Chapter 42 - Evidence!

I took my usual seat in the classroom. Every team was already here. Soon, Naruto and Sakura entered, walking side-by-side.It seemed my plan was working.One by one, the Jounin sensei arrived to claim their teams. Finally, Kurenai-sensei entered the classroom.Kiba, ever the brash one, couldn't resist a jab. "Heh! Looks like the loser squad got the loser sensei too!" he snickered.Naruto, ready to pounce, retorted, "What did you say?"I flared my chakra, a silent warning to Kiba. "Want to say that again, Kiba?" I challenged.Kiba, intimidated, shrank back. "You... you just wait! I'll get stronger and defeat you!" he mumbled.Akamaru, sensing the tension, whimpered, "BOW-BOW!"Kurenai tried to pull Kiba back, but Naruto interrupted. "You think you can beat me, dog breath?" he taunted.I joined in, "Who lied to you, Kiba?"Kiba, feeling cornered, turned to Shino and Hinata. "Shut up! I will defeat you all. Told him I am right Shino, Hinata." "...""Back me up! We're a team!" Kiba pleaded.Shino, ever the calm one, simply replied, "Giving your best is always a good thing."Hinata, timidly, added, "What you said was rude, Kiba-kun."Kurenai, exasperated, facepalmed and dragged Kiba away.We all waited patiently for Kakashi-sensei to arrive.Naruto paced impatiently by the door. "Why is the sensei of our team 7 so damn late?!" he grumbled.Sakura, trying to calm him down, said, "Naruto, have some patience. I'm sure our sensei will arrive soon."Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. "All the other teams have already left with their sensei. Even Iruka-sensei is gone..."A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "I know! I'll pull a prank on him!"Sakura, sensing his mischievous intent, tried to dissuade him. "Naruto, you shouldn't..."

Inner Sakura- "I actually like these types of things. Go Naruto!"

"Sakura," I reminded her, "Remember what I said about expressing yourself? If you want to prove yourself, start by being honest with your feelings."Sakura pondered my words again, a thoughtful expression on her face.Naruto, oblivious to the deeper meaning of our conversation, exclaimed, "Hey! Sakura-chan is strong! What are you saying Sasuke-teme?!"Sakura smiled. "Naruto, go ahead with your prank. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out."Naruto grinned. "Really? Haha... You'll see! It's gonna be great, dattebayo!"With a mischievous glint in his eye, Naruto set up a trap using a duster and the sliding door.

Kakashi arrived and opened the door.

BANG!!

As soon as he did, a cloud of chalk dust exploded, coating his face and hair.

Naruto erupted in laughter, "Gya haha haha!!!!! You fell for it!""Hn."Sakura, trying to hide her amusement, apologized, "I'm so sorry you got hit, Sensei!"

Inner Sakura- "OK!! OK!! That was better than I imagined!!!"

WAIT! Did Sakura just mock Kakashi indirectly?!!

'Interesting...' Kakashi thought.

Kakashi, his face partially obscured by the chalk dust, smiled. "Hmm... How can I put this? I don't like you guys," he said, his voice muffled."Now, follow me to the rooftop," he added, leading the way outside the class. Naruto and Sakura followed him.

I, leaping gracefully from the window, walking on the wall of the academy building,

Once on the rooftop, I sat there in Madara Uchiha style.

"Okay, let's begin with some introductions," Kakashi said, his tone monotonous. "Tell me about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies, that sort of thing."Naruto, ever the impatient one, interrupted. "Hey hey, why don't you introduce yourself first?"Sakura, echoing his sentiment, added, "Yeah, you look suspicious."Kakashi sighed, "Oh, me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to talk about my likes, dislikes. Dreams for the future....? hmm.. Well, I have lots of hobbies...."Sakura sighed, "So... All we learned... is his name?"Kakashi turned to the students. "Now it's your turn, starting from the right."Naruto, eager to share, blurted out, "Me!!! Me!!! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like Cup Ramen!! What I like even more is the restaurant ramen Iruka Sensei buys me. What I dislike is waiting 3 minutes for the cup ramen to cook."

Kakashi couldn't help but think, 'Does this kid ever think about anything other than ramen?'

