Eve of the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall

"Naruto, come up and demonstrate first."

Iruka set down the roster and looked up at Naruto.

Naruto rose expressionlessly and walked to the podium.

"Today, we'll be spot-checking how well everyone has learned the Three Basic Jutsu."

"Naruto, demonstrate the Transformation Technique."

Naruto raised his hands and formed the seals with unpracticed motions.

"Transformation Technique."

Bang—

The moment he spoke, a sharp explosion rang out, and smoke burst from beneath his feet.

As the smoke cleared, someone identical to Iruka appeared.

"Hm, very good!"

After examining him carefully, Iruka found that it truly looked like he was staring into a mirror.

"I didn't expect you to have already mastered the Transformation Technique."

"Pass!"

Bang—

Naruto reverted to normal without saying anything and turned to return to his seat.

Iruka looked at the other students. "All right, you're next. Come up one at a time and demonstrate. It doesn't matter if you haven't mastered it yet. As long as you can perform it, you'll pass."

Thus, aside from the Konoha 9, the civilian ninja students appeared exceptionally mediocre.

The Irukas they transformed into were either too fat or too thin. Some even directly turned into the kind of Clone Naruto had in the original story.

Of the Three Basic Jutsu, the Transformation Technique was taught first.

The Clone Technique and Substitution Technique were both somewhat difficult.

They were only first-year students, so they would not be tested on those techniques so soon.

When it came to the cultural and theoretical exams, Naruto began controlling his scores as expected.

He did not become the bottom-ranked student, but he only barely reached the passing line.

As for the Will of Fire... full marks. It had to be full marks!

As for shuriken and kunai, only the basics had been taught. They had not yet reached the point where they needed to be tested or made into major courses.

Once everyone had demonstrated their Transformation Technique,

Iruka announced the holiday.

"Naruto-kun, bye-bye~"

Smack—

Ino was getting bolder and bolder.

Unlike in the original story, she continued to wear her hair in a neat, dashing short cut.

Short hair suited Ino better.

Hinata, meanwhile, had taken Naruto's advice and begun growing her hair long.

As for Tenten... her buns were still cute, but twin ponytails?

Am I Shiro Uzumaki?

Tenten is still here, yet there's still a ninja daring to look at me with such venom?

Suddenly, Naruto sensed a not particularly strong wave of malice.

Turning his head, he saw Inoichi Yamanaka, who had come to pick Ino up, looking at him with an immensely resentful gaze.

"Dad, let's go home."

"But..."

"Dad! Let's go home!"

"Sigh, all right~"

Hinata also said goodbye to Naruto in her soft voice.

Neji wore his usual cold expression. After nodding to Naruto, he followed Hinata home.

"Honestly, aren't we going on a picnic together tomorrow?"

"Why are you acting like we won't see each other for ages? Let's go, Naruto. See you tomorrow."

Shikamaru clasped his hands behind his head and headed toward Shikaku Nara and Choza Akimichi with Choji.

Shikaku Nara gave Naruto a long look, then curled his lips into a kindly smile.

Naruto smiled back.

"Then let's head back too. Mom and Dad have been going on and on about having you over for dinner."

"Hehe, I brought home some Sweet and Sour Pork last time, and they loved it. Mom even said she wanted to become your apprentice~"

"Then let's make Sweet and Sour Pork together tonight."

"Yay~"

And so, Naruto and Tenten left.

But before leaving, Naruto suddenly turned around and glanced at the eyes that had been silently watching him from the shadows.

Uchiha Filial Son?

He instinctively glanced at Uchiha Sasuke, whose face was full of innocent, carefree smiles.

Something's off. Even his gaze is a little off.

If I remember correctly, Uchiha Sasuke was seven in the original story, around his second year, when the Uchiha Clan was wiped out.

Hehe, Filial Son, thanks for reminding me to prepare.

"That was an annoying look. Naruto, can I go beat him up?"

At that moment, Kurama, which could occasionally receive visual feedback, suddenly spoke.

