The streets of the Uchiha district were unusually quiet.

Too quiet.

The night air felt heavier than usual, the silence so thick it pressed against your chest. You had been walking home from the small hill you and Sasuke always met at after academy training. He’d promised to show you a new jutsu he’d been working on—something about channeling chakra more efficiently through shuriken. But he never showed.

And that wasn’t like him.

You turned the final corner leading into the Uchiha compound… and froze.

The smell of iron hung in the air.

You took a step forward. Then another. Doors were left ajar. Shadows scattered across the ground. Then your eyes landed on a figure.

Sasuke.

He stood alone, his small frame trembling, his eyes wide—haunted. His clothes were stained, and not with dirt.

You ran to him without thinking. “Sasuke—?! What happened? Where is everyone?” Your voice cracked with panic as you reached out to touch his arm.

He flinched, and slowly looked at you. His eyes were different. Hollow.

“…Don’t come any closer.”