Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

The group walked out of the Hokage building.

The sun was high in the sky outside, its rays beating straight down on what was otherwise a warm, sunny day.

Uchiha Sasuke walked at the very front. His pace was brisk, but his mind was completely blank. He didn't even know how he had walked out of the Hokage's office; the only thing echoing in his head, over and over again, were Orochimaru's words.

His footsteps grew faster and faster. His breathing became inexplicably ragged, his chest heaving violently as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He stared at the road ahead, but his gaze wasn't focused on anything. His vision seemed blurred, as if obscured by a layer of mist.

That was until Uzumaki Naruto bumped his shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Naruto's voice came from beside him, laced with obvious confusion.

"You've been acting super weird this whole time."

Sasuke's footsteps faltered. He was pulled back slightly from his daze, but he didn't look at Naruto, keeping his eyes fixed on the path ahead.

Haruno Sakura walked behind them. She wasn't as dense as Naruto; she had noticed something was wrong the moment Sasuke stepped out of the Hokage's office, so her eyes had been glued to his back ever since.

Seeing Naruto's tactless behavior, Sakura directly slammed her fist into the top of his head.

*Bam!*

Naruto's body sank downward. He clutched his head with both hands, curling up in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow..."

Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes as he frantically rubbed the top of his head.

"Ouch, what was that for?!"

His voice was full of grievance.

Sakura stood before him, her hand still held in a fist, her brows furrowed.

"Naruto, you idiot! Don't bother Sasuke-kun at a time like this!"

Naruto, still clutching his head, opened his mouth to retort, but upon seeing Sakura's expression, he swallowed his words.

He was long used to this kind of treatment anyway.

Hatake Kakashi stood to the side, watching the scene unfold with a helpless sigh.

"Well then, mission accomplished."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.

"Team 7 is dismissed."

He looked at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, you can head back first."

Uchiha Sasuke stopped in his tracks.

He had been standing at the very front, his back to everyone. He hadn't turned around once since leaving the Hokage building. His back was straight but incredibly stiff, like a wooden stake driven into the ground.

Now, Sasuke finally turned around. His face emerged from the shadows, looking exceptionally pale in the sunlight—so pale it was entirely devoid of color.

His eyes were red. Not red from crying, but the crimson red of the Sharingan.

Within his pupils, two black tomoe could be seen slowly spinning.

The tomoe were small but distinct, shaped like commas with their tails pointing toward the center of his pupils.

The distance between the two tomoe was perfectly even. They rotated in his eyes at a steady, rhythmic pace—neither too fast nor too slow.

Sakura covered her mouth.

"Sasuke-kun, y-your eyes?"

Naruto forgot his pain as well. He stared wide-eyed at Sasuke's eyes, his mouth hanging open so wide his jaw practically hit the floor.

He stared for two seconds before jumping up from the ground.

"Whoa... you actually awakened your eyes! And it's the two-tomoe!"

His tone was filled with shock, but also envy.

As his teammate, Naruto had learned a thing or two about the Sharingan. He knew that Sasuke had always desperately wanted to awaken his eyes but had never been able to, to the point where it had almost become a complex for him.

But to think he would suddenly awaken the two-tomoe right off the bat.

Sasuke realized it belatedly.

Looking at Naruto and Sakura's expressions, he raised a hand to touch his own eye sockets.

When his fingers brushed against his eyelids, he felt the heat radiating from beneath the thin skin. His eyeballs were burning, the blood vessels pulsing rapidly.

He stood there, slightly dazed.

Sakura pulled a small mirror from her ninja pouch and held it up to Sasuke's face.

The mirror was small, only about the size of a palm, with a pink frame and a little strawberry sticker on it.

"Look, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke lowered his head and looked at his eyes in the mirror.

Reflected in the glass was a face so pale it lacked any trace of blood. Black pupils, crimson irises, and two black tomoe slowly spinning within the red.

He stared at those eyes, and then, a tear fell.

The tear slipped from the corner of his eye and rolled down his cheek. He made no sound, and his face remained completely expressionless.

Seeing this, Naruto opened his mouth but, in a rare moment of restraint, said nothing.

Even though he didn't know what Sasuke was thinking, he could somewhat sense his teammate's heavy heart.

Sasuke felt no joy in awakening his Sharingan. He wiped the tear away with the back of his hand, his gaze shifting from dazed to sharp.

