[Konoha, Year 60 · Training Ground]
Before Kakashi could even feel sentimental about the Sky Screen mentioning his father's suicide, the corner of his eye caught something unusual nearby.
Sasuke was kneeling on the ground, both hands clamped tightly over his eyes, his body curled inward.
Through the gaps between his fingers, a faint dark red glow was visible.
"Sasuke!"
Kakashi's voice shot up sharply.
Almost simultaneously, Naruto and Sakura also noticed their teammate's abnormality. The three of them rushed to Sasuke's side, kicking up dust across the training ground.
Naruto and Sakura were at a loss, but Kakashi understood in an instant.
Sharingan!
It seemed the Sky Screen had stimulated Sasuke's painful memories—he was awakening his eyes.
"Step back!"
Kakashi used a commanding tone, a rarity for him.
Naruto and Sakura reluctantly took a few steps back, but their eyes remained locked on Sasuke.
Sasuke's body trembled violently.
In his mind, the images that had flashed across the Sky Screen were replaying frantically.
But deeper memories were being stirred as well—a forbidden area that his body's defense mechanisms had sealed away for years.
The blood-drenched night, the sword stained with his clansmen's blood, and that man's face.
And his own eyes, reflecting in the bloody light, with a single tomoe rotating.
"Ah... Aaaahhh!"
Sasuke finally made a sound.
He jerked his head up, pulling his hands away from his eyes.
His originally pitch-black pupils had turned dark red, and within that blood-red hue, a single tomoe slowly rotated.
In fact, Sasuke had already awakened his single tomoe on the night of the massacre, but his body's defense mechanisms had made him forget. It was only today, seeing the images of the massacre again, that those dormant eyes were activated—months earlier than in the original Naruto timeline.
Sasuke panted heavily, his newly awakened single-tomoe Sharingan spinning vacantly before finally focusing on Kakashi's face.
His gaze was hollow, as if he hadn't fully escaped the memories yet.
"I… remember."
Sasuke's voice was frighteningly hoarse.
"That night… I remember everything."
"Sasuke!"
Naruto wanted to step forward, but Kakashi raised a hand to stop him.
"Let him calm down on his own."
Kakashi said in a low voice.
"Awakening the Sharingan comes with intense emotional shock. He needs time to process it."
Naruto fidgeted anxiously, scratching his head, but in the end, he obediently stayed put.
---
[Konoha, Year 50 · Hokage Office]
'Nine-Tails Rampage!'
Minato stood by the window, his body visibly stiffening.
Konoha had already reached Year 50, yet no "Nine-Tails Rampage" had occurred. After all, the Nine-Tails was sealed inside Kushina's body.
But Kushina was an Uzumaki. When it came to sealing techniques, if she claimed to be second-best in the world, no one would dare say they were first. How could the Nine-Tails possibly break free from her control?
Suddenly, something seemed to occur to Minato, and his body jolted.
Kushina had just become pregnant, and childbirth was exactly when she, as a Jinchuriki, would be at her weakest. The Sky Screen had said his term would last only one year, and combined with Kushina's delivery window… then most likely, he would die in this so-called "Nine-Tails Rampage."
Or… perhaps he would resign due to the immense losses caused by the incident?
Just as Minato's thoughts were racing, Kushina walked to his side and gently took his hand.
"The Nine-Tails…"
Kushina's voice was trembling.
"Does… it happen during my time?"
Namikaze squeezed his wife's hand back, his tone gentle.
"Not necessarily. It could be an incident from another point in time. The Sky Screen didn't specify when."
But in his heart, he knew—it was most likely during Kushina's time.
"If I lose control…"
Kushina lowered her head, her long red hair hiding her expression.
"If I really end up hurting the village…"
"You won't."
Minato turned around, cupped his wife's face in both hands, and forced her to look at him.
"Kushina, you're stronger than anyone. You can control the Nine-Tails. I believe in you."
But deep in his eyes, the same worry lingered.
The Sky Screen wouldn't mention the Nine-Tails Rampage for no reason. This meant it truly could happen in the future. And if it happened within his brief term…
"I'll research new sealing techniques to ensure nothing goes wrong. And if all else fails…"
Minato pulled Kushina into his embrace, his voice fading to near inaudibility.
"If all else fails… should we give up on this child?"
---
[In an earlier timeline]
Danzō walked briskly into the Hokage Building, the sound of his cane tapping against the floor urgent and heavy. His footsteps echoed through the empty corridor, everyone able to feel the anger radiating from him.
BAM!
The doors of the Hokage office were slammed open, the door panels hitting the wall with a loud crash.
Danzō strode in, his cane thumping heavily on the floor as his eyes locked onto Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen, Anbu reports show unusual movement in the Uchiha Compound."
Hiruzen, who had been watching the Sky Screen, didn't even turn his head. He merely furrowed his brow slightly.
"I know."
Hiruzen's calm tone only made Danzō angrier.
"The Uchiha grounds are now under full lockdown. Uchiha Police Force members are stationed at every entrance, barring any non-Uchiha from entering. Even the ANBU on routine patrol have been turned away."
