Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

The night was deep, but the Hokage's office was still brightly lit.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone behind his desk, silently smoking his pipe, ignoring the mountain of documents piled up on his desk.

Minato, you knew all along...

You must be very disappointed.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from the corner: "Hiruzen, it seems you're in trouble."

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, composed himself, and asked calmly, "What is it you want now, Danzo?"

"It's about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, of course."

Danzo emerged from the shadows, his single eye fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Today, the Jinchuriki almost lost control, alarming the entire Anbu."

"Why don't you reconsider handing over the Jinchūriki to me?"

"Give up, I will not hand Naruto over to you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi softly refused, "Danzo, I already regret my hesitation back then, and I regret not stopping you from spreading the rumor that Naruto is a demon fox in the village."

Danzo roared, "The Jinchuriki's violent loss of control might mean the seal has loosened."

"I know what I'm doing," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly.

"Control?" Danzo sneered. "You expect that Uchiha brat to keep an eye on him?"

He abruptly changed the subject, a greedy glint flashing in his single eye.

"Speaking of Uchiha Sasuke, is he here today too?"

Danzo's tone became meaningful, "To be able to emerge unscathed from such a commotion, perhaps the seal's malfunction was his doing."

"Since you won't hand over the Nine-Tails to me, how about handing over Uchiha Sasuke to me?"

He remembered the intelligence Root had given him: how could such a dangerous individual, an Uchiha who had awakened the Three Tomoe Jutsu at the age of seven, be allowed to escape control?

“Impossible, that child would never do such a thing.” Hiruzen Sarutobi vehemently denied it.

Danzo stepped forward and stood beside him, lowering his voice even further.

"That child was the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, and his heart was filled with distrust of the village."

“I will train him. You know I’ve always had some tricks up my sleeve when it comes to this.”

Upon hearing these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but recall the image of Sasuke from not long ago.

The boy carried the unconscious Naruto, his eyes cold, but his steps unusually firm.

That boy, despite his disdain for the village, was questioning why he hadn't revealed Naruto's identity.

He bit his pipe, his tone firm: "No need to say more, Danzo."

"I believe in them; they are all good kids."

"Today, I saw something in that child that you will never understand."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the village, which had returned to tranquility.

"Although he spoke coldly, he was protecting the companion he considered a 'trouble' in his own way."

He turned his head and looked directly at Danzo, his eyes gleaming.

"This is the manifestation of the 'Will of Fire.' It is not cultivated by erasing emotions and memories, but grows naturally from the bonds between people."

“I will not hand him over to you, much less let him become a tool for those heartless people in the ‘roots’.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was firm and resolute: "I will let him grow up with Naruto. I believe that even a seed in darkness, given enough sunlight and companions, will eventually grow into a towering tree that can protect the village."

Danzo narrowed his eyes, staring at Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage who was the same age as him but looked much older.

"Hiruzen, you've been in this position for too long and you've become naive. You'll definitely regret this later."

"is it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke, completely obscuring his face. "I hope I won't live to see that day come."

Danzo said nothing more and left with a gloomy expression.

When their ideas clash, they often end up arguing.

But it always happens that Hiruzen denies everything he has done.

He had no choice; after all, the shadow held the most power in the village.

Because of Itachi's existence, Hiruzen could not actually hand Sasuke over to him. This excuse was just a way to get him to make concessions in other areas.

......

Konoha Hospital, inside a ward.

The quiet night was broken only by the sound of dripping water and the occasional chirping of insects outside the window.

Naruto Uzumaki lay on the pristine white hospital bed, his breathing steady, out of danger, though a trace of pain still lingered between his brows.

Kakashi Hatake sat on a chair by the bed, holding a book with an orange cover called "Icha Icha Paradise," but his gaze never fell on the pages.

Looking out the window, I stared blankly at the waning moon on the horizon, lost in thought.

