Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 124

The adult Sasuke's black figure blended into the deepening twilight in the forest, each step treading on the quiet path covered with pine needles and fallen leaves.

He didn't intentionally walk in that direction, but his legs seemed to have their own memory.

It guided him around the charred marks on the training field and across the familiar stream he had run through countless times.

Finally, it stopped at the edge of the area where the lights were just coming on.

Uchiha resident.

It was completely different from the scorched earth in his memory, soaked in blood, which eventually turned into cold tombstones in flames and despair.

Everything before my eyes was gently enveloped by warm, orange-yellow lights.

The road paved with bluestone slabs is clean and tidy, and on both sides are neat and uniform black-tiled and white-walled mansions bearing the traditional Uchiha fan-shaped emblem.

The clansmen returning home late walked leisurely, talking in hushed tones.

The sounds of children playing drifted out from the open courtyard gate, mingled with the aroma of food.

It blends into a kind of suffocating noise and tranquility called "home".

Every window with a light on is like a warm little sun, dispelling the cold gloom deep in my memory.

He stood in the shadows, like a frozen stone statue.

The dark eyes reflected this living, breathing homeland.

Those deep black pupils seemed frozen, leaving only a silent, churning pain and...

A trace of greed that even he himself despised.

This is a dream he can never have again, a glaring reflection of his past, which he buried with his own hands, cast in a parallel universe.

He should leave immediately and sever this pointless entanglement.

"This gentleman?"

A gentle female voice, tinged with a hint of doubt.

Like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, it broke through the frozen, cold barrier surrounding Sasuke.

Sasuke's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, as if a rusty gear had been forced to turn.

He slowly and with great difficulty turned to the side.

The moonlight, like water, gently fell, illuminating the two people standing a few steps away.

Uchiha Mikoto.

She was dressed in a simple, elegant kimono, her long, black hair loosely tied up, with a few stray strands falling down her fair neck.

He was carrying a bamboo basket filled with fresh vegetables.

Time seems to have been exceptionally kind to her; her eyes and brows still retain the gentle and graceful beauty of those in our memories.

At this moment, however, those beautiful black eyes held a pure, unguarded curiosity.

Looking at the stranger in the shadows, whose demeanor was aloof and whose face was only half visible.

Standing next to her was Uchiha Itachi.

His older brother, whom he knew all too well.

At that moment, Itachi's obsidian-like eyes were also fixed on Sasuke, with the keen scrutiny he showed towards a stranger.

But more than anything, it's a silent protection of one's mother's words and actions.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely and freeze at this moment.

Sasuke could clearly hear the sound of his blood rushing through his veins, roaring in his silent eardrums.

My throat felt like it was blocked by scalding hot sand, and I couldn't make a sound.

Deep within his eyes, his mother's vibrant and gentle face was reflected, as was his brother's youthful and serene features...

The scene was so impactful that it instantly shattered all the defenses he had built with coldness.

As Mikoto looked at the silent, black-haired young man before her, the inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if they were connected by blood, grew stronger.

The man's melancholy and lonely aura stirred a subtle pang of sadness in her heart for no apparent reason.

She ignored the other person's possible wariness and took a step closer.

A gentle smile, as warm as moonlight, bloomed on her face, and her voice carried an almost instinctive intimacy and invitation:

"I've seen you standing here for quite a while. Are you lost? Or... looking for someone? If you don't mind, would you like to come in and have a cup of hot tea?"

Her gaze was sincere and warm, carrying the unique resilience and gentleness of an Uchiha woman.

"Mother……"

Itachi frowned slightly and gave a soft reminder.

An invitation from a stranger is too abrupt.

However, Mikoto simply patted Itachi's hand lightly.

His gaze remained gentle on Sasuke, carrying a strange certainty.

Facing those eyes, that voice so familiar it resonates deep within my soul, that unreserved, tender invitation from a mother…

The rock-solid defenses of adult Sasuke crumbled at this moment.

He acted almost entirely on his most primal instincts.

Before reason could react, a hoarse, unrecognizable monosyllable had already slipped out:

"……it is good."

The moment the words left his mouth, even he was stunned.

But Mikoto's smile was like a star that had been lit up, instantly becoming even brighter and warmer: "That's great, this way please."

