Neji thought it over and realized Sasuke made a lot of sense.
However, he was still worried about the Root. In the manga, Danzō was portrayed as a greedy, power-hungry man with an intense desire for control. If he found out about Sasuke's bizarre abilities, it would probably turn into another political mess.
In short, it was all Danzō's fault!
After a brief rest, Neji and Sasuke launched into another intense sparring match.
A thick, rotting mist gathered in Sasuke's palm.
"I'm coming, Neji!"
The veins around Neji's eyes bulged as his originally pale eyes turned completely black — clearly, the Byakugan had undergone some strange mutation under the corruption of demonic power. The instant Sasuke fell under his gaze, he was hit by a wave of deep despair. His fighting spirit drained away rapidly, and for a fleeting moment, he felt the urge to just lie down and give up.
Fortunately, Sasuke wasn't facing this twisted emotional force for the first time. The mist swiftly thickened around him, cutting off Neji's line of sight.
Before they even realized it, the two of them had already gotten used to prioritizing the use of demonic power, with chakra gradually becoming a secondary tool. They were deeply influenced by the demon's corruption, drifting further away from the traditional shinobi fighting style, and leaning more toward crushing their enemies with overwhelming force.
In the original storyline, Sasuke had a bad habit of trying to beat others at their own strengths — fighting Itachi in genjutsu, challenging the Fourth Raikage in taijutsu, competing with Naruto in chakra reserves... it was like he had "please beat me up" written on his forehead.
But now, he had already broken that habit. He didn't want to be another "sunny-side Sasuke."
A powerful gust whipped through the training grounds.
After a short while, the dust settled, revealing two boys lying on the ground, gasping for air.
"Neji, you really didn't hold back just now!"
"You're one to talk. Your attacks were way more brutal than mine!"
"Don't overdo it. If I'm not wrong, your hand's already starting to rot."
"Sasuke-kun, are you still holding your emotions together...?"
Their voices overlapped as they bickered like a pair of elementary school kids after class — arguing for no real reason, but finding it strangely fun.
"Hey, Sasuke, have you noticed? The sky's been gray lately."
"Yeah... it's been a long time since I last saw blue skies and white clouds."
Sasuke replied casually.
Ever since the night of the Uchiha massacre, the world had been nothing but gray and murky in his eyes, just like the overcast sky.
...
Watching the scene unfold through his crystal ball, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked genuinely surprised.
He had always assumed Uchiha Sasuke was mediocre, incapable of awakening his Sharingan.He hadn't expected the boy to be this talented.
Sasuke and Neji's strength had already far surpassed that of ordinary genin.
At that thought, a complicated feeling rose in Hiruzen's chest.
If it were any other academy students demonstrating this level of power, he would have been thrilled — they would represent the future hope of Konoha.
But Sasuke and Neji... because of various lingering issues from the past, they might not devote themselves wholeheartedly to the village.
And then there was that mist technique Sasuke used.
Was it a Kirigakure jutsu?
The Uchiha were typically proficient in Lightning and Fire Release.
He had never seen one use Water Release before — let alone a technique that was a signature of Kirigakure!
...
After dinner, Sasuke sat quietly at home, reading.
The books were honestly boring — nowhere near as entertaining as listening to the shadow's stories — but at least they were better than sitting around overthinking.
Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door.
A stranger's voice called out from outside,
"Is Uchiha Sasuke here?"
Sasuke quickly composed his expression and opened the door calmly.Standing outside was a masked Anbu operative.
"The Third Hokage requests your presence. Please head to the Hokage's office immediately."
Sasuke nodded to show he understood.
On the way there, he lowered his head in thought.
Had he been exposed?
Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was puffing leisurely on his pipe.
Knock knock knock—
"Come in. Ah, it's young Sasuke."
"Greetings, Hokage-sama."
Sasuke greeted respectfully.
"I wonder what brings me here today?"
Hiruzen first exchanged a few warm pleasantries, then cut straight to the point.
"Young Sasuke, I have a question. May I ask you directly?"
The Hokage himself was asking — how could Sasuke refuse?
"Please, Hokage-sama."
"Did you and Neji have a falling-out? I heard you two were fighting all day in the training grounds."
"Neji is a good friend of mine. We were just sparring, that's all."
Hiruzen chuckled.
"That's good to hear. But still, be careful. You're both young — overtraining could do more harm than good."
"Thank you for your concern, Hokage-sama."
"..."
Despite Sasuke's respectful attitude, Hiruzen couldn't shake the feeling that he was being subtly brushed off — though he couldn't find any real fault in the boy's conduct.
"Ahem. Sasuke... I heard from someone passing by that you used a technique that looked suspiciously like Kirigakure Jutsu — Hiding in Mist Technique. Where did you learn it?"
"My father taught it to me when he was still alive."
"..."
Hiruzen froze for a moment.
There was no way to verify that claim — it was the perfect dead-end answer.
An awkward silence settled in the room.
Hiruzen probed a few more times, but seeing no signs of guilt from Sasuke, he eventually let him go.
On the way home, Sasuke's face remained calm.
Only after entering his empty house did his expression twist into something feral and vicious.
Not because he was worried Sarutobi Hiruzen knew about the Decaying Mist.
He had expected it would be exposed eventually — he was ready.
No...
What truly churned his stomach was the memories of certain scenes from the manga:
The Konoha Crush arc — In the Forest of Death, Naruto summoned Gamabunta to confront Shukaku. Sasuke could only watch in shock and confusion. Why had Naruto grown so strong?
At a rundown hotel — Itachi effortlessly subdued Sasuke, gripping him by the throat. 'How could you be this weak? Looks like your hatred isn't nearly deep enough.'
Even Kakashi, with his own Sharingan, was defeated instantly. Sasuke couldn't even pass out — he was trapped in Tsukuyomi, forced to relive the massacre again and again.
On the rooftop of Konoha Hospital — Sasuke fought Naruto. His face was filled with frustration and resentment.
Kakashi reprimanded him: 'Chidori isn't a technique meant to be used against your comrades. Are you really so childish? Did you lose your sense of superiority?'
When the Sound Four approached Sasuke — even after gaining the Cursed Seal of Heaven, Sasuke still couldn't beat Orochimaru's disposable underlings.
The Uchiha Clan had a millennium of proud history. They never lacked for high-level jutsu. The Sharingan's copying ability was nothing short of a cheat code — Kakashi had built his entire reputation on it.
And yet, after the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke went from surviving that night all the way to the Chūnin Exams...
And what did he have? Only the Fireball Jutsu and some basic shuriken techniques.
He didn't even learn Chidori until Kakashi taught it to him — just to save face.
Meanwhile, Naruto — the so-called dead last — rapidly grew stronger, stacking powerful techniques one after another, all thanks to massive resources and elite teachers.
Naruto learned the Rasengan. He had the strength to fight Shukaku head-on. The manga portrayed Sasuke as jealous.
But now, remembering those scenes, Sasuke felt nothing but bone-deep coldness.
No wonder the original Sasuke said,
"The village is nothing but a shackle."
Jiraiya could take Naruto as his personal disciple, leaving Konoha to train for three full years.
And what did Sasuke get for staying behind?
Endless low-ranked missions that drained his time and energy. Possible harassment from Shimura Danzō. And a critical lack of proper mentorship.
There's no pain without comparison.
Sasuke hadn't known Naruto's true heritage — he only saw a "dead last" suddenly gifted with everything.
Given that, how could he refuse when Orochimaru offered him a chance?
Orochimaru's motives were impure — sure — But at least he would sincerely teach Sasuke.
At least he wouldn't interrogate him just for learning a new technique.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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