Chapter 78, Chapter Seventy-Six

-

On their way to the Land of Iron, they stayed at a guesthouse diagonally opposite Naruto Uzumaki.

Xue leaned against the window, watching the snow falling from the sky. She stretched out her hand, and the fine snowflakes fell into her warm palm.

The difference in elevation between the buildings allowed her to have a good view of the scenery in the windows of the houses next door.

Naruto lay on his side on the floor of the tatami room, his expression somber and silent. The room was quiet, the atmosphere heavy with tension. His usual vibrant golden hair had lost its usual energy as he stared intently at a corner of the room. His thoughts drifted. Where was Sasuke now? What was he thinking about? Was he with Yuki? With his only remaining companion, Uchiha Yuki?

Naruto turned around and lay on his back on the ground, his gaze falling on the incandescent light bulb on the roof beam.

Sasuke, you defeated Itachi and avenged him.

Has the snow come to your side, putting your mind at ease?

Or has it become even more painful?

Sasuke's silhouette flashed through his mind, followed by Yuki, who always smiled gently at him when he was a child.

I overheard Yamato-sensei let slip that Kakashi-sensei used to be Yuki's boyfriend.

Does Sasuke ever think of me, Sakura, or Kakashi-sensei...? Or does Yuki ever think of Kakashi-sensei and him? Naruto wondered.

Sasuke...why haven't you come back to Konoha yet?

Why haven't you and Yuki returned to Konoha yet?

...Could it be that you have truly been captured by hatred, Sasuke?

Are you really going to become a criminal...?

Sasuke.

Naruto closed his eyes, his brows furrowed.

Now... I really understand you less and less, Sasuke.

"How about we chat, Naruto Uzumaki?"

A familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him, and in an instant, a pale blue Rasengan shattered the windowsill where Obito was sitting. Obito retreated with ease, and after a puff of smoke dissipated, he stood unharmed before Naruto. He wore a black robe with auspicious clouds on it and a swirling orange mask.

"A Rasengan as a greeting gift—" The man's deep voice and imposing height carried a hint of disdain. "But as you know, these attacks have no effect on me."

Layers of wooden planks burst forth from the ground and bound Obito. Kakashi, dressed in a Konoha Jonin vest, was already standing behind Obito. Obito exclaimed, "As expected of... Hatake Kakashi with the Sharingan, so fast."

At the same time, the dazzling white light emanating from Kakashi Hatake's Lightning Blade, a weapon brimming with chakra, accompanied by a piercing thunderclap, was blinding. Yuki watched from the window, showing no concern for Obito's life. The blinding lightning illuminated one side of his face, but the only striking feature was the three-tomoe Sharingan within its socket.

"I won't let you make a move against Naruto so easily, Madara Uchiha."

Obito chuckled: "Since that's the case, you heard what I just said, didn't you? For me, Uchiha Madara, all attacks are ineffective."

Yamato, who was controlling Wood Release, knelt on one knee and stared at the masked man who called himself Uchiha Madara. He said, "Although I don't know if you've hidden your body or become a spirit, I'm sure you must have materialized your body when you captured Naruto, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to do it."

"Do they have information about me?" Obito wondered.

He said, "Hehehe, I never thought it would be so easy to succeed, but I have something to say now. Naruto Uzumaki, what exactly did you use to make Pain and Nagato betray me? Naruto... I'm starting to get very interested in you."

"I don't care what happens to them!! What are you going to do to Sasuke, you bastard!? Tell me what happened to Sasuke and Yuki?!" Naruto shouted, restrained and protected by Yamato.

Obito tilted his head, as if reminded: "Sasuke and Yuki..."

"Speaking of which, it seems that Uchiha Yuki and your father have a secret."

"That was a forbidden love—"

"You probably don't know, do you? Naruto Uzumaki."

"Alright, I'll tell you."

"A man whose bones are eroded by hatred and resentment from the ninja world, and a woman whose life is intertwined with love and hate."

"The story of Uchiha Sasuke... and Uchiha Yuki."

-

The wind, carrying a damp chill, blew the tiny snowflakes askew, causing them to patter softly against the windowpane. The world seemed veiled in a semi-transparent gauze; distant houses and streetlights blurred in the damp, cold mist, leaving only a hazy gray-white.

The world seemed to be filled only with the man's deep voice and his long story.

It is the life of a man who only lived to the age of twenty-one, and his entire life was dedicated to Sasuke and Konoha.

“Sasuke is the true avenger; this is the path he has chosen.”

"Hating everything, that is Sasuke's ninja way."

"So, that concludes the story of Sasuke for now. Next up is the story of Uchiha Yuki."

On a snowy day in Konoha, a baby girl was born at the hospital in the Uchiha clan compound.

Surrounded by her parents' love, she was born into this world with immense happiness.