On the other side of the ward, Uchiha Sasuke stood against the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed, resting.

Two Zanpakuto hung at his waist, reflecting the clear moonlight.

A strange silence filled the air.

It was Sasuke who broke the silence.

He opened his eyes, recalling Kurama's words, and his expression turned serious: "Kakashi, what was the Uchiha police force responsible for maintaining order doing during the Nine-Tails' rampage? Didn't they participate in the fight against Kurama?"

Kakashi was slightly taken aback when he heard the question.

Has Sasuke already noticed...?

He didn't elaborate, only casually saying, "They were ordered to evacuate and protect the villagers."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then continued to press for answers.

Who gave this order?

Chapter 32 The Truth About the Unconnected

Upon hearing Sasuke's question, Kakashi's expression immediately became somewhat complicated.

His fingers, which were holding "I Love Paradise," unconsciously tightened, as if he were thinking about something.

Kakashi did not answer immediately.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that Sasuke thought he wouldn't speak again.

He then spoke in a deliberately slow tone: "At that time, the Third and Fourth Hokage were on the front lines blocking the Nine-Tails. This order was made by other high-ranking officials in the village and was a unified dispatch from the command center at that time."

An answer that couldn't be more official.

It can be anyone, or it can be anyone.

This answer might be enough for an average child.

But for Sasuke, this conversation had a different meaning.

He didn't press Kakashi further, because there was no need.

At the most chaotic moment in the village, the Uchiha Guard, one of the village's strongest fighting forces, was actually assigned to logistics.

This is unreasonable, unless the higher-ups in Konoha never trusted the Uchiha clan from the beginning.

but why?

Aren't the Uchiha the Uchiha of Konoha? Why would the Konoha leadership oppose the Uchiha like this?

Seemingly sensing Sasuke's thoughts, Kakashi slowly explained, "Sasuke, don't overthink it."

"When the higher-ups issued this order, it was because the Nine-Tails was controlled by the Sharingan, so it was normal for the Uchiha clan to be suspected."

Indeed, it is only natural to isolate such people, which can be said to be for the overall safety of the village.

But in the end, it seems the Uchiha clan was never able to clear themselves of suspicion of rebellion.

Otherwise, it doesn't make sense why, after that night, the Konoha leadership exiled the Uchiha clan to the edge of the village during the post-war planning process.

However, this precisely proves that the village's higher-ups' suspicion of the Uchiha clan was not a spur-of-the-moment decision; this tactic was probably also intended to isolate the Uchiha clan.

Even the sole authority given to the Uchiha Guard was probably intended to tarnish the Uchiha's reputation in the village.

Thinking of this, Sasuke suddenly came to his senses. He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the chaos in his heart.

Instead of looking at Kakashi, she turned her gaze to the cold moon outside the window, her voice becoming unusually calm.

"I understand."

He only said those four words, and then said nothing more.

He then vanished in an instant, leaving Kakashi, who was still in shock, dumbfounded.

Seeing Sasuke's complicated expression, he instinctively wanted to chase after him, but after glancing at the empty ward, he ultimately chose to stay and take care of Naruto.

His eyes were filled with an unyielding sorrow.

.......

Leaving Konoha Hospital.

Sasuke glanced at the room he had just come out of, his feelings a mix of emotions.

Faced with injustice and oppression from the Konoha leadership, and with their dignity trampled upon, will the Uchiha clan, with their pride, truly swallow their anger?

Was Itachi Uchiha's reason for massacring his clan really just, as he claimed, to test his own magnanimity?

Sasuke vaguely felt that there was some connection between the Nine-Tails' rampage and the Uchiha clan massacre, but something was always missing, preventing him from connecting them.

The information that Kakashi Hatake displayed in the hospital room appeared before my eyes one by one.

He could sense that Kakashi wasn't lying, but he was indeed hiding information that was very important to him.

"So annoying..."

Uchiha Sasuke instinctively began to feel agitated.