"Why is it so lively today?"
Sasuke placed the three-colored dango he was holding onto the table and looked around curiously. Strangely, even Itachi didn't react much to the treat today.
"Your brother is getting engaged," Mikoto replied with a warm smile.
Sasuke froze for a moment, momentarily at a loss.
How long had he been gone? Before leaving, there wasn't even a hint of this happening.
What's going on? When he was around, acting as their third wheel, they remained silent. The moment he left, everything began to unfold. Was his presence somehow holding them back from making progress?
Was that fair?
Upon hearing Mikoto's words, Izumi blushed deeply, lowering her head and falling completely silent.
Sasuke felt a complex wave of emotions rise inside him. But in the end, he was genuinely happy for Itachi and Izumi. After all, Sasuke knew how tragic their original fates were supposed to be. This deviation from that path—this happiness—was exactly what he hoped for.
"Really! That's something worth celebrating!" Despite the mix of feelings inside, Sasuke smiled and expressed his joy sincerely.
"That's not all—we're also relocating the Uchiha clan back to its original district," Fugaku said with a rare smile, lifting his sake cup.
The man who had once been somber and weighed down by the clan's fate was now visibly brighter and more relaxed.
But this news was a bit troubling for Sasuke. The current Uchiha compound was located on the outskirts of Konoha, far from the bustling center—quiet and ideal for training. Moving back closer to the village center would make it harder for him to find peace and focus. Fortunately, he had recently been promoted to jōnin, giving him the right to take missions outside the village on his own.
"It's all thanks to the reforms led by the clan head. If not for that, there's no way the other clans and villagers would've accepted the Uchiha again so quickly," Shisui said, smiling as he offered sincere praise to Fugaku.
He added, "Honestly, I used to think the patriarch leaned toward the radical faction. It wasn't until you initiated the reform plan that I understood your true intentions."
In the original timeline, Shisui had believed Fugaku to be aligned with the extremists and had even considered using Kotoamatsukami to alter his will—leading to his fateful confrontation with Danzō.
"You're the Anbu captain now. Strictly speaking, your status in the village hierarchy is above mine. No need to speak to me so formally," Fugaku said, turning toward Shisui.
But Shisui shook his head and responded earnestly, "Even if I serve as an Anbu captain, I'm still a member of the Uchiha. You are the clan head, and my respect for you will not change."
"Haha, suit yourself then," Fugaku laughed and emptied his cup.
Shisui's words pleased Fugaku greatly and gave his pride a satisfying boost.
"I guess I should start calling Izumi 'sister-in-law' now," Sasuke said, half-joking and half-sentimental.
He still remembered meeting Izumi and Itachi when they were around five or six years old. And now, here they were—getting engaged. Time had passed so quickly. Still, getting engaged at this age wasn't unusual in the ninja world. In the original timeline, Naruto and Hinata got married at nineteen.
Izumi blushed even harder at Sasuke's words, and even Itachi's usually calm expression showed a rare trace of embarrassment.
"Ahem, how was your latest mission?" Itachi cleared his throat and tried to shift the topic.
"Oh, now you remember to care about this poor soul who just dragged himself back from a deadly mission? My heart aches," Sasuke exaggerated his disappointment with a sigh.
"No—it's just, my father was talking earlier, so I couldn't ask right away," Itachi quickly tried to explain, flustered.
Seeing his brother's reaction, Sasuke decided to stop teasing and began recounting his mission.
Of course, he couldn't tell them the full truth. He stuck to the version he had submitted to Minato in the official report, omitting anything related to the Sharingan embedded in Danzō's arm.
"I didn't expect your first solo mission outside the village to be so intense," Shisui commented after listening.
"Hmph! Looks like Danzō is finally reaping what he sowed," Fugaku snorted coldly, his disdain obvious.
"That Akatsuki group you mentioned... possessing such a powerful rogue shinobi?" Itachi frowned, his concerns mirroring Minato's.
"Alright, let's not go deeper into this today. This is a day for celebration. We'll talk about serious matters tomorrow." Mikoto interjected gently, ending the conversation with a smile.
The group didn't bring up missions again after that. Their attention returned to Itachi and Izumi, and they finalized both the wedding date and the clan's relocation schedule.
The wedding was set for October, and the relocation would begin the following morning.
—
By the evening of the next day, the special kunai Minato had given Sasuke began to pulse.
Sasuke quickly moved to a quiet, secluded area and infused chakra into the kunai.
Whoosh!
Minato's figure instantly appeared in front of him.
Seeing this, Sasuke couldn't help but marvel at the Flying Thunder God Technique. It really was an incredible jutsu. He wondered if he would ever have the chance to learn it.
Minato handed him a sealed test tube.
"Here's the material you asked for. When will the body you mentioned be ready?" Minato asked.
"Roughly half a month from now," Sasuke replied.
Creating the first artificial skeletal framework had taken a long time because he had to develop the method while building it. Now that he understood the process, things would go much faster.
"Though I'll need Aunt Kushina's cooperation when the time comes," Sasuke added.
"I've already spoken to her," Minato said calmly. "Now that I've handed off the materials, I'll take my leave."
Minato vanished the moment he finished speaking.
With Kushina's DNA in hand, Sasuke began building the prosthetic skeletal system for her. Since the Uzumaki and Senju clans were distant blood relatives, it shouldn't be too difficult to adapt the prototype to her lineage.
Half a month later, the Uchiha clan's relocation was successfully completed. Kushina's prosthetic—Yoshiko Yamazuki—was also finished. With the device in hand, Sasuke made his way to Naruto's home.
Knock knock knock!
After a few knocks, the door opened slightly, and Naruto peeked out, scanning the surroundings. When he saw Sasuke, he quickly pulled him in and slammed the door shut.
"Why'd you come here acting all casual?"
Naruto glared at Sasuke.
His words confused Sasuke. "What, am I supposed to sneak around? It's not like I'm doing anything shady."
Is reviving someone really that unusual in this world? When Pain attacked the village, didn't he bring back an entire population?
"You...!" Naruto was at a loss for words, and in the end, didn't even try to argue.
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