Return

Sasuke leaned against Chinatsu's wardrobe, panting hard. Clearly, all of this was too much for a boy of six or seven to experience.

"Sis, which clothes should I bring back...?" Sasuke couldn't decide. He had never seen anyone wear the clothes in this wardrobe, let alone Chinatsu.

As far as he remembered, Chinatsu always wore very traditional clothes. She had never worn anything so... ahem.

Could this be what Sis actually likes?!

Sasuke raised his head, a look of sudden realization crossing his face. But then he hesitated again, and in the end, he took a relatively traditional outfit from the wardrobe.

Although Sasuke respected his sister's true tastes, he... really didn't want anyone else seeing her body!!!

Sasuke grabbed the clothes and sprinted toward Konoha Hospital. Before long, he was back at Chinatsu's room.

But just as he returned and opened his mouth to announce that he was back, he realized his sister wasn't alone in the room.

Chinatsu stood beside the bed, while a masked young man stood by the window.

Sasuke's eyes widened. In his memory, he had only encountered two kinds of masked people.

One was the Masked Man who had stood beside Uchiha Itachi and helped him kill their clansmen.

The other was the leadership's secret force, whose members had suddenly appeared after the massacre to deal with the aftermath.

Neither kind looked like good people!

"Stay away from my sister!!!"

Sasuke rushed over, crossing his arms in front of Chinatsu to shield her as he glared fiercely at the masked young man.

The masked young man was startled, and so was Chinatsu behind Sasuke.

"Sasuke, it's okay. He's not a bad person."

Chinatsu reached out and patted Sasuke's shoulder, but he barely relaxed his guard. His nerves remained stretched taut.

He truly didn't want to lose anything else. Chinatsu was the last thread holding his sanity together.

Watching Sasuke like this, the young man's face beneath his mask took on a melancholy expression.

"I'm sorry."

With that, the masked young man turned and jumped out of the room through the window.

Sasuke hurried to the window, leaning over the sill to scan the surroundings carefully. Only after confirming that the young man had really left did he breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, a sense of helplessness welled up inside him.

Too weak. I'm far too weak right now.

Forget protecting Sis. I can't even protect myself, let alone take revenge on that bastard...

Sasuke lowered his head and stared at the floor. It seemed to reflect the scenes of the massacre, and a strange change came over his eyes.

His once-black eyes turned bloodred, and a single tomoe appeared in each.

The Uchiha kekkei genkai: Sharingan!

Just as hatred threatened to consume Sasuke, a Buddha's Palm descended from above his head with a smack!, forcibly jolting him back to his senses.

"Sasuke, where are my clothes?"

"C-clothes? Oh... here, Sis!"

Sasuke stood dazed for a moment, then hurriedly handed Chinatsu the clothes he had brought back.

Chinatsu looked down and examined the outfit Sasuke had handed her, then let out a long breath.

These clothes... I can just about accept them!

Chinatsu had been terrified that Sasuke, being young and not knowing any better, would bring her something in a "mature style." That was still beyond what she could accept right now... well, she might not be able to accept it in the future, either.

After taking the clothes, Chinatsu instinctively began unbuttoning her hospital gown, forgetting Sasuke was even there.

Sasuke's cheeks turned as red as an overripe tomato. He hastily spun around, rushed out of the room, and shut the door behind him. Chinatsu had only undone a single button, but that was already more than enough of a shock for a six- or seven-year-old boy.

Chinatsu watched Sasuke bolt out, then slowly lowered her gaze to the single undone button on her hospital gown. The corner of her mouth twitched before she heaved a deep sigh.

"As I thought, getting used to this quickly isn't going to happen..."

Meanwhile, after leaving Konoha Hospital, the masked young man stopped alone on the rooftop of a building and sank into prolonged thought.

She spotted me. She's a Chunin, but for an Anbu member like me to be detected by a Chunin... Chinatsu Uchiha. Itachi, did you really never notice someone like her before?

Only a few minutes after Sasuke had left the room to fetch Chinatsu's clothes, she had called him out despite his camouflage and concealment.

It probably hadn't been a bluff. And judging by her reaction, she even seemed quite familiar with him...

As he thought, the masked young man slowly reached up and removed his mask, revealing a handsome face.

Kakashi Hatake, twenty-one years old.

Back in her hospital room in Konoha, Chinatsu quickly put on the outfit Sasuke had brought, drawing on the memories she had inherited.

To be honest, Chinatsu wasn't quite sure what kind of outfit it was supposed to be. Something like a kimono? In any case, without those inherited memories, even managing to put it on backward would have counted as a major victory.

Wearing the outfit, Chinatsu stood before the large mirror and studied her reflection. She couldn't resist striking a few poses, but after only a few seconds, she covered her face with both hands and crouched down in embarrassment.

What am I doing!!!

Though this face really is beautiful...

Chinatsu gulped. Even now, she still couldn't fully accept that the person in the mirror was her.

"Calm down, calm down. I need to calm down." Chinatsu took a couple of breaths and lightly patted her cheeks with both hands. Then she rose from her crouch and turned toward the door.

With a click, Chinatsu stepped out of the room. Sasuke, who had been leaning against the wall with his head down, immediately sprang up and ran to her side.

"Sis!"

"All right, let's go home."

"Yeah... yeah!"

Sasuke took a deep breath and gathered his courage. This time, he wasn't just going back to fetch clothes. He was truly returning to that empty, silent Uchiha estate-to the home that had once been so lively and happy.

Chinatsu and Sasuke left Konoha Hospital and walked, step by step, toward the Uchiha estate...