Listening to Uchiha Shunichi's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed even deeper.
"Why did you do that?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
Uchiha Shunichi replied, "I don't want to get beaten up, and I don't want people bothering me anymore."
"No. What I'm asking is—why did you say something like that to Iruka?" Sarutobi Hiruzen clarified, his headache worsening as he supplemented his question.
"It's simple. I made my own choice, so naturally, I also chose to bear the consequences," Uchiha Shunichi answered without the slightest hesitation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had seen many children, and he had a fair amount of confidence in his ability to judge people. But someone like Uchiha Shunichi still gave him a headache—he genuinely didn't know how to handle this situation.
"Shunichi, let me ask you this. If you encountered the same situation on the battlefield, how would you deal with it?" Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke after a long pause.
Without thinking, Uchiha Shunichi answered, "If they strike first, then I'll make the same choice. As for how things turn out, that's not something I can decide."
Ever since coming to this world, Uchiha Shunichi's heart had been filled with rage. This fury did not belong solely to the body's original owner—it also came from Shunichi himself.
After all, anyone who arrived in this world and, within the very first month, was dissected and thoroughly researched would be in no mood to feel at ease.
Uchiha Shunichi couldn't bring himself to hide the hatred in his heart, so he redirected it—gave it another outlet.
A thought flashed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind, yet what he said aloud was, "Uchiha Shunichi, this way of thinking is extremely dangerous. You must understand that"
…
Perhaps it was because of his age, but Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke at great length. So much so that Uchiha Shunichi grew increasingly irritated. Still, in the end, the matter was resolved rather easily.
From this alone, Uchiha Shunichi realized that his earlier guess had been correct: in Konoha's eyes, he was a very useful tool.
As long as he didn't do anything too outrageous, this tool of his wouldn't be discarded.
Because he had injured a classmate, Uchiha Shunichi was punished by being confined here for three days.
For an ordinary child, this would have been a very severe punishment—but Uchiha Shunichi didn't care in the slightest.
During those three days, he thoroughly familiarized himself with his Mangekyō Sharingan and experimentally tested his understanding of chakra.
The results were remarkable. The abilities of the Mangekyō Sharingan gave Uchiha Shunichi far more confidence. If it weren't for how weak his body still was, he would have had the confidence to defect outright.
The ability of his left eye wasn't very impressive. The so-called precognition only allowed him to glimpse events one or two seconds into the future—practically useless for his current self.
The ability of his right eye was called Reversion. At present, it could only be used on himself. No matter what condition he was in, Reversion could restore his state to any point in his past, replenishing chakra and ocular power in the process.
Moreover, aside from restoring his physical condition, it could also return him to any location he had previously occupied.
However, using the right eye required the consumption of something. Uchiha Shunichi still didn't fully understand what that cost was—but compared to any price, life itself was obviously far more precious.
Thus, on the third day, just before being released, Uchiha Shunichi reverted his body to the moment he had first awakened his eyes.
By doing so, everything he had previously endured—the dissection, the eye removal, and any possible seals that might have been placed on him—was completely erased.
However…
His body became even weaker than before.
On the day he was released, Uchiha Shunichi was once again admitted to the hospital.
After receiving treatment from the medical ninja and being given nutrient fluids, arrangements were made for him to return home to recuperate.
Perhaps because of what had happened in class, Uchiha Sasuke's attitude toward him had noticeably improved. During the days Uchiha Shunichi was recovering, Sasuke would occasionally look after him.
A little over a week later, Uchiha Shunichi returned to school once more. This time, no one dared to provoke him without reason.
…
"Hey, you! Don't you think you went way too far?!" For some reason, during the break between classes, Uzumaki Naruto suddenly appeared beside Uchiha Shunichi and shouted in dissatisfaction.
Uchiha Shunichi opened his eyes, glanced at him, and slowly asked, "What is it?"
Uzumaki Naruto was startled by Uchiha Shunichi's eyes. The words he had prepared just moments ago vanished completely from his mind.
After quite a while, Naruto finally remembered what he wanted to say and blurted out loudly, "I—I mean, what happened before… even if it was a fight… there was no need to seriously hurt someone!"
"Oh." Uchiha Shunichi nodded indifferently, then turned and walked away, completely ignoring Uzumaki Naruto.
Seeing this, Naruto froze for a moment. Then his gaze dimmed noticeably, and he no longer had any interest in asking further questions.
Naruto's childhood had been incredibly difficult—not physically, but emotionally. In Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto was a very special existence.
The Nine-Tails' Rampage had inflicted pain upon Konoha comparable to the Third Great Ninja War—perhaps even worse than the previous three wars combined.
After all, in the earlier ninja wars, it was mostly ninja who died. But during the Nine-Tails' incident, the casualties were vast numbers of civilians.
People are indifferent to the suffering of others, yet they never forget the pain they themselves have endured.
So, when Uzumaki Naruto became associated with the Nine-Tails, the villagers' attitudes began to change—subtly, yet unmistakably.
There are always far too many fools in this world. Coupled with the ninja's information blockade, the villagers never learned the truth—and, in fact, they didn't care to.
Their hatred for the demon fox was carved into their very bones. Because of the ninja's prohibitions, no one dared to openly discuss the matter, but neither was anyone willing to acknowledge Uzumaki Naruto.
Seeing Uchiha Shunichi act this way, Naruto assumed that he was no different from the rest.
In truth, Naruto's predicament was not orchestrated by Shimura Danzō. Although that man had taken the blame for many things, it didn't mean everything could be dumped on him.
The true mastermind was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
A person on the verge of drowning will naturally cherish the straw that can save their life.
When Sarutobi Hiruzen allowed Uzumaki Naruto to be met with universal coldness, his own appearance in Naruto's life became that very lifeline—like the straw that saves a drowning man.
By doing this, he could control the Jinchūriki as much as possible.
Those immersed in darkness will, by nature, treasure the rare light they encounter all the more.