Double Comparison: Two Sasukes, One Shinobi World

[abyssalmandate]

Orochimaru: "So this is what happened when the Uchiha clan was exterminated? Interesting."

Uzumaki Kushina: "That child, Itachi, killed you, Mikoto, and the entire clan? How could that possibly happen?!"

Kushina was utterly shocked.

When she had still been alive, she had been close friends with Uchiha Mikoto and had known Itachi quite well. That child had never seemed like someone capable of committing such a massacre.

Uchiha Mikoto: "It really happened. The circumstances behind it are extremely complicated, though. I can't explain everything myself."

Senju Tobirama: "This Uchiha Sasuke appears to be on the verge of awakening his Sharingan. His brother slaughtered the entire clan. I wonder how far his eyes will develop."

Senju Hashirama: "Wouldn't he awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan directly? After all, what could be more stimulating than this?"

Uchiha Madara: "Impossible, Hashirama. Do you think the Mangekyō Sharingan grows like cabbages? He's only seven years old. How could a child his age possess enough chakra to support it?"

Senju Tobirama: "Still, with such intense emotional trauma, awakening at least a single tomoe would be expected. Two tomoe wouldn't be impossible either."

In the Pure Land, Uchiha Fugaku stared at the silver-framed screen with equal anticipation. He, too, wanted to see how talented his youngest son would prove to be.

At the Akatsuki's hideout, Uchiha Itachi remained silent.

He already knew the answer.

[Uchiha Sasuke's breathing became increasingly rapid, and his eyes gradually turned red.]

[Suddenly, both of Sasuke's eyes changed from black to scarlet, and a single black tomoe appeared in each eye.]

[However, the Sharingan disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. Sasuke gasped for breath, seemingly exhausted by the awakening.]

Uchiha Fugaku: "..."

Orochimaru: "..."

Uchiha Madara: "..."

Hatake Kakashi: "..."

The chat room fell silent.

Everyone had been eagerly guessing how many tomoe Uchiha Sasuke would awaken.

In the end, he had only awakened one.

His entire clan had been massacred, yet such overwhelming emotional trauma had produced only a fleeting, one-tomoe Sharingan. If they hadn't been watching closely, they might not even have noticed it.

In the real world, Sasuke's face flushed red. Having his childhood displayed before the entire shinobi world was embarrassing enough without everyone openly judging his talent.

Senju Tobirama: "The entire clan was massacred, yet he only awakened a one-tomoe Sharingan. His talent is rather average. What's so special about him that this broadcast room chose to display his life?"

Senju Hashirama: "He's still only seven years old. It's perfectly normal for him to lack enough chakra to maintain a more advanced Sharingan."

Orochimaru: "Sasuke grew up during a relatively peaceful period. He experienced little danger in his childhood and received limited guidance. His current performance isn't particularly surprising."

Orochimaru had already tested Sasuke's abilities during the second phase of the Chūnin Exams. He was confident that, with proper instruction, the boy's talent would eventually allow him to reach a level comparable to a Kage.

The broadcast continued.

[After Sasuke finished awakening his Sharingan, the door to the hospital room opened, and the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, walked inside.]

Hiruzen's expression was gentle, and his voice carried the warmth of someone trying to comfort a frightened child.

["Sasuke... I know there are many things you don't understand right now. You don't need to force yourself to understand them all at once."]

The young Sasuke silently looked up at him.

["What Itachi did was beyond comprehension. He betrayed his clan, betrayed Konoha, and most of all, he betrayed you."]

["I have already declared Uchiha Itachi an S-rank missing-nin of Konoha. The village will do everything in its power to capture him and bring him back."]

Hiruzen paused before continuing in a softer voice.

["But Sasuke, none of this is your fault. You survived because you were his younger brother. You are not responsible for the choices he made."]

Sasuke's fingers tightened around the blanket.

Hiruzen noticed but didn't press him.

["For now, you should not return to the Uchiha compound. I know that place was your home, but after what happened there, it will only remind you of the people you've lost."]

["Your parents, your clan... and Itachi."]

At the mention of his brother's name, Sasuke's eyes trembled.

Hiruzen continued carefully.

["You're still too young to carry all of this by yourself. That's why I've arranged a new residence for you in the central area of the village. You can stay there until you're ready to move forward."]

["You'll be surrounded by the villagers, and you'll be able to return to the Academy and continue your training like any other child."]

["And whenever you need someone, you can come to me. You've lost your parents, your clan, and your brother, but Konoha has not abandoned you."]

["As Hokage, I will protect you."]

To a seven-year-old orphan, those words were exactly what Sasuke needed to hear.

Yet beneath Hiruzen's compassion was another effect: he was quietly determining where Sasuke would live, whom he would depend on, and what name would remain at the center of the boy's hatred.

Itachi.

[The young Sasuke gradually calmed down.]

["Thank you, Hokage-sama."]

The gratitude in his voice was genuine. At that moment, Hiruzen was perhaps the only adult in the village whom Sasuke believed truly cared about him.

In truth, Sasuke had no desire to return to the Uchiha compound anyway. The entire district had become a silent wasteland of blood and corpses, and his parents had been murdered inside their own home.

[After being discharged, Sasuke moved directly into his new residence.]

[After recovering, he returned to the Ninja Academy. From that day onward, he trained harder than ever.]

[A single goal gradually took root in his heart: become stronger, and one day kill Uchiha Itachi.]

Senju Tobirama: "The monkey handled the situation well. Regardless of what caused the Uchiha's internal conflict, taking care of a seven-year-old orphan like this is commendable."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "I don't deserve such praise from you, Teacher. This is simply what I should do as Hokage."

Hiruzen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, his image had been preserved by the broadcast.

The other shinobi, however, were not nearly as willing to let the matter go.

Ōnoki: "A thirteen-year-old Uchiha Itachi suddenly went berserk and slaughtered his entire clan? Do you honestly expect us to believe that?"

Fourth Raikage: "I don't believe it either!"

Terumi Mei: "And furthermore, the Third Hokage only learned about something this serious afterward?"

At the Root headquarters, Danzō naturally seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire.

Danzō: "Regardless of how you look at it, Sarutobi was Hokage. If something like this happened during his administration, then he bears responsibility for it."

Hiruzen's expression darkened.

It was one thing for other villages to criticize him, but Danzō had some nerve saying it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Danzō! What nonsense are you talking about?! I am the Hokage of Konoha! You are a shinobi of this village, yet you join outsiders in slandering your own village's Hokage. What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"

Bang!

Danzō slammed his hand against the table.

