My Techniques are a bit off

"When the Second Hokage succeeded as leader, he made a decision due to Uchiha Madara's attack on the village," Link recounted, his tone calm as he relayed everything he knew from the manga.

"Under the guise of monitoring criminals, the police force and prison were relocated together, isolating the Uchiha clan to the outskirts of the village."

"'Even though the Uchiha clan was no longer what it once was,' that man told me this..."

Sasuke recalled his childhood, when Itachi had carried him and spoken those words in front of the Konoha Police Force building.

"The Uchiha clan gradually grew dissatisfied, but they still loved the village—until the Nine-Tails incident." Link skipped ahead in his narrative.

"With the precedent of Madara controlling the Nine-Tails, the village's treatment of the Uchiha became even harsher. Finally, dissent emerged within the Uchiha clan—"

"The idea of a rebellion, a coup to restore the Uchiha's glory. And leading this plan was the head of the Uchiha clan at the time."

"Bang!"

Sasuke stood abruptly, his chair scraping back behind him. His Sharingan activated, revealing two tomoe in each eye.

Link met Sasuke's gaze directly and asked, "Sasuke, don't you want to hear the rest of the story?"

Sasuke's fists clenched tightly. His mind was clear: following the logic of this 'story,' the leader of the rebellion was—was—

"Fugaku Uchiha," Link stated plainly, draining all strength from Sasuke's body.

"Where is your loyalty, Itachi?"

"You were the bridge between our clan and the village's core..."

Sasuke felt his thoughts spiraling into chaos. His childhood memories and logic told him the story was likely true, but his emotions screamed that it was all lies. Yet, did Link have any reason to deceive him?

"Before the Uchiha clan's rebellion, Itachi, who was then a member of the Anbu, received a mission from the village's higher-ups—"

Link didn't rush to reveal everything. Instead, he paused and held up one finger.

"This is the end of the first story," he said. "When you're ready, come find me for the second part."

Sasuke staggered out of the medical room, so distracted that he didn't even bother closing the door behind him.

Phase Two of the Plan—

Link exhaled deeply. Raising Sasuke as a "shield" first required becoming someone the latter would recognize as a "comrade." That goal had been achieved before today.

The second step was to reveal the truth about the Uchiha clan's massacre.

In the manga, everyone surrounding Sasuke—Orochimaru, Itachi, Obito—manipulated him through hatred.

Link's strategy was to lay the "truth" bare, cutting off others' influence while deepening Sasuke's trust in him.

It seemed that everyone around Sasuke was hiding the truth from him, a fact eventually revealed during the Fourth Great Ninja War by the First Hokage. The justification? "He's still a pure child of the Uchiha clan."

But as Sasuke himself once declared, he was neither a child nor innocent.

He was Uchiha Sasuke, a determined genius striving for power, not someone who needed protection.

For comrades, mutual recognition and acknowledgment were equally vital.

"Knock, knock!"

A medical staff member tapped on the still-open door. "Time to go, Link."

"Understood."

Link gathered his things and left the Forest of Death.

…

The Next Day, Training Ground Seven.

"Sorry, boss," Iris said sheepishly, his face full of guilt. Failing the written exam had been an unexpected embarrassment.

Ami kept her head down, too ashamed to speak. Losing to a powerful opponent was one thing, but this...

Link looked at the pair, shook his head, and said, "Enough. I won't dwell on it. Starting today, triple the training intensity."

"Yes!" the two shouted in unison.

With the Konoha Crush looming, where the Sunagakure and Otogakures would send numerous jonin into battle within the village, surviving would require their utmost effort.

"Where's Sasuke?" Iris asked curiously. Sasuke, usually the most enthusiastic about training, was absent despite being late for their scheduled session.

"He—" Link paused, turning toward the figure walking over, hands in his pockets, exuding an air of indifference.

"Apologies for being late," Sasuke said.

As expected, Sasuke had endured the truth he'd learned.

Link smiled at him warmly. "Welcome back."

Iris, clueless about what had transpired, walked over, threw an arm around Sasuke, and laughed. "Congrats! I heard you advanced to the finals. Damn it, if it weren't for that guy—"

Ami, more perceptive, noticed something different in the dynamic between her Boss and the newcomer. She quietly observed without commenting.

Sasuke didn't resist Iris's camaraderie. Instead, he looked directly at Link and asked, "Are we starting training now?"

"Of course."

Link removed his jacket, revealing the heavy weights strapped to his body. After realizing his strength gains had plateaued, he began wearing extremely heavy weights at all times.

For most people, such weights would strain their internal organs, but with Delicate Illness Extraction Jutsu, Link faced almost no adverse effects.

"Let's begin," Sasuke said, stretching his body, his face impassive.

…

At the Land of Fire's Border, in a Forest.

"Crackle!" The campfire sparks danced, casting flickering light on two men sitting nearby.

Both wore black cloaks adorned with red clouds. The shark-faced one spoke.

"Itachi, this mission takes us to Konoha. There's a chance you'll see your cute little brother—"

The man called Itachi, his face marked by deep tear lines, stared into the fire without responding.

"Every time we recruit a new member, I think of that brat Deidara. I wonder if this target will be as much trouble," the shark-faced man continued, grinning. "I heard he's just a ten-year-old kid. Heh, these rookies keep getting more impressive—"

"This time, I'll handle it. Last time, you—"

"Don't be careless, Kisame," Itachi interrupted coldly. "According to the leader's intel, the target's techniques are extremely dangerous. If he touches you, you'll completely lose the ability to form hand seals."

He glanced up at the cloudy sky, where the moon was barely visible. After a moment, he murmured softly, "It's going to rain."

~~~

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