Not only child Sasuke, but the rest of the Uchiha Clan were also stunned.
But they quickly remembered what had been said in the earlier illusion. When the seventeen-year-old Sasuke had Orochimaru use the Edo Tensei to summon the previous Hokage, the Third Hokage had once revealed the truth.
It was he who had ordered Itachi Uchiha to personally slaughter the entire Uchiha Clan, then infiltrate Akatsuki as a spy to secretly protect Konoha.
Their own fury over this truth, Naruto Uzumaki's concern for Sasuke Uchiha, and the sense of disorientation they felt upon realizing that the Nine-Tails incident, which killed the Fourth Hokage and left Naruto alone from childhood, was tied to their own Uchiha Clan—
The collision of these three emotions, none clearly stronger or weaker than the others, left the Uchiha Clan in deep agony.
A few days later, "Sasuke Uchiha" returned to the academy.
Without the backing of his clan, "Sasuke Uchiha" became the target of whispers. What had once been pride was now labeled arrogance in many people's eyes.
During combat class, child Sasuke saw that idiot, worried about his condition, step forward and ask to spar with him.
Within the illusion, as child Sasuke inhabited Naruto Uzumaki, he watched the Sasuke Uchiha across from him. His eyes were like bottomless black whirlpools, and every strike he landed on the foolish Naruto was heavy, far beyond what could be called a simple spar.
'Sasuke… he really wants to kill me.'
Every member of the Uchiha Clan heard the voice in Naruto's heart and felt the pain coursing through his body.
For the first time, young Itachi experienced the strange sensation of being beaten so badly by his own younger brother, and it left him feeling faintly conflicted.
Child Sasuke tasted the sorrow of striking himself. And when that idiot hurt, his own heart felt uncomfortably tight as well.
If they had not stepped into Naruto Uzumaki's perspective, they would never have experienced any of this.
The Seal of Confrontation was there, but the Seal of Reconciliation was still missing.
Later, the Uchiha Clan noticed that "they" were paying more and more attention to Sasuke Uchiha's back. Like two children pushed to the margins by others, they instinctively wanted to draw close to someone of their own kind.
To gain "allies," they stooped low, scavenging spoils from dangerous battlefields.
When they asked the Third Hokage about their biological parents, they were harshly refused and ordered never to ask again.
The teachers at the academy ignored him completely.
These experiences drove the sensitive young members of the Uchiha Clan nearly mad with rage.
In the village, the malice directed at Naruto Uzumaki was even worse than the higher-ups' rejection of the Uchiha.
People pointed and whispered behind his back.
But when Naruto looked over, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
Even when he tried to use the allowance given to war orphans to buy daily necessities, he was shoved to the ground.
"I don't sell anything to you! Get lost!"
"So unlucky! Hurry and bring salt and beans to scatter!"
"I don't even want to open the shop today. It's disgusting!"
The Uchiha Clan, who had never lived through such things, were now experiencing Naruto Uzumaki's life firsthand.
Loneliness. Confusion. Not even knowing what his own existence meant, because everyone hated him, denied his place in the village, denied his right to exist in this world at all.
Countless pranks, all in a desperate attempt to make someone notice him.
Even being cursed at was better than being ignored, better than being treated like a pebble by the roadside or a disease-ridden germ. He was a living person, a child who longed for parents and family.
Fall into darkness.
Rebel. Revolt. Stage a coup…
You are the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
If you release the Nine-Tails, no one in Konoha will be able to stop you.
Some of the more hawkish young Uchiha, unable to endure the injustice around them and the looks of exclusion they faced every day, even hoped that Naruto Uzumaki would unleash the Nine-Tails and give Konoha a harsh lesson.
But how could the young Naruto Uzumaki possibly have the ability to undo the Eight Trigrams Seal left behind by the Fourth Hokage?
Sensing everything, the adult Obito, the rebellious Obito, was drowning in guilt. Everything Naruto had endured was because of him. Because he had killed Minato-sensei and Kushina. He had murdered Naruto's father and mother, turning him into an orphan, turning him into a jinchūriki.
Just like Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi in the mission scroll world, within the illusion, space, time, mass, and all five senses were completely governed by the caster's will.
To the outside world, it felt like no more than the blink of an eye. Yet inside the illusion, they had already lived through Naruto Uzumaki's entire twelve years of life.
It was at this moment that Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke entered this illusion, breaking free from the one trapping the Konoha ninja. What he discovered left him stunned. The mastermind behind the mission scrolls had arranged for the Konoha ninja to experience their own lives, while the Uchiha ninja were forced to experience Naruto Uzumaki's life instead.
Back then, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't even properly perform the most basic Clone Technique among the Three Basic Jutsu.
"See him? That's the kid."
"He's the only one who didn't pass the Genin exam."
"Well, obviously. How could someone like him be allowed to become a ninja? After all, he's a freak…"
"Hey! That's crossing into forbidden territory now!!"
"Ah, right. Just looking at him brings bad luck. Let's go, let's go."
Thinking back, he remembered that Naruto had indeed failed the exam, yet later still appeared in the classroom during the team assignments.
"There's a scroll called the Scroll of Seals in the Hokage Tower. As long as you steal it and learn any one jutsu from inside, Iruka-sensei will definitely look at you differently and let you pass the exam."
Fugaku Uchiha thought to himself, no matter how you look at it, this is a trap.
Shisui Uchiha frowned inwardly. This is bad. Naruto trusts people far too easily.
Young Itachi said nothing, but he was deeply worried about this blond boy who was about the same age as his younger brother.