There it was again—that same argument about the Hokage. After all these years, he had heard it countless times, yet there was nothing he could say to refute it.

Because he wasn't the Hokage.

"Hiruzen... one day, you will regret this."

Danzō's eyes darkened.

The silver-framed screen gradually faded, and the image disappeared.

Then the golden-framed screen began to light up.

Orochimaru: "So this is Uchiha Sasuke from the parallel world? I wonder what surprises this version will bring."

Sasuke himself stared intently at the screen.

Another world.

Another version of himself.

What kind of life had he lived?

[Konoha Hospital.]

[Uchiha Sasuke, also seven years old, sat quietly on the hospital bed, his brows slightly furrowed as he thought about something.]

At first glance, everything seemed almost identical. He had lost his family, his clan had been massacred, and his older brother was responsible.

But there was one striking difference.

[This Sasuke's eyes were completely calm. There was no fear, grief, or hatred, and not the slightest sign that his Sharingan was about to awaken.]

The chat room gradually fell silent.

Everyone had expected to see another version of the same tragedy, yet this Sasuke appeared almost untouched by it.

Even the original Sasuke stared at the screen in disbelief.

Why was he so calm?

He had experienced the same massacre, the same loss, and the same betrayal. So why didn't he look broken?

Then the parallel-world Sasuke suddenly stopped thinking and raised his head.

For the first time, his expression changed.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

It was so subtle that most people might have dismissed it as their imagination.

But those closest to the screen noticed immediately.

The parallel Sasuke quietly spoke.

["So... it has finally started."]

The entire shinobi world fell silent.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.

Madara's expression changed.

Even Sasuke himself froze.

What did he mean?

Had this Sasuke known about the comparison broadcast all along?

And if he had...

What else did he know?

Author's Note

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Thanks for reading!

 

[abyssalmandate]

Chapter 1 — A Comparison Broadcast: Two Sasukes
[Ding! The comparison live broadcast room has been opened!]

[The broadcast will display the life of Uchiha Sasuke, a descendant of the Uchiha clan, in this world and in a parallel world.]

[The silver-framed screen on the left displays Uchiha Sasuke from this world. The gold-framed screen on the right displays Uchiha Sasuke from the parallel world.]

[All aggressive behavior is prohibited during the viewing period!]

[A prize-based question-and-answer session will be held during the broadcast. Please participate actively. Rewards include ninjutsu, secret techniques, Kekkei Genkai, and more.]

[The chat room has been opened. Relevant individuals are being connected... Connection complete. Everyone may now speak freely in the chat room!]

It was the 60th year of Konoha.

The Chūnin Exams were underway.

At the examination venue, Orochimaru was momentarily stunned.

Only a moment ago, he had dramatically announced the beginning of the Konoha Crush.

After removing the disguise covering his face, he had intended to take his former teacher hostage and find a suitable place for their final confrontation—a battle that would determine both victory and defeat, as well as life and death.

Yet now...

He couldn't move.

Two enormous screens had suddenly appeared in the sky.

One had a silver frame.

The other had a golden frame.

At the same time, a mysterious voice rang throughout the entire shinobi world.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was sitting nearby, was shocked and furious. He turned his gaze toward his former student.

"Orochimaru! You disguised yourself as the Kazekage?! Is this some forbidden technique of yours?!"

Hiruzen could feel an invisible force restraining his body. He was completely unable to move from his seat.

Otherwise, he would have already summoned his Adamantine Staff and beaten this traitor into the ground.

Orochimaru merely sneered.

"Lord Sarutobi, have you become confused in your old age?"

He glanced toward the strange screens floating in the sky.

"Two screens suddenly appeared, and a mysterious voice echoed throughout the entire world. Do you really think this is something I could have done?"

Although Orochimaru had no idea what was happening, he wasn't particularly anxious.

He didn't possess the ability to accomplish something on this scale.

And judging from Hiruzen's reaction, the Third Hokage clearly didn't either.

Since neither of them understood the situation, there was no point panicking.

It would be better to remain calm and figure out what was happening.

Senju Hashirama: "A comparison live broadcast room? What is this? Even someone like me, who's already dead, can receive it?"

Senju Tobirama: "A descendant of the Uchiha? Does that mean only one person remains from the Uchiha clan? They've actually been reduced to this state... completely exterminated."

Senju Hashirama: "Tobirama! How many times have I told you not to be hostile toward the Uchiha?!"

Senju Tobirama: "Hmph!"

Uchiha Madara: "The moment they refused to leave Konoha with me, their fate was already decided. It isn't surprising that the Senju would eventually exterminate them."

Senju Hashirama: "Madara! You're here too! It's been a long time!"

Senju Tobirama: "How could I have deliberately targeted the Uchiha? Their own nature brought this upon them. What does that have to do with me?"

Uchiha Madara: "You're actually trying to pretend you didn't deliberately target them?"

Senju Hashirama: "Madara, Tobirama, you two stop arguing..."

In the Pure Land, Senju Hashirama frowned.

He had never expected that even after death, he would still have to mediate between Madara and Tobirama.

Ōnoki: "This live broadcast can even bring in shinobi who are already in the Pure Land? Amazing!"

Fourth Raikage: "At first, I thought this was some kind of conspiracy by Konoha."

Terumi Mei: "Kirigakure can also see the silver and gold screens. Everyone here has suddenly become unable to move. Whatever this is, it's certainly not something an ordinary ninja could accomplish."

Rasa: "Orochimaru! That bastard actually attacked me! All Sunagakure shinobi, abort the plan! Do not trust Orochimaru!"

The Sunagakure shinobi in the real world were stunned.

Only then did they realize that their Kazekage was already dead.

The "Kazekage" they had seen today...

Was actually Orochimaru in disguise!

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "What plan?! Kazekage, what are you doing with Orochimaru?!"

Orochimaru: "What else? Of course we're here to destroy Konoha."

Senju Tobirama: "Destroy Konoha? Orochimaru, was it? I remember now. You summoned my elder brother and me through Impure World Reincarnation, didn't you? Another evil brat!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Teacher, Orochimaru was my student. He defected from Konoha because of his human experiments and has held a grudge against the village ever since. I suppose I failed to teach him properly."

Senju Tobirama: "Speaking of which, Monkey, how many years has it been in your world? Are you still the Hokage?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Teacher, it is currently Konoha's 60th year here, and the Chūnin Exams are being held. The Uchiha Sasuke mentioned in the comparison broadcast is one of the participants."

Senju Hashirama: "Oh! Sixty years already? It seems Konoha has developed quite well!"

