Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of kunai collided midair as Naruto landed steadily on the stone platform, completely unharmed.
Sasuke stood at the edge, his crimson Sharingan wide open in disbelief.
Just moments ago, as Naruto leapt into the air and deflected his kunai, Sasuke's mind had involuntarily overlapped Naruto's figure with that of Uchiha Itachi—the man etched into his very soul.
Earlier, Naruto had told him to watch closely with his Sharingan—
To observe every single movement with precision.
And then, right in front of Sasuke, Naruto had displayed an incredible shuriken throwing technique.
A technique Sasuke had only seen one person use before—Itachi.
Then, Naruto had effortlessly dodged six simultaneous kunai launched from hidden mechanical crossbows positioned at blind angles.
There was no longer any doubt.
"Did you see clearly?"
Naruto asked, hopping down from the platform.
Sasuke nodded at first, but then narrowed his gaze, staring hard at him.
"Why… Why do you know that man's shuriken technique?!"
Naruto tilted his head slightly, his tone calm and indifferent.
"I learned it, obviously."
"Didn't you also sneak out here to practice this technique when you were younger?"
"You didn't have the Sharingan then. You only caught a glimpse of Itachi using it once and couldn't grasp the finer details."
"And if I recall, you sprained your ankle trying to imitate it."
Sasuke's expression shifted.
He remembered Naruto had somehow known many of his hidden memories.
After a moment's thought, he asked again:
"What's the truth behind the Uchiha massacre?"
Naruto's reply was flat.
"With your current strength, you're still not qualified to know."
"What?!"
"You said once I awakened the Sharingan, you'd tell me everything!"
Naruto shook his head.
"You misunderstood."
"I said you'd need the Sharingan just to qualify to know the truth."
"I never promised I'd tell you immediately."
"You're not calm enough. And your Sharingan only has a single tomoe. You're weak."
"What good is knowing the truth going to do for you now?"
Sasuke's face darkened.
He opened his mouth to argue, but the sharp pain from his swollen cheek reminded him:
Naruto wasn't wrong.
He was still weak.
But when he thought about that night—his clan, his family—
He couldn't suppress the torrent of emotions inside him.
Anger.
Shame.
Hatred.
Grief.
All of it boiled up and twisted his features with fury.
Naruto noticed Sasuke's wild eyes, and after thinking for a moment, he said:
"Fine. Since you've awakened your Sharingan, that does qualify you to know some of the truth."
"I'll give you two points—two things you should've figured out long ago."
"If you keep going like this, you might just get yourself killed."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
His breathing calmed.
"What do you mean?"
Naruto pointed at his eyes.
"At the root of it all, the Uchiha Massacre happened because of the Sharingan."
Sasuke clenched his fists and was about to speak, but Naruto raised a hand to stop him.
"Listen carefully. And think."
"If you're not an idiot, you should've noticed that a lot about the Uchiha Massacre just doesn't add up."
"First: The Uchiha Clan ran the Konoha Military Police Force. Their job was maintaining order in the village."
"They were professionals. Trained to respond to crises."
"So how is it that when Itachi attacked, not a single alarm was raised?"
"The police headquarters was just down the road from the Hokage's Office."
"Are you telling me the ANBU didn't notice a thing?"
Sasuke suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine.
He was impulsive—but not stupid.
The Police Force was filled with elite Uchiha.
There was no way they wouldn't be able to raise the alarm.
And Naruto was right.
The Hokage's Office was right there.
Even if ordinary villagers failed to notice, could the ANBU really have missed it?
"Well?"
"Thinking something through for once?" Naruto asked.
He could tell from Sasuke's expression—he was finally starting to realize it.
Sasuke leaned back against the stone platform, chest heaving, trying to suppress the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.
Naruto gave him a sideways glance.
"Want me to continue?"
Sasuke closed his eyes.
After a long pause, he nodded.
"Alright. Second point."
Naruto looked up at the setting sun.
"From what I know, within two weeks of the massacre, aside from your family home, the entire Uchiha district was reclaimed and repurposed by the village."
"They didn't leave you anything. No scrolls. No clan jutsu. No secrets."
"Not even an explanation about what happened to the bodies."
Naruto's tone darkened.
"What do you think they did with all the Uchiha corpses?"
Sasuke's eyes snapped open.
"What did they do?"
"That's the end of the two points," Naruto replied, noting that the Third Hokage was approaching his house.
"But you've already started to suspect the answer, haven't you?"
He pulled out three scrolls and handed them to Sasuke.
"Go to the Academy Library and look up the Third Great Ninja War."
"Find the records of the Battle of Kannabi Bridge."
"Read about the heroes. I promise you'll find something... very interesting."
Sasuke scowled.
"You still haven't told me anything concrete about the truth behind the massacre!"
"Correct," Naruto replied flatly.
"And here's my advice: stop believing everything you're told."
"Think for yourself."
"When your Sharingan evolves to three tomoe, I'll show you the truth with your own eyes."
"Until then, keep the fact that you've awakened the Sharingan secret. You'll understand why once you read about that battle."
Sasuke took the scrolls silently.
He opened his mouth again but ultimately said nothing.
"I have to go home now," Naruto added, pointing at the scrolls.
"Two contain basic ninjutsu and taijutsu techniques suitable for your current level."
"The third has some protective gear and weighted training tools."
"I've left the mechanical crossbows in the trees. Instructions for using and recovering them are written in the scroll."
Sasuke turned to look at the crossbows in silence.
When he turned back around—
Naruto was already gone.
Later That Night
"Naruto, you know why I'm here, don't you?"
The Third Hokage sat in a chair on the second floor of Naruto's house, his tone serious.
Naruto nodded without speaking.
"Why did you submit a graduation application?"
Naruto hesitated, feigning shyness.
"I just wanted to give it a try."
"I read in the library that someone once graduated at five."
"He became a hero on the battlefield."
The Third Hokage's expression softened.
"That's all?"
Naruto nodded again.
The Hokage knew exactly who he was referring to.
After thinking for a moment, a faint smile crept across his face.
"Naruto… Do you want to become a hero?"
The Next Day
Around lunchtime, Sasuke finally made his way to the Academy Library, still bearing a noticeable bruise on his face.
Without drawing attention, he found the section on the Third Great Ninja War.
He sat quietly in a corner and began flipping through the pages.
It wasn't long before he found it:
The Battle of Kannabi Bridge.
And there it was—
Kakashi Hatake, a non-Uchiha, had received Obito Uchiha's Sharingan and become a war hero.
Sasuke's face went pale.
He suddenly understood why Naruto said the massacre happened because of the Sharingan.
If the village could take Obito's eye and give it to a non-Uchiha,
What else might they have taken?
What about the other corpses?
As Sasuke walked out of the library, one thought echoed in his mind:
I've never really understood this village I grew up in…
The bright sunlight shining down on Konoha
Felt just as terrifying
As the long, dark nights he used to dread.
(End of Chapter)
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