After the Massacre

"I, Uchiha Fugaku, am a sinner of the Uchiha. I trusted you, Third Hokage, and Danzo..."

Uchiha Fugaku knelt amid the ruins of his family's ancestral home, covered in blood. His kunai had snapped, and blood still dripped from his left hand. Bodies lay all around him—clan members, Root operatives, and Anbu.

His Sharingan had evolved into the Mangekyo, but he hadn't used it. The moment he saw the several Sharingan embedded in Danzo's arm, he knew it wouldn't matter.

"Danzo, you don't deserve the Wood Release of the Senju or the Sharingan of my Uchiha clan..."

Fugaku lifted his head and looked toward the one-eyed old man hiding behind Root guards in the distance—

Shimura Danzo. One of his arms had been implanted with the cells of the First, Senju Hashirama, and several Sharingan had been embedded in it...

They were the Uchiha's Sharingan.

They had been gouged from the bodies of Uchiha clan members.

"Dead Demon Consuming Seal!" Fugaku formed hand seals with both hands and pressed them to the ground.

A colossal phantom of the Death God appeared behind him, pitch-black from head to toe, with a short blade clenched in its mouth. It reached out with both hands, pierced the void, and grabbed for Danzo.

"What?!" Danzo cried in alarm. He tried to retreat, but his body wouldn't move.

The Death God's phantom ignored distance and defenses. It seized Danzo and stripped him of the use of his hands and eyes.

"Argh!" Danzo screamed and fell to the ground.

All the Sharingan in his right arm had gone dark. Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo in his right eye had turned completely gray, but thanks to the Mangekyo's properties, a little of his vision remained. He hadn't gone completely blind.

"This is the Uzumaki Clan's Dead Demon Consuming Seal?!" Danzo struggled to form hand seals, but his hands wouldn't respond at all, as if they no longer belonged to him. "How could you know it?!"

"I have the Fourth Hokage to thank for that—the one you conspired against," Fugaku sneered. "His wife, Kushina, gave it to my wife as an engagement gift for her child and mine. But then..."

Blood welled from the corner of his mouth, and his voice grew weaker. "You have Sharingan, though I don't know if you can use Izanagi to revive yourself. So I sealed your hands and eyes, leaving you unable to use your Sharingan or any ninjutsu. Danzo, live out the rest of your days with those useless hands and blind eyes."

When he finished speaking, Fugaku's body began to break apart, dissolving into specks of light that scattered into the air. The Death God's phantom gradually faded away, too.

Danzo lay sprawled on the ground, feeling his hands' total lack of response and the endless darkness in his left eye. His face twisted with rage.

"Uchiha Fugaku!"

But his roar changed nothing.

Rain began to fall from the sky.

First a drop or two, then more and more, until the rain poured down in torrents, as if the heavens themselves were weeping for the Uchiha clan. The rain washed over the blood covering the ground, gathering into red streams that flowed into the roadside gutters.

Uchiha Itachi stood in the rain, drenched to the skin.

He was looking for Mikoto and Sasuke.

His mother and younger brother.

He searched one place after another, pushing open door after door, but they were nowhere to be found.

There were only bodies, everywhere—some he knew, some he didn't; old people and children, men and women; some he had killed, others Root had killed...

Every one of them lay in a pool of blood with their eyes closed.

"Mother... Sasuke..." Itachi called softly, his voice hoarse.

No one answered.

Only the sound of rain.

A loud crash rang out in the distance, followed by a violent explosion.

The shock wave from an Explosive Tag swept toward him. Itachi couldn't dodge in time. He was flung away, slammed into a wall, and spat out blood.

The crashes didn't stop. Another blast hit Itachi, sending him flying again.

"Itachi!" An Anbu rushed over. "You're injured! You need to go to Konoha Hospital!"

"I'm fine. I still have to find..."

"Forget looking! There are more people setting off explosives over there. Do you have a death wish?" The Anbu grabbed him under the arm and dragged him away.

Itachi tried to resist, but his body had no strength left. Between the blood loss and the force of the explosions, his consciousness began to fade.

"Sasuke... Mother..." he murmured as the Anbu led him away from the Uchiha Clan Compound.

At Konoha Hospital, Itachi was taken to a ward. Several medical ninja hurried to treat his injuries.