"He's a sickly weakling. How about I find you an Uchiha later who likes to act cool whenever the skies clear after rain?"

"Hmph. Do you have anything new besides making empty promises?"

Naruto ignored it.

Instead, he silently pondered certain details.

The Uchiha Clan's destruction had been inevitable from the moment Konoha was founded.

The Uchiha Clan were all extreme egoists.

That ending was not surprising.

In fact, from the moment Obito awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan had been fated to be exterminated.

Were all members of the Uchiha Clan bad?

Of course not.

First of all, as for Itachi...

It was best not to sully words like divinity and righteousness.

His serious illness and death seemed more like just deserts.

"Itachi" also meant weasel in Japan, a mysterious animal said to bring misfortune.

Naturally, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had also played a part.

Konoha Group: The Uchiha were born evil.

That had already become a habitual way of thinking.

"You innately evil Uchiha brat."

That was what Tobirama had said.

In the original story, the Uchiha Clan had been slaughtered to the last.

Whether they were innately evil could not be verified, nor was it persuasive.

They had been brainwashed by the Will of Fire, and there was also Uchiha Shisui's death.

Then there was the malicious vilification by the previous-generation Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

On top of that, Itachi had only encountered those radical Uchiha clansmen.

So, Filial Son had diminished the Uchiha Clan in his own mind.

Combined with Konoha's attitude—discrimination!

Hm... Itachi? Huh, weasel?

Naruto turned back and listened to Tenten's lively, lark-like voice.

After secretly observing the reactions of the great ninja clan heads,

he found them very calm.

Sure enough, it was just as he had guessed.

Those great ninja clans had probably known all along.

Something was wrong with the Uchiha Clan's extermination.

On the night of the massacre, everyone had tacitly agreed that they had seen nothing, heard nothing, and said nothing.

They all understood perfectly well.

And they had silently permitted it; they could only accept Konoha's punishment of the Uchiha.

As for why Uchiha Obito knew Itachi's truth so clearly,

Naruto's lips curled slightly.

On the night of the massacre, those two would definitely meet.

At the Five Kage Summit, Danzo also revealed information about Madara Uchiha.

They're all old foxes.

Still, I can't underestimate Filial Son either.

On the way home, Naruto listened carefully to the sounds around him.

Sure enough, among the villagers, people had already begun inciting hatred toward the Uchiha Clan.

Filial Son still doesn't know that his body is about to give out.

He's not as devoted to Konoha as he claims. Otherwise, when he left, he wouldn't have said he would leak village information to protect Uchiha Sasuke.

Right now, he was probably thinking that with only him and Uchiha Sasuke left in the Uchiha Clan, one inside and one outside...

After the massacre, he would join the rogue ninja organization, Akatsuki.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Sasuke would remain in Konoha, the strongest ninja village.

He didn't know what Obito's plan was, but it definitely wouldn't be resolved so easily.

So he chose to hedge his bets. No matter what happened, at least one of them would survive, and the Uchiha Clan would not truly be exterminated.

It was only after discovering his physical condition that he had no choice but to change course and place all his bets on Uchiha Sasuke.

Before long, Naruto arrived at Tenten's home.

Her parents made him feel close to them at first sight.

They were very welcoming, and the atmosphere of their household felt familiar.

It felt like home.

Furthermore, the more Tenten's mother looked at Naruto, the more she liked him.

Naruto turned and looked toward the Uchiha district.

So, Uchiha Sasuke is the only normal one in the Uchiha Clan.

Still, I should thank Filial Son and Obito. Without them, for my eyes to evolve into the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, or even the Rinnegan in the future, I would need the Uchiha Clan's contribution.

I can work on the Rasenshuriken and Sage Mode during summer vacation.

"What are you muttering about?"

Tenten tilted her little head and asked.

Just as Naruto was about to casually brush it off, Tenten's mother's voice came from the kitchen.

"Naruto, hurry in and teach Auntie how to make Sweet and Sour Pork~"

Naruto smiled faintly. "Coming!"