131 Reunion?

The crow found a random tree in the courtyard, landed, and remained perfectly still.

To those who kept a watchful eye on the Uchiha estate—whether openly or in the shadows—this was a common sight. The crow would perch dutifully on the branch until the sun set and Sasuke returned home. It would hop between the trees to keep track of the last survivor of the Uchiha clan for a while, and only when the sky turned completely dark and Sasuke’s range of movement no longer extended into the courtyard would it flap its wings, depart silently, and vanish into the distant, pitch-black horizon.

For five years, this pattern had never changed.

Consequently, what began as cautious vigilance had turned into indifference. Those who had some inkling of the "crow's" true identity merely glanced at it casually this time, paying it no further mind. And so, naturally, they remained unaware that what they perceived as "reality" was, in fact, not reality at all.

Under the powerful hallucinatory plant barrier that Kurama had cast over the entire Uchiha estate, the "crow" circled a few times in the air before suddenly descending. As it touched the ground, its form elongated, transforming into a tall, handsome young man with black hair.

"Greetings."

The young man bowed slightly to Kurama, who had come out to meet him on the veranda. His tone was remarkably respectful. "I apologize for the intrusion."

Kurama shook his head with a helpless smile. "Why talk of intrusion? This is your home, Itachi."

The black-haired young man—Itachi Uchiha—his expression dimmed for a moment, a bitter, helpless smile curling his lips.

"No..."

This was no longer a place he could return to openly; how could it be called "home"? His only remaining family, Sasuke, already had new family and new bonds. Even the fragile brotherly connection between them seemed to have become redundant because there were others who could replace him; it was almost impossible to sustain even with hatred. How, then, could this "home" be a home to him?

Itachi lowered his eyelids and said nothing more.

Kurama watched his despondent look, rolled his eyes, and unexpectedly refrained from offering any further consolation.

"Anyway, come inside first." He stepped aside and gestured for Itachi to enter. "Hades and I are both waiting for you—don't worry, Sasuke went to school early today and no one knows when he’ll be back."

Itachi hesitated for a brief moment. Originally, he had planned to drop off the next phase of training plans for Sasuke and Naruto and leave immediately, or perhaps return to his crow form to hide in the trees and watch Sasuke from afar, ensuring the child was growing up well before returning to his main body.

However, catching the genuine, gentle smile of expectation on Kurama’s face, and thinking of that silent, black-haired Lord of the Underworld who had also given so much help to both him and Sasuke...

Itachi pursed his lips and finally nodded slightly at Kurama.

"...Alright."

The two walked into the entryway one after the other, leaving behind an empty courtyard and, in the eyes of some, a perfectly "normal" scene of a crow at rest.

***

At the very moment Itachi accepted Kurama’s invitation and stepped into the long-lost house, Sasuke and Naruto, unaware of this, were on their way to the Ninja Academy.

"...So, Shikamaru was like..."

Naruto chattered incessantly along the way. While Sasuke appeared cold and indifferent, seemingly uninterested in what Naruto was saying and rarely responding with more than an occasional "hm" or "ah," a closer observer could see that the Uchiha boy’s expression was actually quite serious.

His attitude toward Naruto was clearly different from his attitude toward everyone else. Even though the other boy was rambling in his ear about trivial, messy school gossip that Sasuke usually loathed, Sasuke showed no signs of distraction; on the contrary, he listened with genuine interest.

"But speaking of which, that girl in our group..."

Perhaps something triggered a memory of Sakura. The blond boy narrowed his eyes, looking dejected. "Why does she have to act like she hates me so much?" The little fox felt aggrieved. "I don't even know her name..."

Perhaps the Naruto from before he met Kurama—the small, lonely boy who endured everything in silence—would have acted out to gain attention and cared deeply about every person he crossed paths with, just for the slim chance of being acknowledged. But the current Naruto was different. Setting aside the fact that he already had friends he could trust, the daily life at the Uchiha estate, surrounded by beautiful people of various styles, had raised his subconscious aesthetic standards to a terrifying height.

He didn't demand they be on the level of Kurama or Hades, but still! At least halfway there, right?

Sasuke looked at him speechlessly. *Don't you realize that your behavior at school these past few years has become increasingly strange and asking for a beating?* The Uchiha boy truly wanted to say this to his friend.

The original Naruto was just a prankster who talked big, but his straightforward nature meant he wasn't truly disliked. But in recent years, thanks to the unscrupulous "guidance" of the Nine-Tails, Naruto’s personality had become increasingly "vicious" in ways he didn't even notice.

"You really aren't being hated without reason," Sasuke said, patting his friend on the shoulder with a look of sympathetic disdain.

"..." Naruto glared at him silently. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel so angry. Sasuke, are you secretly bad-mouthing me in your head again?"

The Uchiha boy looked at him expressionlessly. Naruto held his gaze for a while before finally turning away in tears of frustration. "It's so cunning how you always mimic Lord Hades! You know he's the one I'm most afraid of in the whole house..."

Sasuke’s lips curled up in an almost imperceptible smile. "Lord Hades hasn't done anything excessive to us." On the contrary, his occasional guidance was often enough to clear away long-standing confusion in an instant.

"I really don't get why you're such an idiot and so afraid of him. Is it because the Nine-Tails was taught a lesson by him a few times, to the point where it almost lost its tail?"

"Shut up!" Naruto jumped. "That's not it! The Nine-Tails isn't that useless or cowardly!"

"Heh," Sasuke glanced at him, turned his head, and fell silent.

Naruto pouted at him. He wanted to argue more, but it was a fact that the Nine-Tails was always suppressed by Hades’ aura alone. Plus, in Naruto's own heart, Hades was an imposing figure who seemed impossible to defeat. The golden fox pursed his lips and turned his head away, sulking.

The two arrived at school, had their team assignments, and eventually watched as one by one, the Jonin instructors took their students away. When only they and the girl in their group remained, Naruto finally couldn't help but complain to Sasuke: "Why hasn't our instructor come yet? Even Iruka-sensei has already left!"

Sasuke propped his chin on his hand and looked at him coolly. "Maybe he's the type who needs to give his subordinates a 'show of force' first? Like some of the characters in the stories Kurama told us."

"Is that so?" Naruto looked serious and stroked his chin as if in deep thought. "Damn, if I think about it that way, why does this teacher suddenly seem so annoying?" He jumped up, looking deeply disgruntled. "No way! I'm going to teach him a lesson!"

And so, under Sasuke's silent gaze, Naruto set a pathetic trap with a chalkboard eraser in the door frame. When Kakashi appeared and fell for it, Sasuke was even more speechless. Seeing the silver-haired instructor smile and say, "How should I put this? My first impression of you lot... is that you're quite annoying!"—a greeting clearly meant to bully—Sasuke turned his face away, refusing to deal with this pair of jerks.

After the introductions and being "enlightened" about the terrifyingly low graduation rate, Kakashi dismissed them to go home. Both Sasuke and Naruto were distracted on the way back—they were both concerned about the "super difficult" test Kakashi had mentioned.

***

Returning home, they were surprised to find a pair of unfamiliar shoes in the entryway.

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a look of shock and confusion. Kurama never invited guests. They had never seen an outsider in the house before.

So, the question was—to whom did these shoes belong?

The two boys shared a look, then smiled in silent agreement. Lowering their presence and moving with soft steps, they made their way silently toward the living room...