Forgiveness

Confused, Ren looked at Jun, who smiled and crossed his arms.

"Congratulations, you've awoken your Sharingan."

Those words only served as confirmation. Although he should've been happy about such a thing, there wasn't even a trace of glee in his heart. In it, only bitterness remained.

He was bitter. Bitter about the fact that he won through cheating… Bitter that needed the Sharingan to defeat a ten-year-old kid.

Because of this, he was unable to rejoice.

Subconsciously directing his gaze towards Akane, he noticed her frightened look, as if he was a monster. Next to her, Aito needed assistance to stay on his feet.

Seeing the way she looked at him, Ren's heart shook as he turned around and fled… he ran across the complex, reaching the woods surrounding it. Once he was completely alone, he sat down near a large tree and desolately watched its leaves dance along with the cold, night wind.

Even though she wasn't there, Akane's frightened expression was the only thing Ren could see.

"What has become of me?"

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The rest of the night went by quickly. After saying goodbye to Akane and her grandma, both Aito and Jun went back home.

Because he got hurt during the fight, Aito requested a piggy-back ride, and after a lot of nagging, he finally got what he wanted.

On the way back, Aito buried his face in Jun's back, looking very satisfied.

"Aniki, did I do well?"

"Yeah, you applied everything I taught you so far. From your balance to the way you pivoted, using the ground as a power source. It was a masterful display for someone your age."

Aito was ten. It was quite a feat for him to defeat a Genin in pure hand-to-hand combat, especially one of Ren's caliber. Ren was much stronger physically and had more endurance, but he was beaten with pure speed and precision.

"Thanks, Aniki."

Aito's words trailed off as he fell asleep on his brother's back. Seeing this, Jun smiled warmly, getting reminded of Izuna once again.

Recalling how Ren had left, he could only sigh. Being part of the Uchiha clan, they felt things differently from others... Emotions like sadness and love were amplified a hundred times by their brains.

It was a curse more than a blessing...

Arriving at the cabin, Jun tucked Aito in bed, making sure not to wake him up in the process.

Hopping onto his own bed, Jun once again stared at the ceiling, relishing in the peace and quiet of the night. He had to admit that having company was better than being completely alone.

Thinking about what was ahead, Jun yawned.

'Tomorrow will be an important day... I wonder who my teammates will be... '

In his head, he already had ideas, but alas, he wasn't the one who made the choice. Leaving it up to fate, he fell asleep.

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Back in the street where the fight had taken place, an eerie wind blew during the quiet night...

In the darkness of the unlit neighborhood, something came out of the ground… Although it looked human, it's pale skin and green hair made that hard to believe.

Half of its face seemed to have been ripped off, as large, white spikes grew out of the right side of its body.

Opening its mouth, it spoke in a hushed, eerie voice.

"Interesting…"

With a creepy smile, its golden eyes flashed in the darkness before completely dissappearing, leaving no trace.