The blood-soaked night passed. The Konoha Anbu finally emerged, securing control of the situation.
Of course, the Anbu would investigate the massacre. But the process and results hardly mattered. The higher-ups saw the Uchiha incident with crystal clarity… The Anbu would play their part, though that part was pure theater.
In any case, if you ignored the finer details, last night's events were quickly summarized: The Uchiha hardliners were completely wiped out. The one who did it was the clan head's son, a core figure of the hardliner faction, the rising star of the next generation: Uchiha Itachi. Currently, Itachi was on the run.
The hardliners' core figure exterminated the hardliners. Why? The whole thing seemed shrouded in mystery.
Itachi was the clan head's son, but his "leanings" were never in doubt… Thanks to Uchiha Fugaku's fence-sitting, infiltration policy, Itachi had been seen as a hardliner since childhood.
Kids don't have that many schemes. Itachi's affinity for and joining of the hardliners was always seen as his true nature.
Once the basic facts were established, the Hokage immediately issued a bounty for Uchiha Itachi. Given the sheer atrocity of his actions, he was undeniably designated an S-rank missing-nin. Konoha slapped a top-tier bounty of 300 million ryo on his head… The number might be symbolic, meaningless in practice, but it represented Konoha's stance.
When word spread, most Konoha citizens watched the hardliners' demise with cold indifference. In their eyes, those people got what they deserved.
And was this even that big a deal?
Just an Uchiha blood-night. Not the Beer Hall Putsch. Ichiraku Ramen wasn't 500,000 ryo a bowl. The Uchiha's disaster was a localized incident with limited impact. And a localized incident, by definition, lacked global influence.
In a grimly ironic way, because it wasn't big enough, it didn't matter. If the entire Uchiha clan had been wiped out, not just the hardliners, the shockwaves would have spread beyond the Land of Fire, becoming major news that shook the Shinobi World.
Later, while sorting bodies and piecing together details, the Anbu made another discovery: Uchiha Shisui, a key figure of the Uchiha reconciliation faction, a future pillar of the clan, a major "achievement" of the Hokage's new policies, had also died that night.
Regarding Shisui's death, Konoha and the Uchiha quickly reached a consensus, offering a convincing explanation: He tried to stop the deranged Uchiha Itachi but was ambushed and killed.
One, that was exactly Shisui's character. Two, many witnessed the clash of Susanoo that night.
That thing, the Susanoo, was impossible to hide.
The irony was thick. Shisui's death was seen as a major loss for both Konoha and the Uchiha Clan. This tragic event garnered widespread sympathy for the remaining Uchiha… In a sense, they were feasting on his blood.
Autopsy Room.
After dealing with the mountain of urgent matters, Yugami Genkai hurried here.
On the table lay Uchiha Shisui's corpse. The goal: determine the cause of death as precisely as possible. In the spirit of transparency, not only was the Hokage present, but Uchiha clan members were also in attendance.
Performing the autopsy were the pillars of Konoha's current medical system: Tsunade and her younger brother, Nawaki.
Shisui's death surprised the Hokage. In her estimation, with his abilities, he shouldn't have been killed so easily… For the Hokage, the hardliners' destruction was expected. Shisui's death was a riddle.
"Any results?" Yugami Genkai asked.
"A general picture," Tsunade replied. "He likely died from a backstab. A sudden thrust through the heart. That kind of attack couldn't have come from Uchiha Itachi. So, Shisui was probably fighting two people at once."
Her simple explanation made things seem logical. If Shisui faced two opponents on his level, his death wasn't surprising.
"But who could ambush Shisui?" an Uchiha clansman voiced the lingering doubt. "He's Shisui of the Body Flicker…"
Truthfully, the number of people in the Shinobi World capable of ambushing Shisui of the Body Flicker was small. But upon reflection, Konoha happened to have one.
The thought was chilling. That person's name was…
Ahem. Minato Namikaze.
And Minato actually had a motive. In the next Hokage election, they were weak competitors… Though from different generations, the age gap wasn't that large.
More bizarrely, Minato couldn't provide an alibi. For the Yellow Flash, a piss break was enough time for a long-distance assassination.
"Don't speculate wildly," Yugami Genkai cut in, a headache brewing. "Why would anyone in Konoha secretly cooperate with the hardliners?"
Even she found the situation troublesome. She knew Minato had no reason to do this, yet she could only vouch for his character. Damn it. Minato's fighting style alone made him a suspect.
"Konoha doesn't have a second Danzō Shimura," Nawaki stated firmly from beside Tsunade.
He'd become more academic, following his sister into medical research. It made him seem bookish, naive to conspiracies. His words carried a simple, unwavering righteousness.
Faced with that, the Uchiha clansman could only nod in agreement.
"Can't we perform a memory extraction?"
Seeing the Uchiha back down, Yugami Genkai pressed on.
"Impossible," a Yamanaka clansman present answered. "Upon death, a Reverse Four Symbols Seal triggered. His memories, intel, and his eyes… all destroyed by the seal."
With ninja from the Uzumaki and Yamanaka clans also present, the conclusion was authoritative.
Self-sealing after death was a standard ninja practice to protect intel. Nothing unusual.
"So… the one who ambushed Shisui tried to take his eyes…" Yugami Genkai murmured, almost to herself.
For some reason, she thought of the Ōtsutsuki clan, and the brewing conspiracy Yūshin had hinted at. Could the one who killed Shisui be connected?
The speculation was baseless. Yet her mind kept drifting there.
Maybe she should find a way to reestablish contact with Uchiha Itachi, currently fleeing Konoha with a giant target on his back…
In any case, the hunt for the ambusher's identity would go nowhere. Konoha's official story would stop at Shisui dying by Itachi's hand.
