I need to start acting as soon as possible; the longer I delay, the more dangerous it becomes for me.
I only scraped by through sheer luck today. If something like this happens again, I might not have the same good fortune I did today.
Neji took a slow, deep breath and stood up again, walking toward his room just as he always did.
It was precisely at times like this that Neji became even calmer. He needed to think carefully about what to do next.
The evening had passed, and the moon hung from the branches.
By now, the sky had turned completely dark, and the moon hung high above.
Cool gusts of wind blew through the air, bringing a chill to the pedestrians on the street and causing them to quicken their pace unconsciously.
Uchiha Clan Grounds.
As Konoha's once most powerful and oldest noble clan, it had now completely withered away.
The Uchiha clan's vast grounds had been reclaimed by the Konoha leadership and parceled out almost entirely.
The place left for Sasuke to live in wasn't even one-tenth of the original Uchiha clan's land.
However, even so, for Sasuke living alone, the area was unimaginably large.
In an abandoned training ground.
Although it was already very late, the sound of rapid breathing still echoed from the training grounds.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several shuriken struck precisely against a log set up in front.
Ignoring the sweat streaming down his forehead, Sasuke reached for the ninja tool pouch at his waist. He paused slightly when his hand grasped only a single shuriken.
"Out of shuriken already? It seems today's training is over."
Sasuke muttered to himself softly, raising his hand to prepare to throw the last shuriken in his hand.
However, just as Sasuke raised his hand halfway, his body suddenly spun around, and he threw it in the opposite direction.
The shuriken instantly turned into a black shadow, shooting into the dense forest behind him.
The surroundings remained quiet; there was no sound at all. As for the shuriken he threw, there was no sound of it hitting the ground.
Sasuke didn't relax in the slightest, maintaining his previous posture while his gaze constantly scanned the surroundings.
"Get out here!"
Sasuke looked at the dense forest ahead and spoke coldly.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
Accompanying Sasuke's voice, the crisp sound of leaves came slowly from ahead.
"My, my, I was discovered after all."
A ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector, looking like an ordinary Konoha shinobi, appeared before Sasuke's eyes.
In this ninja's hand, he was toying with a shuriken. Clearly, this was the very shuriken Sasuke had just thrown.
Seeing this man appear, Sasuke's body instantly tensed up as he prepared to attack, asking coldly:
"Who are you? What are you doing here!"
"It wasn't easy for me to sneak in to see you, and you're so cold."
The ninja pouted and complained upon hearing Sasuke's words.
As the Konoha ninja's voice fell, his figure seemed to fade like a photograph losing color. His original appearance slowly vanished, revealing a figure that was completely white.
This person was none other than White Zetsu using a transformation technique.
Seeing this, Sasuke's pupils constricted sharply. He retreated quickly while his hands rapidly formed seals.
After all, this person in front of him was clearly not a Konoha ninja.
"Fire Release: Grand..."
Sasuke launched the technique directly, but unfortunately, before the hand seals were even halfway complete, he discovered that the figure opposite him had already vanished.
Sasuke was shocked. He maintained the hand seal formation and looked rapidly around, trying to locate White Zetsu's figure.
From the ground where Sasuke stood, White Zetsu suddenly emerged.
Simultaneously, White Zetsu reached out a hand and grabbed Sasuke's hands, forcibly interrupting Sasuke's hand seals.
White Zetsu revealed a frightened expression, not because he was afraid of Sasuke's technique.
But rather, once Sasuke unleashed a technique, it would definitely create a disturbance, which might attract the attention of others.
Especially Hashirama. If discovered, all their efforts would be wasted.
Seeing his hands grabbed, Sasuke's expression changed slightly. He exerted force with his hands to throw them forward, followed by a sudden twist of his wrists.
White Zetsu's arm was easily twisted into a grotesque shape by Sasuke, and at the same time, Sasuke broke free from White Zetsu's grip, jumping quickly backward.
"Lord Madara sent me here, not to fight you."
White Zetsu hurriedly spoke, seeing Sasuke preparing to continue his attack.
Uchiha Madara!
Hearing this name, Sasuke couldn't help but freeze for a moment, and the movements he had prepared to attack also stopped.
White Zetsu let out a soft sigh of relief and hurriedly continued:
"You should know Lord Madara's name, and as for his strength, I assume you saw the attack on Konoha a while ago."
