Inside a hospital room within Konoha Hospital—
"No!"
Sasuke suddenly jolted awake from his nightmare, cold sweat covering his body.
"A dream…?"
"It was just a dream…"
He gasped for breath desperately.
Yet deep inside, relief surged through him.
Because his mind was still filled with the nightmare he had just seen—
His older brother slaughtering the entire Uchiha clan.
Even Father and Mother falling beneath his blade.
How could sothing like that possibly be real?!
Trying desperately to comfort himself internally, Sasuke instinctively raised his hand to wipe away the cold sweat from his forehead—
Only for sharp pain to suddenly shoot through his arm.
Lying on the bed, Sasuke glanced toward it.
Bandages wrapped tightly around the injury.
When… did I get hurt?
Then suddenly—
The mory slamd back into his mind.
The wound inflicted by Itachi's shuriken during that "dream."
Realization instantly struck him.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he frantically looked around.
Only now did he realize how unfamiliar everything around him was.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
Unfamiliar walls.
An unfamiliar bed.
And the thick sll of disinfectant hanging in the air.
"This is… a hospital?"
Sasuke's heartbeat accelerated violently.
Unease rapidly expanded into a storm inside his chest.
He abruptly sat up and threw off the blanket, preparing to get out of bed.
Bang!
Because of his haste, he nearly slamd directly into the bedfra.
But he had no ti to care.
Barefoot, Sasuke stepped onto the cold hard tiles.
Pain scread through every part of his body.
Still, gritting his teeth, he supported himself against the wall and staggered out the door—
Only to hear voices talking nearby in the hallway.
"...Yeah. The entire clan vanished overnight. It's terrifying."
"That child was the only confird survivor, right?"
"They found him seriously injured too…"
"What's going to happen to him now…?"
What… are they talking about?
Hidden around the corner, Sasuke felt colder and colder the more he listened.
The doctors' and nurses' conversation sounded as though they were confirming that nightmare had been real.
"These past few days, only a few children ca to visit him."
"I haven't seen any adults."
"Wasn't he supposed to have an older brother?"
"That older brother's still missing."
"He probably also died in the fire…"
The nurse sighed sadly.
"That was the Uchiha clan…"
"How could sothing like this happen…?"
Sasuke could no longer continue listening.
Ignoring the pain tearing through his body, he gritted his teeth and sprinted wildly out of the hospital.
Straight toward where his ho used to be.
Impossible!
His heart scread desperately.
But when he finally reached the Uchiha district—
Or rather, the ruins of it—
He froze completely.
Sasuke violently tore away the warning seals blocking the entrance and stepped into the place that should have been the peaceful ho preserved in his mories.
Everywhere he looked—
Buildings remained damaged from battle.
Walls blackened by fire still faintly preserved traces of what he once recognized.
Young Sasuke could no longer bear the sight.
He lowered his head and simply ran.
Desperately.
Pain spread through every inch of his body with every movent.
Yet by now, Sasuke could barely feel it anymore.
He only continued rushing toward ho.
And when he finally reached the place he once knew better than anywhere else—
The heavily breathing Sasuke stared forward in disbelief.
Gone.
Everything was gone.
Before him remained only scorched ruins reduced to blackened rubble.
Sasuke's body trembled violently.
He no longer even possessed the courage to step into those ruins.
The familiar front door waiting for him to slide open after returning ho—
Gone.
The hallway he once walked alongside his father—
Gone.
The kitchen where his mother prepared hot als—
Gone.
The courtyard where he spent sumr evenings together with that person—
Gone.
Everything…
Was gone.
Which also ant—
Everything had been real.
anwhile—
Inside the Hokage's office—
Nearly every Jōnin and upper-ranking mber currently present in the village had gathered there.
The room had beco so crowded that many people with completely different personalities voluntarily stood outside in the hallway instead.
For example—
Might Guy.
With his physical abilities, even standing outside the office still allowed him to hear everything clearly.
Yet even he lacked the mood to joke around with his old friend Kakashi, whom he had not seen properly in nearly a year.
Whether inside or outside the room—
Everyone wore extrely grim expressions.
"...After investigation, analysis, and report confirmation, the above situation has now been verified."
Within the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage slowly lowered his pipe.
Nobody present could clearly see his expression beneath the Hokage hat.
Only Nara Shikaku's calm voice continued echoing through the room.
"Next, Konoha will officially issue wanted notices to every great nation and hidden village."
"The following two individuals will henceforth be announced throughout the ninja world as S-rank missing-nin."
Two prepared bingo book notices were placed before everyone.
"An S-rank missing-nin of Konoha."
"The true culprit behind the Uchiha clan massacre."
"Uchiha Itachi."
"And—"
"An S-rank missing-nin of Konoha."
"A forr Konoha Jōnin who disappeared years ago and is suspected of involvent in the attack upon the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure."
"Uchiha Shisui."
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