A chilling unease seized Satsuki's heart without warning.
Her body began to tremble slightly, not from the coolness of the night wind, but from the faint, yet increasingly distinct, scent of blood in the air.
This scent awakened her most primal human fear—the fear of death, of loss, of unpredictable disaster.
Her fingers trembled uncontrollably, instinctively grasping the only support nearby, Naruto's sleeve.
The fabric was clutched tightly in her hand, providing a faint sense of security.
However, reason shrieked in her mind.
If... if it was truly as she thought... something terrible had happened...
Naruto... should leave here immediately!
It was absolutely unacceptable to involve the most important person in potential danger.
This thought was incredibly clear.
But another, more primitive and overwhelming emotion—a tidal wave named 'fear'—instantly swallowed this glimmer of rationality.
To be left alone in this dead silence and blood-soaked darkness?
The thought sent a chill to her bones, and her knuckles turned white from gripping the sleeve so tightly.
She looked up at Naruto, her eyes filled with intense struggle.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out, unsure whether to order him to leave or beg him to stay.
In the end, all her turmoil, fear, and dependence were laid bare on her face.
Naruto saw that Satsuki's obsidian-like eyes, which were always proud or annoyed, now looked at him with a gaze he had never seen before, almost mournful.
Her eyes were filled with helplessness and pleading, like a small animal trembling in a storm, seeking shelter.
Naruto's palm gently covered Satsuki's cold fingers, "It's okay.
Something seems wrong up ahead, right?
Don't be afraid, I'll stay by your side."
These comforting words were like a lifeline to Satsuki, who had lost all sense of security.
Uncharacteristically, she didn't offer any tsundere rebuttal, only nodded obediently.
Step by step, the two slowly moved towards the corner of the Uchiha Clan Estate.
With each step closer, the cloying, rusty smell in the air grew stronger, and Satsuki's breathing became more rapid.
Finally, they turned that fateful corner.
The next moment, the color drained from Satsuki's face, leaving it ashen white.
The moonlight coldly illuminated the street, revealing a scene like hell.
People wearing the familiar Uchiha crest on their clothing lay scattered in pools of blood in various postures.
Their necks were cleanly slit, the fatal wounds gaping and exposed, and everyone's eye sockets were empty hollows, with dark red blood oozing from them.
These... included biological fakes created by Gold Experience, and also... real corpses.
Naruto's gaze was complex.
The truth depended on the deceased's stance—whether they were doves or hawks.
However, this disguise, which even the already dead Danzo couldn't discern, was an incomprehensible and terrifying reality for a nine-year-old Satsuki.
"This... what exactly is this...?"
Satsuki's voice trembled almost beyond recognition, her mind blank from the immense shock.
Immediately, the instinct for survival overwhelmed everything else.
She suddenly grabbed Naruto's hand tightly, no longer just tugging at his sleeve, but with her fingers tightly interlocked, as if to weld herself to his hand.
"Quick... let's go!"
Without a word, she pulled Naruto, stumbling and dashing towards the mansion deep within the clan compound.
She gasped violently, the cold air stinging her lungs, but her steps dared not falter for a moment.
Naruto didn't resist, letting her pull him as they ran through the corpse-strewn Uchiha Clan Estate.
From a rational perspective, Satsuki's most correct action at this moment would indeed be to immediately flee the Uchiha Clan Estate and seek help in the village center.
However, for a nine-year-old child, when witnessing such a horrific sight and being overwhelmed by boundless fear, the first reaction is never a calm "rational analysis."
Her instinctive reaction was only one—to seek the safest, most reliable haven in the world.
Father... Mother... Older sister...
In her understanding, her father Uchiha Fugaku was a powerful ninja, and her older sister Uchiha Itachi was a genius in the Anbu.
As long as she found them, she would be safe, and everything would be alright.
It was this dependence that made her not only run towards "home" herself, but also hold tightly to Naruto—she absolutely could not leave the most important person alone in this bloody hell outside.
She was desperately clinging to what she believed was the only solid thing, running towards the safe harbor in her memory.
------
...What's going on?
Father and Mother... are still alive?!
Uchiha Itachi stood on the rooftop, the night wind blowing her long hair, her crimson Mangekyo Sharingan fixed on the scene below—among the "corpses" she had personally created, Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto actually lay there quietly!
Although their breathing was faint and their faces pale, their chests were indeed still rising and falling slightly... they were truly still alive!
How is this possible?!
To force Satsuki to awaken her Sharingan, to make her hate herself enough to embark on the "correct" path, Itachi spared no expense.
When the mysterious leader of the [Blaze] organization suddenly changed their mind and demanded that her parents be spared, a strong sense of crisis and obsession made her unhesitatingly use her newly awakened power—[Amaterasu].
Those black flames, which would not extinguish until their target was completely incinerated, were lit by her own hand.
She endured soul-tearing grief, watching her parents' bodies be consumed by the ominous black flames... she was certain she had completed this "necessary" sacrifice.
But why... why are they still alive now?!
"You're finally back, Uchiha Itachi."
A cold voice suddenly broke the silence from behind her.
Itachi spun around abruptly, her Sharingan instantly locking onto the source of the voice—not far away, the figure wearing a fox mask stood silently in the moonlight.
"Must you be so absolute in your actions?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Itachi's Mangekyo spun wildly!
[Amaterasu]!
Black flames appeared out of thin air, instantly engulfing Menma's body like a persistent parasite, burning ferociously.
However, before the pain could register, this "Menma" figure dissipated like smoke.
It was a Shadow Clone!
The next moment, space subtly warped, and another identical figure appeared in the same spot using the Flying Thunder God Technique, his tone still calm and unruffled.
"Don't be foolish, my real body will not appear before you."
The newly appeared Menma said indifferently, his gaze seemingly falling on Itachi's eyes, which were shedding blood tears.
"I advise you to use that eye less.
You must have already felt it... the price of using that power."
Looking at the pale-faced, yet unusually stubborn Uchiha Itachi, Menma shook his head, "I can't believe a child would meticulously plan to kill her own parents..."
"And an outsider is trying everything to protect them.
This world really is a place that produces freaks."
Uchiha Itachi's breathing became heavy, and blood tears once again streamed from the corners of her eyes.
She stared intently at Menma, her voice filled with anger and confusion.
"Why are you doing this?!
This shouldn't benefit you in any way, [Blaze]!"