Uchiha Mikoto: "Sasuke... can you hear me, Sasuke? It's been five years. I don't know how you're doing now..."

Uzumaki Kushina: "What do you mean? Mikoto, you're dead too?"

Uchiha Mikoto: "Yes. Only Itachi and Sasuke are left in the Uchiha clan..."

Uzumaki Kushina: "That's so sad... I wonder how my little Naruto is doing now."

Uchiha Sasuke: "Mom..."

Sasuke's eyes began to turn red.

Five years.

He had never imagined that he would hear his mother's voice again.

Uzumaki Naruto: "Naruto? Auntie, your son's name is Naruto too? What a coincidence!"

Uzumaki Kushina: "Naruto?!"

Kushina was just about to ask about her son when the mysterious broadcast suddenly began another announcement.

[The viewing will begin in 10 seconds. Please watch carefully.]

[10...]

[9...]

[8...]

[The viewing begins now!]

The silver screen on the left suddenly lit up, revealing an image.

[Konoha Hospital.]

[Seven-year-old Uchiha Sasuke has just experienced the destruction of his clan.]

[The young Sasuke's eyes are vacant, and his body trembles slightly, as though he is still afraid of something.]

[The events of the previous night remain deeply engraved in his mind. His older brother's personality had changed drastically, and the sight of him murdering their parents and the other members of the clan was still vividly imprinted in Sasuke's memory.]

[Whenever he thought about it, Sasuke felt his mind tremble.]

[His eyes were slightly swollen, as though something within them was about to change.]

 

[Thiccc Shaedy]

Hey. Just letting you know that you posted chapter two first.

 

[abyssalmandate]

Uzumaki Naruto: "Sasuke in this world seems even worse. His eyes aren't reacting at all!"

Uchiha Sasuke: "Idiot, Naruto. Shut up!"

Senju Hashirama: "I don't really see much difference between them. Is there actually anything different between the two worlds?"

Senju Tobirama: "As things stand, the Sasuke from the parallel world appears to be much more emotionally stable. That isn't normal... this doesn't seem like the Uchiha Sasuke we know."

Tobirama's observation immediately caught everyone's attention.

The Sasuke on the silver screen had been overwhelmed by fear, grief, anger, and hatred.

The parallel Sasuke showed little of that.

Instead, he was thinking.

Orochimaru: "Interesting. This Uchiha Sasuke really is different. I wonder what he's thinking about."

Uzumaki Kushina: "Wouldn't a child that age be completely broken after something like this?"

Uchiha Mikoto: "I would think so..."

The golden screen soon revealed what was occupying Sasuke's mind.

[At this moment, Uchiha Sasuke was remembering something that had happened the previous day.]

[That afternoon, just before classes ended, Iruka-sensei suddenly announced that everyone would be staying for extra lessons.]

[The lessons continued for several hours, and the students weren't dismissed until it was already dark.]

[Afterward, Sasuke hurried home... and found the Uchiha compound filled with corpses.]

[The image remained fresh in his mind, but another detail kept bothering him.]

[Why had the Academy suddenly kept them there that night?]

[They had never held so many extra lessons before.]

[And this had happened on the very day his clan was massacred.]

[Sasuke couldn't explain why, but the timing felt strange.]

[Could it really have been a coincidence?]

The chat room erupted.

Nobody had expected the parallel Sasuke to notice something so small while dealing with the aftermath of the massacre.

He wasn't claiming to know the answer.

He simply couldn't understand why the Academy had kept everyone there until nightfall—and why it had happened on that particular day.

Uzumaki Naruto: "There really were extra classes that day? Why don't I remember that?"

Haruno Sakura: "I think I remember something like that. We suddenly had extra lessons one day."

Yamanaka Ino: "Me too."

Nara Shikamaru: "I remember it clearly. After those extra classes, Sasuke didn't come to school the next day. That's strange."

Iruka: "I remember now. We were suddenly told that several important lessons had to be finished that day."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression tightened.

He hadn't expected a seven-year-old to remember something that seemingly insignificant.

Ōnoki: "The old man's suspicion was right. There really was something strange going on!"

Terumi Mei: "Interesting. He noticed the timing even after what happened to his family."

Orochimaru: "Sensei Sarutobi, how do you explain this?"

Hiruzen quickly composed himself.

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Don't twist the facts."

"I did discover that something was happening within the village that night. I took people with me to investigate, but by the time we arrived, it was already too late."

"The reason the students were kept at the Academy was to prevent them from getting caught up in the incident."

His explanation was reasonable enough.

Senju Tobirama: "It's plausible. But you still failed to respond in time to an incident of this scale, Monkey. That is negligence."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Your criticism is fair, Teacher. The incident happened suddenly, and I failed to respond quickly enough."

For the moment, Hiruzen had managed to avoid further scrutiny.

But the golden screen continued.

Golden-Framed Screen

[Sarutobi Hiruzen entered the hospital ward and gave Sasuke much the same explanation as in the other world.]

["I've already arranged a residence for you in the center of the village. I can send someone to retrieve your belongings from the Uchiha compound, so you don't need to return to such a painful place."]

Hiruzen spoke gently.

This time, however, Sasuke didn't immediately agree.

[Sasuke looked down for a moment before raising his head.]

["Hokage-sama... I want to go back and get some of my parents' things."]

Hiruzen paused.

["I know it's scary, but if I don't go back, I'll keep thinking about it."]

["I want to see what happened for myself."]

He hesitated, then added:

["I've already decided."]

Hiruzen looked at him for a moment before nodding.

["All right."]

["I'm glad you're willing to face what happened, Sasuke. But don't force yourself. If it becomes too much, you can stop."]

["And if you have any difficulties, come to me. As Hokage, I will do everything I can to protect you."]

[Sasuke nodded.]

["I will. Thank you, Hokage-sama."]

Hatake Kakashi: "Impressive. This Sasuke isn't merely calmer. He's quite mature for his age."

Kakashi couldn't help comparing him to himself.

He had also experienced a devastating loss at seven.

That morning, he had awakened to find his father lying in a pool of blood, the White Fang's famous blade buried in his abdomen.

After that, Kakashi remembered very little. His mind had simply shut down.

Unlike Sasuke, however, Kakashi had already been a Chūnin for a year.

He also had the memories of the villagers criticizing his father before his death.

Even so, Sasuke's ability to notice a strange detail and insist on seeing the situation for himself was impressive.

[Afterward, Sasuke returned to the Uchiha compound under the guidance of an ANBU shinobi.]

[The blood covering the streets had not yet been cleaned away.]

