Sasuke looked at Itachi. "What about you, Brother?"
"I will be leaving with the clan."
Sasuke jumped to his feet anxiously. "That's not right! I want to be with you, Brother!"
Itachi looked down at Sasuke. "Do you want to be with Naruto, or do you want to be with me?"
Sasuke froze. How could he possibly choose?
His face twisted with inner conflict.
Itachi found Sasuke's expression rather cute and poked his forehead with two fingers.
"You fool. Don't worry, it was Master's decision for you to stay here."
Sasuke let out a sigh of relief, then cautiously glanced at Itachi's face, wondering if his brother was angry about his hesitation.
A hint of amusement was in Itachi's eyes.
"You're not a little kid anymore. Still so attached to home?"
Sasuke's face flushed red. "N-No, I'm not! It's just... I won't have my brother to train with me!"
Itachi crouched down, bringing his gaze level with Sasuke's. "You've already graduated. You'll have missions for the next few months, so it won't matter if you don't see me for a while."
Itachi gently touched his forehead to Sasuke's.
"No matter where I am, I will always be watching over you, my little brother."
Sasuke stared blankly for a moment, then lowered his head, a little embarrassed.
"I... I understand, Brother."
"Besides you, how many others will be staying behind?"
Itachi looked at Sasuke gently, realizing his little brother had reached the age where he needed to grow.
He ruffled Sasuke's hair.
"The five clan members who graduated with your class, as well as the younger children in the Ninja Academy."
"Those in the clan who have trouble moving will also stay."
"It's just that the clan grounds might feel a bit empty from now on."
Itachi glanced around the newly constructed Uchiha compound.
He remembered how their predecessor, Kawasaki, had built this place in the simplest way possible. Had he foreseen that they would one day have to abandon it?
Looking at the place he had lived for seven years, Sasuke's eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.
How was he going to tell Naruto that he was leaving in a year?
...
Kawasaki was already some distance away from Konoha.
After confirming no one was around, he used the Super Beast Scroll technique he had just learned. "Eagle."
In an instant, a drop of ink materialized before him into a massive eagle. Its wingspan exceeded five meters, large enough for a person to ride on.
Kawasaki leaped onto the eagle's back.
With a single thought, the giant bird flapped its wings and took off, soaring swiftly toward the Land of Earth.
Sitting high in the sky, feeling the fierce wind against his face, Kawasaki thought to himself how useful this jutsu was. Indeed, he was fond of any technique that allowed him to fly. As long as you flew high enough, you were essentially in a state of absolute safety.
Moreover, the creatures drawn by this jutsu weren't mindless; they could follow simple commands.
After giving the eagle a set route, it continued flying in the intended direction.
Taking advantage of the time, Kawasaki entered his dream space to continue his research on his rebirth technique and the form of his Susanoo.
He had to admit, this world was truly unfair.
For someone like Sasuke, an Indra's Reincarnation, mastering the martial god form of the Susanoo took only a few attempts, provided he had enough chakra.
Madara, on the other hand, had spent the better part of his life learning the same skill.
Sasuke's learning speed defied all logic.
Perhaps each generation of reincarnations grew stronger.
In any case, Sasuke was incredibly strong.
Most Uchiha clan members had almost never seen their clan head train. They all believed he was a natural prodigy, a powerhouse who didn't need to do missions or train particularly hard. Many thought this, including Sasuke, Itachi, and Shisui.
But they didn't know that Kawasaki usually went to bed early, spending four to six hours every night in combat training within his dreams.
Recently, having acquired a new talent for genjutsu, Kawasaki had begun to practice it intensely. In the past, his genjutsu was primarily based on the fundamentals of the Sharingan and was considered subpar among Uchiha of the same level. Breaking genjutsu, however, was incredibly easy for him due to his massive reserves of ocular power. He was much like Jiraiya, who was poor at casting illusions but skilled at dispelling them.
Now, he had finally pieced together all the abilities he needed.
He could finally be considered a truly qualified Uchiha ninja.
He practiced for a while in his dream space, woke to confirm his direction, and then re-entered his training state. When he grew tired, he simply slept on the eagle's back.
After about two days, he was approaching Iwagakure.
...
Within the Hyuga clan compound.
In the main family's courtyard.
Hinata was training alone in her room. Though she was the only one there, her expression was one of intense focus.
Again and again, Hinata struck the wooden training dummy before her.
Sweat dripped from her body, forming a small, damp circle on the floor beneath her.
Lately, her father, Hiashi, had been very busy and hadn't been home in some time. Her uncle, Hizashi, had become an Elder Advisor, and the whole family was immensely proud. It was the highest position of power the Hyuga clan had achieved since the founding of Konoha.
To solidify that power and prevent outsiders from finding fault, Hiashi was doing his best to help Hizashi with various administrative matters. As a result, the servants had been looking after Hinata.
Ever since she had lost to her sister Hanabi, who was five years younger, Hiashi seemed to have lost some of his faith in Hinata. He didn't even know which squad his daughter had been assigned to, only that her supervising jonin was someone with an unfamiliar name.
But tonight, when Hiashi returned home, he saw the sight of Hinata training by herself.
It wasn't her diligence that surprised him, but the look of joy, ambition, and confidence radiating from her face. The fear and confusion that once clouded her eyes were gone.
Hinata thought to herself that everyone had praised her for being helpful. She had to become stronger. She didn't want to drag Naruto down.
With a kiai, each Gentle Fist she threw sent a powerful gust of wind pressure forward.
Hiashi heard the immense sound generated by this power and noticed his daughter's significant improvement. In the past, Hinata's training had always been passive. Though her attitude was proper, it felt more like she was completing an obligatory task.
Since her defeat by Hanabi, he had stopped holding any expectations for Hinata.
Why had she suddenly changed so drastically? It hadn't been long, yet such a transformation had occurred.
Judging by the sweat staining the floor, Hinata had been training for several hours.
He didn't disturb her, instead quietly walking to the door and summoning a servant.
"How long has Hinata been training alone today?"
The servant answered respectfully, "Lord Hiashi, Lady Hinata has been training by herself for over three hours today."
Hiashi frowned. He remembered how, under his own strict supervision, two hours of high-intensity training had once left Hinata completely exhausted. Scolding her had yielded no results.
Back then, he had simply assumed she lacked talent.
Now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
She hadn't given up. On the contrary, she was working even harder.
"Has it been like this for a while?"
The servant thought for a moment. "Lady Hinata began increasing her personal training time ever since she graduated from the Academy."
Hiashi nodded and dismissed the servant.
He stood behind his daughter, watching her for a little while longer, before returning to his room, lost in thought.