A sliver of instinctive fear made the samurai leader shout out first, and the warriors following him sobered up quite a bit. It was only then that they noticed a sickly-sweet, metallic tang in the air—something ominous, almost like blood.
"..."
The figure with their back turned slowly turned around, and in the next moment, under the pale, almost malicious moonlight, a pair of white eyes—completely devoid of pupils—met the eyes of the samurai.
"You...!"
A sudden wave of terror enveloped the samurai like a spiderweb dropping from above. As seasoned killers, they knew all too well what emotion lay behind that gaze—it was cold, ruthless intent in its purest form.
And then came several piercing screams, shattering the silence of the night sky.
————————
"Ugh~~!"
With a low cry, Sasuke jolted awake from his nightmare, sitting up in bed drenched in cold sweat. Even though he was now a capable ninja, the images from his past still haunted him. Though he didn't recall much from the dream just now, it was full of bloody scenes.
All those corpses wore the Uchiha clan's fan emblem, lying strewn across the streets. Sasuke couldn't make out their faces—only the twisted stares from their eyes, as if silently conveying resentment and grief from beyond the grave.
"...Damn it..."
With sleep far from his mind, Sasuke shook his head and irritably looked out the window. The moonlight tonight was strange, shrouded by a hazy blur like frosted glass. This kind of moon had a nickname—"the fuzzy moon." In folklore, it was an omen of ill fortune, a time when evil spirits and ghosts roamed free.
But to Sasuke, freshly awakened from a nightmare, the unease he felt wasn't even fear—it was a gnawing frustration. The sight of his slaughtered kin still loomed far more terrifying than any monster this world could offer.
Since he couldn't sleep anyway, Sasuke rose from his bed, got dressed, and leapt out the window. The fuzzy moon often marked a change in weather—storms, frost, or snow. In the coastal Land of Waves, it usually meant a violent storm was coming.
And storms meant lightning—a perfect time to train his Amatsu-no-Habakiri ( Heaven's Feather-Slicing Slash).
But...
Standing still on the rooftop, Sasuke's fingers clenched slightly. He knew exactly why he felt this way—it was what Kakashi had said:
Naruto refused to continue training the Shinsaaran ( Divine Sandstorm) out of fear he might hurt those close to him.
"What kind of logic is that...? That loser acting like if he just didn't hold back, he'd automatically beat everyone else around him?"
Muttering to himself in the dark, Sasuke finally voiced what had been stuck in his chest all day. To him, it felt humiliating—like a rival admitting defeat in advance just to avoid hurting him.
As if!
Even if Naruto had the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, Sasuke, proud heir of the Uchiha clan, would never accept losing that easily!
If he was worried about triggering the Nine-Tails by using ultimate techniques, then fine—just don't use them in battle. Besides...
Only if that loser gave his all and still lost, would Sasuke consider it a true victory.
"Hey! Loser!"
Sasuke coldly yanked open Naruto's window. His shout startled the blond boy awake.
"Huh? Sasuke...? What is it? It's so late..."
"Save it! Come out! I want to fight you."
Without waiting for a reply, Sasuke leapt out the window, landing in a nearby grove. Naruto groaned but followed him reluctantly.
"Tch, are you a kid or something, Sasuke? I told you I'm done with Shinsaaran training, so fine—you win, happy?"
"Hmph. Kakashi says you stopped training because you didn't want to hurt us... but Naruto, I think exactly the opposite."
Donning his Seiken ( Holy Fist) gloves, Sasuke's tone turned cold and detached.
"You think that having power means you'll hurt those around you. But I... I believe the reason our loved ones get hurt is because we don't have enough power!"
"Wh-Why are you saying all this weird crap?! Sasuke, you and I aren't the same! You just think I'm some dumb monster, don't you?!"
Naruto clenched his fists instinctively, upset that his feelings had been laid bare.
And in response—came a sudden flash of lightning!
"Dark Ripple!!" (Anpu )
With a stance identical to Hinata's, Sasuke launched a burst of lightning from his palm. The current snaked along the ground like a serpent, forcing a shocked Naruto to dodge frantically.
"You bastard! What the hell are you trying to pull?! That technique—!"
"You probably don't know yet, but these eyes of mine can see and copy any jutsu. The more I fight, the stronger I become! So, Naruto... if you really have power—!"
With a sharp clench, Sasuke's fists tightened.
"Then show me!!"
"Loser!!"
——————
Huh... now this is rare...
Kakashi stared at the three empty rooms of his students, feeling a little annoyed. All three were gone—clearly out training again, even in the middle of the night. Given their age and temperament, he could pretty much guess it.
Well, at least they're motivated. As a teacher, this might actually make life easier.
Satisfied, he headed downstairs for a morning bath—a long-standing habit.
Sure, yesterday's embarrassing incident was a fluke, but no way was he going to give up years of hygiene over it.
But the sound of water running from the bathroom made him pause. Someone was in there.
"Oh? Kakashi-san..."
Tazuna's daughter stepped out, holding a bundle of clothes. From the looks of it, she wasn't the one bathing.
"Oh, morning~ Nice weather today..."
Kakashi instinctively raised a hand in greeting, still remembering how this long-haired beauty had caught him in that awkward moment yesterday. But as he prepared to quietly slip away, something red-and-black caught his eye.
In her arms—clothes. Clearly just changed out of.
They were his students' outfits... stained with fresh blood.
---
There was no doubt now. The reason these clothes were changed out was simple—the sleeves and chest were soaked in fresh blood. From the torn fabric alone, it was obvious what their wearers had been doing last night.
"I mean really..."
With a sigh, Kakashi slid open the bathroom door. He looked at the figure soaking in the tub and spoke in a resigned tone.
"Didn't I just say yesterday? No intense training. Clearly none of you listened."
"No way! He's the one who barged in and challenged me in the middle of the night!"
Naruto, sitting on the left side of the tub, crossed his arms and pouted. Sasuke, on the right, wasn't about to back down either.
"That's what you get for not even mastering your ultimate technique. I'm helping you train. You should be on your knees thanking me!"
"What?! You wanna go again, you arrogant jerk?!"
"Anytime, loser! You're just a dumb dead weight anyway!"