[Several ANBU wearing animal masks were moving through the compound, carrying away the bodies from the houses.]

Sasuke slowed when he saw the scene.

[His eyes began to ache, and the Sharingan slowly emerged.]

[A single black tomoe appeared in each eye.]

He swallowed and continued forward.

He wasn't trying to solve everything.

He didn't even know what he was looking for.

He just wanted to understand what had happened to his family.

And that strange thought from yesterday still wouldn't go away.

Why had the Academy kept them there for so long?

Sasuke couldn't say whether it meant anything.

But when he reached the entrance to his home, he found himself staring at the door for a long moment.

Then he reached for the handle.

[The door slowly opened.]

And whatever Sasuke found inside would decide whether that strange feeling in his heart was nothing more than a child's suspicion—or the first clue to a much larger secret.
Author's Note

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Thanks for reading!

 

[abyssalmandate]

Senju Tobirama: "At least this one can properly awaken his Sharingan. Compared to the Sasuke from the original world, that's already a considerable improvement."

Senju Hashirama: "I think awakening the Sharingan at seven is already remarkable. Madara, wasn't it around the time we first separated that you awakened yours? How old were you back then...?"

Uchiha Madara: "Hashirama, shut up!"

Why did the conversation suddenly turn to him?!

Terumi Mei: "The legendary Ninja Shura awakened his Sharingan after separating from the First Hokage? That's rather touching."

Jiraiya: "That's what you call the special bond of Konoha. Apparently, it goes all the way back to the First Hokage's generation."

Senju Tobirama: "I've always thought the relationship between my brother and Uchiha Madara was a little too close."

Uzumaki Mito: "I agree."

Senju Hashirama: "Tobirama! Mito! Don't start imagining strange things!"

Hatake Kakashi: "Ahem. Weren't we talking about Sasuke's Sharingan?"

Orochimaru: "I have a feeling one tomoe isn't going to be the limit for this Sasuke."

Uchiha Sasuke was just as curious.

They were supposed to be the same person.

So why was the difference between them already this large?

Golden-Framed Screen

[Sasuke returned to his home.]

[His parents' bodies were no longer there. They had most likely already been taken away. Only two dark pools of dried blood remained where they had fallen.]

[Just last night, his parents had been killed here.]

[Killed by Uchiha Itachi.]

The memory came rushing back.

The pain of losing his parents, the anger toward Itachi, and the hatred he had been trying to keep buried all surged through Sasuke at once.

[The single tomoe in his Sharingan began to rotate.]

[It spun faster and faster, the black mark leaving behind a faint afterimage within his scarlet iris.]

[Then the pattern changed.]

[A second tomoe slowly emerged.]

[Both of Sasuke's eyes now possessed a two-tomoe Sharingan.]

"Two tomoe?!"

In the real world, Sasuke nearly felt his blood boil.

This was too unfair!

He had awakened a single tomoe on the night of the massacre, but it had vanished almost immediately. It wasn't until his battle in the Land of Waves that his Sharingan properly developed, and even then, only one eye had reached the two-tomoe stage.

His parallel self had managed to reach two tomoe in both eyes on the very next day.

What kind of ridiculous difference was this?

Hatake Kakashi: "The Sasuke in the parallel world really does have superior talent."

Kakashi glanced between the two screens.

The difference was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

It wasn't merely the boy's emotional stability. His ability to endure the trauma, think clearly, and now develop his Sharingan all seemed noticeably better.

Orochimaru: "Look. It's not over yet."

The golden screen continued.

[Even after the Sharingan evolved to two tomoe, the changes did not stop.]

[The tomoe in Sasuke's scarlet eyes continued to rotate.]

[His emotions intensified, and the ocular power within both eyes became increasingly active.]

[The two tomoe spun faster and faster, as though they were on the verge of transforming again.]

Orochimaru: "Interesting..."

Then an ANBU suddenly approached.

[The ANBU placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.]

["Calm down. Control your emotions. If you can't bear it any longer, I'll take you away immediately."]

Sasuke's emotions abruptly stalled.

The intense surge of hatred receded, and the tomoe gradually stopped spinning.

The scarlet color faded from his eyes until his pupils returned to their normal black.

["No," Sasuke said. "I can handle it."]

Orochimaru: "..."

For several seconds, Orochimaru simply stared at the screen.

Then his expression darkened.

Orochimaru: "Why did you interfere?!"

He had been waiting to see whether this Sasuke could reach the three-tomoe Sharingan immediately.

Instead, an ANBU had appeared at precisely the wrong moment and interrupted the entire process.

The emotional stimulation was gone.

So naturally, the evolution had stopped with it.

Senju Hashirama: "There's no need to be so impatient. If a seven-year-old's Sharingan evolves too quickly, it could place a serious strain on his body. Strength isn't everything."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "The First Hokage is right. The ANBU made the proper decision. Sasuke's health should come before the development of his Sharingan."

Hiruzen's words sounded reasonable.

But inwardly, he was far less relaxed.

Just now, a seven-year-old Sasuke had nearly pushed his Sharingan to another stage simply by confronting the massacre again.

And this parallel Sasuke had already shown that he was suspicious of the circumstances surrounding the genocide.

If that child continued developing at this rate, what would happen when he grew older?

Hatake Kakashi: "The Sharingan really does place a heavy burden on the body."

Orochimaru: "That's mainly a problem for someone without Uchiha blood."

Jiraiya: "There's no need to rush. A person's strength can always be built gradually. Starting slower doesn't mean they'll remain behind forever."

Orochimaru: "Heh."

Orochimaru clearly disagreed.

From his perspective, talent was something that should be cultivated to its fullest.

If the Sharingan placed too much strain on the body, there were solutions.

Hashirama's cells were one obvious answer.

Danzo had already proven that.

And if this parallel-world Sasuke truly possessed such extraordinary ocular talent, allowing him to waste that potential would be a crime.

If the ANBU hadn't interrupted him just now, Orochimaru couldn't help wondering how far Sasuke might have gone.

Perhaps three tomoe.

And perhaps...

Something even higher.

His gaze lingered on the golden screen.

Orochimaru: "Such talent shouldn't be wasted."

Uchiha Fugaku: "The Sasuke from the other world appears to have even greater Sharingan talent than Itachi."

Uchiha Mikoto: "As long as he can protect himself, that's enough."

Golden-Framed Screen

[Sasuke wandered through the empty Uchiha compound and gathered the belongings his parents had left behind.]

[The family's daily necessities...]

[Photographs of the family together...]

[Ninjutsu scrolls kept in the house...]