"Penetrating wound to the abdomen, three broken ribs, fracture in the left arm..." one of the medical ninja reported as they examined him.

"Prepare for surgery!"

"Notify Lord Hokage!"

Itachi lay on the hospital bed, his eyes half-open and his consciousness slipping away. Still, he kept murmuring, "Sasuke... Mother..."

No one answered him.

At the same time, at Root Base, several Root members carried Danzo back to the underground base and laid him on an operating table.

"Lord Danzo, your injuries..." After examining him, the Root medic turned deathly pale. "The nerves in both hands are completely dead, and the optic nerves in both eyes are damaged. There's no way to treat them."

"I know." Danzo's face darkened. "That was the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, the ultimate forbidden technique. Whatever it seals is trapped inside the Death God's stomach along with its soul, forever beyond release."

"Then... is there any way to undo it?"

"Undo it?" Danzo gave a cold laugh. "The caster's soul has to cooperate for it to be undone. The caster is dead. How could it be undone?"

Silence filled the room.

Danzo lay on the bed, feeling the endless darkness before his left eye and the extremely blurry vision in his right. A sinister expression crept across his face.

"Uchiha Fugaku... you're ruthless..."

He closed his eyes and said no more.

The Root members exchanged glances, unsure what to do.

Outside, the rain fell harder and harder.

The Uchiha Clan Compound.

No—it could no longer be called the clan compound.

Hundreds of Explosive Tags had gone off in the chain reaction, blasting crater after crater into the ground. The two largest were at the heart of the Uchiha Clan Compound and at the Security Force headquarters. After a whole night of explosions, both places had become enormous craters.

Their walls were steep, and their bottoms were full of blasted soil, flesh, and pieces of buildings, all mixed together until it was impossible to tell one thing from another.

The rain poured down, pooling in the two craters. The soil at the bottom soaked up the rain and gradually softened. The explosions had broken through the underground water system, and groundwater began seeping up from below, mixing with the rain.

The two craters were gradually turning into lakes.

As if that weren't enough, an underground passage had run between the Security Force headquarters and the Uchiha Clan Compound. The explosion had collapsed it, leaving a deep trench.

Rainwater flooded into the trench, joining the two lakes.

Anbu members stood at the edge of the craters, soaked through by the downpour. They stared at the murky water below, unsure what to do.

"Clear the battlefield? How are we supposed to do that?" one Anbu said with a bitter smile. "The people and the soil are all mixed together. We can't tell one from the other."

"Lord Hokage's orders are to clear it," another Anbu replied. "Find whatever you can."

"Find what? Uchiha belongings? Or their bodies?"

They looked at each other and fell silent.

In the end, they climbed down into the craters and began feeling around in the muddy water. But all they could find were scraps of cloth, broken ninja tools, and charred pieces of wood.

As for bodies?

Not one was intact.

Everyone had been blown to pieces by the Explosive Tags. Not even bone fragments remained.

An Anbu pulled a charred kunai out of the mud. A little flesh still clung to it. He glanced at it and dropped it into a collection bag.

"This is what clearing the battlefield means," he said self-mockingly. "Collecting this garbage and taking it back to report."

Another Anbu felt around in the mud and found a Forehead Protector. Its engraving had been blurred by the explosion, but they could still recognize Konoha's symbol.

He put the Forehead Protector in a bag and continued searching.

The rain grew heavier and heavier, and the water in the two craters kept rising. In a few more hours, they would probably become lakes completely. By then, every trace would be submerged.

Hokage Building.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his office, several Anbu standing before him.

"Report."

"Lord Hokage, the Uchiha Clan Compound and the Security Force headquarters have been completely destroyed. Both sites are now craters. We're clearing the battlefield, but the Explosive Tags detonated with such force, and the rain is so heavy, that very little can be found."

"How many survivors?"

The Anbu fell silent for a few seconds before speaking. "So far, we haven't found any other survivors. Most of the Uchiha clan members were blown to pieces in the explosions. Some bodies from earlier were also caught in the blasts and completely destroyed. Our preliminary count is that of the Uchiha clan... except for Uchiha Itachi, probably... probably everyone is dead..."

"What about Uchiha Itachi?"

"He's injured and in the hospital, but his life isn't in danger."

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"What about Danzo?"