"Everyone, I'm leaving first."

His voice was flat. After speaking, he gave a slight nod to Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura, then turned and headed in the direction of the Uchiha compound.

From the trio's perspective, Sasuke's footsteps appeared incredibly hurried, as if he were racing against time.

Sakura watched Sasuke's retreating back, her brows furrowed and her lips pressed tightly together.

"Kakashi-sensei."

Her voice was soft, laced with obvious worry.

"Sasuke-kun won't do anything reckless, will he?"

Kakashi stood beside her, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked in the direction Sasuke had disappeared, his expression unchanging.

"This is something we can't interfere with. It's all up to him now."

He turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

"Let's go."

Sakura stood rooted to the spot, looking at Kakashi's back, then back at the direction Sasuke had gone. After a moment of hesitation, she hurried after Kakashi.

Naruto remained standing where he was, unmoving.

"Don't underestimate that guy."

His voice wasn't loud, but his tone carried weight.

"Sasuke is a true man!"

As he said this, his chin tilted up slightly, his eyes shining bright and resolute.

Sakura stopped in her tracks and turned her head to look at Naruto.

Her eyes widened in obvious astonishment, as if she couldn't believe those words had just come out of Naruto's mouth.

Naruto rubbed his nose, the corners of his lips curling up into a grin.

"Because that guy is just like me."

His tone was absolute, as if stating an undeniable fact.

Kakashi was left speechless.

Sakura was equally speechless.

Sasuke walked briskly all the way back to the clan compound.

His pace was swift. Keeping his eyes fixed on the path ahead, he cut through main streets and narrow alleys, quickly arriving at the compound.

Sasuke stepped through the main gates. The first thing that greeted him was the wide, clean street lined with wooden houses featuring gray roof tiles, white walls, and sliding wooden doors. He also saw his fellow clansmen coming and going along the street. Upon closer inspection, he found nothing out of the ordinary compared to any other day.

And precisely because of that, his anxiety only deepened. Carrying that unease, he hurried home.

Sasuke's home was located at the very back. It was a large estate complete with a courtyard, winding corridors, a main house, and side wings.

The courtyard gates were made of wood, opening outward from the center, with the Uchiha clan crest carved into them.

Sasuke pushed the gates open and stepped into the courtyard.

His footsteps began to slow, transitioning from a brisk walk to a normal pace, and then to a slow trudge.

By now, his breathing was heavy, his chest heaving violently, and his forehead was drenched in sweat. His hands were trembling—not out of fear, but because too many emotions were clashing inside his body, unable to find an outlet.

He walked up to the main house and slid open the door.

Two people were sitting on the tatami mats in the living room.

Uchiha Fugaku sat by the table. He wore dark clothing, his hair neatly combed, and his expression was stern.

His brows were slightly furrowed, his lips pressed together, and his eyes were fixed on the doorway as if he were waiting for someone.

Uchiha Mikoto sat beside him, dressed in light-colored clothing with her hair pinned up at the back. Her expression was gentle, but beneath that gentleness lay a faint trace of worry.

Her hands rested on her knees, fingers slightly curled. When she saw Sasuke enter, the corners of her mouth twitched as if she wanted to smile, but she couldn't quite manage it.

Sasuke stood in the doorway, looking at his parents.

His breathing had yet to steady, his chest still heaving as beads of sweat rolled down the bridge of his nose. His hands hung at his sides, fingers trembling slightly. His eyes were still red, the two tomoe in his pupils still slowly spinning.

He looked at Fugaku, then at Mikoto, before finally speaking. His voice was tight, as if the words had been stuck in his throat for a long time before being forced out.

"Father."

He paused, as if gathering his strength.

"Did Brother... really leave the village?"

After saying that, he fell silent. He stood there, staring at Fugaku, waiting for an answer. He didn't even blink; his entire body seemed to have been put on pause.

Fugaku looked at him but didn't answer immediately.

His gaze lingered on Sasuke's face, taking in those red eyes and the two spinning tomoe within his pupils. Only then did his expression shift slightly.

"When did you awaken your eyes?"

Sasuke hadn't expected this response—or rather, this counter-question. For a moment, he couldn't process it and answered instinctively, "Just now, after hearing the news about Brother."

Fugaku nodded. "I see."

"Father, you haven't answered my question!"

Sasuke's expression hardened, looking exceptionally serious.

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