[A few miscellaneous books...]

He carefully sorted through everything that remained.

Most of it was ordinary.

Clothes.

Household items.

Family photographs.

A few things belonging to his parents that he couldn't bring himself to leave behind.

Then he noticed a shelf he had rarely paid attention to before.

It contained several old books.

Sasuke pulled one free.

The cover read:

"History of Konoha"

It had been published by the Uchiha clan.

He tilted his head.

Why would his family publish a history book of Konoha?

Curious, he opened it.

At first, nothing seemed strange.

The founding of the village.

The Senju.

The Uchiha.

The establishment of the first generation of shinobi.

Sasuke recognized all of it.

Then he reached a passage about the founding of Konoha.

He stopped.

The wording was different.

Not completely different.

Just enough to make him pause.

He read it again.

The book described the Uchiha and Senju alliance from the Uchiha's perspective, and some of the details didn't match what he had been taught at the Academy.

Sasuke frowned.

Maybe it was simply because this was a book written by the Uchiha.

He continued.

A few pages later, another detail caught his attention.

Then another.

The differences were small, but there were too many of them to dismiss.

The Academy had taught one version.

This book gave another.

Sasuke flipped backward and checked the publication date.

It was old.

Very old.

His parents had probably owned it for years.

That made him hesitate.

If the book had simply been written recently, perhaps it could have been dismissed as someone else's opinion.

But his own family had kept it.

So which version was right?

He continued reading.

The section on the Uchiha clan's history was longer than he expected.

Then he reached the chapter on Madara.

His eyes narrowed.

The Academy had always presented Uchiha Madara as a man who had abandoned Konoha and eventually became its enemy.

But the Uchiha account was more complicated.

It described disagreements that had never been mentioned in class.

Arguments over the village.

Arguments over the Uchiha.

Arguments over who should lead.

Sasuke's fingers slowly turned another page.

Something about this didn't feel like a simple difference of opinion anymore.

He went back to the beginning of the chapter and read it again, this time more carefully.

One sentence caught his attention.

He read it twice.

Then a third time.

The book claimed that several important events surrounding Madara had never been publicly recorded.

Sasuke's little face became serious.

That was strange.

Why would something important be left out?

He turned the page.

Nothing.

The next page.

Still nothing.

Then he noticed that one page had a faint crease near the bottom corner.

Sasuke touched it.

There was something tucked behind it.

A thin piece of paper.

His heart gave a small jump.

He carefully pulled it free.

The handwriting was old and uneven.

It wasn't part of the printed book.

Someone had written this separately.

Sasuke looked toward the door before unfolding it.

There were only a few lines.

["If you found this, then you must be one of ours."]

Sasuke stared at the words.

He read the next line.

["Do not believe everything Konoha teaches you about the Uchiha."]

His fingers tightened around the paper.

Then he reached the final line.

["The massacre was not the beginning of our tragedy."]

Sasuke froze.

For several seconds, he didn't move.

He looked back at the history book.

Then at the note.

The strange extra classes.

The timing of the massacre.

The history his clan had recorded.

And now this hidden message.

He still didn't know what any of it meant.

But someone had hidden these words inside an old Uchiha history book.

Someone had expected that, one day, a member of the clan might need to find them.

Sasuke slowly turned the paper over.

There was one final sentence written on the back.

["And the person you were told to hate is not the only one who knows the truth."]

Sasuke's eyes widened.

The room suddenly felt very quiet.

For the first time, he wasn't simply asking whether Itachi had acted alone.

He was wondering whether the entire story he'd been given had been carefully shaped for him.

And if that was true...

Who had decided what Sasuke was supposed to believe?

**Author's Note**

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Want to read ahead? Join my **Patreon: AbyssalMandate** for early access to upcoming chapters.

Thanks for reading!

 

[abyssalmandate]

Uchiha Fugaku: "That's... the history book published by the Uchiha clan."

Fugaku's expression changed.

He knew exactly what Sasuke had found.

The village had once allowed the major clans to publish their own accounts of history. The Uchiha had recorded events from their own perspective, preserving details that were absent from the official version.

Later, those books had been banned.

Fugaku himself had secretly kept a copy.

He never expected that, in another world, his youngest son would stumble across one by chance.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression also changed.

He was well aware of those books.

After becoming Hokage, he had ordered the Ninja Academy to stop using historical texts published independently by the major clans. From then on, students were taught history from textbooks compiled and approved by Konoha.

The Uchiha compound had also been searched after the massacre. Important materials, especially forbidden jutsu scrolls, had already been secured.

Apparently, this book had escaped notice.

That wasn't surprising. To an ANBU searching for weapons, dangerous documents, or evidence related to the massacre, an old history book would hardly seem important.

Hiruzen quietly reassured himself.

"It's only a book. Whatever Sasuke learns from it can't change much."

Hatake Kakashi: "Sasuke seems unusually interested in that book."

Uzumaki Naruto: "It's just a history book. What's so interesting about it?"

Orochimaru: "Heh. Keep watching."

Golden-Framed Screen

[In the quiet of his new home, Sasuke sat with the book in front of him.]

[He thought back over everything that had happened.]

["What do I actually know?"]

The first thing that came to mind was Itachi.

["Nii-san was always kind to me."]

["But he killed Mom, Dad, and everyone else."]

["How can the same person be like that?"]

Sasuke couldn't understand it.

The older brother he remembered and the person who had carried out the massacre seemed like two completely different people.

That uncertainty led to another thought.

["If I was wrong about Nii-san..."]

["...then maybe I shouldn't believe everything just because someone tells me."]

It was a simple conclusion.

Sasuke wasn't accusing anyone of lying. He was simply no longer confident enough to accept everything at face value.

And one detail still bothered him.

The extra classes at the Academy.

Why had everyone suddenly been kept there until nightfall on the very day the massacre happened?

Maybe it was nothing.

Maybe it was important.

He didn't know.

["I want to find out."]

For now, that was enough.

He couldn't investigate an entire village by himself. He couldn't force adults to explain things they didn't want to explain.

But there were things he could do.

He could pay attention.

He could read.

And he could remember.

Namikaze Minato: "That's remarkable. He's not pretending to have all the answers. He simply knows that he needs to learn more."

Uchiha Mikoto: "He's still so young..."

Uchiha Fugaku: "But he has already learned not to depend entirely on what others tell him."

Sasuke in the real world watched silently.

Until now, he had thought almost exclusively about training and defeating Itachi.

His other self had stopped to ask a different question:

What if there was something he didn't know?