"Lord Madara asked me to tell you: if you want to become stronger, come find him."
Hearing White Zetsu's words, a look of excitement flashed through Sasuke's eyes.
Becoming stronger! That was the greatest obsession in Sasuke's heart right now.
And Uchiha Madara was not only a top-tier powerhouse but also the one most suitable for him in the current ninja world.
"Why should I believe you?"
Although Sasuke was somewhat excited in his heart, he didn't completely believe White Zetsu's words before him.
"In the current ninja world, I fear no one would dare impersonate Lord Madara's name. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."
"We will be waiting for your arrival outside Konoha. However, you don't have much time. By the way, regarding news of Itachi, I can tell you then."
White Zetsu spread his hands, revealing a helpless expression.
After speaking, White Zetsu didn't wait for Sasuke to respond, drilling back into the ground and rapidly vanishing from sight.
With Hashirama currently in Konoha, White Zetsu didn't dare stay here for long.
Watching White Zetsu suddenly disappear, Sasuke's gaze flickered uncertainly.
What White Zetsu said didn't seem like a lie, and in the current ninja world, there probably really wasn't anyone who would dare impersonate Uchiha Madara.
Itachi and becoming stronger—these two things could be said to be Sasuke's soft spots.
If he could truly receive guidance from a man like Uchiha Madara, Sasuke believed he would absolutely be able to get stronger at the fastest speed possible.
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke turned and walked toward his living quarters.
Defect?
A faint smile played on Sasuke's face. There was nothing in this Konoha worth holding onto.
Thinking of this, Sasuke, whose heart had already been wavering, was now completely determined.
Yet, in Sasuke's mind, the figure of Naruto would occasionally float to the surface.
"That idiot..."
A faint voice escaped Sasuke's lips.
The next day.
The moment the bright sunlight covered the earth.
Neji, who was in the Hyuga clan, and Sasuke, who was in the Uchiha clan grounds, opened their eyes almost simultaneously.
As Konoha's genius ninja, Sasuke and Neji were actually quite similar in certain respects.
Both were intelligent, and neither was indecisive. Once they decided on a course of action, both would act immediately.
Unlike Sasuke, who was alone, the environment Neji was in was far more dangerous than Sasuke's.
Therefore, after waking up, Neji stayed quietly in his room, waiting until the usual time he left home before walking out the door.
However, this time, the expression on Neji's face was colder than usual, making people feel even more afraid to approach him.
Along the way, many members of the Hyuga clan naturally saw Neji with his cold demeanor.
It wasn't until Neji walked out of the Hyuga clan gates that these Hyuga members let out a soft sigh.
The screams coming from the Main Family yesterday were heard by many people. After a little probing, they could clearly understand what had happened.
And Lord Hiashi obviously didn't intend to cover it up. In his view, this served as a warning to the Branch Family.
The Branch Family exists to protect the Main Family, and the Main Family would absolutely never allow anyone from the Branch Family to dare lay a hand on them.
Unlock 30 chapters instantly (for the price of the old 20-chapter tier) and get 50–55 new chapters every month.
If you're enjoying the story, consider supporting me here:
patreon.com/anish_44
{I need to be real with you for a moment. I'm reaching out because I'm in a genuinely tough spot financially right now, and I need your help to keep the stories flowing. Writing these chapters for you is my passion, but circumstances have put me in a position where I desperately need monetary support to continue dedicating time to what we both love—this fic.
Here's what I'm offering if you join my highest tier:
🚀 he moment you sign up, you get 30 chapters immediately—no waiting, no delays. Just a massive backlog of content to binge.
📅 After that, you'll receive 60 fresh chapters every single month—double the story, double the excitement, all for your favorite fic.
But it doesn't stop there. Your support means everything, and I want to repay your generosity with mass releases, bonus chapters, and exclusive content that won't be available anywhere else. The more support I get, the more I can pour back into creating the stories you love.
If you've ever enjoyed this fic, if you've ever stayed up late reading "just one more chapter," if this story has been there for you during hard times—please consider joining. You're not just funding chapters; you're keeping this story alive and helping a creator in dire need.
Join today, get those 30 chapters instantly, and let's keep this journey going together.
Thank you for even considering it. You mean the world to me.}