The evening lights began to glow as night fell.
The dusk, like warm tea, seeped through the entire shinobi village. A full moon, silver and round, slowly rose, softly outlining the contours of the Hokage Rock against the hazy night sky.
A gust of evening wind swept by, lifting a few withered yellow leaves. They drifted across the village and gently fell into the Uchiha compound, brushing over the familiar fan-shaped crest.
The silhouette of a shinobi on the watchtower blended with the twilight, with only the faint glint from his forehead protector showing that vigilance had never slackened.
Fireflies began lighting their lanterns among the grass, while along the streets, the lamps awakened one by one, casting warm halos across the cobblestone paths.
Uchiha Yasuo dragged his tired body as he slowly returned home.
"I'm back."
He called out loudly, bending down to remove his shoes and place them neatly by the door.
"Oh, Nii-chan's back!"
With a cheerful shout, a five- or six-year-old boy burst from the room and dove straight into his arms.
"Haha…"
Seeing his little brother's adorable face, Uchiha Yasuo instantly felt the exhaustion of the day melt away.
He bent down, lifted his brother into his arms, and gently tapped his nose with a finger, smiling as he said, "Yuki, have you been behaving today?"
"Of course!" Uchiha Yuki puffed out his cheeks. "I listened to Mom the whole time, helped her with chores, and practiced shuriken too!"
"Oh? So amazing!" Yasuo widened his eyes in mock surprise. "Then you deserve a proper reward! What do you want?"
"Hmm…" Yuki tilted his head, tapping his cheek with a finger in serious thought. Then his eyes lit up, and he raised both hands high. "I want takoyaki! Double portions!"
"Haha… all right, when I get some days off, your big brother will take you out for takoyaki—double portions!"
"Thank you, Onii-chan!" Yuki cheered, hugging his brother's neck and rubbing against him excitedly.
"All right, all right, Yuki, stop clinging to your brother. Go wash your hands—it's time to eat."
Their mother, wearing an apron and carrying dishes from the kitchen, placed the food on the table. She gave her younger son a playful smack on the back to send him off, then turned to remind her elder son: "And you, don't spoil him too much! He's going to be a shinobi someday too—he can't be too soft."
"Your father couldn't endure hardship, and even now he hasn't awakened his eyes. He's still just a genin, stuck with finding cats and dogs for missions, leaving the burden of supporting the family on your shoulders."
"Ahem…" Uchiha Kenji, sitting at the table, coughed twice to save face and said stiffly, "Awakening the eyes depends on talent. Hard work doesn't change much."
"Hmph!" His wife shot him a look as she served rice to her elder son. "A father should be a model for his children—but you've only managed to become a cautionary tale."
Seeing his father's pleading look for rescue, Uchiha Yasuo quickly tried to mediate.
"Uh, Mom, being a genin's actually not bad. You don't have to take on dangerous missions or worry about all the clan's internal affairs—and you don't have to attend those clan meetings where everyone's always arguing."
His proud eldest son had spoken, so the mother could not continue her tirade. She merely muttered, "Since when is being a shinobi not dangerous? You never know when danger will suddenly strike."
Yasuo hurriedly set down his chopsticks and patted his chest, assuring his parents, "Don't worry, Father, Mother. If danger ever comes, I'll stand at the front. I'll definitely protect you and Yuki!"
"Count me in too! I'll protect Father and Mother as well!"
Having just washed his hands, little Yuki ran over and struck a ninja defensive pose, looking quite serious.
"Haha… that's the spirit, Yuki! We brothers will protect Father and Mother together!"
Yasuo smiled and reached out to ruffle his brother's hair until it was a mess, drawing a mock protest before he laughed, let go, and pulled him to sit at the table. The family began to eat.
Uchiha Kenji picked up a piece of food for his wife and said reassuringly, "There's no need to worry so much. I'm just a genin—I don't even leave the village. What danger could there possibly be?"
"We're powerful Uchiha!"
"Who could possibly break into our clan grounds?"
"Would that mean everyone in Konohagakure had died?"
Just as Uchiha Yasuo was about to echo his father's words, his brows suddenly furrowed. He turned his head sharply toward the door, alert.
The door seemed to sway slightly. His vision blurred for an instant—then, with a swish, a human figure appeared inside the house.
That speed was so fast that Uchiha Yasuo's heart jolted violently. But when he saw the person clearly, he relaxed, putting away the kunai he had been gripping, and stood up with a smile to greet him.
"Oh, it's you, Itachi!"
"What brings you here?"
"Did the clan head send you with some orders?"
He had only taken two steps forward when his years of battlefield instinct abruptly made him stop. His eyes flashed blood-red, and three tomoe spun into being.
But the moment his gaze met Uchiha Itachi's, his mind wavered for an instant. When he came back to himself, a chill ran through his chest—he looked down and saw a short blade being drawn out from his heart.
