[Uchiha Clan Compound.]
[Night.]
[Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes.]
['Dad, Mom, and my brother should all be asleep by now.']
['I'll go take a look.']
['Hmph! Just you wait!']
['Once I learn it, I'll kick them all away!']
[With that thought, Sasuke quietly got up and tiptoed toward the door.]
[His mind filled with images of learning tree climbing and water walking—]
[his family's surprise, and his brother's praise.]
[But soon, the smug faces of the four kids from earlier flashed in his mind again.]
['Damn it!']
['I am a proud Uchiha!']
['How dare they say I'd drag them down…!']
[Moonlight spilled across the ground as Sasuke sneaked into Uchiha Fugaku's study.]
[His movements were extremely light, barely making a sound.]
[However—]
[At the doorway of the study, two figures were quietly watching him.]
[They were none other than Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto.]
Audience: "..."
So many inner thoughts—
and he got caught before even starting.
Uzumaki Naruto: "Pfft—hahahaha!"
Uzumaki Naruto: "Sasuke, you're so lame!"
Uchiha Sasuke: "Damn it! I'll kill you!"
Uzumaki Naruto: "Come on, come on~!"
Uchiha Izuna: Heh. I knew it—this kid definitely can't handle provocation.
Yamanaka Ino: "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm~!"
Temari: "So this is Uchiha Sasuke as a child…"
Kankurō: "He looks more agreeable than he does now."
Uchiha Sasuke: "Shut up!"
In the Pure Land, Uchiha Mikoto's lips curved slightly.
Looking at little Sasuke on the black-framed screen,
her thoughts drifted back in time.
But soon, the expression on her beautiful face cooled.
["Did something happen to Sasuke at school today?" Uchiha Fugaku asked.]
["These past few days, Sasuke's been muttering about people looking down on the Uchiha," Mikoto said with a gentle smile.]
[Strangely, although the two were speaking right at the doorway, their voices weren't quiet—yet Sasuke didn't hear a thing.]
["Itachi has already entered ANBU and was assigned to Hatake Kakashi's team."]
["The Sharingan won't be wasted on him. That was also Obito's wish—besides, Kakashi is Minato's subordinate."]
["Even now, there are still people in the clan discussing this matter."]
[Mikoto shook her head.]
["What happened to Minato and Kushina was too sudden."]
["Mm… I saw their child once from afar. He really looks like Minato," Fugaku nodded slightly.]
["As for Sasuke…"]
[Before Fugaku could finish, little Sasuke muttered to himself,]
["There's no ninja world history… no Konoha history either… could it be that Dad's study doesn't have them either?"]
["What do I do… if I can't find them, that annoying Ino will laugh at me again!"]
[Fugaku and Mikoto exchanged glances.]
["Ino?" Fugaku frowned slightly.]
["Yamanaka Inoichi's daughter," Mikoto replied.]
["Ninja world history? Konoha history? Why would a group of children need those?" Fugaku said solemnly.]
[These weren't merely forbidden books.]
[One wrong step, and if discovered, someone could 'disappear' overnight.]
Uchiha Fugaku: This should be Shikaku's son's idea, right?
Uchiha Fugaku: No—Black-Frame Naruto must be involved too.
Uchiha Fugaku: But those two kids guessed right. My study does have relevant history books.
Uchiha Fugaku: In fact, every clan head's study in Konoha has such books.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed drastically.
He knew about this—but it couldn't be completely prohibited.
He didn't dare target all ninja clans at once, so for the sake of stability, he had issued a ban on dissemination.
Orochimaru: "Heh heh, Teacher Sarutobi looks very nervous."
Orochimaru: "Why don't we all guess—what interesting things will happen if Black-Frame Naruto gets his hands on history books?"
Not everyone was as quick-thinking as Orochimaru.
Just a history book—
why would Black-Frame Naruto care so much?
What difference would getting it make?
Wouldn't it be better to spend that time training?
[After a moment of silence, Fugaku turned and left.]
[Mikoto turned on the light in the study.]
[Creak—]
[Sasuke, who was rummaging through boxes with his butt sticking out, stiffened.]
[He slowly turned his head.]
[He saw his mother smiling gently at him.]
["It's so late—what book are you looking for?" Mikoto asked softly.]
[Sasuke's small face turned red as his mind raced.]
["Mom, I'm looking for some history books."]
["Some annoying kids at school laughed at me for not knowing anything."]
["I'm an Uchiha—I can't lose to them, so I came to Dad's study to look for books."]
[Mikoto's smile didn't fade.]
[She beckoned, and Sasuke immediately trotted over.]
["Mom~" Sasuke grabbed Mikoto's hand and shook it repeatedly.]
["I don't want them laughing at me. Do you know where Dad keeps those books?"]
Uzumaki Naruto: "Hahaha~ Sasuke, you might as well wear a dress from now on~!"
Inuzuka Kiba: "Yeah, yeah—'Mom~' wow, so spoiled~!"
Yamanaka Ino: "So Sasuke has this side too~"
Haruno Sakura: "So cute~!"
...
Sasuke stared at the chatroom.
His face turned beet red.
Furious, he slammed his fist onto the desk.
"I'll kill you all!!!"
Sasuke never imagined that the black-framed giant screen would show something like this.
He had wanted his parents to see his efforts later—
["Is that so?" Mikoto, of course, understood her son very well.]
[She pulled Sasuke to sit on a nearby chair.]
["Sasuke, do you know?"]
["Every time you lie, your face turns red."]
["Tell Mom—what really happened?"]
["Those kinds of books can't be read casually. They're forbidden."]
[Mikoto patiently explained the stakes to him.]
[Sasuke's face turned pale.]
[He hadn't expected such books to carry such enormous risk.]
[And so, under Mikoto's gentle questioning,]
[Sasuke told her everything in detail.]
["Mom… please don't tell Dad."]
[Mikoto rubbed Sasuke's little head, giving no promise.]
[Outside the study door, Fugaku stood with a hand on his chin, brows tightly knit.]
[Not long after, Fugaku made his decision.]
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