"Lord Danzo was injured and taken back to the base by Root for treatment. Before he died, Uchiha Fugaku used a forbidden technique to seal Lord Danzo's hands and eyes."

"What forbidden technique?!"

"Dead Demon Consuming Seal. It seals its target at the cost of the caster's life. The caster is dead, so the seal can't be undone."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face turned ashen.

He was silent for a long time, then said, "Go and bring Danzo here. Also, summon Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura for a meeting."

"Yes."

Half an hour later, Danzo was carried into the conference room.

His hands had turned a dead gray and hung limp against his chest. His left eye was covered with gauze, and his face was frighteningly pale. His right eye was mostly gray as well, but at least he could still make out a little. He wasn't completely blind.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were already seated. Neither of them looked pleased.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at the head of the table, smoking his pipe as he watched Danzo.

"Danzo, your hands and eyes..."

"They were sealed by Uchiha Fugaku," Danzo said coldly. "Dead Demon Consuming Seal. It can't be undone."

Silence fell over the room for a few seconds.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and slowly exhaled. "Now we need to discuss the aftermath. The whole village heard what Uchiha Setsuna said. Konoha is in an uproar."

"It was all nonsense," Danzo said.

"But people will believe it," Utatane Koharu interjected. "We've received inquiries from many clans, all asking about this. The Hyuga in particular—their clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, came to ask me in person what Uchiha Setsuna meant when he said, 'The Hyuga are next.'"

"And the Ino-Shika-Cho clans," Mitokado Homura said. "Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, and Nara Shikaku jointly submitted a petition, demanding an explanation from Lord Hokage."

"An explanation?" Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a bitter smile. "What explanation can I give?"

"Tell them what you said before: the Uchiha clan staged a coup at the instigation of a spy, the coup failed, and they all committed suicide," Danzo said.

"That might have worked before what happened with Uchiha Setsuna, but now..." Sarutobi Hiruzen retorted. "Do you think anyone will believe it? A failed coup followed by mass suicide? Then what about Uchiha Setsuna? What about the explosions? What did he mean when he said we'd 'joined outsiders to wipe out the clan'?"

Danzo said nothing.

"Then there's the Nine-Tails Incident," Utatane Koharu said. "Uchiha Setsuna said we conspired against the Fourth Hokage. I won't shoulder that accusation. Whoever among you two did it can figure out how to handle it."

"That old man is dead. There's no one left to dispute it," Danzo said.

"But it's now common knowledge that Uzumaki Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's son. Uchiha Setsuna said we abused him, and now a lot of villagers are talking about it. My subordinates just reported hearing people say, 'No wonder that demon fox brat drinks expired milk every day and wears ragged clothes.'"

The atmosphere in the room grew heavier and heavier.

"Then there's the Senju Clan," Mitokado Homura said. "Uchiha Setsuna said we wiped out the Senju, and we need to explain that, too."

"The Senju gradually dwindled as a clan. They weren't wiped out," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.

"But that old man sounded convincing, and people believe him."

"Who believes him?"

"The Hyuga," Mitokado Homura replied. "Hyuga Hiashi just had a Main Family elder casually sound me out about what happened to the Senju Clan. He said the Hyuga have no ambitions and only want to live in peace."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened further.

He turned to Danzo. "Danzo, this is all your doing."

"Me?" Danzo sneered. "Hiruzen, you approved the order to wipe out the clan."

"But I didn't tell you to make such a mess of it! The signal flares went up, Uchiha Setsuna made his speech, and now the whole village knows!"

"Then why didn't you make up your mind sooner? If we'd wiped them out three years ago, would any of this have happened?"

"Three years ago? The Uchiha hadn't shown any signs of a coup yet. How could I have wiped them out?"

"So now that there's a problem, it's my fault?"

"If it's not your fault, whose is it? Your Root couldn't even keep watch on one old man!"

"What about your Anbu? Aren't they supposed to guard the perimeter? How did you let Uchiha Setsuna keep talking for so long?"

The two argued without end. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance but didn't interrupt. They had seen this sort of argument many times. Whenever something went wrong, this was what happened.

The Hokage blamed Danzo, and Danzo blamed the Hokage. Neither was willing to take responsibility.

"Enough!" Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his hand on the table. "This isn't the time to shirk responsibility! I want solutions!"

"You're the Hokage. You tell us how to solve it," Danzo said.

