Naruto: The new beginning

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It all began the day before.

After seeing off the Mizukage and his delegation, Sasuke and Itachi walked home together, chatting and laughing.

Along the way, they encountered a group of children playing ninja games. One of them accidentally bumped into Sasuke.

"Ouch!" The kid fell hard on his backside.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked, squatting down to help him up. Although his conversation with Itachi had been interrupted, Sasuke didn't mind showing concern. However, the child shoved Sasuke's hand away.

"Don't worry about it!" the kid exclaimed, making a face before running off. The other children quickly followed, afraid of being scolded.

Itachi chuckled. "It seems you're not very popular, Sasuke."

"Hmph!" Sasuke huffed, turning away. Even as his brother, Itachi would be ignored for at least ten minutes.

They both dismissed the incident as nothing unusual.

---

That Night

Later that night, Itachi, lying in bed, suddenly opened his eyes. He heard footsteps coming from Sasuke's room.

Thinking his brother was sneaking off to train, Itachi decided to accompany him.

However, Itachi soon noticed something was wrong. Sasuke wasn't heading toward the clan's training grounds.

Instead, he was walking toward the village outskirts, his movements stiff and unnatural.

Following him, Itachi quickly realized Sasuke was sleepwalking. What's more, Sasuke seemed intent on leaving Konoha a serious offence if discovered.

Itachi stepped in, trying to wake Sasuke, but to his shock, Sasuke attacked him without a word. Recognizing something was deeply wrong, Itachi had no choice but to subdue him.

Using shuriken and steel wire, Itachi restrained Sasuke and finally managed to snap him out of it.

"Brother?" Sasuke asked groggily, looking at the wires binding him. "Why am I here? Why am I tied up?"

Itachi frowned, untangling Sasuke. "You really don't remember?"

Noticing a faint disappearing mark on Sasuke's forehead, Itachi tried to investigate further but found no clues.

The next day, he took Sasuke to see someone who could help.

---

The Investigation

Minato examined Sasuke thoroughly but found nothing. "Based on Itachi's description, this seems to be a hidden curse mark that only activates under specific conditions. It's incredibly tricky."

To address the situation, Minato called together a group of Konoha's most skilled individuals: Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kushina, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura.

Given Sasuke's status as a ninja with a powerful kekkei genkai, the potential of someone targeting him was alarming.

---

At the Uchiha Household

Sasuke lay on a bed surrounded by the gathered experts. The scene looked like this:

Naruto-Sakura-Itachi

Minato-Bed-Kushina

Jiraiya-Bed-Tsunade

Kakashi

Feeling the weight of everyone's stares, especially his mother's worried gaze, Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. He could barely meet Mikoto's eyes.

After several examinations, the group concluded that someone must have disguised themselves as a child and cursed Sasuke during their encounter.

The technique was either too powerful or too well-concealed to be detected easily.

Tsunade shook her head. "There are no physical or mental abnormalities. This technique is unlike anything I've seen."

Minato sighed. "Even Sage Mode's perception doesn't detect anything unusual. It's as if the curse doesn't exist until activated."

Fugaku frowned. "If it's ninjutsu, it should leave chakra traces, but even the Sharingan can't see anything. It's unreasonable."

Naruto, always ready with a suggestion, said, "What about the Hyuga clan? They specialize in chakra systems and could take a closer look at the flow in Sasuke's meridians."

The Uchiha family didn't take offense at Naruto's suggestion. Over the years, the rivalry between the two clans had softened significantly. Fugaku nodded. "I'll visit Hiashi personally."

Minato interjected. "We should avoid mobilizing too many people until we identify the mastermind. Naruto, you can explain the situation to Hiashi and bring us directly to the Hyuga compound."

Naruto didn't object to being sent on the errand. With a grin, he ruffled Sasuke's spiky hair and dashed off. Sasuke, glaring after him, muttered, "Hmph. If I could beat him, I would."

Mikoto, seeing the brief playfulness between the two boys, allowed herself a small smile. "You two are still so close."

"Hmph," Sasuke repeated, folding his arms. If not for Naruto's speed, he might have retaliated.

---

At the Hyuga Compound

Naruto knocked on the Hyuga family's door. The one who answered was Hyuga Natsu, the maid who often looked after Hinata and Hanabi.

"Miss Natsu, is Hinata here?" Naruto asked, feigning casualness. Minato had instructed him to keep things low-key, and visiting under the guise of looking for Hinata made sense.

"The patriarch and Master Neji are instructing the young ladies in training," Natsu replied.

'Perfect timing' Naruto nodded. "Could you take me to them? I have something important to discuss."

Natsu agreed, leading Naruto to the Hyuga training grounds.

When they arrived, Neji was sparring with Hanabi while Hiashi offered guidance. Hinata stood to the side, listening intently.

Naruto couldn't help but notice how Neji's movements seemed less like sparring and more like personal training.

'Uncle Hiashi must be working hard to teach him everything meant for the main branch,' Naruto thought.

He waited quietly for Hiashi to finish speaking before stepping forward to explain the situation.

Hiashi, unbothered by Naruto's presence, listened attentively. Once Naruto finished, he nodded. "Let's go."

Naruto grinned at his success but couldn't shake the feeling that Hiashi was far more relaxed around him now probably because he engaged with Hinata. At least that's one benefit of being a future family.

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