Regardless of how the Third Hokage always appeared to be a symbol of moderation, and the two advisors—Homura and Koharu—seemed merely biased, in reality, none of the three played honorable roles in the downfall of the Uchiha clan. Compared to the cold-blooded and hardline Shimura Danzo, they were simply cowards cloaked in diplomacy, all equally culpable in orchestrating the silent slaughter.
Moreover, the events of this genocide night clearly deviated from the timeline Naruto remembered from his previous life. It might not be fully certain, but Naruto firmly believed that Uchiha Itachi must have been exposed before completing his mission. Perhaps a faction within the Uchiha clan sensed the plot and attempted to resist. That would explain the significant commotion last night—something entirely absent in the original story, where the clan was wiped out without alarming a single villager.
And indeed, the chaos must have stemmed from a subset of Uchiha launching a futile rebellion, which was quickly suppressed.
Otherwise...
There's no logical way to account for such widespread disturbance.
After all, the Konoha higher-ups still declared the clan extermination officially, stating only Uchiha Itachi had turned traitor and massacred the clan, sparing only his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. The result mirrored the original timeline, so Naruto's inference felt sound.
One must remember, the Uchiha clan wasn't just a powerful Konoha family—they were arguably the largest and most formidable clan in the entire shinobi world.
Had it not been for an internal rupture...
If the entire clan had truly rebelled as one united front, Konoha would have been rocked to its foundation. Even if the rebellion were eventually crushed, it wouldn't have come quietly. Just how many elite shinobi did the Uchiha clan have? How many wielded Sharingan? Even if Konoha managed to wipe them out, it would've been a prolonged and bloody ordeal. Yet, in the end, it was over in a single night with barely a trace left—something only possible if much of the clan never got the chance to resist.
Of course, these thoughts only swirled in Naruto's mind briefly.
He didn't dwell.
Not because he didn't care—but because he couldn't afford to care right now.
He lacked the power, the status, the leverage to intervene.
Living life as usual was still the priority.
---
Even after the bloody massacre, the Ninja Academy functioned as usual the next day.
When Naruto arrived, unsurprisingly, Sasuke Uchiha was absent.
Naruto could already guess why. The lone Uchiha survivor wouldn't return so soon. The trauma wasn't just from losing his family—it was compounded by something far worse. If Naruto's memory was correct, this night marked the first time Uchiha Itachi used Tsukuyomi on Sasuke—a genjutsu so powerful it was once considered the pinnacle of illusionary techniques. Even if Itachi held back, the experience would still scar a child deeply. To witness his parents' execution by the very brother he idolized—it was unthinkable.
Combine that with the psychological torment of Tsukuyomi...
It would be a long recovery.
Even with the Third Hokage's personal intervention, even with the best medical care in the village...
Some wounds couldn't be healed through treatment alone.
Time was the only cure.
And as Naruto had expected...
Exactly a month passed before Sasuke returned to the classroom.
But when he did, he wasn't the same child.
This wasn't the cool, mildly aloof Sasuke of before.
What stood before Naruto now was a boy cloaked in coldness, eyes hollow with pain—a soul submerged in darkness.
The moment their eyes met, Naruto felt something twist in his chest.
Because he knew.
The Sasuke in front of him was no longer just an elite clan heir.
He was now an avenger.
That day, even the group of girls who usually flocked to Sasuke stayed silent.
They may have been infatuated, but they weren't fools.
After what had happened, trying to act like nothing was wrong would only reveal their lack of awareness.
"What a pitiful guy..."
Naruto whispered to himself, looking at Sasuke's lifeless gaze.
In a strange way...
He felt they were similar.
"Maybe," Naruto thought, "this guy can become a key ally one day..."
Looking at Sasuke's side profile, Naruto recalled the original timeline—how Sasuke eventually defected from the village, how he reacted when he learned the truth about Itachi and that fateful night. Naruto couldn't help but think deeply.
Say what you will...
No clan in this world was simpler—or more easily manipulated—than the Uchiha.
And this gullibility seemed like a generational trait.
From the Sage of Six Paths' eldest son, Indra, to Uchiha Madara, to Obito during the Third Great Ninja War, and now Sasuke himself—it was a pattern. Even those praised as the most rational among them, like Itachi and Shisui, had made shockingly foolish decisions in the name of "peace" or "duty."
Of course, this was just Naruto's personal opinion.
But in observing these Uchiha...
He couldn't help but feel they were all a bit too easy to deceive.
Especially Sasuke.
Throughout the original story, he had never truly held an independent mindset. First, he was manipulated by Itachi's lies. Then by Obito's deception. Later by Orochimaru's influence. Even when Orochimaru claimed to want to observe "how the wind of Uchiha Sasuke would blow," in the end, Sasuke was still led like a pawn.
So, in summary...
Sasuke was someone who could be manipulated.
And Naruto held a powerful card in his hand—the truth behind the Uchiha clan's destruction.
Not a total guarantee...
But Naruto was confident.
He could use that truth to eventually recruit Sasuke as an ally.
The plan was forming in his heart.
He would choose the right time, the right words, the right method to reveal it—and calculate the risk and reward carefully.
A strategy for the future.
One step toward Naruto's own unique shinobi path in this world.
"The future…" Naruto whispered, gazing out the window at the bustling village below. A faint golden shimmer flickered in his blue eyes.
He knew what he had to do now: grow stronger.
Only with strength...
Could he eventually influence the grand chessboard of the ninja world.
And so, time passed.
Just like that, five years went by in a blink.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCE 30+ CHAPTERS
patreon.com/Prince209