Don’t be fooled by the Third Hokage’s appearance as the representative of the moderate faction or by the two advisors seemingly siding with him. In reality, these three high-ranking individuals played roles in the Uchiha clan’s massacre that were no better than Danzo Shimura, the ruthless hardliner. They were all disgraceful characters unworthy of praise.
Moreover, this clan massacre night clearly deviated from the original storyline. Naruto couldn’t be 100% certain, but he believed it was highly likely that the rebellious hardliners within the Uchiha clan had partially discovered Itachi Uchiha’s actions. Some members, unable to contact each other, revolted, which would explain the enormous commotion last night.
This partial revolt was quickly suppressed. Otherwise, subsequent developments wouldn’t make sense. After all, Konoha’s leadership openly announced the Uchiha clan’s destruction, with only rogue ninja Itachi Uchiha and survivor Sasuke Uchiha remaining. This matched the original storyline, leading Naruto to conclude the same outcome.
Considering the Uchiha clan was the most powerful clan in the ninja world if a full-scale rebellion had occurred, it wouldn’t have been easily suppressed. Regardless of the outcome, it wouldn’t have been as smooth. The number of Jonin and Chunin among the Uchiha, combined with their Sharingan, meant that even if Konoha annihilated all Uchiha as in the original, the process would have been much more difficult, and the resulting commotion would have been far more chaotic than last night.
Of course, these thoughts only briefly crossed Naruto’s mind. He wouldn’t dwell on them; he didn’t have the time or the right to focus on them. Right now, living his life well was the most important thing.
Despite last night’s events, the Ninja Academy continued its regular classes. Upon arriving at the academy, Naruto wasn’t surprised to find Sasuke Uchiha absent. Naruto guessed that Sasuke wouldn’t appear at the academy for a while, not just because of the clan massacre’s impact. If Naruto remembered correctly, last night was when Itachi first used Tsukuyomi on Sasuke, a genjutsu considered the pinnacle for a long time. Even if Itachi controlled its power, Sasuke was still a child of the same age as Naruto, having witnessed his entire clan’s slaughter and his beloved brother killing their parents before his eyes, followed by the impact of Tsukuyomi.
The combined mental trauma was not something that could heal quickly. Even with special care from the Third Hokage, giving Sasuke the best medical conditions, such psychological wounds required time to heal. As Naruto had anticipated, it took a full month after the clan massacre for Sasuke to return to the academy.
Upon his return, Sasuke exuded a cold aura, not the usual pretense of aloofness, but a genuine darkness. Seeing Sasuke, Naruto felt a slight twinge in his heart. Naruto understood that the Sasuke before him was no longer the slightly aloof, arrogant child but a bloodthirsty avenger.
That day, the girls who usually flocked around Sasuke were unusually quiet. They weren’t foolish; approaching Sasuke right after the Uchiha massacre would only expose their lack of intelligence.
“What a pitiful fellow…” Watching the emotionless Sasuke with vacant eyes, Naruto shook his head slightly. In some ways, Sasuke and Naruto share many similarities.
“Perhaps this guy could be an important ally in the future…” Naruto thought, recalling Sasuke’s defection and subsequent actions after learning the truth about Itachi and the clan massacre.
One could say that no clan was as easily manipulated as the Uchiha. From the ancient Six Paths Sage’s son, Indra, to Uchiha Madara, Obito during the Third Ninja War, and now Sasuke, they were all easily swayed. Even seemingly rational Uchiha Itachi and Shisui appeared foolish to Naruto.
Of course, this was Naruto’s subjective view. But looking at these Uchiha members, Naruto genuinely felt they were too easily manipulated. Especially Sasuke, who never had his own strong subjective view throughout the original story. He was swayed by Itachi, then by Obito, and finally even by Orochimaru’s philosophical musings.
Thus, Sasuke was manipulatable. Moreover, Naruto held a crucial piece of information: the truth about the Uchiha clan’s massacre. He wasn’t 100% certain, but Naruto believed he could leverage this information to convince Sasuke to join him in the future.
For now, this was just a temporary plan. When and how to reveal the truth to Sasuke and how to make him believe it were all considerations Naruto needed to carefully ponder. A future plan was gradually taking shape in Naruto’s mind. In this world, Naruto intended to carve out his own unique path as a shinobi.
“Future…” Naruto gazed out at the bustling scenery, a faint golden light flickering in his blue eyes. For now, he needed to keep strengthening himself. Only then would he have the qualifications to influence the ninja world. In this context, five years swiftly passed by.
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