Naruto, with a determined look, declared, "My dream... is to surpass Hokage!!! And then... have all the people of this village acknowledge my existence!!"Sakura, reflecting on her recent experiences, thought, 'Naruto... I used to laugh at his words, but now I see things differently.'Kakashi, intrigued, mused, 'He's grown in an interesting way.'I, noted, 'He is brainwashed in an interesting way... Hn..'Naruto, seemingly lost in thought, added, "Hobbies... pranks, I guess."Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, "I see... Next."I, my voice cold and distant, introduced myself. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. My likes are my own, and you needn't concern yourselves with them. As for my dislikes, I can't reveal them. Because telling my dislikes mean telling my weaknesses. Sharing my weaknesses is not an option for a ninja. My goal is to rise where my clan fall and kill a certain man."Naruto, a bit taken aback, thought, 'He better not mean me.'Sakura, on the other hand, found his words intriguing. 'Cool,' she thought.Kakashi, his eyes narrowed, mused, 'As expected, yet unexpected.'"Okay, and lastly, the girl." Kakashi said, turning to Sakura.Sakura, her gaze occasionally drifting towards Sasuke, began, "I'm Haruno Sakura, the thing I like is... Well... The person I like is... Umm... Should I say my dream for the future..? Oh my!!! My hobby is..." She trailed off, blushing.Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle internally. 'Girls this age are more interested in love than ninjutsu.' he thought.Sakura continued, "The thing I hate is when people judge someone without knowing them."

Well, at least she doesn't hate Naruto anymore. Now, I just have to make her fall for Naruto.

"OK!! That's enough of that." Kakashi interrupted. "We'll start our duties tomorrow."Naruto, excited, exclaimed, "Yay!! What kind of duties?!!!! Duties!! Duties!!"

"First we are going to do something with just the four of us."

Naruto asked eagerly, "What?!! What?!!"

Kakashi smirked, "First, we'll do some survival training."Naruto's enthusiasm waned, "Survival training?" he groaned.Sakura echoed Naruto's disappointment, "Why is our duty, training? We did enough training at the Ninja Academy.""This isn't ordinary training. I'm your opponent." Kakashi replied, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Naruto's curiosity piqued, "Then! Then! What is it?!!" he exclaimed.

Kakashi laughed dramatically, "he he he..."

"Hey, what's so funny, Sensei?" Sakura asked, curious."Yeah! What's so funny, Dattebayo?!" Naruto echoed.I simply smirked, enjoying their confusion."No... Well, it's just that..." Kakashi paused, a mischievous glint in his eye. "When I tell you this, you guys are definitely going to flip. Well, most of you, at least.""Flip? Ha?" Naruto questioned, confused."Of the 27 graduates, only nine will be chosen as Genin," Kakashi revealed. "The rest will be sent back to the Academy. This training is a super difficult exam with a failure rate of over 66%!!""WHAT?!!" Naruto and Sakura exclaimed in unison, their faces a mix of shock and disbelief.Kakashi chuckled, "I told you you'd flip... Haha!""What the hell?!!!" Naruto exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. "But we worked so hard... Then what was the point of graduating."Kakashi shrugged, "Oh.. That? That was just to select those who have the potential to become Genin.""Uhh... What?!!!" Naruto and Sakura exclaimed in unison, their minds reeling."Anyway," Kakashi continued, "tomorrow you'll be graded on the training field. Bring all your shinobi tools. Oh, and skip breakfast, you'll throw up."Naruto panicked, mused, I can't fail here... I'll have to kick Kakashi Sensei's ass and have him recognize my strength. No, no, seriously!!!'Sakura, worried, clutched her head. "Throw up? Is it really that tough?"Kakashi handed out the details. "The details are on this printout. Don't be late tomorrow."Sakura thought to herself, 'If I fail, I'll be separated from Sasuke-kun. This is a test of love! And Naruto too...'Naruto muttered, "Too much kanji."I simply nodded, "Hn!""See you at seven tomorrow morning," Kakashi said, dismissing us.

Everyone dispersed, each heading home to prepare for the grueling trial ahead.

