You could tell that although the young Uchiha carried the pride of an elite clan in his tone, he truly wanted to be out there fighting the Nine-Tails.
Naruto followed beside him, fuming.
"They're actually guarding against their own people! What the heck is Grandpa Hokage thinking, dattebayo?! Has he gone senile?!"
Honestly, in Sasuke's entire generation, Naruto was probably the only one bold—or reckless—enough to talk about the Third Hokage like that.
Back then, Sasuke had even wondered: the Third Hokage was the most respected leader in the village, the man who commanded all of Konoha. So why, whenever Naruto used that ridiculous Sexy Jutsu to prank him, did the Third only scold him lightly, never truly get angry? Why did he even cover for him at times?
Now he finally understood…
Staring at the massive, terrifying Nine-Tails in the distance, remembering Kushina's near-death agony after the Tailed Beast was torn from her body, thinking of the loneliness Naruto had endured for so long—rejected by everyone—only now did Sasuke grasp how much the Fourth Hokage's family had sacrificed for the village.
Seeing Naruto like this, Sasuke didn't know what to say for a moment.
Naruto's blunt criticism of the Third Hokage struck a chord with the young Uchiha as well.
"You're absolutely right! And those advisors—ugh! They hate the Uchiha even more than the Third does!"
He wasn't the type to hide his thoughts… or maybe the resentment bottled up inside him had finally erupted.
Sasuke, still clinging to his rationality, cut him off before he said too much.
"That's enough. Just take us to my fath— to Clan Head Fugaku."
"Alright."
They arrived at a civilian shelter packed with members of the Uchiha Police Force.
Because this area was secure, these elite shinobi stood here instead of fighting on the front lines—earning the villagers' contempt.
Hearing the whispered complaints, not only Sasuke but even Naruto felt irritated. The looks directed at Sasuke's clan… Naruto had endured the same thing for twelve years. He recognized it instantly.
Sasuke was annoyed, but arguing with the villagers was pointless.
He suddenly remembered—this was twelve years in the past. He himself would've been only two or three months old. And Itachi… would've been maybe five.
He grabbed a nearby Uchiha guard. "My fath—"
He opened his Sharingan mid-sentence, eyes burning with urgency.
"Where is Fugaku Uchiha?! Where is your clan head?!"
"The clan head was taken to the front lines by the Fourth Hokage-sama!"
Before leaving, he left strict orders forbidding any clan member from joining the battle.
The young Uchiha elites—desperate to fight but unable to defy their clan head—stood at the entrance of the shelter, Sharingan activated, supposedly protecting civilians… but looking more like jailers watching prisoners.
Sasuke didn't sense anything off.
Naruto did.
Shaped by his childhood experiences, Naruto immediately sensed something twisted in the atmosphere. These civilians being "protected" showed zero gratitude. Instead, their eyes held nothing but ridicule—for the Uchiha who weren't allowed to fight.
"What is Grandpa Hokage doing, dattebayo?!"
He could feel it—this wasn't right. Not at all.
"Why won't they let Sasuke's clan fight?! Everyone wants to help push back the Nine-Tails together with the others, right?!!!"
His words struck a chord with the Uchiha gathered there.
"Even if the clan head is strong, he's only one person! Who knows if this isn't some scheme by the higher-ups—"
"Shut up!"
Another Uchiha sent him crashing to the ground with a punch, then activated his Sharingan in warning.
The man realized he'd crossed a line. He wiped the blood from his face and apologized.
Sasuke and Naruto stood frozen.
Had the Uchiha clan, twelve years ago, already reached the point of suspecting that the Hokage might turn against their clan head?
Who were they supposed to trust—Konoha or the Uchiha?
Two opposing emotions crashed violently inside Sasuke.
His clan and his village… both were pillars of the twelve years he had lived.
But realizing he might have to choose between them filled him with frustration and anguish. And the worst emotion of all was when you were furious—when resentment burned inside you—but you didn't even know who you were supposed to blame.
The Fourth Hokage had told him: the first man to bring the Nine-Tails to Konoha was Madara Uchiha, the Uchiha clan's own leader. Which meant the ones who made the villagers fear the Sharingan and fear the Nine-Tails… really were Uchiha.
And because of that, Naruto's clan—the Uzumaki—had been forced to become vessels for that monstrous power, carrying its overwhelming rage for generations.
He certainly resented Konoha's leadership for their wariness and distrust of the Uchiha.
But…
He remembered that shadowy figure calling the masked man "Madara." Sasuke's heart plunged into turmoil once more. What if the masked man who attacked Naruto's mother really was Madara Uchiha, or another member of the Uchiha Clan?! Where was he supposed to direct all that pent-up rage? And how would that Dead Last look at him and the Uchiha Clan?!
"Hey, what are you fretting about, you idiot Sasuke?" Naruto suddenly spoke up. "So, what's next? Do we head to the front lines to find your dad, or go see Grandpa Hokage to get permission for your clan to join the fight?"
Sasuke was startled to realize that, just like when they fought Zabuza, the more critical the situation became, the more calmly Naruto thought through solutions—while he himself was the one panicking.
Naruto: "Losing your composure when it involves someone you care about—isn't that perfectly normal?! Didn't you just help me come up with a solution?" He was referring to Sasuke's suggestion to share some of the Nine-Tails' power with his mother, Kushina.
"I... I just... mentioned it."
"Why are you being so stubborn, dattebayo?!"
Naruto was exasperated. He genuinely couldn't fathom why Sasuke was nitpicking at such a critical moment.
"So? Do we head to the front lines or go find Grandpa Hokage? I'm with you, so whatever you decide, I'm in."
Sasuke snorted and muttered under his breath, "You're not so unbearable after all."
Naruto stomped his foot in frustration. "What did you say?!"
None of the young Uchiha Clan prodigies recognized the dark-haired boy before them, much less the round-faced blond boy. But Sharingan eyes couldn't be faked. And though they wanted to ask what the two were talking about…
How to put it?
There was just this feeling of not fitting in… This must be what 'companionship/friendship' feels like.
Not everyone was so tactful, though. Like the five- or six-year-old boy in the shelter who walked up to them cradling his two-month-old baby brother.
"You're... Sasuke?"
Sasuke: "!!!!!"
...
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