Sasuke saw the others surrounding him. Already in a foul mood, he refused to back down. "Want a fight? You think I'm scared just because there are more of you?"
"Well, well! You're pretty arrogant for an outsider!"
"You're the outsiders! Kusagakure is just a tiny village!" Sasuke snapped.
"Y-you think you're still in Konoha? Your Uchiha Clan only came here as refugees! You should behave yourselves when you're on someone else's turf!"
The two sides traded insults, and things soon escalated into a fight.
Sasuke had learned some basics from Itachi since he was little and was a decent fighter. The Kusagakure children his age had weaker foundations, but they had numbers on their side.
At first, Sasuke managed to land a few good hits, but soon the others pinned him to the ground and pummeled him with punches and kicks.
After the beating, the Kusagakure children scattered, knowing they had caused trouble. Sasuke dragged himself up from the ground in a sorry state and limped home.
He was filled with hurt and helplessness.
Why? Why had things turned out like this?
Suddenly, an adult man blocked his path.
Sasuke looked up at an unremarkable face, but the mysterious slit pupils in that face held his gaze.
"Child, do you want to grow stronger? Do you crave power?" A deep, raspy voice came from the man's mouth.
"W-who are you?" Sasuke froze, then asked warily.
"Hehehe. Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that I can give you the power to change everything!" The man licked his lips and smiled. "Don't you want to prove your strength to your parents? Don't you want to find that brother of yours? Don't you want to return to Konoha with your head held high instead of staying in this weak little