Sasuke goes to school

"Genjutsu: Crimson Illusion."

This was one of the techniques recorded in the ninjutsu scrolls Chinatsu had found in the Uchiha Residence. Its learning difficulty was A-rank.

Originally, Chinatsu had wanted to learn some satisfyingly hard-hitting ninjutsu, the sort fit for a real man's Hollywood-style showdown. But for some reason, when she saw the genjutsu scrolls, she felt a genuine interest stirring within her.

Thanks to that interest, her training in this genjutsu went exceptionally smoothly. Before Sasuke had even mastered his Great Fireball, Chinatsu had already mastered this technique perfectly.

As Chinatsu enhanced the genjutsu's effects with her Sharingan, every masked figure around her was caught in it without exception, despite all of them being members of Root. They were dragged into the illusion's "space."

"What's going on? Genjutsu?!"

"What happened? You're covered in blood!"

"It's an illusion. It's all an illusion. Calm down... wait, it hurts..."

The masked figures stared at one another with trembling pupils. Their bodies looked as though they had been stabbed several times, blood pouring from their wounds.

Was this an illusion? But the pain felt far too real.

Crimson clouds, a scarlet horizon.

To their eyes, it was as though they had teleported from Konoha into an entirely different world.

As the seconds ticked by, their unease and the pain from their wounds grew ever stronger.

Could this... not be an illusion?

That thought suddenly flashed through their minds, and the moment it appeared, Chinatsu had officially breached their mental defenses.

In the real world, the masked figures stood motionless with their heads tilted back and vacant expressions on their faces. Chinatsu stood over them, humming a little tune with a kunai in one hand, stabbing them in the kidneys one after another.

Genjutsu-it was super effective!

Never underestimate genjutsu in the world of Naruto. Its potential was tremendous, and among the hundreds upon thousands of genjutsu, Chinatsu considered two to be the strongest.

One was the unquestionably ultimate genjutsu, Infinite Tsukuyomi. It was mass hypnosis on an enormous scale, capable of putting its targets to sleep and trapping them in a dream world forever. That dream world was almost indistinguishable from reality, making it difficult for those affected to realize they were inside an illusion. It was like living a second life.

And the second, in Chinatsu's opinion, belonged to Shisui Uchiha, who happened to be her older brother...

[Kotoamatsukami]

The strongest genjutsu. Unlike other illusions, Kotoamatsukami could directly interfere with another person's mind, altering their consciousness without them even realizing it.

And only Shisui Uchiha's two Mangekyō Sharingan could use these two genjutsu. One was now in Uchiha Itachi's hands, and the other was in Shimura Danzō's...

"Shimura Danzō, one day, I'll come settle the score with you."

Shimura Danzō was an obstacle Chinatsu could not avoid. First, he would never spare the remaining Uchiha orphans. Second, if Chinatsu wanted to advance further in the future, she would need the Sharingan of a close blood relative. She had to get Shisui's eyes.

Yes, she had to.

Chinatsu looked at the Root members around her. In theory, an ambitious young person from the twenty-first century should never have been able to bring herself to kill, but for some reason, Chinatsu felt no aversion to it.

That made sense. This body's original owner had been an excellent ninja. As a ninja, she had long since stained her hands with blood.

Soon, Chinatsu eliminated every one of these Root members. Fortunately, there was hardly anyone near the Uchiha Residence, so cleaning up was not much trouble.

After dealing with them, Chinatsu clicked her tongue and raised a hand to her head.

"Still, even if I've already prepared myself, my chances aren't great if I actually end up fighting Shimura Danzō." Ruffling her hair, Chinatsu muttered to herself as she turned and headed back into her residence.

Meanwhile, Sasuke arrived at the Ninja Academy. Because of the clan massacre, he had not attended school for half a year. When he returned, even the teacher assigned to guide him froze at the sight of him.

W-was this really Sasuke?

In just half a year, Sasuke had become nothing like the sweet boy they remembered. The teacher guiding him was a Chunin, yet even he felt pressure coming from Sasuke.

"Teacher? Teacher?"

"Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something. Sasuke, come with me."

Sasuke's calls immediately brought the teacher back to his senses. He cleared his throat loudly, then led Sasuke toward his classroom.

Most children entered the Ninja Academy at six. Under normal circumstances, they studied there for six years before graduating and becoming Genin.

Of course, if someone was outstanding enough, they could apply to graduate early.

With Sasuke's current strength, applying for early graduation and becoming a Genin would have been no problem at all. But Chinatsu did not intend to let him draw too much attention.

One person drawing attention was enough.

When they reached the classroom, Sasuke stood calmly in front of the blackboard while the students stared at him, dumbfounded.

The boys looked as though they were facing a formidable enemy.

Nine out of ten girls looked lovestruck.

The girls:

"He's so handsome... it's only been half a year. How did Sasuke-kun get so much better-looking...?"

"My heart's racing. I'm going to go after Sasuke-kun!"

The boys:

"Hmph, he's only a little more handsome than me!"

"Hmph, he's only on my level. Do these girls really have to make such a fuss?"

"Hmph, he may be handsome, but he still falls a little short of me. Girls, look at me!"

Everyone had different thoughts, but Sasuke did not care in the slightest how his classmates reacted to him. He only wanted to get through the day quickly, then wait for his older sister to pick him up and take him home.

"Sasuke, sit over there."

"All right."

Sasuke nodded lightly and walked to his seat, step by step, under everyone's gaze. The classmates around him wanted to strike up a conversation, but his presence was far too intimidating. These children had already opened their mouths, yet they could not force out a single pleasantry.

The teacher by the blackboard also wanted to say a few more words, but after swallowing several times, he ultimately tossed out a few casual remarks and hastily left the classroom.

The classroom fell utterly silent.

The boys were unwilling to speak, while the girls wanted to but could not get the words past their throats. Just then, a blond boy rose from his seat and quickly walked over to Sasuke.

Sasuke turned to look. The newcomer was none other than his classmate... Naruto Uzumaki.

"Oh, it's you. Hello."

As Sasuke spoke, he held out his hand to Naruto. Naruto and every other student present froze. In this class, hardly anyone was even willing to exchange a few words with Naruto, let alone approach him first.

Naruto's expression shifted slightly. A smile appeared on his face, and he reached out to clasp Sasuke's offered hand.

"Hello! My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"