Child Sasuke was screaming in his heart for Naruto not to listen to Mizuki, but it was useless.
"Naruto, let me tell you a secret. Twelve years ago, the Third Hokage issued an order that only you didn't know about!"
"Only… I didn't know…?"
"Shut up, Mizuki!!" Iruka shouted from the distance.
Mizuki sneered.
"That secret is that you are the Nine-Tails who rampaged through Konoha twelve years ago! In other words, you're the one who killed Iruka Umino's parents!!"
'Bastard! That Mizuki!! Don't let me see him again!' Some of the Uchiha were so furious they nearly wanted to break out of the illusion, find an excuse, and throw Mizuki straight into a cell run by the Uchiha Police Force.
After experiencing Naruto's twelve years of life, they finally understood the resolve with which the Fourth Hokage, whom they had once admired so deeply, had sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto.
Rather than becoming Naruto Uzumaki, it felt more like they had become the Nine-Tails within him, becoming more than half of his guardians.
Many members of the Uchiha Clan shared this feeling at that moment.
When they saw Naruto being treated unfairly, their anger was mixed with a deep ache.
Even Itachi Uchiha found himself thinking quietly that if someone was walking down the street and got hit from behind with a brick, it could only be blamed on their poor perception, right?
"Give it up, Iruka. He's holding the Scroll of Seals. That demon fox won't pass up the chance to use it."
"Yeah… a demon fox would definitely do something like that."
Naruto: "!!!"
That shock pierced straight through every Uchiha who had become Naruto Uzumaki, who had become his guardian.
They could even feel how tightly Naruto was clutching the scroll.
They felt the pain and torment in his heart.
Iruka-sensei never truly acknowledged me either…
Damn it. In a world like this, I might as well…
"But that's the demon fox you're talking about! Naruto Uzumaki would never do that!"
"!!!"
Through Naruto's consciousness, every member of the Uchiha Clan felt the world go blank.
All that remained was the firm, unwavering voice of that chūnin.
"Naruto might be a little clumsy, and he often can't quite grasp the knack of things…"
"But he works harder than anyone else."
"Because of his background, he learned the taste of pain and loneliness earlier than anyone."
"He's no longer the demon fox you keep talking about, because he is…"
The Uchiha could sense it as well. Tears gathered in Naruto's eyes, trembling on the verge of falling.
"My acknowledged student, an outstanding ninja of the Konohagakure!"
Twelve years of pent-up grievance were released in that instant.
"Naruto Uzumaki!!!"
The dam finally burst.
His vision went completely blurry. He choked back his sobs, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
His heart, parched for so long, felt as though it had been filled all at once, swelling painfully to the point of bursting.
The young Uchiha ninja felt everything Naruto Uzumaki was feeling in that moment. Twelve years of life had not been lived in vain. Hearing those words from Iruka Umino now, that voice felt like—
Redemption.
"You're hopelessly stubborn! Go die, Iruka!"
Boom!!
"If you dare touch Iruka-sensei even once!"
"I'll kill you!!"
"Run, Naruto! You're no match for him!"
Child Sasuke thought angrily, idiot, dead last! What are you jumping in for? Trying to play the hero?!
Some of the Uchiha couldn't help but shout inwardly as well. Hey! You haven't even activated the Sharingan, kid! You can't beat that chūnin!
Even if you learned the Shadow Clone Technique created by the Second Hokage, relying on a single jutsu with zero combat experience—
How could you possibly…
"Shadow Clone Technique!!"
Boom! Boom boom! Bang bang bang bang! Bang bang bang bang bang bang!
"!!!!"
Uchiha: !!!!
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke curled his lips into a faint smile.
That's right. This is the Naruto Uzumaki I know. Rising against adversity, never admitting defeat.
Looking out—
The entire forest was filled with Naruto Uzumaki's shadow clones?!!
Obito Uchiha was so shocked he didn't know what to say. After a long while, deep within his inner world, sorrow flickered in his eyes as he thought: Naruto really is the child of Kushina and Minato-sensei.
Within Naruto's consciousness, Shisui Uchiha stared in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. Compared to shadow clones on this scale, his own Body Flicker Technique was nothing to boast about.
'This kid… he really doesn't make a sound until he completely stuns everyone,' Inabi Uchiha took a deep breath to steady himself. He absolutely wasn't going to admit how worried he'd been.
Young Itachi Uchiha also let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Mikoto Uchiha felt proud on Kushina's behalf. 'I really wish Kushina could see this.'
Fugaku Uchiha's lips curved slightly as he murmured, 'Worthy of being Minato Namikaze's son.'
'Amazing. Even I couldn't create that many shadow clones.'
'Is it because of his Uzumaki bloodline?'
'Or because of the Nine-Tails' power? Did the Fourth Hokage already plan for this twelve years ago?!'
'This hot-blooded feeling… it makes me want to activate my Sharingan too!!'
'Who would've thought Iruka would turn out this impressive? Back then, he was just the dead last in our class!'
This illusionary experience allowed the Uchiha Clan to feel a completely different kind of life.
The abundant Yang-attribute chakra within Naruto Uzumaki's body was also entirely different from the Yin-attribute chakra they used to activate their Sharingan.
Whether it was the influence of this body or this mindset, even their outlooks had become far more positive.
And so, on the second day of team assignments, all the Uchiha walked into the classroom alongside Naruto Uzumaki, heads held high and spirits lifted.
They had no idea…
A crisis on the scale of a nuclear explosion was about to unfold.