At the top of the stairs on the second floor.
Yamanaka Rino had actually been standing there quietly for a while.
She had heard every word of the conversation between the two children downstairs.
Because her daughter was a Ninja, Rino hadn't dared peek; the girl would have noticed at once.
Only when their talk downstairs came to a natural pause did she, wearing a gentle, perfectly polite smile, descend the stairs as if she had just noticed the commotion.
Her gaze first softened at the unusual bouquet of bellflowers in her daughter's arms, then shifted to Naruto as she spoke in a measured, faintly inquiring tone:
"Do we have a guest?"
"Mom!"
Seeing her mother come down, Ino—like a child caught with a secret—instinctively hid the bellflowers behind her back, a shy blush blooming on her cheeks.
Rino took in the little maneuver with both exasperation and amusement, reminded of her own youth.
This girl really takes after me… She recalled her own school days, when she too had favored handsome boys. Inoichi had been good-looking back then; she had pursued him aggressively—and, to her surprise, ultimately succeeded.
Rino's gaze drifted back to Naruto, appraising him with the mild scrutiny of an elder.
The boy called Naruto was indeed handsome: blond hair, blue eyes, a sunny smile, and a steady, dependable air.
Yet one undeniable reality remained.
The only blemish… was his identity as Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—a status that, within Konoha, carried a certain sensitivity and controversy.
The thought, however, flickered only for an instant.
Still… if Ino truly likes him, and if the boy makes her happy, then none of that matters.
As a mother, she would respect and support her daughter's feelings.
————————
Beside a secluded lake on the outskirts of Konoha Village, Uchiha Sasuke's hands flashed through seals; his chest swelled, then expelled a sharp breath.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A searing sphere of flame howled through the air, slammed into the placid water, and sent up vast clouds of vapor and white mist.
The fire roiled across the surface for a moment before reluctantly fading, leaving only spreading ripples that slowly stilled.
Panting, Sasuke's black eyes—swayed by turbulent emotion—burned crimson; single and double tomoe spun unevenly.
The Sharingan had awakened on its own.
Memories surged like the thick fog born where the fireball had met the lake.
Once, right here, he had first attempted the Great Fireball before his father Uchiha Fugaku—and failed.
His father had simply stood behind him, watched, then… wordlessly shaken his head and walked away in silence.
That silent shake, that cold retreating back, seared itself into his young heart like a frozen brand—still there, still aching.
His father's disappointed eyes; his older brother Uchiha Itachi's hopeless, unreachable genius; and now—Uzumaki Naruto, the dead-last he had never deemed worthy—had beaten him in front of everyone during combat class!
Days had passed, yet the memory of that crushing defeat clung like a nightmare, humiliation he could not shake.
Those images—his father's disappointment, his brother's might, his own loss to Naruto—merged into spikes that stabbed his heart again and again, leaving him gasping.
I… really am too weak… I… can't match that bastard Uchiha Itachi… and now I can't even beat Uzumaki Naruto… The surge of shame and self-loathing rose like icy lake-water, drowning him.
He clenched his fists so hard his nails nearly drew blood from his palms.
Yet, on the very edge of despair, another memory—buried beneath the tempest of emotion—pierced the darkness like a beam through storm-clouds.
The scene froze: the day he had finally, perfectly, unleashed the Great Fireball.
The massive blaze lit the lake and his own expectant, anxious face.
His father, as usual, watched in silence, then… turned to leave again.
Just as young Sasuke's heart sank, convinced he had once more fallen short, the stern, reticent man—facing away—spoke in a voice so faint it was almost lost in the wind, carrying a hint of unmistakable pride:
"You truly are my son."
Yes… I am the son of Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha Clan!
The noblest Uchiha blood flows in my veins!
I bear the hatred and hope of the entire clan!
How could I… let myself be broken by a mere setback?
How could I… give up so easily?!
As long as Uchiha Itachi still lives, I have no right to fall, no right to show weakness!
I was weak once already; that cowardly Uchiha Sasuke died the night the clan was slaughtered.
I am an avenger crawled out of hell, with only one purpose: kill Uchiha Itachi!
That pride and defiance, rooted deep in blood and memory, shattered the icy shell of despair.
His Sharingan blazed with new resolve; teeth clenched, he raised his hands and began the seals again.
He had to grow stronger—no matter the cost!
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
With a deeper, more forceful cry, his Sharingan sensed its master's will and the chance for breakthrough; the unbalanced tomoe whirled, split, and stabilized into perfect twin-tomoe Sharingan in both eyes!
Greater Chakra surged within him, refined into more intricate shape-transformation.
What erupted was no lone fireball but a vast, searing tidal wave of flame—an immense curtain of fire that bore down on the broad lake with the fury to incinerate all!
This wide-ranging B-rank Fire Release jutsu swallowed nearly half the lake; water vapor mushroomed skyward in a white cloud, mingling with churning crimson fire in a spectacle both awesome and terrifying.
In that instant, Sasuke's power—borne of his evolved Sharingan and unbreakable resolve—stepped onto a new level.