The Masked Man did not approach Sasuke.
He knew perfectly well that Uchiha Gen had tightened surveillance around the perimeter of the Clan District.
Shisui had not died.
Itachi had not been isolated and left with only a single line of contact.
Fugaku had not lost control of order within the clan, either.
Recklessly approaching Sasuke now would only expose him.
So he merely watched.
He watched the boy chase after Itachi.
He watched Itachi struggle to learn to look back.
He watched Uchiha Gen keep a child who should have been nurtured by hatred anchored, for the time being, in an ordinary life.
The Masked Man found it laughable.
An ordinary life?
Did a clan like the Uchiha really deserve an ordinary life?
Hatred was the truest soil for the Sharingan.
If Sasuke couldn't witness the night of the massacre, then let him experience unease first.
There was no need to hurt him.
There was no need to approach him.
All it would take was making him feel that his brother was hiding something, his father was hiding something, and every adult in the clan was shutting him out.
A child's misunderstanding could slowly grow into a blade, too.
The next day, Uchiha Gen received a system notification.
[Warning: Sasuke has entered an external variable's observation range] [Risk types: induced misunderstandings, contact with unfamiliar objects, estrangement from family] [Recommendation: establish a protection network for underage clan members]
Gen's expression darkened as soon as he finished reading.
He had known the Masked Man would notice Sasuke sooner or later.
He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
After hearing about it, Fugaku's first reaction was to confine Sasuke to the heart of the Clan District.
Uchiha Gen immediately shook his head.
"No."
Fugaku frowned. "Your reason?"
"If