Thus, under Itachi's gaze, which was filled with inquiry and a hint of wariness.

Under Mikoto's gentle guidance.

As if sleepwalking, the adult Sasuke stepped into the "home" he thought had long since turned to ashes in blood and fire.

Pulling back the familiar tent door, you're greeted by the warm aroma of food and the lively sounds of people.

Under the bright lights of the entryway, Naruto was sitting cross-legged in the entryway, arguing with Boruto about something.

The boy himself stood with his arms crossed against the wall, looking at Naruto with a look of disgust.

Fugaku's composed figure was partially visible in the living room.

"Oh? Uncle, you're here too!"

Boruto was the first to see the adult Sasuke following Mikoto in, and he blurted out in surprise.

This sound instantly drew everyone's attention.

Mikoto put down her shopping basket, changed her shoes, and smiled at Boruto: "Oh? Boruto-kun, do you know this gentleman?"

Mikoto took Itachi out to buy groceries just now because Boruto was there.

Boruto scratched his head and glanced at the adult Sasuke.

Receiving a very subtle "calm" look from the other party, he quickly explained, "Ah, yes! He's the master I was just talking about, the one who taught me magic tricks! Uncle Emiya Shirou!"

Mikoto covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her gaze shifting between Boruto and Sasuke.

With a gentle understanding, she said, "I see. It's quite a coincidence that Boruto's master and Sasuke's friends have come to visit together."

She specifically emphasized the word "fate," as if she had already seen through some invisible connection.

Boruto quickly moved closer to the adult Sasuke, taking advantage of the act of changing his shoes.

In a whisper that only the two of them could hear, he asked quickly, "Uncle Sasuke, are you really... alright?"

Looking at Sasuke's cold, hard profile, he felt that Sasuke's whole body was taut like a fully drawn bow.

The adult Sasuke closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, all the turmoil in his eyes was forcibly suppressed, leaving only a bottomless calm.

He responded in a very low voice, with an undeniable determination: "...Just behave normally."

This was both an answer to Boruto and a command to himself.

This is not his home! This is not his home!

Sasuke could only keep telling himself this.

Chapter 141 Yes! He's my best friend.

Just then, another noise came from outside the entrance hall.

The tent flap was pulled open again, and a bright, cheerful voice rang out: "Yo! Sasuke! I'm here for a free meal! What delicious food did Aunt Mikoto make today? I can smell the aroma from far away... Oh my!"

Uchiha Shisui was seen being carefully helped in by Itachi.

His face was wrapped in thick bandages, covering his eyes, but he was not injured.

But he was in good spirits, with his signature cheerful smile on his face, though he needed Itachi's guidance to walk.

"Brother Zhishui!"

Naruto immediately jumped up from the ground, his gaze falling on the bandages around Shisui's eyes.

The blue eyes were filled with concern and worry: "Are your eyes... really okay?"

Shisui waved his hand dismissively, groped for Naruto's shoulder but almost hit Boruto, and laughed, "Haha, it's nothing, it's nothing! It's just a side effect of using that thing (Susanoo), it took a lot of effort! Uncle Fugaku said that after resting for a while, the bandages will be removed soon! Then I can see clearly again!"

His optimism is incredibly infectious.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, but then seemed to remember something, and a puzzled expression appeared on his face.

He subconsciously scratched his head and asked directly in his mental space, "Dad? Shisui said that opening Susanoo would hurt my eyes? But you've opened it so many times using my body, how come I'm perfectly fine? My eyesight is still great!"

Inside the sealed space, Madara, sitting cross-legged on the Nine-Tails' head, flashed a hint of disdain in his dark eyes.

His deep voice carried an innate arrogance: "Hmph, stupid question. Activating Susanoo, especially when forcibly driven by an immature Mangekyou Sharingan, will lead to excessive consumption of ocular power, naturally causing the user's vision to decline rapidly and eventually go blind. This is a curse that the Mangekyou Sharingan cannot escape."

Naruto was even more confused: "Then Dad, what about you...?"

A cold, arrogant smile curved at the corner of Ban's lips: "Do you think my eyes are like Shisui's, simple kaleidoscopes?"