Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 26 Past Events Like Smoke

The alarm clock had barely gone off when it was slapped shut. The child in bed rolled over, not even opening his eyes, and buried his face back into the pillow. There was a knock on the door, but after a long while no one answered, there was silence again. A little while later, a bright color appeared in the gray sky, the sun's rays gilding the clouds, and the birdsong grew even more lively.

It was completely light.

The door creaked again, but this time it opened. A little boy in a grey short-sleeved shirt walked in carrying several plastic bags, expertly entered the neighbor's semi-open kitchen, stood on a small stool to cook rice, then prepared the ingredients, making a few simple rice balls and two bowls of noodles. However, he only scooped out the noodles, leaving the broth in the pot. After packing the lunchbox, he realized the child who was still in bed hadn't gotten up, so he stormed into the bedroom.

"Get up! You big idiot!"

If it weren't for the fact that this guy almost got heatstroke yesterday and might not feel well today, Sasuke would never have gone to the trouble of preparing today's meal before calling for help.

The creature on the bed twitched twice, finding its way to Sasuke entirely on instinct. Its eyes were still closed, and a ridiculous mark remained on its lips.

"Sleep a little longer..."

"If we keep sleeping, we'll be late!"

It's not that Naruto is bad at sleeping in; after all, someone who's been staying up until 3 or 4 AM for three or four days in a row, and then has to get up at 6 or 7 AM, how could they easily break free from their bed? But Sasuke didn't know this. He just assumed Naruto was staying up late again reading his useless books. Lately, they hadn't been going to the library as often, so Naruto always brought back a lot of books. Therefore, he wasn't going to indulge Naruto and grabbed Naruto's arm to lift him up.

Usually, Naruto would wake up if you just dragged half of his body off the bed, but today he was so sleepy that he actually clung to Sasuke with the pull, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck and acting cute.

"Just for a little while, Sasuke... I'm really tired..."

Sasuke, who instinctively hugged Naruto, stood frozen in place for a while before finally putting Naruto back on the bed and quickly leaving the bedroom, his retreating figure giving off a sense of fleeing in panic.

How could he find Naruto cute? But that soft, sweet voice, the way he lets himself be manipulated, the whiskers on his face, and that sprawled-out pose—they all seem so adorable… Stop! Don't think about it! That silly, goofy look—where's the cuteness in it!

"You are someone who can awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, just like me."

That nightmarish voice suddenly rang out, creating a rift in Sasuke's heart, and his originally flushed cheeks instantly turned deathly pale.

"However, that requires special conditions..."

...Stop talking, stop talking!

"Kill your closest... friend."

How could this happen? How could this be?

"Just like...me."

"Sasuke, have you even prepared dinner?"

Sasuke was jolted awake from the dark vortex and found Naruto, whom he hadn't been able to wake, leaning against the doorframe yawning. Naruto was always very perceptive in certain ways; for example, even when he was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, he could immediately sense that something was wrong with Sasuke's mood and cast a worried glance at him.

"Your face looks so pale, are you sick?"

Idiot, don't come any closer!

Sasuke pushed away Naruto, who was leaning closer, feigning disgust but actually cowering in fear. He couldn't imagine himself killing Naruto; it would be a nightmare far worse than a blood moon.

"Get up and go wash up! I don't want to be late!"

Naruto was shoved into the bathroom, making a ruckus, and fell silent as soon as the door closed. He had been startled awake by Sasuke's sudden emotional outburst. Habit is a powerful force; in the period immediately following Sasuke's move, he was immersed in negative emotions, experiencing those dark and suffocating dreams that Naruto, though unable to see, could feel. Therefore, constantly sensing Sasuke's emotions had become the norm.

Sasuke has become much more cheerful in recent years; the shadow of the night of the massacre seems to have disappeared. But why is he suddenly depressed this morning? Could it be that his sudden heatstroke yesterday triggered Sasuke's psychological trauma? Surely not? Does that mean he has to be invincible in front of Sasuke from now on?

Oh well, one more won't make a difference anyway.

Strangely enough, Kakashi wasn't late today, but Naruto and Sasuke were. Naruto knew Kakashi had already arrived, but he still persuaded Sasuke to be late with him, since they had waited all morning yesterday!

Perhaps because he was new to teaching and hadn't yet shaken off the mindset of the Anbu, being late became intolerable when he prioritized something. However, Naruto always had plenty of excuses, and after much elaboration, it always ended up being yesterday morning. Kakashi couldn't argue with him, and unable to resist the boyish figure in his eyes, he ultimately didn't give them extra training.

During lunch break, Naruto collapsed into a deep sleep, but the two, one big and one small, sat on either side of him, looking preoccupied. Sasuke hesitated for a while before finally mustering the courage to speak.

"Kakashi, you used to be an Anbu, right?"

Kakashi, unusually not holding the orange book, observed Sasuke for a few moments and nodded, saying, "Ah, that was a long time."

"Do you know Itachi? Have you ever fought him?" Sasuke had never so desperately wanted to know about his nominal older brother. From childhood, he had been overshadowed by Itachi, everything he did was compared to Itachi, and no matter how hard he tried, he could never catch up to his brother, who was considered a genius. He had lived in Itachi's shadow until this day. If this continued, how could he defeat Itachi, how could he avenge his clan?

The book says, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." He didn't want to follow the path Itachi had laid out, yet he had to defeat that man. Understanding him might be the first step.

“Everyone knows him.” Realizing his student was serious, Kakashi became a little more solemn. Although he didn’t want Sasuke to firmly pursue the path of revenge, he still gave his answer: “He is known as a prodigy.”

Itachi's rapid rise through the ranks is merely a small part of what shines brightly. After joining the Anbu, Itachi consistently accomplished dangerous missions flawlessly with minimal cost. He and Shisui are like rising stars in the Uchiha clan; if they shine a little brighter, they can guide the path for their clan.

However, one of the stars suddenly went out.

After Shisui left, Itachi, who was already taciturn, became even more withdrawn. Kakashi was just a colleague of his, not in the same team, and they didn't interact much. Therefore, every conversation with that young man, who could only be called a boy, left a deep impression on Kakashi.

He remembered one mission where they were assigned to a group. During a break, Itachi, who never talked about anything unrelated to the mission, suddenly asked him a question.

"Shouldn't we not betray a friend's trust?"

His answer, of course, was no.