Fugaku grew increasingly fond of his youngest son, Sasuke. Sasuke, meanwhile, had deactivated his Sharingan; he was exhausted, his head spinning. The Sharingan, it seemed, was incredibly draining, not something to be used carelessly.
Fugaku's constant kissing of his cheek annoyed Sasuke, who pushed Fugaku's large face away and protested with babbling.
Mikoto smiled, took Sasuke from Fugaku's arms, and feeling her embrace, Sasuke yawned widely and fell asleep.
Seeing Sasuke asleep, Fugaku and Mikoto bid farewell to Minato and his wife and returned home.
This incident spread quickly, as many people on the street heard it.
Itachi, practicing his shuriken techniques in the forest, was showing off his skills when a short-haired man approached and said, "One against seven! Did you hear? Your little brother has awakened the Sharingan!"
The man was none other than Uchiha Shisui, Itachi's mentor and best friend.
"What?" Itachi felt like he'd misheard. Awakened the Sharingan? His little brother was only two months old!
"Shisui, are you kidding me?"
Shisui smiled slightly. "Go back and see for yourself. I found out immediately."
Thinking of this, Itachi lost interest in practicing his shuriken and wanted to go back to see his sweet-smelling little brother.
Shisui watched Itachi's retreating figure and slowly followed.
Inside the Hokage Building.
Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi were hearing about Sasuke Uchiha awakening his Sharingan from the Anbu.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was unfazed, but Danzo's face darkened immediately: "The inherently evil Uchiha clan has produced another monster! Cough!"
Seeing Danzo's reaction, Hiruzen took a drag of his pipe: "Danzo, don't be like that. The Uchiha are still our comrades. Isn't it good that Konoha has gained another genius?"
Danzo snorted: "Hiruzen, are you genuinely ignorant or just pretending? The Uchiha are a ticking time bomb. They seem fine now because their time hasn't come yet. If Sasuke grows up, Konoha will be completely sidelined."
"You're exaggerating, Danzo. Aren't you just worrying unnecessarily? Konoha is doing quite well under Minato's rule. Some of the Uchiha are living peacefully. Why make things difficult for them?"
Annoyed by Hiruzen's rambling, Danzo picked up his cane and left without a word.
Meanwhile, in a secret underground chamber, a man wearing a tiger-skin mask, informed by his informant White Zetsu, also learned about Sasuke Uchiha's awakening of his Sharingan.
It's important to know that Madara Uchiha, the ancestor of the Uchiha clan, was around ten years old when he awakened his Sharingan. Even earlier Uchiha ancestors weren't that old.
"Sasuke Uchiha... I hope he can be of use to me later. Maybe he can speed up our Eye of the Moon plan."
Zetsu, standing nearby, also emerged from the ground: "Madara-sama, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's delivery date is approaching."
The mysterious masked man grunted, said nothing more, and entered his Kamui dimension.
...
Back at Sasuke's house, it was already afternoon. Itachi Uchiha was playing with his younger brother, but Sasuke just stared blankly at the ceiling.
Little did Itachi know that Sasuke was contemplating a terrifying thought.
From the anime of his previous life, Sasuke knew he was two months older than Naruto. Those two months had passed, and Naruto should be due soon.
The day Naruto was born was the day Obito Uchiha released the Nine-Tails while Kushina was weakened, ultimately leading to the deaths of Minato Namikaze and Kushina.
He desperately wanted to change everything, but what could he, at only two months old, do?
Moreover, Sasuke remembered that when the Uchiha clan tried to provide support, Danzo's Root organization blocked their way, later blaming it on the Uchiha clan to suppress them.
This worsened the relationship between the clan and the village, indirectly contributing to the massacre of the Uchiha clan.
Thinking about this filled Sasuke with unease, and it was Itachi who distracted him by playing with a bell.
"Sasuke, smile! Sasuke, smile, and then your brother will take you to eat three-colored dumplings."
Itachi's voice was soft. He was a rather introverted person and loved sweets.
Sasuke found Itachi's cautious manner amusing and giggled.
He could worry about the future later. He was still a child; there was nothing he could do. He should just enjoy each day.
Another week passed. Sasuke, nestled in his mother's arms, heard the news that Kushina was about to give birth. He thought the Nine-Tails' attack was about to begin.
Thinking of this, Sasuke felt quite nervous.
As the sun set and night fell, Minato Namikaze's house was fully prepared.
Because the Jinchuriki was at their weakest during childbirth, fearing the Nine-Tails might escape, various sealing techniques and other preparations were made.
Kushina lay on the bed, drenched in sweat, while Biwako beside her encouraged her to push harder.
Minato was anxiously waiting outside. About half an hour later, the sound of a baby crying came from inside the room. Minato was overjoyed and wanted to go see what was happening.
Just then, a vortex appeared before him, and a masked man slowly emerged.
The man let out a strange laugh and raised a finger. The eye in the mask instantly transformed into a Mangekyou Sharingan.
"Who are you?"
Sensing hostility, Minato immediately drew his kunai and looked at the man warily.
The mysterious masked man glared at him: "Oh, hey, Uchiha Madara!"
Uchiha Madara? Impossible. He was a legendary figure, long dead.
Minato Namikaze frowned, looking at the masked man. "What do you want?"
The mysterious masked man glanced at Minato, then looked at the doorway, sneered, and shouted, "Come forth, Nine-Tails!"
A roar erupted from the delivery room. Minato's eyes widened; he wanted to rush to help, but it was too late. A nine-tailed fox instantly appeared in Konoha.
The Nine-Tails' appearance caused chaos throughout the village. Many villagers ran around in panic. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, quickly donned his armor and went out to help.
Minato, seeing the Nine-Tails, his wife, and the masked man before him, was enraged and began to fight.
Back to Sasuke's side...
The appearance of the Nine-Tails awakened the entire Uchiha clan, including Sasuke. Fugaku rushed out of his house and saw the village teeming with people, his eyes wide with shock.
"The Nine-Tails? What's going on? Did something happen to Kushina? Did the seal break, allowing the Nine-Tails to escape?"
Seeing the situation, Fugaku quickly instructed Mikoto and Itachi to take Sasuke to safety.
Fugaku himself led the Uchiha guards to help, but as soon as they reached the clan's gate, members of the Root organization, armed with weapons, blocked their way.
"What are you doing?" Fugaku asked the Root members with a grim expression.
One of the Root leaders looked at Fugaku and his men and said coldly, "We are here on Lord Danzo's orders to guard the clan. You Uchiha are forbidden from leaving the clan's territory."