When?
Was it genjutsu?
Why?
Yasuo was struck with shock and disbelief, but every question was blocked by the blood welling up in his throat.
He fell heavily to the ground, feeling the strength drain from his body through the gaping hole in his chest. He could not move at all—only stare helplessly as his father, mother, and beloved younger brother fell one after another into pools of blood.
No!
Don't!
Please don't!
Lying on the floor, Yasuo's eyes met those of his little brother—now wide open, lifeless. Those once-clear, innocent eyes had completely lost their color, dimming into the gray of death.
That face was filled with terror and helplessness. His younger brother's empty eyes stared at him, as if silently calling out to the omnipotent "Nii-chan" he believed in—or perhaps wordlessly questioning him.
Nii-chan, didn't you say you would protect us?
No!
In an instant, that powerless agony surged through Yasuo's entire body, a pain even greater than the shattering of his heart.
No!
Don't die!
I have to save you!
Regret, helplessness, confusion, hatred, unwillingness—all those emotions flooded in at once, violently clashing and churning within Yasuo's mind.
His father's warm hand, his mother's caring voice, his brother's healing smile… As he stood on the brink of death, every memory of the past flickered before Yasuo's eyes like a revolving lantern.
Amid the overwhelming obsession and the violent storm of emotion, Yasuo's Sharingan, with its three tomoe, trembled fiercely and spun madly. Then, at extreme speed, it shattered—melting into blazing black flames that reformed deep within his pupils. Jet-black lines grew like thorns, intertwining into a grotesque yet beautiful windmill pattern.
His Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened!
And at the same time, the seal that bound his past-life memories was broken.
In that instant, all the memories from the Naruto he had seen in his previous life surged back into Yasuo's mind.
So this was the world of Naruto!
And today… was the Uchiha Clan Massacre!
Damn it!
Why did I only awaken now?!
Yasuo roared inwardly. Without waiting for his heart to recover, he struggled to his feet, staggering toward the table. He picked up his younger brother and tried desperately to revive him.
Perhaps sensing his dying will and the wish to save others, his Mangekyō ability manifested as a rare healing-type—Inaba no Hakuto.
As expected of the Mangekyō, its powers defied all reason—though the Sharingan was of Yin Release, under the Mangekyō's ability, it could transform into Yang Release, directly replenishing a person's life force.
But it was all already too late. No matter how recklessly he poured Yang Release chakra into Yuki's body, he still could not bring a dead person back to life.
"No!"
"Don't!"
Yasuo howled, tears streaming down his face. He put his brother down and rushed to save his Father and Mother, but regretfully, that bastard Itachi had struck too cruelly—each blow pierced the heart, leaving no margin at all.
No matter what he did, the three had become cold corpses.
He made desperate, useless attempts. He did not know how long had passed when a tear of blood ran down from Yasuo's left eye, cut across his cheek, and fell into his mouth—bitter beyond measure.
Even with Yang Release produced from converted chakra supporting him, his frantic use of the Mangekyō still placed enormous strain on his eyes.
A searing pain, like a branding iron burning, came from his eyeballs—but compared to the hell inside his chest, that pain became a kind of salvation.
The blood-red in his vision grew thicker and thicker until the whole world was soaked in a sea of blood.
After a long while, Yasuo gently laid the three bodies down, stood up in a daze, and bolted out the door.
Itachi!
You bastard!
I'll kill you!
The flame of hatred burned violently inside Yasuo, transforming into endless chakra and driving him forward at a flying speed.
At this moment, the Uchiha compound was already deathly quiet, the air heavy with the stench of blood and the breath of death.
Yasuo, of course, knew what had happened here and did not waste time on anything else; he charged straight for the clan head's house.
That had to be Itachi's final destination!
The clan head's estate wall drew closer in his sight; the fan crest on the gate looked especially grotesque under the blood moon. That symbol which once stood for glory was now nothing but a signpost to death.
"Itachi!"
Yasuo roared and kicked the gate open, plunging into the shadowed courtyard.
But the yard was deathly silent, littered with corpses and blood.
He ran into the backyard and still saw no sign of Itachi—only the bodies of Uchiha Fugaku and his wife lying on the floor, and Sasuke lying there unconscious.
"Ah!"
Yasuo screamed in furious rage, then spun and stormed through the courtyard, shouting curses at the surroundings.
"Itachi!"
"You bastard!"
"Come out!"
"I'll kill you!"
But no matter how he shouted and cursed, there was only silence around him; only the bright moon above silently watched this field of carnage.
"Ah…" Yasuo raged as he paced the courtyard. Seeing no sign of Itachi, he immediately turned and rushed back.
"Itachi! You killed my brother, so I'll kill your brother!"
"Go to hell, Sasuke!"
Yasuo shouted, raised his blade, and cut off Sasuke's head.