That thought lingered in Sasuke's mind.

"Maybe I should have thought about that sooner."

The golden screen continued.

[Sasuke reached a simple conclusion.]

[From now on, he would pay closer attention to the people around him.]

[He would read whatever books he could find and learn about things he didn't understand.]

[And, above all, he would continue training.]

He couldn't afford to remain powerless, regardless of what the truth turned out to be.

If Itachi really had acted for his own reasons, Sasuke would eventually confront him.

And if there was more to the massacre...

Then he wanted the strength to face that truth as well.

[Sasuke quietly clenched his fist.]

["I'll find out for myself."]

["And I'll become strong enough that no one can decide my fate for me."]

Fourth Raikage: "He's seven years old, and he already wants to uncover the truth behind the massacre?"

Ōnoki: "Bold. Whether he can actually manage it is another question."

Orochimaru: "That's precisely why I'm interested."

Senju Hashirama: "A child willing to think for himself is a good thing."

Senju Tobirama: "Agreed. Though intelligence alone won't be enough."

Sasuke's expression darkened.

His other self was already earning the attention of legends while he was still trying to process the same tragedy.

Golden-Framed Screen

[Sasuke picked up the book again.]

[The title was clearly written on its cover.]

"History of Konoha"

[If he wanted answers, history was as good a place to begin as any.]

He turned the page.

The founding of Konoha.

The Senju.

The Uchiha.

Hashirama.

Madara.

Sasuke had heard these names countless times at the Academy.

But this was the history written by his own clan.

As he read, he began to notice small differences between this account and the version he had been taught.

Not enough to give him an answer.

Just enough to make him pause.

Sasuke turned another page.

Then another.

The differences continued.

His expression gradually became more serious.

[He didn't understand all of it yet.]

[But he understood one thing.]

[There were parts of Konoha's history that he had never been told.]

The golden screen began to fade.

The seven-year-old Sasuke sat alone with the old book in his hands, unaware of how much it might change his future.

He had wanted to know why the massacre had happened.

He had expected the answer to begin with Itachi.

Instead, the first clue had led him somewhere much further back—

to the history of the Uchiha clan itself.

**Author's Note**

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Want to read ahead? Join my **Patreon: AbyssalMandate** for early access to upcoming chapters.

Thanks for reading!

 

[abyssalmandate]

[Sasuke stayed up until well past midnight, carefully reading through the history of Konoha.]

By the time he finished, he had a rough understanding of the major events that had shaped the village over the past several decades.

["The Senju and Uchiha founded Konoha together, but the Senju produced two Hokage while the Uchiha never produced one. The Third Hokage was a disciple of the Second..."]

He continued.

["During the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha's White Fang made great contributions and even surpassed the Sannin in reputation. Later, however, he abandoned a mission to save his comrades and became the target of the village's criticism before taking his own life..."]

["During the Third Shinobi World War, the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, became famous throughout the Five Great Shinobi Villages and eventually became the Fourth Hokage. He died soon afterward during the Nine-Tails' attack..."]

["After the Nine-Tails' attack, the Uchiha clan came under suspicion and was forced to relocate. The Third Hokage returned to office, and Konoha still had no Fifth Hokage. In the village's fiftieth year, Orochimaru, who had once been considered a candidate for Hokage, defected..."]

[Sasuke slowly closed the book.]

There was a great deal of information, although some events seemed to begin halfway through the story and end without much explanation. Even so, the major events were recorded well enough for him to form a rough picture of Konoha's recent history.

The White Fang had gone from celebrated hero to disgraced shinobi. Minato had become Hokage and died soon afterward. The Uchiha had come under suspicion after the Nine-Tails attack, and the Third Hokage had remained in power for decades.

One detail stood out to Sasuke.

["The Third Hokage has been Hokage for a very long time..."]

According to the book, Hiruzen had first taken the position during the First Shinobi World War, after Tobirama chose him as his successor. More than thirty years had passed since then.

Sasuke considered that for a while.

["If he's been Hokage for so long, wouldn't he know a lot about what happens in the village?"]

That seemed obvious to him.

Then he remembered the massacre.

["So... did he know about the Uchiha?"]

Sasuke couldn't answer that yet. Hiruzen might genuinely have been unaware of what was about to happen, or perhaps he'd simply arrived too late. There were too many possibilities for him to choose between.

For now, he left the question alone.

The chat room took a very different approach.

Ōnoki: "A clan as important as the Uchiha is wiped out inside Konoha, and the Hokage supposedly knows nothing until afterward? That's a difficult story to accept."

Fourth Raikage: "Exactly. The Uchiha aren't some insignificant family living outside the village."

Terumi Mei: "And we're supposed to accept that a thirteen-year-old carried out the entire massacre without the higher-ups knowing what was happening?"

Then Tobirama joined in.

Senju Tobirama: "Monkey, what did you know before the massacre, and what did you learn afterward?"

Hiruzen answered carefully.

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Teacher, being Hokage does not mean possessing perfect knowledge of every event within the village."

Senju Tobirama: "Of course not. But if an event of this scale occurs under your administration, ignorance does not remove your responsibility."

That was difficult to argue with.

Orochimaru: "An uncomfortable position, Sensei. If you knew nothing, that raises questions about your leadership. If you knew something, it raises questions about what you told Sasuke."

Hiruzen shot him an irritated glance.

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "And what would you know about governing a village?"

Orochimaru smiled.

Orochimaru: "Enough to know that unexplained events become troublesome when too many people start asking about them."

Ōnoki seized on the point.

Ōnoki: "Then there's another issue. According to Sasuke, the history he found contains plenty of gaps."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "A textbook cannot record every event that has occurred over several decades."

Ōnoki: "That's true. But why are some events condensed while the Third Hokage's achievements receive so much attention?"

Hiruzen immediately turned the question around.

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "You should understand the difficulty of governing a village better than anyone. You've ruled Iwagakure for decades. Does that mean you know everything that happens there?"

Ōnoki: "Don't change the subject."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Your former disciple Deidara defected from the village. Your Four-Tails jinchūriki, Rōshi, spent years wandering the shinobi world. Were you able to prevent either?"

Ōnoki had little choice but to concede the general point.

Ōnoki: "A Kage can't personally monitor every person in a village."

Senju Tobirama: "Which establishes that a Kage may not know everything. It does not establish that Monkey knew nothing."

That distinction cut the argument cleanly in two.

Fourth Raikage: "Then we'll have to see what the broadcast reveals."

No one had a convincing answer after that.

The Next Morning — Ninja Academy

[The following morning, Sasuke returned to the Ninja Academy.]

