier would make him easier to educate with less effort.

Most importantly, Luo Uchiha could not be allowed to die.

He had supposedly been drugged while still in the womb, which was why his body could not refine chakra, cultivate ninjutsu, or possibly awaken the Sharingan...

It truly made one curious. Who would target a child who had not even been born yet?

But the truth of this matter could no longer be uncovered with the destruction of the Uchiha Clan.

Danzo could not be allowed to learn of this. Otherwise, such a weak pawn might be discarded before he even had the chance to grow up.

System, how did that doctor conclude that I can't refine chakra because I was poisoned in the womb?

A Luo was also troubled by the report the doctor had given the Third Hokage when he left Konoha Hospital.

He was only physically weak. There was nothing else wrong with him at all...

[When the system operates, it fills in some identity information. As a young master of the Uchiha clan who was born unable to refine chakra, the hospital doctors merely extrapolated from the current circumstances and past examination results, concluding that the host was poisoned in the womb. Furthermore, through reasoning, they concluded that because you were twins, the host absorbed all the poison, allowing Sasuke Uchiha to remain healthy.]

The system's explanation left A Luo with so many complaints that he did not even know where to begin, and for the moment, he did not want to say anything.

His timeline in this world had begun eight years ago. In other words, from the moment he was born, the system had altered part of the plot.

Therefore, he had truly existed in this world during those past years, and Konoha Hospital even had records of visiting this sickly young master several times to treat him.

As for certain things that could not be confirmed, when there was no way to verify them, some people would make inferences based on those records.

They'll definitely tell Sasuke. And they'll let him find out in a way that seems accidental.

A Luo was already certain that Konoha's plan was to bind Sasuke to him completely.

When the time came, as long as the younger brother remained here, Sasuke would never be able to betray Konoha. The higher-ups might even train Sasuke into a sharp blade in their hands.

[Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan is to let Sasuke Uchiha learn of this several years later. If Sasuke Uchiha ever grows irritated or weary of caring for his younger brother, this information can also serve as a backup plan to stimulate Sasuke Uchiha.]

The system knew Konoha's situation very well. Whenever A Luo asked, it basically did not hide anything.

But the prerequisite was that A Luo had to ask first. Otherwise, the system would not offer hints on its own.

The slacker system was just that lazy. Even if it knew, it was too lazy to say anything...

Is Sasuke planning to kneel over there all night?

Not wanting to keep complaining to the system about Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan, A Luo could not see for himself and had no way to leave his body, so he could only keep asking the system.

[Yes. Sasuke Uchiha is in great pain over his parents' murder. He believes they were killed to protect the two of you. He will not leave that room voluntarily tonight.]

The system checked on Sasuke's condition and told A Luo with certainty that unless some other factor intervened, that was simply how things would be.

As an older brother, his sense of responsibility will force him to keep going even when he is exhausted. Chances to cry his heart out like this will be few...

A Luo turned over, pulled the blanket into his arms, and continued sleeping.

Having a good cry was not necessarily a bad thing.

His arrival had turned Sasuke Uchiha from a younger brother who wept in grief and resentment into an older brother who needed to shoulder every responsibility. If even the chance to have a good cry was taken from him now, that would truly be too cruel.

He should get a good night's sleep and quickly sort out his spiritual energy absorption and meridians first...

Only with strength could he have a future, and perhaps protect his... older brother.