"First, we'll suppress the news. As for last night, we'll say the Uchiha clan's coup failed and they all committed suicide. Uchiha Itachi disagreed with the Uchiha leadership, was affected by the clan's Sharingan, lost control, and killed his fellow clan members."

"Will anyone believe that?" Danzo asked again.

"It doesn't matter whether they believe it. What matters is the official story," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "As long as the official line holds, people will accept it eventually."

"What about the things Uchiha Setsuna said?"

"We'll say he was senile and talking nonsense."

"What about the Nine-Tails Incident?"

"We've confirmed that someone from the Uchiha clan was behind it. Uchiha Setsuna had rebellious intentions for a long time, so he secretly controlled the Nine-Tails and sent it to attack Konoha. The Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails. That's the truth."

"What about the abuse of Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Pure rumor," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "Although Naruto... lives in somewhat shabby conditions, we haven't abused him. We kept his identity secret to protect him, so the enemies of Namikaze Minato wouldn't secretly come after him."

"How will you explain things to the Hyuga and the other clans?"

"I'll speak with them personally." Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples. "I'll reassure them and tell them not to spread rumors."

"What about the Senju Clan?"

"We'll say the Senju voluntarily dissolved their clan and merged into Konoha. As for the Second Hokage's death, he died in battle. It wasn't some kind of plot."

Danzo was silent for a while before asking, "What about the Uchiha clan's things? Their dojutsu, scrolls, forbidden techniques..."

"Most of it was destroyed," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "Uchiha Setsuna blew himself up and destroyed the Uchiha's secret archive. Root already collected what was left, didn't it?"

"We collected it, but there wasn't much," Danzo said. "A lot of important things are gone."

"Then let them be gone." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "The Uchiha massacre has already given us enough to worry about. Let's consider those things buried with them."

"There's one more thing," Mitokado Homura said. "What should we do about Uchiha Itachi?"

"Leave him to Root," Danzo said. "I can definitely train him into a capable ninja."

"No," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a frown. "I have other assignments for Uchiha Itachi."

"Do you trust him?" Utatane Koharu asked.

"No," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "But for now, he's the only one suited to this mission. There shouldn't be any problems for the time being."

The room fell silent again. Sarutobi Hiruzen smoked his pipe and gazed out at the rain, which was falling harder and harder, as if the sky were about to collapse.

"There's one more thing," he suddenly said. "Send people to search for Uchiha Sasuke in secret!"

"Uchiha Sasuke?" Danzo said. "Didn't Uchiha Itachi say he wanted to teach his younger brother a lesson himself? Why are we looking for him?"

"Uchiha Sasuke has disappeared. He and Uchiha Mikoto vanished after she picked him up from the Ninja Academy yesterday evening," Sarutobi Hiruzen told Danzo, relaying what Anbu had uncovered. "I suspect Uchiha Mikoto discovered something and took Uchiha Sasuke into hiding. But the guards at the village gates didn't see them leave, so they should still be in Konoha."

"Fine. I'll send people to look for them in secret," Danzo said with a cold snort.

"All right, that's enough for now." Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up. "Go take care of what we just discussed. I'll call an emergency meeting of the jonin shortly. Remember, keep your people in line and don't let any information leak. Especially you, Danzo. Keep Root in check for the time being."

"My affairs are none of your concern." Danzo stood up and was helped toward the door by Root members.

At the doorway, he suddenly turned back. "Hiruzen, you're responsible for what happened this time, too. Don't think you can put all the blame on me."

With that, he turned and left.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, watching Danzo's retreating figure with a complicated look in his eyes.

"I know," he said quietly. "That's why I let you live."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura also stood up, preparing to leave.

"Koharu," Sarutobi Hiruzen called to her. "Tell me... were we really wrong?"

Utatane Koharu was silent for a while before she spoke. "Hiruzen, what we did wasn't a matter of right or wrong. It was necessary."

"Necessary..." Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a bitter smile. "The Uchiha also thought a coup was necessary. So how are we any different from them?"

Utatane Koharu didn't answer. She turned and left.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was the only one left in the room. He stood by the window, watching the rain outside as the ember in his pipe flickered.

"Someone, send word. There'll be a jonin meeting in an hour. All jonin must attend. Also, tell Uchiha Itachi to come see me at once..."