Night in the Uchiha district was a serene illusion—quiet, ordered, peaceful. But beneath the stillness, tension simmered like a kettle just before boil. The clan walked in silence, heads held high, but always glancing over shoulders, always watching. A subtle fear crept beneath the surface. Sasuke saw it in every adult's eyes.
But for now, he was still a child in their eyes—Sasuke Uchiha, the youngest son of the clan head, fragile, pure, unaware.
They were wrong on every count.
He sat upright in his crib that night, eyes adjusting to the low orange glow of lantern light flickering through the sliding door. Itachi had just returned from another covert ANBU mission. His older brother moved like a ghost—silent, graceful, deadly.
Sasuke watched him with solemn eyes. He respected Itachi, truly. But he also knew the weight pressing down on his brother's back. The secrets. The choices. The terrible path ahead.
Not this time, Sasuke vowed silently.
He would not let history repeat.
---
Later that night, as Mikoto hummed a lullaby and tucked him into the futon, Sasuke clung to the familiar warmth of her presence. Her fingers gently stroked his head.
"My sweet boy…" she whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "One day you'll be strong. Just like your brother."
He wanted to speak. To tell her how strong he already was. How far he'd come to be here, with her, in this fragile peace.
But instead, he closed his eyes and let out a small breath.
Then, he began meditating in his mind.
---
Inside his soulscape, things were far from peaceful.
A massive, spiraling core of chakra pulsed in his inner world, laced with threads of crimson and silver light. The result of Corp.
He had copied chakra types and personality traits from multiple interactions—some simple, some deep. Notably, Mikoto's warmth and patience. Itachi's poise and clarity. Even small touches, like from that academy student, left trace imprints.
Each chakra signature had been broken down, processed, and refined into something greater.
This wasn't just memory—it was data.
He constructed internal chakra pathways like circuits, strengthening his chakra coils manually, over and over, far beyond what a normal five-year-old should be able to do.
He had theories about chakra amplification, emotion suppression, and power grafting.
And he had plans.
---
The next morning, Itachi knelt beside Sasuke, brushing his bangs back with a rare smile.
"You've been staring at me a lot lately," Itachi said quietly.
Sasuke blinked slowly. "You're cool."
Itachi's smile widened just a little. "Is that so?"
"You always disappear before dinner," Sasuke added. "Do you go on secret missions?"
That surprised him. "What makes you think that?"
Sasuke simply pointed to the faint cuts on his brother's arms—quickly hidden beneath sleeves. "You came back hurt."
For a moment, Itachi said nothing. Then he sighed.
"You're sharp… like Father."
Sasuke frowned. "I don't want to be like him. He's always angry."
That made Itachi pause. Truly pause.
Good, Sasuke thought. Let him begin to think. Let him start to doubt the course that leads to slaughter.
---
Later that day, Sasuke ventured into the outer district. While officially off-limits for unaccompanied children, no one stopped the clan head's son.
There, by the stream, he met her.
A young Hinata Hyuga, training alone, battered and bruised, her breathing unsteady, her fingers trembling with the effort of a failed stance.
He didn't approach right away. He simply watched from behind a tree.
She fell. Again.
Her breathing cracked. Tears touched her pale cheeks. But she stood again.
Sasuke stepped out, slowly clapping.
Hinata gasped and turned sharply. "Wh-Who're you?"
He tilted his head. "You train harder than everyone in my class."
She blinked, shy and defensive. "I… I have to."
He stepped closer. His gaze softened. "I'm Sasuke."
"I know who you are…" she whispered, face reddening.
He offered his hand. She flinched, but didn't run.
"I think you're strong," he said honestly.
She hesitated. Then placed her hand in his.
The moment their skin touched, he felt it: her chakra flow, the delicacy of the Byakugan's latent form, her inner kindness trying so hard to be tough.
Corp activated.
He pulled her chakra blueprint into his system, a fragile mirror of gentle control, precise inner rotation, and soft defense.
But it didn't stay fragile. His body evolved it.
He envisioned a custom style—a fusion of Gentle Fist with high-speed movement, almost like teleporting palm strikes. A mental note for future creation.
Hinata giggled nervously. "Th-Thank you…"
Sasuke just smiled faintly. "Don't give up."
---
That night, he returned to his crib early.
He heard Mikoto and Fugaku arguing outside.
"She's just a child, Fugaku! Let them play!"
"He's an Uchiha. He must focus on the clan. Not outsiders."
Sasuke scowled silently. The old Uchiha pride. That same pride that would kill them all if left unchecked.
He closed his eyes.
I'll protect them. Even if it means defying fate. Even if it means fighting him.
His hand curled softly around his blanket.
In the silent cradle, a legend quietly formed—one no one could see, one that would rewrite everything.