Returning home, I began my planning officially. "Denka," I called, "the list of spies?""Here, Lord Sasuke," Denka replied, handing me a scroll. "The list is ready, Nya!""Hn," I acknowledged. "Can your cats infiltrate the Root base without being detected?""They can infiltrate the outer areas, Nya!" Denka confirmed."Find the Root Anbu with the red monkey mask," I instructed. "And go to the Uchiha cemetery. Dig up Kagen Uchiha's grave and retrieve a sample of his cells. Now go!""Right away, Nya!" Denka nodded and disappeared.I headed to the Naka Shrine, a hidden sanctuary. After performing a series of hand seals, a secret door opened, revealing a hidden chamber. Inside, I kept all my evidence that would be crucial in clearing the Uchiha clan's name.I carefully examined the list of spies, setting aside those affiliated with the Sound Village. I spent the next hour poring over historical texts, noting down key points.Gathering the necessary documents, I left the shrine and head towards the police headquarters. En route, Denka met me, delivering the items I had requested.Upon arriving at the police headquarters, I was greeted with a show of respect."Kana," I instructed, handing her the sample, "take this to medical team and have them analyze this DNA and determine if it matches any Uchiha bloodline.""Yes, Lord Sasuke," Kana replied, taking the sample.Upon my arrival, Zero, the head of the Fuma clan and captain of the Police Military Force, greeted me. "Sasuke, are you here for duty or a specific reason?" he asked.I scanned the room, my gaze settling on a particular officer. "You there, what's your name?" I inquired."My name is-" the officer began, but I cut him off."Stop! I lost my interest. You're fired," I declared, dismissing him with a wave of my hand.The officer was taken aback. "What? Why? Captain, please do something!" he pleaded.Zero, understanding the situation, ordered his guards, "Escort him out of the district."The guards, without hesitation, dragged the officer away."So, what's the reason?" Zero asked, curious.I, my gaze still scanning the room, replied, "Root spy."Sasuke- Sharingan: Genjutsu!I spotted my target and activated his Sharingan, casting a genjutsu upon the individual. "Tell me, for which hidden village do you spy?" he demanded."Iwagakure," the spy replied, his voice devoid of free will.As soon as the spy confessed, several officers lunged forward to apprehend him."Take him to the cells," I ordered. "I want a confession by nightfall."Zero nodded. "We should talk in private." he suggested.I agreed and followed Zero to the meeting chamber. As they walked, Kana approached me, handing me the DNA test results."So, Sasuke, what's this all about?" Zero asked, curious."I want to do three things. First, I want to reopen the Shisui Uchiha case," I replied. "It was believed he was murdered.""Alright, but do you have any leads?" Zero inquired."Yes," I said, handing him a report. "Take a look at this report from the police force before the massacre."Zero, after examining the report, nodded. "A poison Kochū was found in his dead body when scanned through sharingan, and there were signs of his right eye eye being removed," he stated.Of course the previous police team never found these things. I add these things in the original report."Correct," I confirmed. "The poison belonged to the Aburame clan. So police can start from questioning the source of poison, but in secret.""Okay, and the second thing?" Zero asked."I want to open the Uchiha Massacre case." I replied.Zero sighed. "I knew this was coming. So, do you have any tangible leads?""Hn." I said, handing him a photo. "This is Izumi Uchiha, Itachi's girlfriend. I took the picture before burying her. Notice anything odd?"Zero examined the photo. "There are no blade marks or signs of a struggle." he observed."Now, take a look at this DNA report," I said, handing it to Zero-san.Zero examined the report, his eyes widening in shock. "It doesn't match any Uchiha DNA. Whose DNA is this, Sasuke?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief."It belongs to the deceased Kagen Uchiha," I replied, a knowing glint in my eye.After a moment of silence, Zero spoke. "I think you know what this means, don't you? What are you planning to do to him?"My eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint in them, involuntarily releasing killing intent. "He will die, a death so terrible that the punishments of Hell will seem merciful in comparison. But to do that, I need more evidence."Zero nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Do you want this investigation to be kept secret?" he asked.I shook my head. "No need for secrecy.""And what's the third thing?" Zero asked.I handed him a list of names. "Take a look," I said.Zero scanned the list, his eyes widening in shock. "These are... How many are there, Sasuke?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief."A hundred and four," I replied, "including Root spies disguised as civilians.""I'll inform the force and take immediate action tomorrow," Zero said, his resolve firm."Hn. Announce a curfew tomorrow starting from 1 PM and then take action." I added."I must admit, those cats of yours are quite useful." Zero commented."Hn," I acknowledged.Suddenly, an officer burst into the room. "Captain, the Hokage is calling. He wants to discuss the recent announcement made by the police force," he reported.Zero sighed. "Sasuke, you should have taken the position of Captain. But I understand your reasons. May fortune favor you, boy."I nodded while smiling, "Thank you for understanding, Uncle."Leaving the headquarters, I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. My plan was unfolding as expected. The public's anger towards the police force after today's announcement would soon be replaced by admiration after tomorrow's operation.The rest of the day, I dedicated to intense training. Tomorrow's confrontation with Kakashi would be a true test of my abilities. I had to be prepared.

(DONE! HAVE A GREAT DAY/NIGHT!)