Hiruzen fell silent. Countless images flashed through his mind.
Fugaku's always composed face. The wary eyes within the Uchiha grounds. The Uchiha crest drowning in a pool of blood on the Sky Screen. And… from longer ago, Kagami gripping his hand on his deathbed, saying, "Hiruzen, the Uchiha are also part of Konoha."
"Continue the surveillance."
Hiruzen finally spoke.
"But don't provoke them. Above all, avoid any conflict."
"Hiruzen!!"
Danzō stepped forward, his cane striking the floor heavily once more. The muscles in his face twitched, his eyes burning with rage.
"Even at a time like this! You're still hesitating!"
"They've called a full clan meeting and locked down the entire grounds—that's already a precursor to rebellion!"
"What are the Uchiha trying to do? Now that the Sky Screen has exposed their conspiracy, are they making a desperate last stand?!"
"Danzō, calm down."
Hiruzen's voice remained steady.
"The Sky Screen showed the future, not the present. The Uchiha saw that they might be annihilated. Fear and vigilance are normal reactions. We must not label this as rebellion."
"Normal reactions?"
Danzō let out a cold laugh.
"A normal reaction would be to immediately send representatives to the Hokage Building to explain the situation and request the village's protection!"
"Not to seal off their grounds and hold secret meetings! Hiruzen, you've been Hokage for decades—have you lost all sensitivity to these things?!"
Hiruzen finally turned around to face Danzō, his Hokage robe hanging behind him.
"Precisely because I've been Hokage for decades, I know when to be firm and when to be cautious."
"Provoking the Uchiha right now would only push them to extremes. The Sky Screen has already revealed a future in which they might be annihilated. If we take aggressive action now, it would confirm to the Uchiha that the village is behind it. Then what choice would they have? Sit and wait for death—or fight to the death?"
"Then strike first!"
Danzō practically roared.
"Mobilize all forces. Seal off every street surrounding the Uchiha grounds. Send an envoy in and demand that Fugaku immediately disband the assembly and come out to explain himself. If he refuses—"
"If he refuses, are you prepared to launch a full-scale assault?"
Hiruzen interrupted him, his voice finally rising slightly.
"Danzo, do you know how much combat power the Uchiha possess? Do you know how many people in Konoha would die if war breaks out? And what about the other clans in the village? What will the other villages do?!"
"Short-term pain is better than long-term suffering!"
Danzō refused to back down.
"The Uchiha problem hasn't been brewing for just a day or two! Ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, they've been plotting something in secret. Now that the Sky Screen has exposed their fate, they have only two choices: surrender or rebel! There is no third way!"
Their gazes clashed in mid-air, like two swords crossing.
The office fell silent for a few seconds.
Finally, Hiruzen took a deep breath and broke the deadlock.
"Danzō."
"I understand your concerns. But I am the Hokage. I must be responsible for the entire village. Taking hardline measures now is too risky. We must give the Uchiha a chance—and give the village a chance to avoid civil war."
"A chance?"
Danzō sneered.
"Hiruzen, you're always like this. How many more chances will you give before you admit that some people can never truly integrate into Konoha?"
"The Uchiha are different. They are one of the founding clans of Konoha. They've bled for this village. We cannot move against them now just because of a future possibility."
"So you're going to wait for them to make the first move?"
Danzō stepped closer, nearly pressing against Hiruzen.
"Wait until Uchiha kunai are at the throats of villagers? Wait until their Fire Release burns down half of Konoha? Only then will you admit you were wrong?"
"Danzō!"
Hiruzen's voice finally carried a note of anger.
"Hiruzen!"
Danzō roared back.
"You will drag Konoha into the abyss! Just like when you indulged Orochimaru all those years ago!"
Hiruzen slammed his palm onto the desk. The solid wood surface groaning under the force. He straightened his back, his Hokage robe fluttering without wind. Those usually gentle eyes now blazed with the sharp, fierce light.
"I am the Hokage!!"
His voice thundered, exploding through the office.
Danzō was momentarily stunned, staring at Hiruzen, trembling with rage, but unable to make a sound.
He took a step back, turned and walked toward the door, his cane scraping harshly against the floor.
"You are the Hokage. You have the final say."
"But Hiruzen… you will regret this!"
With that, he yanked the door open and slammed it shut with a heavy bang.
Hiruzen stood in place for a long while before speaking softly to the empty office.
"Increase surveillance on the Uchiha grounds. Mobilize three ANBU squads to stand by in the vicinity."
A figure silently materialized from the shadows—an ANBU wearing an animal mask, kneeling on one knee.
"But remember: without my direct order, no one is to enter the Uchiha grounds. No one is to engage in any conflict with the Uchiha."
"Understood."
The ANBU lowered his head in acknowledgment.
"Also," Hiruzen paused.
"Arrange a meeting with Clan Head Fugaku. Extend a formal invitation in the name of the Hokage. The time… set it for tomorrow morning. The location will be here, in my office."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The ANBU vanished, melting back into the shadows, and the office returned to silence once more.
Only the voice of the Sky Screen's evaluation continued to sound.