At the break of dawn.
The sun hadn't yet risen.
An urgent alarm suddenly roused the black-haired boy from his sleep, his brows furrowed as if entangled in a nightmare.
"Is there more trouble again?"
Uchiha Sasuke rubbed his temples, feeling slightly dizzy due to insufficient sleep, and after mumbling to himself, he suddenly realized something was amiss: "Wait a minute, why is there an alarm clock in my room!"
As the third-generation leader of Root and Hokage Assistant, Sasuke had assistants and bodyguards around him, it was impossible to be reliant on an alarm clock to wake him for important matters; his bodyguards should be the ones to rouse him!
However, when Uchiha Sasuke opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings, his heart sank because the room looked familiar yet strange…
The unfamiliar part is…
This was not his residence.
The familiar part is…
This was where he lived at the age of twelve.
Uchiha Sasuke slowly stood up and walked over to a mirror, quietly gazing at his reflection—it was the visage of a young boy. He couldn't help but touch his hair.
"What on earth… is going on?"
"Is it Genjutsu?"
Uchiha Sasuke's eyes suddenly flashed crimson and pale purple, transforming into Mangekyo Sharingan and Reincarnation Sharingan. The power of the Rinnegan could negate any Genjutsu, allowing him to escape this illusory world!
This isn't good…
If it's not the illusion of Infinite Tsukuyomi, then it surpasses his understanding; in the Ninja World, there's only one person with the power to achieve this!
Akihara Kagura!
The fellow who had vanished long ago!
"Akihara Kagura, it must be you again, right…"
Uchiha Sasuke sneered as if he had seen through all of Akihara Kagura's tricks and coldly remarked: "Come out! Planning to toy with people's minds again?"
"..."
The room remained silent.
No space-time fluctuations occurred.
Uchiha Sasuke waited in vain for Akihara Kagura to appear.
The black-haired boy furrowed his brows in contemplation; since Kagura had disappeared, there had been no news of him in the Ninja World, so what exactly was happening now? Or could it be another visitor from beyond?
"Since you refuse to appear, I'll personally break this Genjutsu…"
"Regardless…"
"Every Genjutsu has a method of dispelling it."
"Genjutsu relies on the technique user; as long as I can find the peculiarity of this world and defeat the master of this illusory realm, I can escape it!"
Uchiha Sasuke clenched his fist tightly, glancing at the calendar as he recalled what day it was today…
Today is the day for the seventh squad to assemble.
The instructor Jonin Kakashi Hatake would conduct the bell test at the training ground, assessing him along with Naruto Uzumaki and Haruno Sakura, deciding if the three of them could become qualified ninjas. If unqualified, they would be sent back to re-learn the ninja basics.
During the first bell test, he had been quite anxious, fearing his two teammates would negatively impact their assessment.
Times had changed.
After many experiences, succeeding Akihara Kagura as Root's third-generation leader and Hokage Assistant, Uchiha Sasuke had become a prominent figure in the village, long since indifferent to the trivial matter that was the bell test. It was simply a play to assess team dynamics.
"Interesting."
Uchiha Sasuke softly stroked his eye sockets, concealing his Reincarnation Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Ever since becoming the Root leader…"
"I haven't sparred with Kakashi-sensei for a long time…"
Suddenly, recalling his time with the seventh squad, he realized how leisurely it was, even nearly succumbing to the warmth of the seventh squad…
Uchiha Sasuke remembered the regrets he had over the years. After becoming the Root leader, he hadn't enjoyed such leisurely times for quite a while.
"Perhaps this illusory world aims to make me succumb to the past?"
Uchiha Sasuke returned to the mirror, gazing at the youth within: "Now I know all the truth; I know Akihara Kagura's identity, I know the reason Uchiha Itachi killed his clansmen, I know the survivors of the Uchiha Clan are in Root, I know everything about the future, so can I succumb to this illusory world without any reason for effort?"
That underestimates people too much!
He was the third-generation leader of Root; how could he succumb to an illusory world when there are many unresolved matters in the real world!
For instance, the surviving clansmen rescued by Akihara Kagura still refuse to return to Konoha, believing he betrayed Kagura, unwilling to join Root led by him, nor acknowledge his position as Clan Leader.
"Let's proceed according to the memories…"
Uchiha Sasuke packed a ninja pouch and retrieved a ninja sword from the room, nearly fully armed.
The moon was still hanging in the sky.
Because Kakashi Hatake stipulated that the assembly time was very early.
When Uchiha Sasuke arrived, Naruto Uzumaki and Haruno Sakura were already there, both appearing quite weary.
"Naruto, Sakura, rest for a bit."