"Uncle Shibi."
Sasuke stood up straight and greeted.
The person in front of him was Shino's father, the current head of the Aburame clan, Shibi Aburame. They had just met not long ago, but Uncle Shibi hadn't been wearing his outer coat then.
"Are you alright?"
Aburame Shibi turned slightly and looked at Sasuke.
"I'm fine," Sasuke shook his head and glanced at the subdued Root ninja nearby. "Uncle Shibi, who are these two? Are they really from Konoha? They mentioned Danzo wants to see me... Who is Danzo?"
"Sasuke, head home for now. Leave these two to me. Don't worry, I'll take care of it and give you an explanation later."
Aburame Shibi didn't answer Sasuke's questions directly.
"Uncle Shibi, will this cause trouble for you? If so, it's fine. I wasn't hurt anyway."
Sasuke looked genuinely concerned.
"Don't worry, there won't be any trouble."
Aburame Shibi gave a stiff smile. Given his usually reserved nature, talking this much and smiling was rare for him.
He wasn't just trying to comfort Sasuke. In fact, it was Danzo who was in real trouble now. Less than ten days after the Uchiha clan's massacre, Danzo had tried to lay his hands on the last Uchiha survivor. It would be unforgivable if the other clans found out.
Sasuke had a feeling things would play out exactly as he expected.
The next morning, Sasuke was about to head out for breakfast when an ANBU ninja appeared before him. Without a word, the ninja handed him a scroll and disappeared.
Sasuke picked up the scroll and broke the seal. Three items appeared before him: a scroll, an envelope, and a long sword.
The scroll contained some Uchiha clan secret ninjutsu, including the full repertoire of Fire Release techniques. Unfortunately, it wasn't as comprehensive as the scrolls Sasuke's father had hidden, making it of little value to him.
The sword was 73 centimeters long and shaped like a katana. When Sasuke held it, it felt comfortable in his grip. Curious, he channeled chakra into the blade, and streaks of lightning flickered along its edge.
It was a chakra blade!
Suddenly, the sword's value skyrocketed. A weapon like this could easily be worth millions.
Finally, there was the envelope. Inside was a bankbook and a letter from Sarutobi Hiruzen. Sasuke set the bankbook aside and opened the letter.
The letter began with the Third Hokage expressing his apology to Sasuke, explaining that the bankbook contained 500 million ryō, which was Konoha's compensation to him.
Hiruzen then mentioned that Danzo had been severely reprimanded and punished, and promised that nothing like this would happen again. This was both the first and last time such an incident would occur.
Sasuke crumpled the letter and tossed it into the trash.
If the Third Hokage really had control over Danzo, none of this would've happened in the first place. The money in the bankbook and the scroll? They were likely looted from the Uchiha clan's own treasury. Now, it was being handed back as if Sasuke should be grateful for it.
Sasuke scowled. The sword, though, piqued his interest. Why had Hiruzen included it? Was it because of something Uncle Shibi had mentioned? Or perhaps information Danzo's Root agents had passed along?
Either way, it didn't matter. Sasuke had been planning to find a suitable blade to complement the Thunder Breathing technique he'd learned. Originally, he had considered asking Grandma Cat for help or purchasing one himself. But now, the Hokage had delivered it to him, saving Sasuke both time and money.
Over the next few days, Sasuke kept to himself. Apart from quick trips for supplies, he spent his time training at home.
Things remained quiet until the afternoon before his scheduled departure. Sasuke had gone out to buy groceries, and when he returned, he noticed a crowd gathered in front of his house.
"Sasuke-kun!"
A girl waved enthusiastically and ran toward him, her single platinum ponytail bouncing in the sunlight.
Sasuke's eyes sharpened. A single ponytail! A hairstyle even nobler than twin ponytails. But... she's still a bit young— in every way.
"Sasuke-kun, why haven't you come to school recently? I asked Iruka-sensei, and he said you'd taken leave. Did something happen?"
The girl stopped in front of him, her face full of concern. Following her were Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Sakura, Hinata, and Shino— all familiar faces.
Sasuke glanced at each of them before his gaze settled on Ino.
"Hasn't anyone told you yet?"
"Told me what?" Ino blinked, confused.
Most of the others seemed equally clueless, except for Shikamaru, who wore an uncomfortable expression, as if he knew something.
"Ten days ago, the Uchiha clan was massacred. My parents... everyone in the clan was killed. I'm the only survivor."
Sasuke saw no point in hiding the truth. It was bound to come out sooner or later.
As expected, everyone except Shikamaru looked stunned.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I didn't know..." Ino stammered.
"There's no need to apologize. I've accepted it."
Sasuke smiled softly at Ino.
"Sasuke-kun... By the way, I brought the class notes from the past few days. You can take it easy and don't rush back to school. I'll keep bringing you the notes every day..."
Ino extended the bag she was carrying to Sasuke.
"Iruka-sensei didn't tell you? I've already submitted my withdrawal papers to the Third Hokage, and he's approved it."
"Quit? You're dropping out?"
Ino's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You can keep the notes, Ino. I appreciate the gesture, but I won't be needing them anymore."
Sasuke gently pushed the notebook back toward her.
"Thanks for coming to see me, everyone, but I'm not really in the mood to talk today. I'll treat you all to dinner sometime. For now, let's leave it at that."
With a nod to his classmates, Sasuke walked past Ino, heading toward his house.
"Wait."
Naruto's voice rang out. His hands clenched into fists as he stared at Sasuke.
"Why are you dropping out, Sasuke? Aren't you going to become a ninja?"
Naruto voiced the question that had been nagging at everyone's minds.
"Yeah," Sasuke replied calmly, "I don't plan on being a ninja anymore."
"But if you don't have power, how are you going to avenge your family?"
Naruto shouted.
"That's my business, Naruto."
Sasuke didn't stop walking.
"Wait, I can't accept that!"
Naruto took a few steps forward, reaching out to grab Sasuke's shoulder.
In the blink of an eye, Sasuke was behind him, faster than anyone could see.
Naruto stood frozen, his arm still outstretched, while a blade hovered just in front of his throat— close enough for him to feel its cold edge.
Sasuke's voice was icy.
"Whether I become a ninja or not is my decision. Don't interfere, Uzumaki Naruto."
The leaves rustled in the summer breeze, but the air between the young boys and girls felt as cold as winter.
(End of the chapter).