Sasuke Uchiha's pupils suddenly contracted, his mind going blank for an instant. In that moment, he couldn't tell whether it was hatred or something else gripping him—only that his whole body felt paralyzed, as if struck by lightning.
It wasn't until the boy, only waist-high, looked up at him in concern and asked, "Are you okay, Sasuke?" that the world snapped back into place.
"How do you know Sasuke, dattebayo?" Naruto, who had been talking to the boy, turned back toward Sasuke. "Sasuke, do you know him?"
"I recognized him instantly—because I'm his older brother!"
The boy Naruto had questioned smiled as he replied.
Then he turned to Naruto and asked, "Are you Sasuke's friend? I don't know why you're here, but thank you for taking care of him." With that, he offered Naruto a small, polite half-bow.
So polite!
That was Naruto's first reaction.
And then he noticed the look in the boy's eyes—Itachi truly cared for his little brother.
At that moment, overwhelmed by rage and helplessness, Sasuke finally exploded.
"Itachi—Uchiha!!!"
The shout shook the room, startling everyone. Civilians and young ninja in the shelter jerked their heads up, as did the Uchiha Police Force standing guard.
And of course...
"Waaah—waaah—WAAAH—!!!!"
A baby's panicked wail filled the shelter—the infant cradled in the arms of a five- or six-year-old Itachi Uchiha.
"There, there, Sasuke Don't cry~"
The sight of the young Itachi soothing the baby made Sasuke stumble back two steps.
Such… tenderness…
The Itachi before him loved the baby in his arms deeply.
The Itachi he could recognize instantly, even across seven years of time and space.
So then—why…
Black and red flooded his mind, the world of Tsukuyomi forming instantly.
Itachi had once used that very technique to force him to watch, over and over again, his own brother slaughtering the entire clan—killing their parents.
It had felt like falling from heaven into hell.
From having everything… to being utterly alone.
"Hey! What's going on in here?! Loud noise is forbidden in the shelter!!"
Sasuke hissed, "Itachi—he—" He's the clan's murderer! He killed the entire Uchiha clan!! Killed everyone!! A madman! A monster who murdered their parents with his own—
Before he could finish, Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth, forcing the words into choked whimpers.
Naruto whispered urgently in his ear, "Your brother isn't even as big as Konohamaru right now! And you were just a toddler in his arms!"
"You two! What do you think you're doing?!!"
"And you! I've never seen you in the clan before—who the hell are you?!!"
One of the Uchiha Police Force members stepped forward, ready to restrain them by force.
Naruto seemed to think of something.
Without warning, he grabbed Sasuke and bolted for the exit.
Not only that…
"Shadow Clone Technique!!"
It was, without a doubt, Naruto Uzumaki's most practiced jutsu.
In an instant, more than a dozen shadow clones popped into existence, each performing feint attacks toward nearby Konoha villagers!
Of course, none of them would actually hurt anyone—these were the same pranks young Naruto Uzumaki used to pull in the village just to get people to notice him.
But the Uchiha Police Force had no way of knowing that the future Naruto Uzumaki wouldn't harm the villagers.
In the blink of an eye, they activated their Sharingan!!
The shadow clones' movements slowed to near stillness under those eyes.
And within an instant, the Uchiha Police Force ninja dispelled the clones one after another—scattering them before any villager could be harmed!!
"Catch that ambusher!"
"Yeah!"
"They might be the ones who released the Nine-Tails!"
"Now that you mention it, I've never seen that Uchiha in the clan!!"
"And that blond kid—are those whisker marks on his face connected to the Nine-Tails?!"
In an instant, every terrified and resentful gaze among the villagers locked onto Naruto and Sasuke, who had just fled to the outskirts of the shelter!
And the perceived threat of "attacking shelter civilians" gave the Uchiha Police Force a perfectly justified reason to pursue them.
"Half of you come with me—pursue them! The rest remain and continue protecting the villagers!"
His declaration was like someone suddenly walking into an empty hospital queue and yelling, "I'm first! Who's behind me?!"
People might grumble about why he got to be first, but inevitably others would line up one after another:
"I'm second!"
"I'm third!"
"I—"
Even though Fugaku Uchiha had left no instructions appointing anyone to make decisions in his absence, within moments every Uchiha stood up, fully prepared to join the battle.
Their spirits blazed with resolve—there was not a trace of fear toward the Nine-Tails.
Rumors claiming the Uchiha were cowards collapsed instantly.
Those who'd whispered that the Uchiha only acted tough in front of civilians now stood frozen, red-faced, glancing around awkwardly.
Every Uchiha wanted to go to the front lines.
But the problem was clear—who would protect this shelter and the people inside it?
The villagers looked like helpless chicks without a mother hen, pitiful and unintentionally comedic.
A man grabbed the sleeve of a young Uchiha beside him.
"Y-you're all leaving… b-but what if those two come back?"
"Yeah, who's going to protect us?" The second speaker's mouth twitched with embarrassment.
"A-at least… at least leave a few people behind…" This came from the same woman who'd been whispering earlier about the Uchiha "hiding here instead of fighting."
Itachi immediately sensed the change in atmosphere—especially among the Uchiha. Their former restlessness faded. Now they wore a restrained awkwardness in response to the villagers' reactions, yet they also secretly enjoyed the feeling of being relied upon.
Holding baby Sasuke, Itachi looked toward the direction Naruto and older Sasuke had escaped.
He knew the two boys came from the future. He knew something significant must have happened there…
But with that blond boy around, Itachi suddenly felt certain—no matter what happened, Sasuke would overcome it and return home.
Just then, the baby in his arms stopped crying, grabbed a handful of his brother's hair, and giggled.
Someone in the shelter let out a small laugh.
The tension gently eased.
"Let's hope Lord Fourth and Lord Third can defeat that demon fox."
The villagers sincerely wished this nightmare would end soon, hoping dawn would arrive quickly to chase away the darkness hanging over the sky.
"Don't forget—other clans are fighting too! The village will definitely win!"
The Uchiha who remained behind wished not only for victory against the Nine-Tails—they prayed for the safe return of the Fourth Hokage-sama and their Clan Head. They wanted them to clear the Uchiha of those baseless accusations weighing on them.
They all knew the Third Hokage—and especially his advisers—held deeply rooted prejudice against the Uchiha.
But ever since the Fourth Hokage took office, he had been committed to improving relations between their clan and the village.
The Uchiha were sensitive and proud by nature, but they weren't incapable of recognizing who genuinely cared for them.
Lord Fourth personally got along reasonably well with Fugaku, and his wife had an even better relationship with Mikoto. Their student was part of the Uchiha Clan too…
Well, that peculiar Uchiha might not be entirely dependable, but the old villagers loved him!
Those stubborn elders, who normally disliked the Uchiha because of Madara Uchiha, adored that oddball kid named Obito.
It was just a pity he sacrificed himself too early—and his eyes ended up in the hands of that kid from the Hatake clan.
Because of that, the hawkish Great Elder Setsuna had mocked the clan head several times.
"....."
"May this night end soon."
"Ancestors, please protect the Clan Head and the Fourth Hokage—let them defeat the Nine-Tails safely!"
At this moment, none of the Uchiha could have imagined…
The clan head they worried for, and that eccentric little Uchiha they lamented…
Were fighting beneath the Hokage Rock that very moment.