The classroom was already noisy when he arrived.

Chairs scraped across the wooden floor as students took their seats. A few were still talking about the Uchiha massacre until Sasuke entered, at which point their voices dropped.

Naruto was leaning over his desk, drawing in the corner of his notebook.

Haruno Sakura: "Naruto, put that away."

Uzumaki Naruto: "I'm listening!"

Sakura pointed at his untouched history textbook.

Haruno Sakura: "You haven't even opened it."

Naruto looked down.

Uzumaki Naruto: "...Oh."

A few students laughed.

Sasuke took his usual seat by the window and ignored the commotion.

Iruka entered carrying a stack of textbooks.

Iruka: "All right, everyone. Settle down."

The room quieted.

Iruka looked around the class.

Iruka: "And before anyone starts whispering about yesterday, Sasuke is here to attend class. Leave him alone and focus on your studies."

The students became noticeably more restrained.

Iruka picked up a textbook.

Iruka: "Today we're continuing with the founding of Konoha. Open to page forty-two."

Pages turned throughout the room.

Sasuke opened his Academy textbook as well, but beneath his desk was the old history book he'd brought from the Uchiha compound.

He already knew most of today's material.

What he wanted was to compare the two accounts.

At first, the differences seemed easy to explain. The Academy textbook was shorter, which made sense for a schoolbook.

Still, Sasuke quietly checked the corresponding section in the Uchiha version.

The broad events matched, but the details didn't always.

Iruka continued explaining the founding of Konoha while Sasuke compared the pages whenever the teacher turned toward the board.

The room carried on around him.

Choji quietly ate from a snack bag.

Shikamaru rested his cheek against one hand.

Ino whispered something to Sakura and earned an annoyed look from Iruka.

Naruto was once again drawing instead of taking notes.

It was an ordinary school morning.

Sasuke found that oddly comforting.

Then he reached the section on the White Fang.

The Academy textbook gave him only a few lines.

The Uchiha version devoted considerably more space to Sakumo's accomplishments and the controversy surrounding his downfall.

Sasuke looked back at the Academy book.

There was no explanation for the missing information.

He kept reading.

Orochimaru's career was described in detail, especially his achievements as one of the Sannin, but his eventual defection from Konoha received little attention.

Sasuke frowned.

["Why is this part so short?"]

He couldn't say.

Maybe the textbook simply didn't have room.

So he moved on.

Then he reached the section about the Third Hokage.

This one was much longer.

Hiruzen's leadership was praised, his accomplishments were listed, his students were highlighted, and his contributions to Konoha were emphasized throughout the section.

Near the end was a prominent statement:

["The Third Hokage is the strongest Hokage in Konoha's history."]

Sasuke read it again.

He glanced at the Uchiha history.

That description wasn't there.

It didn't prove anything.

Hiruzen might genuinely have been the strongest Hokage. The school textbook might simply have been written to honor his leadership.

But now Sasuke was beginning to notice something else.

The omissions weren't random.

Some of Konoha's difficult history was shortened, while Hiruzen's achievements were given considerable space.

He didn't know why.

That was enough reason to remember it.

At the front of the classroom, Iruka suddenly called his name.

Iruka: "Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up.

Sasuke: "Yes, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka: "Since you've already finished this section, tell the class why the Senju and Uchiha eventually agreed to found Konoha."

Sasuke answered without hesitation.

Sasuke: "So their children wouldn't have to keep dying in battles between the clans."

Iruka nodded.

Iruka: "Correct."

Naruto leaned toward Sakura.

Uzumaki Naruto: "See? Sasuke really does know everything."

Haruno Sakura: "You could know things too if you studied."

Uzumaki Naruto: "I do study!"

Shikamaru glanced over.

Nara Shikamaru: "Not when you're drawing."

Naruto quickly covered his notebook, prompting another round of laughter.

Even Sasuke briefly looked over.

Iruka resumed the lesson, and the classroom returned to its ordinary rhythm.

Sasuke lowered his eyes to the books.

For everyone else, history was another subject.

For him, it had become something else entirely.

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the golden screen without saying anything.

Orochimaru: "He's being careful."

Jiraiya: "And he's not jumping to conclusions."

Orochimaru: "Which means he'll keep looking."

Hiruzen gave no response.

That was the part he found most troublesome.

Sasuke wasn't making accusations that could easily be dismissed as childish anger. He was simply storing away every inconsistency he found.

Golden-Framed Screen

[Sasuke continued comparing the two books until the lesson ended.]

When the bell rang, the classroom immediately came alive again.

Chairs scraped against the floor, students packed their bags, and Naruto was nearly out the door before Iruka called him back for his forgotten notebook.

Sasuke waited until the crowd had mostly dispersed before closing both books.

He still didn't know which version of history was correct.

The Academy textbook could be incomplete. The Uchiha version could contain its own bias. He didn't have enough information to judge either one.

So he made no judgment.

["I'll find more books."]

That was all.

Sasuke put the Academy textbook away and slipped the Uchiha history book into his bag.

He had started with a strange memory about the Academy's extra classes.

Then he had found a second version of Konoha's history.

Now he knew that the two accounts did not tell the same story.

He had no idea where the differences would lead.

But he had learned one useful lesson.

When two stories disagree, the safest thing to do is keep reading until you understand why.

**Author's Note**

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Want to read ahead? Join my **Patreon: AbyssalMandate** for early access to upcoming chapters.

Thanks for reading!

 

[abyssalmandate]

Uchiha Madara: "The strongest Hokage? Hashirama, what do you think?"

Senju Hashirama: "...Ahem. I'm not actually all that strong."

Across the shinobi world, more than a few people stared at the screen in disbelief.

The First Hokage was apparently still trying to be modest.

Senju Tobirama: "Monkey, are you seriously allowing a textbook to place you above my elder brother?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Of course not!"

Hiruzen answered so quickly that even he realized how suspicious it sounded.

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "That was simply careless wording by the author. I'll have it corrected immediately."

Uchiha Madara: "At least he knows when not to make a foolish claim."

Senju Hashirama: "Madara, that's enough."

Uchiha Madara: "I'm complimenting him."

Hashirama sighed.

Ōnoki: "Forget the ranking for a moment. You actually approved a textbook that presents your administration like a heroic biography."

Fourth Raikage: "I'd like to know who wrote it. They certainly knew how to flatter their Hokage."

Orochimaru: "Whoever it was, they were thorough. My achievements stayed, but my defection practically vanished."

Hiruzen gave Orochimaru a cold look.

