Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 74: I Will Kill Uchiha Itachi! I Swear!

In the dimly lit room, dozens of Sharingan eyes gleamed like the most beautiful red rubies, emitting a dazzling brilliance.

Sasuke stood dumbfounded, looking at everything. He had a thousand things he wanted to say, but when they reached his lips, somehow, he forgot them all.

After defecting from the village, he had imagined many things he might encounter.

Good or bad.

But he never thought that the scene he had dreamt of every night for the past five years would one day appear so vividly before his eyes.

"Uchiha... Uchiha..."

Unconsciously, Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan had activated on its own, and a tear fell from his eyes, which usually only bled and never shed tears.

In any other situation, he would have felt embarrassed.

But at this moment, filled with joy from head to toe, he didn't notice these details at all.

As Hanare said, this was indeed a tremendous surprise.

"Good child!"

Seeing Sasuke's tears and the display of his three-tomoe Sharingan, the old woman—once known as Uchiha Anki, now called Hagoromo Anki—nodded approvingly and said, "Welcome home, Sasuke. Although this isn't the Uchiha clan's land, where there are clan members, there is home, isn't there?"

"You... you are..." Sasuke, finally coming to his senses, quickly held back his tears, though his voice was still choked with emotion.

"As you can see, Sasuke, we are also Uchiha, members who quietly relocated before the night of the massacre," a gentle female voice sounded beside Sasuke.

Turning his head, Sasuke saw a young woman with three-tomoe Sharingan and a striking face that seemed vaguely familiar. She approached him, handing over some tissues.

Sasuke took them and was about to say "thank you" when a voice, tinged with a faint killing intent, suddenly spoke from the other side.

"Uchiha Sasuke! Who is your current enemy?"

Sasuke turned to see a cold-looking Uchiha man with arms crossed, speaking to him harshly.

Without hesitation, Sasuke clenched his fist and said firmly, "Uchiha Itachi! That man!! I must kill him with my own hands!!"

Upon hearing this, the Uchiha man stared at Sasuke for a moment before a twisted smile appeared on his face. "Good! That's the real Uchiha spirit! I'm looking forward to the day of revenge."

"So, Uchiha Sasuke, welcome back to the Uchiha clan. My name is Uchiha Kei"

Among all the Uchiha, Uchiha Kei had the most objections to Sasuke, the younger brother of his enemy and the only surviving member of the Konoha Uchiha clan.

However, seeing the unrestrained fire of vengeance in Sasuke's eyes, he quickly changed his attitude and accepted him.

With Hagoromo Anki and Uchiha Kei setting the tone, the other Uchiha members also began to speak, filling the room with a lively atmosphere.

"I am Uchiha Yuka. Sasuke, it's been tough on you being alone in Konoha all these years."

"That's right, Sasuke! Unlike that disgrace Itachi, who never considered us his own, I see the pride of the Uchiha in your eyes. I, Uchiha Yoko, acknowledge you!"

"Sasuke, train hard. In the future, we'll join forces to kill Uchiha Itachi and avenge our innocent clansmen!"

...

The Uchiha members warmly patted Sasuke's shoulder, showing the true warmth of the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke was moved as he looked at his kind relatives.

All these years, he thought he was the only Uchiha left.

Loneliness, isolation, even despair.

These feelings made him and Naruto, who had similar experiences, kindred spirits, forming a bond.

But now!

Sasuke realized he had found his family again.

A warm, kind, blood-related family.

He was immensely grateful for his choice to leave the village that night.

"Sasuke, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Besides revenge, you should also have your own life," the young woman who had handed him the tissues said with concern.

Sasuke looked at the young woman again.

She smiled gently and introduced herself, "I am Uchiha Izumi. Sasuke, do you remember me?"

"...I remember."

Sasuke nodded with a complex expression.

He recalled now.

The woman before him, Uchiha Izumi, was the one Itachi had loved before things changed.

"You..." Sasuke wanted to ask, but didn't know how to begin.

Uchiha Izumi understood and spoke proactively, "Elder Setsuna foresaw the escalating conflict between the village and the clan. Whether successful or not, for the sake of the Uchiha clan's continuity, he secretly arranged for some young members to leave the village a few years before the coup attempt, coming to the Hagoromo clan, our traditional allies, to ensure the Uchiha lineage continued."

"We are those chosen ones. In hindsight, the elder's decision was correct. Uchiha Itachi..."

At this point, Uchiha Izumi paused.

After a moment, she looked down at Sasuke with a resolute expression and said, "Itachi is Itachi, and you are you. You don't need to worry about being blamed by the Uchiha because you are his brother. Because you, like us, are true Uchiha, true avengers."

"My grandmother, who raised me, and my mother died on the night of the massacre, killed by Uchiha Itachi. I will avenge them! I swear it!"

"I understand."

Sasuke nodded heavily.

"By the way, can I still call you Sister Izumi?"

"Of course!"

Seeing Uchiha Izumi's familiar smile, as she had once smiled at him.

And feeling the genuine pain, sorrow, and anger from the surviving clan members.

At this moment, Sasuke's hatred for Uchiha Itachi deepened as he realized that not only his parents but also many others' parents had been brutally killed.

"I will avenge the Uchiha clan! I will kill Uchiha Itachi! I swear!"

Sasuke clenched his fists, imprinting the warm, lively scene of his clan members deep into his heart.

This kind of pain must never happen again!

The Uchiha clan's welcome feast lasted a long time.

Late at night.

For the first time in years, Sasuke, who had never smiled so much, opened the door, intending to find a quiet place to relax his stiff face.

Suddenly, sensing something, he looked up.

He saw Hagoromo Gengetsu standing silently on the roof under the moonlight, his back turned to him.

"After the warmth, do you still have the fighting spirit?" Hagoromo Gengetsu asked without turning his head.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Of course!"

"Then, the test begins."

Hagoromo Gengetsu's figure vanished into the night.

Without hesitation, Sasuke followed immediately.