Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 318 Why Seek Revenge?

The return journey seemed even longer than the way there. Sasuke walked and stopped along the way, and it took him several days to leave the territory of the Land of Frost.

Before setting off, Naruto had offered to send him off using the Flying Thunder God Technique, but he refused. Knowing so much troubling stuff, he should have been completely distraught, but he cheated by filling his mind with the mission, briefly escaping the chaos. Now that the mission is complete, the troubles he had forcibly forgotten have resurfaced.

"I'll send it to you."

"I don't travel with clones."

In my memory, the blond boy looked troubled and explained, "That box needs to be handled properly, and perhaps only my true form can do it. I swear, I'll come right away after I've dealt with it!"

"No, I want to go back alone."

Now, he was indeed walking alone on the road back to the Land of Fields, constantly replaying that unforgettable despair in his mind. For a seven-year-old child, how could the nightmare of his brother murdering his parents and the entire clan not be despair? For a long time, he even thought that it would be better if he died too, so that he wouldn't have to face the empty clan land anymore, or weep before the rows of tombstones. But hatred held him back, in a suffocating way.

He was a drowning man, and hatred was the noose around his neck. Cutting it would sink him to the bottom, letting go would cause him to suffocate. He had to hold on to that noose tightly; only in this way could he survive and have a chance to swim to the surface.

Fortunately, he later found another rope, tightly tied around his waist in the most difficult position to break free from. The person pulling the rope always worked incredibly hard, never losing to the other rope. This seemed to give him a reason to give up; as long as he severed his hatred, he could live easily with the other rope. However, that rope was the blood and tears of his parents, Xin Zong; once severed, it could never be restored.

Then one day, the person holding the other rope suddenly told him that the owner of "hatred" might have had a reason, that the horrific massacre was not a spur-of-the-moment thing, and that it was very likely... an execution to suppress a rebellion.

What does this mean? Was his "hatred" also a laughable scheme? That person... no, it should be that group of people, pinned the crime of massacring an entire clan on that person's head, and then coldly watched as "hatred" would forge its inevitable outcome, while that person... calmly accepted this damned fate, diligently playing the role of a cold-blooded madman. Was he the one who went mad, or was the world mad? Just because of the so-called title of ninja, the so-called mission of ninja, the so-called inheritance of the Will of Fire, could one so readily sacrifice the lives of an entire clan?

Then why not kill him too? Is it because the proud Uchiha clan doesn't want to die at the hands of their own people?!

"Sasuke, are you asleep?"

He remembered a sleepless night when that idiot climbed over the windowsill again and brazenly poked his cheek. He rolled his eyes inwardly, knowing that even if he was asleep, this guy would wake him up, so he simply rolled over, leaving his back to the idiot.

"You're not asleep, are you?" The idiot climbed onto his bed with a grin. The early autumn night was still a bit chilly, but the body pressed against him was hot and incredibly warm.

"Did you hear the story that the Third Hokage told you today? He said that ninjas are born to protect, but he didn't seem to explain clearly what they are protecting."

"What else could it be? Konoha, of course." At the time, he thought it was an unnecessary question and just wanted to get rid of the idiot as soon as possible so that the guy could sleep peacefully.

"Konoha is such a big place, one person couldn't possibly protect it, and..." The idiot suddenly leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, "Doesn't Sasuke particularly hate gossipy adults? Doesn't Konoha include them?"

He was stumped. The little kids were at a stage where they saw things in black and white, and couldn't tolerate a gray area. He frowned and thought for a moment, figuring he probably wouldn't lend a hand if those guys were in danger—after all, those guys were always so talkative.

Before he could answer, the idiot went a step further, saying, "If protecting Konoha and protecting the most important person in your life conflict, what would a ninja choose?"

Ha, does this idiot ever think he'll ever stand against Konoha? What rogue ninja talks about becoming Hokage all the time?

That's what he was thinking at the time, so he turned over, wrapped the idiot in the blanket, and said, "That day will never come. Shut up and go to sleep."

The idiot's head and upper body were covered. After struggling a couple of times, he finally calmed down. After all that commotion, the weariness he had felt while running away from home returned. Just as he was dozing off with his eyes closed, the idiot suddenly made a faint sound again.

He said, "That must not be our fault, but rather that bad people want to disrupt Konoha."

"Hmm..." he replied perfunctorily, hoping that this idiot would finish speaking quickly.

"So, if that day ever comes, we will work together to correct this flawed world."

"Sasuke, can you hear me?"

He heard it, but he fell asleep.

The moonlight tonight is just as bright as it was that day, but this time there won't be another sleepless idiot climbing into his bed. But that idiot has a magical power; recalling those youthful, immature days, his chaotic thoughts suddenly calm down.

If all the information he has gathered so far is true, and Itachi does indeed have his reasons, then perhaps he should give that person a chance to reveal the whole truth. But this doesn't diminish his determination to kill him, because he knows that Itachi will never speak easily; only by winning a true, life-or-death duel will he have the right to know the truth.

The blood ties could not be severed, just as impure love and hate forever entangled his mind. If he wanted to rid himself of hatred, he had to complete his "revenge," only then could he face the wronged souls of his parents and clansmen.

As the sole "survivor," he has no right to forgive them.

As for Konoha... that idiot who always "does what he says" will definitely not stand idly by. Naruto is already working hard to change that village; he is digging into the deepest wounds buried deep within, conveying the true "Will of Fire" to everyone he can reach, and he is trying to "correct" Konoha.

Given this, how could he possibly sit back and reap the benefits without a clear conscience?

"Root," right? "Consultant," right? As long as something has been done, there must be traces to follow. He didn't believe that he really couldn't find any evidence to completely bring down that guy!

Consider it... a reward for that idiot's hard work.