As for the Uchiha's fleeting suspicion of the Yellow Flash… honestly, that thought could only be fleeting. The clan's collective interest forbade pursuing that line of inquiry.
Thus, after this incident, the Fourth Hokage essentially completed the reintegration of the Uchiha into Konoha. More than half a century after Konoha's founding, the Uchiha finally seemed to become true Konoha ninja.
Simultaneously, citing the tragedy, the Fourth Hokage narrowed the scope of the Sharingan registration system. Only the Mangekyō Sharingan needed registration. It was like loosening the leash around the Uchiha's neck, restoring their dignity.
Furthermore, the Fourth Hokage apologized to the Uchiha on behalf of Konoha, further mending relations. Her flexibility was evident… The move was akin to an imperial edict of self-criticism, though she was pinning the blame on the Third Hokage.
After all, the anti-Uchiha system was established under the Third's reign, clearly recorded in Konoha's history… Yugami Genkai clung to her principle: All bad things were the Third's doing. All positive corrections were hers.
The shit bucket must be relentlessly passed to others.
For both the Uchiha and Konoha, this was undeniably good news. But someone always had to pay the price.
The price, besides the lives of the hardliners and Shisui, and Itachi's future, included the status of Uchiha Fugaku's bloodline.
While they say "one man's actions are his own," things are never that simple. "A father's fault for failing to teach his son" always rings true.
Because of Itachi's actions, Fugaku lost all authority. He had to resign as clan head. From now on, his family's treatment within the clan would be… less than ideal.
Itachi killed his own. Shisui died. The Uchiha's path to producing a Hokage was severed again. Itachi alone couldn't shoulder all that blame. His whole family had to share the load.
So reality was wonderfully twisted. Despite being Uchiha, Fugaku's family would live under a cloud of disdain…
In short, while the Uchiha avoided extermination and achieved a sort of "assimilation," thanks to dear big brother, little brother Uchiha Sasuke's upbringing environment was… predictable.
In such an "ideal" environment, considering Sasuke's personality, all it took was a little nudge. He'd walk the path of extremity all by himself.
"Leader, despite their losses, the Uchiha clan is integrating faster into Konoha. The overall public sentiment is positive now. The only issue is the former clan head, Fugaku, has completely lost power…"
A Fireflies ninja was reporting recent village intel to Sakumo Hatake.
"A good thing," Sakumo said. "Konoha's internal landscape is mostly stable now. No major hidden threats left. But… this doesn't concern us much. Just shows the Hokage planned well."
Konoha becoming more unified gave Sakumo mixed feelings. As a Konoha ninja, it was cause for joy. As the Fireflies leader… the opposite. In fact, even the Fireflies' cohesion was slowly eroding.
"A pity…" the subordinate sighed.
"A pity what?" Sakumo's heart skipped a beat. Had his thoughts been seen through?
"Ah, Leader, I meant Uchiha Shisui's death. It feels like a waste."
"Indeed…"
Oh. Not about me. Good.
Sakumo straightened his face, adopting a solemn tone. "Progress always demands a price."
The subordinate wisely changed the subject, reporting another piece of intel closely related to the organization.
"Leader, we've been hearing whispers lately. Unsubstantiated rumors. But given the connection to our organization, I felt it worth reporting."
"Go on."
"Rumors say Gam Bunta Chō, the legendary ninja who followed Lord Yūshin to found Konoha and died of old age over forty years ago… has resumed activity in the Shinobi World."
The report left Sakumo stunned.
Huh? Gam Bunta Chō is active? Then who am I? Haven't I been active?
A moment later, he realized who was likely using the name… Though not 100% certain, he suspected Lord Yūshin was up to something.
Clearly, this was high-level business. The organization was better off staying far away.
"Ahem. Someone impersonating that identity. Not our concern. Ignore it."
"But… someone impersonating a senior of our organization, and we do nothing?"
The subordinate was confused. This was clearly related to the organization. How could they let a fraud tarnish their name?
"Just small fry causing trouble. Don't waste energy. As everyone knows, Gam Bunta Chō is deader than dead."
Sakumo nearly gritted his teeth saying that last part. It felt like he was cursing himself.
As it turned out, Sakumo's judgment was sound. Gam Bunta Chō was now involved in a rather high-stakes game. Ordinary people should keep their distance, lest they get hit by the… stench.
One year after the "Uchiha Disturbance" caused by Itachi, the Akatsuki members assembled for the first time.
Not for some grand scheme. Theoretically, this was just a team-building event. Because Nagato had finally gathered his ten "powerhouses."
With these ten as the core of his criminal enterprise, and Amegakure as the base, Nagato now had the foundation for major operations.
With everyone present, of course they had to assemble. How else to prove they were all here?
Under these circumstances, Yūshin had no choice but to don his "formal attire"—that godforsaken black cloak with red clouds.
Deep within Amegakure, Akatsuki members stood in pairs.
Deva Path, Konan.Kakuzu, the masked man Tobi.Gam Bunta Chō, Jigen.Jūzō Biwa, Kisame Hoshigaki.
"Today, we gather because our assembly is finally complete… Enter. Both of you."
Once these pairs were in position, the Deva Path called toward the entrance. As his voice faded, the final pair stepped in.
Orochimaru. Uchiha Itachi.
Well, would you look at that. Half the core members of the Shinobi World's biggest criminal syndicate hailed from Konoha.
The leader wasn't a Konoha ninja, but he was taught by one.
Truly, Konoha was a cesspit. Constantly producing the finest shit.
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