Sasuke lay on the hospital bed, staring listlessly at the snow-white ceiling. He had maintained this position ever since waking up, neither eating nor drinking. His lips were even somewhat pale and cracked.
Everything that happened last night kept replaying in his mind: the blood-soaked rooms, his parents fallen on the floor, and his brother, Uchiha Itachi, holding a sword, a cold smile on his face.
"Hate me, my foolish little brother. You are too weak! You don't even qualify to be killed by me." Itachi's voice echoed relentlessly in his mind, lingering like an unending nightmare.
Originally, Sasuke had thought it was all a genjutsu. Until the Third Hokage brought him the news: the Uchiha clan had been annihilated by Uchiha Itachi.
This meant that from now on, he was alone.
Why? Why would Itachi do such a thing?! Sasuke racked his brains but couldn't understand. How could a person change so drastically? He tried to recall the details of yesterday, but all that flooded his mind was the cruelty he had witnessed within the Tsukuyomi: his parents lying in pools of blood and Itachi with a savage grin. These images haunted his mind like a nightmare, impossible to dispel. Every time he remembered, an uncontrollable hatred surged within him.
Click. Just then, the door to his hospital room opened, followed by a voice Sasuke found familiar.
"Sasuke, Naruto and I are here to see you." It was that boisterous fellow, Rock Lee.
Sasuke's vacant eyes flickered slightly but then lapsed back into silence. Naruto and Rock Lee sat down by his bedside.
"Sasuke, I heard you haven't eaten or drunk anything all day. Have a little something," Lee said, guilelessly offering an apple to Sasuke's lips. However, Sasuke's eyes remained fixed on the ceiling, unmoving.
Lee looked pleadingly at Naruto. In his heart, Naruto, who could always warm others, would surely find a way to help Sasuke rally.
Naruto said nothing, just sitting there quietly. He knew that at this moment, Sasuke needed quiet, needed companionship. Lee could only follow suit.
The sound of cicadas chirped outside the window as the sky gradually darkened. The three of them maintained their positions, motionless. It wasn't until Sasuke's stomach rumbled in hungry protest that Naruto finally broke the silence.
"Eat first. Only when your body recovers can you carry the pride of the Uchiha forward."
The pride of the Uchiha? A flicker of emotion stirred in Sasuke's lifeless eyes. He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse and raspy, "Pride? It's gone. The Uchiha are gone. Destroyed… by that man." Pain contorted his features, and he ground his teeth. "He killed everyone. He betrayed the Uchiha clan."
"I will kill him. With these eyes of mine." A murderous look consumed Sasuke's face, his eyes suddenly flaring into the crimson, malevolent Sharingan, two black tomoe slowly spinning within each. The trauma of the clan's annihilation had spurred another evolution in his eyes. He had grown stronger, but at the same time, he had become utterly alone.
"Have you ever considered that perhaps it wasn't him?"
"Impossible! That man is like that! He killed Mom and Dad! He betrayed the Uchiha clan! He deserves to die!" Sasuke exploded as if a powder keg had been lit, his eyes instantly blazing with the Sharingan, two tomoe swirling within.
"See, Naruto? These eyes are the proof! I'm stronger now! I will keep getting stronger, become an avenger, and I will kill Itachi!! No one can stop me, not even you! I'll crush you underfoot!" Sasuke roared.
Smack! The next moment, Sasuke's head snapped to the side, an expression of unbridled rage still etched on his face.
"Sasuke, do you even know what you're saying?" The one who had struck him was Rock Lee, his face now a mask of fury. "Naruto has always been training with you! He rushed here immediately after you got hurt! Everyone is worried about you, and yet you say such things? Are you even human? You bastard!"
Lee could understand the pain in Sasuke's heart. But he couldn't tolerate what Sasuke was saying. Naruto had been a source of warmth for everyone and had always helped with their training. He was the one who deserved everyone's utmost respect, not the target of Sasuke's displaced anger.
"Care? Hahahahaha! An avenger has no need for such meaningless things!" Sasuke laughed maniacally, springing from the hospital bed and throwing a punch at Lee. "Lee, the me right now is not someone you can defeat. These eyes of mine have seen through everything."
Thwack! Caught off guard, Lee took the punch to his face, stumbling back a step, an angry look now on his own features.
"Let me show you the power of these eyes!" Sasuke closed in, continuing his attack. Previously, in his fights with Lee, he had lost more often than he'd won. But now, he believed the tables would turn. After his eyes had evolved, he was already stronger than Naruto!
Sasuke's movements grew faster and faster. Enhanced by the Sharingan's perceptive abilities, Lee's every move was anticipated. Due to Sasuke's sudden assault, Lee was momentarily pushed onto the defensive.
Crash! Soon, he smashed through the windowpane, flying backward out of the room and landing in the open area outside, clutching his side in pain. Sasuke immediately followed, leaping out onto the same ground, his expression crazed. Having lost all reason, Sasuke's attacks became heavier and quicker.
Sasuke rapidly closed the distance to Lee. First, a kick slammed into Lee's face with a sickening thud that made one's teeth ache. Then, closing in again, a knee strike landed heavily on Lee's abdomen, the excruciating pain and immense force launching him into the air.
While Lee was airborne, Sasuke's legs exploded with power, propelling him above Lee at an even greater speed. He raised his right foot high and brought it crashing down on Lee's back.
Uchiha Darkened Barrage!
With a tremendous crash, Lee slammed back onto the ground, gouging out a large crater. Dust billowed instantly. Sasuke landed, sneering triumphantly, "See that? This is talent! With these eyes, no matter how hard you work, you're no match for me!"
However.
To Sasuke's utter shock, Lee climbed out of the crater as if nothing had happened, patting the dust off his clothes. He then looked at Sasuke with simmering anger. "I'm going to knock some sense into you."
BOOM!
Several weights dropped from Lee's body, kicking up a large cloud of dust as they hit the ground. The instant he was free of the weights, Lee's figure became a blur in Sasuke's eyes.
"Impossible! My eyes… my eyes!! They can't track him anymore!!!" Sasuke's expression was one of horror. "Impossible! If I can't even beat you, how am I supposed to kill him?!" Unwilling to accept reality, Sasuke roared in fury.
But now, he was completely unable to fend off Lee's storm-like attacks, managing only to parry with extreme difficulty.
"Wake up!" Lee bellowed, first sending a heavy punch that knocked aside Sasuke's hands, which had been raised to protect his face. The tremendous force directly numbed Sasuke's hands, making them tremble. The next moment, Lee threw a punch straight at Sasuke's face.
It's over! I can't dodge this! As Sasuke stared in anger and shock, the fist grew larger and larger.
When the fist was less than a centimeter from his face, Naruto's voice rang out: "That's enough."
"Way of Binding Number 9: Horin!"
As he spoke, yellow rings of light suddenly bound Lee. Sasuke and Lee's vision blurred, and Naruto instantly appeared before them. Lee struggled tentatively a few times, then finally gave up with a sigh.
Dispelling Horin, Naruto gently placated Lee, "Lee, we're all friends, there's no need—"
Sasuke interrupted Naruto, laughing wildly, "Friends? Hahahaha! I don't need them! I am Uchiha Sasuke, an avenger! Naruto, I will use these eyes to defeat you, and Rock Lee too!"
"And then, I will find that man and kill him!"
"Way of Destruction Number 11: Tsuzuri Raiden."
In an instant, sparks of electricity flew. Ten seconds later, Sasuke lay on the ground, slowly exhaling a puff of black smoke, his dark hair standing on end.
Naruto, his expression still gentle, asked, "Can you listen to me now?"