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "A school textbook isn't meant to record every unpleasant detail."

Hatake Kakashi: "Then I suppose my father's achievements weren't considered important either."

The remark was quiet, but it drew attention.

Sakumo Hatake had once been one of Konoha's most famous shinobi, yet the Academy's history barely preserved his accomplishments.

Kakashi had known that for years.

Seeing exactly what had been omitted still left him uncomfortable.

Senju Tobirama: "Leaving embarrassing incidents out of a village history isn't unusual."

Tobirama looked toward Hiruzen's entry on the screen.

Senju Tobirama: "But Monkey, the timeline makes your reign rather unusual."

Hiruzen's expression tightened.

The textbook listed Hiruzen as the Third Hokage, who first took office late in the First Shinobi World War after Tobirama chose him as his successor.

After Hiruzen's initial term came the Second Hokage's era's end and the years of war that followed. During the Second Shinobi World War, the Sannin and Konoha's White Fang rose to prominence. Much later, during the Third Shinobi World War, Minato became famous as the Yellow Flash and was eventually chosen as the Fourth Hokage.

Then Minato died during the Nine-Tails' attack.

Afterward, Hiruzen returned as the Third Hokage and remained in office until the present day.

From Sasuke's perspective, that meant the man who had first become Hokage more than thirty years earlier was still running the village.

Senju Tobirama: "You have been Hokage for a very long time. Perhaps it's time to let someone younger take over."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Yes, Teacher. I'm already considering suitable candidates."

Ōnoki: "So the title of the chapter isn't entirely unfair. You're certainly the longest-serving Hokage we've seen."

Uchiha Madara: "Longevity isn't the same thing as strength."

Senju Hashirama: "Madara..."

Uchiha Madara: "What? The book started the argument."

Hiruzen decided not to respond.

Ninja Academy

[The next morning, Sasuke sat in class, still thinking about everything he had read.]

The deaths of the White Fang and the Fourth Hokage, the Nine-Tails' attack, the Uchiha clan's relocation, Orochimaru's defection, and finally the massacre of his own clan all seemed to belong to the same tangled history.

Sasuke could sense that there was a connection between them, but he couldn't identify it.

["There has to be something..."]

He simply didn't have enough information yet.

Clap!

Orochimaru suddenly applauded.

Orochimaru: "Excellent. This Sasuke has already noticed that these events may not be unrelated."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Orochimaru, stop encouraging him to invent conspiracies."

Orochimaru: "I'm encouraging him to think."

Ōnoki: "Those aren't necessarily the same thing."

Fourth Raikage: "Either way, I want to see where the boy ends up."

Hiruzen sighed.

The broadcast audience was clearly enjoying this far more than he was.

Golden-Framed Screen

[Sasuke spent the rest of the morning reading, but the connection between the events remained out of reach.]

He became so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice how quickly the morning passed.

By lunchtime, his stomach finally reminded him that reading wasn't the only thing he needed to do.

Sasuke reached for his lunch box and found nothing.

He paused before remembering.

His mother had always prepared his meals.

After everything that had happened, something as ordinary as lunch had simply slipped his mind.

Before he could decide what to do, Yamanaka Ino approached with her bento.

["Sasuke-kun, you didn't bring lunch? You can eat with me."]

Sasuke looked at her in surprise.

Before he could answer, Sakura hurried over.

["Sasuke-kun, you can have mine! I brought plenty, and I even made some things you like."]

Ino immediately glanced at Sakura.

Sakura's confident smile faltered.

She had spent quite some time remembering Sasuke's preferences and preparing things she thought he'd enjoy.

Apparently, all that effort had finally paid off.

Uzumaki Naruto: "Wait! Sakura made Sasuke's favorite food?!"

Haruno Sakura: "Naruto, lower your voice!"

Uzumaki Naruto: "Then why have I never gotten any?!"

Yamanaka Ino: "Hold on. You actually remembered what Sasuke likes?"

Haruno Sakura: "What's wrong with that?"

Yamanaka Ino: "Nothing. I'm just impressed."

Nara Shikamaru: "It's a lot of planning for one lunch."

Akimichi Choji: "Depends on what's in it."

Naruto: "Choji, you're missing the important part!"

Choji: "I'm not."

Jiraiya burst out laughing.

Jiraiya: "Young romance. Truly the most dangerous battlefield."

Tsunade: "They're seven."

Jiraiya: "Exactly."

Tsunade: "That doesn't make your statement more sensible."

Kakashi watched the scene with quiet amusement.

Hatake Kakashi: "This broadcast has taken an unexpected turn."

Even Sasuke seemed caught off guard.

He had expected comparisons about his training, his Sharingan, or the massacre.

Instead, the entire shinobi world was watching him decide what to do about lunch.

[Ding!]

[The prize question is now available!]

The chatter stopped as a new question appeared across the broadcast.

[Question: How will Uchiha Sasuke respond to the invitations from Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino?]

The four choices appeared one after another.

[A: "Women will only slow down my kunai throwing." Ignore them completely.]

[B: "I'm a lonely avenger." Respond coldly and drive them away.]

[C: Accept their invitation and sincerely thank them.]

[D: Accept their invitation, build a good relationship with them, and work together to restore the Uchiha clan.]

Uzumaki Naruto: "Obviously C! Why would anyone reject free food?!"

Yamanaka Ino: "You're only choosing C because there's food involved."

Naruto: "Food is a perfectly good reason!"

Haruno Sakura: "C sounds like the most normal answer."

Yamanaka Ino: "You're just hoping he chooses yours."

Sakura: "And you aren't?"

Ino: "...That's not the point."

Jiraiya: "Option D seems rather ambitious for a seven-year-old."

Senju Hashirama: "I like D. Rebuilding the Uchiha clan would certainly be a worthy goal."

Senju Tobirama: "You would choose the optimistic answer."

Hashirama: "What's wrong with optimism?"

Uchiha Madara: "Enough. I want to see what the boy actually chooses."

Even Hiruzen found himself watching the golden screen.

The question was trivial compared with the secrets exposed earlier, yet everyone wanted the answer.

Would this parallel Sasuke behave like the cold, distant boy they knew?

Or had the different path of his life changed even something as simple as how he treated Sakura and Ino?

On the golden screen, Sasuke looked from one bento to the other.

For perhaps the first time that day, he genuinely didn't know what to do.

And the entire shinobi world waited for his answer.

What kind of Sasuke had this parallel world created?

**Author's Note**

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Want to read ahead? Join my **Patreon: AbyssalMandate** for early access to upcoming chapters.

Thanks for reading!