Growing up healthy, she was lovingly cared for by her parents and the kind older sister next door. Then, upon entering the Ninja Academy, she met the man who first stirred her heart, the man she kept hidden—Minato Namikaze. In her pursuit of this man, her life trajectory underwent a dramatic change. Fate, seemingly seeing her life progress smoothly, played a cruel joke on her.

When she was eight years old, her parents died in the cleanup work of World War II. The sudden loss of her loved ones deprived her of the deepest love in the world. As a result, Uchiha Yuki awakened her Sharingan—the double-tomoe Sharingan. In the same year, she graduated from the Ninja Academy and then rose to the rank of Special Jonin at an astonishing speed, becoming a member of the Third Hokage's faction.

She participated in the Third Shinobi World War alongside Minato Namikaze. On the battlefield, her enemies fearfully called her "Konoha Snow Princess" or "Sharingan Snow Princess." Within the Uchiha clan, her strength was second only to Shisui of the Body Flicker Technique and the clan head. However, even with such immense power, she couldn't protect her own younger brother. Her brother perished in the Third Shinobi World War, and amidst the secrecy surrounding her death and the intense guilt and unvented hatred within her, her Sharingan evolved into the three-tomoe form.

At this point, Obito, whose body was tightly bound by Wood Release, turned his head slightly. His gaze fell on Kakashi behind him, who was holding a kunai to his throat. Kakashi was startled, not understanding why the other party knew so much about Yuki's experiences.

Upon hearing this, Naruto realized that Yuki had once followed Minato Namikaze.

He clung tightly to the wooden fence that Yamato had used to trap him, shouting, "What's behind us?! Did you make the snow like this?"

Obito slowly raised his head and looked out at the white sky through the broken roof.

The falling snowflakes landed on his orange mask; though they were cold, he felt a chilling coldness emanating from them.

His tone remained calm, as if everything was under his control.

"Despite being such an impatient person, I was betrayed by Payne."

"Naruto Uzumaki, I'm very interested in you."

"However, don't be in a hurry. Uchiha Yukika and your Kakashi-sensei had a romantic relationship."

"Don't you know?"

Naruto looked at Kakashi behind him with a slightly surprised expression. Kakashi's brows were furrowed, while Yamato had a bead of cold sweat on his face.

Yamato sensed something was wrong: What on earth was this guy trying to say?!

It was a love affair that Uchiha Yuki indulged in to escape reality, a love so openly known that she was involved with Kakashi, who possessed one of her younger brother's Sharingan. After the Third Shinobi World War, she briefly carried out a mission to monitor the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, who fell in love with her. Later, under Minato Namikaze's arrangement, Uchiha Yuki joined the Fourth Hokage's elite reserve guard unit, serving as Minato's close bodyguard.

"Your father thought he could take advantage of his proximity, but due to various factors such as the Konoha leadership, he still arranged a political marriage with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. In the end, your teacher Kakashi beat him to it."

Obito's tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

"It really makes one wonder if everyone behind this twisted relationship has some strange fetish."

"The four of them were each deceiving themselves, maintaining this delicate balance."

"It's absolutely ridiculous."

Naruto could hardly believe that Yuki had such a complicated relationship with his father and mother.

But he wasn't angry; he just realized they had such a close past.

So, Xue and him...

Shouldn't we be like Mom and Dad, with the three of us getting along very closely?

He longed for Yuki to come to his side, no, to return to his side, to be with Sasuke.

They all returned to Konoha, back to his side.

"You're not allowed to talk about Kakashi-sensei, Yuki, and Mom and Dad like that!"

Naruto Uzumaki revealed an angry expression, and his sharp fangs were faintly visible as he shouted.

Obito's gaze lingered on Naruto's face, a perfect inheritance of Kushina's beautiful features. Perhaps because he was always shouting and yelling, people tended to overlook his appearance. A subtle unease welled up in Obito's heart; a realization surfaced—Naruto, like Sasuke, was far younger than him…

"I haven't finished yet, Nine-Tailed Fox."

Obito continued.

As time passed, she temporarily hid herself away, having lost her dearest loved ones. Witnessing the death of her beloved in the Nine-Tails' attack, she pleaded with the Third Hokage for custody of you in order to care for you. However, the Uchiha clan lacked the responsibility and ability to care for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and she herself was unable to control the Sharingan's power due to brain trauma. Ultimately, she was ousted from the Konoha ninja system by Danzo and returned to the Uchiha Police Department, serving the Uchiha clan head.

Knowing about the Konoha leadership's series of xenophobic policies towards the Uchiha clan, she had considered maintaining a balance and striving to secure as many rights and living space as possible for her clan members. Unfortunately, she underestimated Danzo's methods and overestimated the nature of her own clan members.

Her silence tacitly approved of the Uchiha clan's rebellion plan.

"She had a deep bond with Itachi, and this connection made her never expect Itachi to act so quickly."

"The Uchiha clan's rebellion ended before it even began. It was I—Uchiha Madara—who saved her from Itachi's clutches."

“I gave her a new life, and she worked for me.”

"Isn't that normal?"