Sasuke Uchiha hurried down the streets of Konoha, his expression grim. The usually bustling thoroughfares were deserted, evacuated for safety during the recent chaos.
"Just as I thought," he muttered to himself. "Everyone was moved to safety because of Menma's Tailed Beast Chakra Giant. This is the perfect time to leave."
He reached the outer gate and slowed his pace. Before stepping through, he turned back for one last look at the towering golden-red giant looming over the village's left sector.
"Menma," Sasuke whispered, his voice tight. "I'll obtain this power myself, then kill him... After that, I'll return and defeat you both with my own hands."
Pursing his lips, he silently committed to his next goal and turned to run toward the address Haku had given him during the Chunin Exams.
But before he could take a step, Kakashi materialized ahead, leaning casually against the gate.
"Leaving already?" Kakashi asked. "Going to find that masked man from Wind Void who gave you the Tailed Beast chakra?"
His visible eye was filled with complex emotions, his tone low and somber.
Sasuke remained silent for several seconds before finally replying. "I'm an avenger. I'm not one of you, so don't interfere in my affairs."
He strode forward, but Kakashi instantly blocked his path.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several kunai sliced through the air, trailing transparent threads that landed in front of Sasuke. At the same time, the threads tightened, binding him in place.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke's eyes flashed dangerously.
"Just want to talk," Kakashi said, dropping the silken threads from his hand. "About revenge."
"Hmph. Trying to lecture me again?" Sasuke scoffed. "Stop pretending to understand the downsides of revenge. You have no idea what it feels like."
"If you insist you understand me..." A murderous intent flashed across Sasuke's cold smile. Golden and crimson Nine-Tails chakra surged from his body, two enormous fox tails coiling around him. "Then let me kill the person most important to you, so you can understand true pain and loneliness."
Kakashi nodded seriously. "That's a good idea. It would make me empathize with you."
He paused, a strange smile forming on his face—a genuine smile laced with deep sadness and stillness.
"It's a pity, though."
"Pity?" Sasuke stared blankly at him.
"It's a pity they were all dead when they were your age."
Sasuke's fists clenched, his head bowing. He finally understood why Kakashi cared so much about him—more than Naruto, the Fourth Hokage's son. He saw his past self in Sasuke.
"What I want to say," Kakashi continued, "is that I understand the pain and loneliness of losing loved ones just as well as you do. But I'm not trying to persuade you to give up revenge. I'm trying to persuade you not to abandon your hard-won, important comrades."
Comrades. Two faces of Naruto flashed through Sasuke's mind.
"Sometimes relying on strong comrades isn't shameful," Kakashi said, seeing the hesitation on Sasuke's face. "Revenge isn't about foolishly acting alone. It's about acting with your comrades—telling your enemy you're doing well, but soon they'll be in trouble. That's the right kind of revenge. Not going it alone and letting your enemy experience the thrill of destroying your life."
Kakashi had heard about the powerful Itachi Uchiha from his former Anbu colleagues. During the Chunin Exams, he'd approached Sasuke, but Menma had discovered him. He and his companion, an S-rank missing-nin from Kirigakure, had been brutally beaten and driven out.
Furthermore, Menma had now revealed terrifying strength capable of annihilating all of Konoha.
Kakashi believed that if Sasuke simply mentioned his request for help, even if Menma wasn't interested, Naruto would definitely rush forward. And if they actually found Itachi, Menma would have to take action himself.
There was absolutely no need for Sasuke to risk going to Wind Void with its unknown dangers.
Just as Sasuke hesitated, another massive move came from the golden-red giants in the village's left sector. The two turned around together and witnessed a horrific scene.
Five enormous hands enveloped the sky above the Shimura Clan compound. A barrage of chakra spikes rained down like a thousand arrows. Piercing screams echoed all the way to the village entrance.
"What on earth did Danzo Shimura do to enrage Menma so much that he's slaughtering the entire Shimura Clan?" Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.
This wasn't like the Anbu and Root members he'd killed before. This was a true clan annihilation, just like the Uchiha Clan—only this time, done openly in broad daylight, not under the cover of darkness.
Sasuke's pupils dilated in shock. It felt like he was reliving that terrifying night. His face went ashen as he leaned against the door, retching repeatedly.
"No, I have to go see. At least I have to persuade the First Hokage and the others..."
Kakashi, who harbored absolutely no goodwill toward the Shimura and Sarutobi clans, felt no discomfort seeing this scene. Instead, he felt a faint sense of satisfaction—revenge.
Before leaving, Kakashi told Sasuke, "That's all I have to say. You know how strong Menma is. Compared to the unknown dangers of Wind Void, the help of these important comrades is your best chance at successful revenge."
Watching Kakashi's departing figure, Sasuke slammed his fist against the gate.
"Am I really going to have to rely on Menma and Naruto?"
Reason told him this would likely lead to successful revenge. But what would become of all his efforts and desperate struggles so far?
Naruto's smiling face flashed through Sasuke's mind, and Sasuke's lips curled into a slight smile.
But the next second, that smile turned smug and arrogant in his memory. Sasuke's expression instantly hardened.
"No. I can't abandon the pride of the Uchiha. I want revenge, but I also want to prove I'm no less than that person!"
Having made up his mind, Sasuke didn't hesitate any longer. He turned and stepped through the Konoha gates.
On the rooftop of a nearby house—
Three figures stood with purple sacred ropes tied behind their backs. Two were covered in scars, as if disfigured by fire. The remaining one had a full head of gray hair and a cold expression.
As Sasuke left, the three figures vanished.
Only a voice remained, seeming to speak to someone unseen.
"Uchiha Sasuke has left the Hidden Leaf. The capture operation has officially begun."
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