"I-I'm not scared…"
Sasuke tried to protest instinctively.
But when he looked up, Naruto was staring at him with cold, expressionless eyes.
That gaze cut into him like a blade—freezing, piercing, inescapable. His words caught in his throat.
His grip on the kunai trembled. Slowly, he lowered his head, unable to meet Naruto's eyes any longer.
"Looks like Itachi was right," Naruto said, shaking his head slightly.
"This is the extent of your resolve?"
A jolt shot through Sasuke's heart.
Shame—crushing, suffocating shame—rose uncontrollably inside him.
He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the kunai. When he looked up again, his eyes were bloodshot with fury and humiliation.
"I'm not afraid—huh!?"
His words cut off mid-sentence.
Right before his eyes, Naruto stepped off the edge of the cliff.
Sasuke's pupils shrank. He rushed forward and peered over the edge.
Down below, Naruto was falling fast, kunai flashing as he stabbed them into the cliff face to slow his descent. Within seconds, his figure disappeared from view.
A wave of dizziness hit Sasuke. He instinctively stepped back, swallowing hard.
He looked down at the kunai in his hand, suddenly unsure.
"Ha! Naruto, that Uchiha brat definitely chickened out!"
Kurama's voice rang out inside the seal space the moment Naruto landed at the base of the cliff. His nine tails swayed with energy.
He actually sounded… excited.
"To be honest," said Minato with a serious look, "I'd rather Sasuke not attempt this. His upbringing was nothing like Itachi's—same age, maybe, but their abilities are worlds apart."
Naruto glanced up at the cliff top.
Sasuke hadn't moved.
"He'll jump. If he wasn't going to, he would've walked away the moment I jumped."
Kurama snorted in disapproval.
"You have too much faith in that Uchiha brat."
Minato, while unsure himself, had another concern.
"Naruto… if Sasuke really does jump and something goes wrong, will you save him?"
"Maybe."
Naruto's indifferent tone made Minato's worry spike.
"Then why'd you give him four kunai marked with Flying Thunder God seals?"
"Father, if you already knew that—why ask me?"
"Uh… well…"
Minato's expression turned awkward.
He still couldn't forget what Naruto had done below this cliff last year—using similar tools for something very different.
"I'm helping him," Naruto said plainly, walking over to the riverbank and taking a seat on a large stone.
"You and I both saw Itachi and Sasuke's memories in the Mirror World. Sasuke had already awakened his Sharingan on the night of the massacre."
Minato's expression tensed.
Those words sounded eerily familiar.
The last time Naruto said them… he had stabbed someone in the heart.
"Naruto… Sasuke must be terrified of what happened that night."
"Then he needs to face it," Naruto replied flatly. "It's only by facing your fear that you become truly strong."
"But he's still just a child…"
"Shh."
A mocking glint passed through Naruto's eyes.
"He just jumped."
Whoosh—
The wind stung Sasuke's eyes.
He'd jumped.
Twisting in midair, he swung both arms. His kunai dug into the cliff wall, sending up sparks.
The scenery flew past him in a blur. The wind screamed in his ears. Despite his efforts, his descent wasn't slowing enough.
He kept slashing at the cliff face, arms burning.
But gradually—despair crept in.
His arms weakened.
Regret surged.
Clang!
One kunai was knocked from his hand.
His head slumped. Consciousness blurred.
"You're not even worth killing!"
"Foolish little brother… If you want to kill me, hate me, curse me, and live in despair!"
"Run… cling to life like a coward!"
"Uchiha Itachi!!"
Sasuke roared. His eyes snapped open.
He grabbed another kunai and began wildly slashing at the cliff again, forcing his fall to slow.
Naruto, waiting below, could finally see Sasuke's figure.
But from his chakra sense, he knew—Sasuke was still falling too fast.
Something must have happened during the fall. There had been a moment when Sasuke gave up, and now the drop was too steep.
If this kept up, Sasuke would die on impact.
At about thirty meters from the bottom, Naruto disappeared from his rock.
Sasuke's blurred vision caught something.
A flash of orange—
Naruto appeared beside him in midair and grabbed his arm.
Swish!
Before Sasuke could even react, the world shifted.
Suddenly, he was standing in the training grounds by the small forest.
What...?
Sasuke stared in confusion at Naruto, who was already walking away.
He could still feel the wind, the fall—he remembered falling.
Sweat poured from his forehead, dripping down his cheeks and chin onto the dirt below. His entire outfit was soaked.
"You look like hell. Want to go home and change clothes?"
As Naruto spoke, he pulled out a scroll, crouched down, and channeled chakra into it.
With a puff, six mechanical crossbows appeared—Naruto's multi-kunai launchers.
"What just happened…?"
Sasuke tried to ask.
But an overwhelming wave of exhaustion crashed over him.
Thud.
He collapsed.
Naruto frowned and walked over to check.
Steady breathing. No visible injuries.
Looks like he just fainted from overexertion.
He entered the Mirror World and opened Sasuke's data clone.
But moments later, he exited.
Even though Sasuke had jumped—risked his life—his Sharingan still hadn't evolved.
That night, after the massacre, he had awakened it. But even in this moment of life-or-death, it didn't react.
Both Itachi and Shisui had activated their Mangekyō after suffering intense trauma and loss.
In the original timeline, Sasuke's Sharingan evolved further during the Chūnin Exams, after a brief fight with Rock Lee.
All Lee did was punch him in the face.
If jumping off a cliff wasn't enough…
Naruto glanced around.
Then maybe it was time for Plan B.
"Wake up, Sasuke."
Everything was dark.
Sasuke felt like he was falling—drifting endlessly. In that haze, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Uchiha Itachi!"
His eyes snapped open.
He was wearing armor.
Holding a bow.
"Come on, Sasuke," the voice said.
Looking up, he saw Itachi standing on a rooftop not far away, smiling gently.
"The wild boar attacking the village is almost here. Let's go."
(End of Chapter)
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