The Contents of the Note

Sasuke returned to his residence and held back his impatience. As usual, he ate, meditated, and exercised on schedule.

When night fell, Sasuke climbed onto the roof, as he had grown accustomed to doing. Stars dotted the sky, glittering in the darkness like countless diamonds embedded in a deep blue canopy.

He sat there alone, gazing quietly at them, his thoughts—perhaps his memories—drifting elsewhere.

Time passed silently. When the scattered lights along the street began to go out, Sasuke finally came back to himself, stopped daydreaming, and prepared to go inside and sleep.

He picked a book at random from the shelf, then burrowed under the covers, hiding his whole body beneath them. After turning over, he leaned forward and switched on his flashlight to illuminate the book.

Then he took out the note Yi Xiang had secretly slipped him. When he unfolded it, Sasuke was surprised to find both sides densely covered in writing.

He turned it over and began reading carefully. On the sheet, which was about the size of an A6 page, it said:

"Sasuke, there's more to the Uchiha Clan Massacre than meets the eye."

The very first sentence made Sasuke's pupils contract. His breathing grew heavy, and his mind raced with possibilities as he continued reading.

"Because the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village had grown ever more intense, reaching the point where it could no longer be reconciled, the Uchiha Clan planned to stage a coup and take control of Konoha to change things.

You already know how it ended. The Uchiha were wiped out by Itachi—your older brother.

At the time, Itachi was in the Anbu. Your father, Uchiha Fugaku, the Uchiha Clan's leader, had sent him as a spy, but no one expected Itachi to tell the Konoha High Command everything. They then tasked him with monitoring the Uchiha, making him a double agent.

Perhaps because he had experienced the Third Shinobi World War and witnessed too many ninja die bloody deaths, he saw human lives being cut down like grass. That was why he hated war and loved peace. He understood all too well that if the Uchiha staged a coup, it would spark a civil war in Konoha. Countless ninja and civilians might die before it ended, and the enemy nations could seize the opportunity to attack Konoha.

In my view, there was a better solution at the time: the Uchiha could have left Konoha. Itachi and the clan leader had both awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, the next stage in the evolution of the Three-Tomoe. Their strength had reached Kage Level, so they could easily have established a village of their own.

Unfortunately, most of the Uchiha were complete idiots!!!"

There were many scribbles over the word "idiots," but a letter B was still faintly visible. Clearly, the person who had written the note hadn't been in a very good mood.

Sasuke's disbelief and sorrow abruptly stalled. He paused for a few seconds, then continued reading.

"Your father and mother might not have agreed with Itachi's actions, but they chose to accept them. If the clan leader had been willing to resist, the aftershocks of their battle would have been an enormous disaster for Konoha.

In the end, the main culprit behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre was an evil man named Shimura Danzō. He was part of the Konoha High Command and led Root.

On the surface, he suppressed the Uchiha Clan for Konoha's sake. In reality, he coveted our Sharingan. Everything he did was for his own benefit. He even conspired with Orochimaru, one of the Konoha Sannin, transplanted the cells of Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, and implanted the Sharingan of dead clan members in his right eye and right arm. He had eleven Sharingan in all. The Uchiha coup was also brought about by his constant suppression of the clan. He was the one who forced Itachi to carry out the massacre.

The Third Hokage advocated peace talks, but Danzō had been his classmate, and there were certain things best kept in the dark that required Danzō's help. So the Third Hokage let him get away with a great deal, even turning a blind eye to his actions.

It all happened so suddenly. Danzō exploited Itachi's love for Konoha, for peace, and for you to force him into making that choice.

In the end, the Third Hokage promised Itachi he would take care of you. Then Itachi pretended to defect from Konoha, when in reality he infiltrated an organization called the 'Akatsuki' as a spy.

As for how I know so much, I was supposed to die on the night of the massacre. But by some miracle, I came back to life and awakened a Divine Art.

'Divine Art' is just what I call it. I gained the ability to know everything about the past and predict the next ten years, and I can draw on that knowledge to obtain powerful strength for a short time. That's why I train by sensing nature: the information is simply too vast and chaotic.

I have no reason to deceive you. We're still too weak right now. Once we're strong enough, you can ask Itachi for the full story, and we can join forces to deal with Danzō.

Also, don't pursue strength blindly. Think carefully about what you want to use your power for. The Uchiha Clan usually grew stronger through our Kekkei Genkai—that is, by evolving the Sharingan. But growing stronger this way comes with serious side effects.

When an Uchiha loses someone they love, or suffers over a personal failure, special chakra wells up in their brain and acts on the optic nerves, changing their eyes. The Sharingan is said to be the eye that reflects the heart. It grows in step with the power of the spirit and can make a person stronger at an astonishing rate. But along with the power of hatred in their hearts, most Uchiha are sensitive by nature, and those who awaken powerful emotions are almost always swallowed by darkness and led down an evil path. The deeper the darkness, the stronger their ocular powers become.

That's why most powerful Uchiha have something seriously wrong with them. In my opinion, they become extreme, foolish, and utterly cold, looking down on life!

As for me, I gained strength so I wouldn't be bullied and so I could protect the people I care about—including you. Of course, if someone wrongs me, I'll do everything I can to get revenge, but I won't hurt unrelated or innocent people. Life goes on, and there are more like-minded friends and bonds for us to find.

Over the past few weeks together, I've sensed your loneliness, the extreme anger and darkness in your heart, and your reckless pursuit of power. But the kindness you once had hasn't disappeared. I understand that you're simply missing someone who can guide you down the right path.

Itachi wanted you to grow stronger quickly, so he took responsibility for everything and made you hate him, using your desire for revenge as a spur to drive you forward.

But I think he was wrong again. This will only turn you into a cold, heartless machine bent on revenge. If you have no bonds to hold on to as you grow, your entire life will be destroyed by hatred. He should have respected you and faced you honestly, telling you that only by continually growing stronger would you earn the right to know the truth.

You'll have to wait until you're at least Jonin-level before I can tell you more secrets and truths. Otherwise, the future might stray too far from its original course and bring about a terrible disaster.

Also, until you're strong enough to protect yourself, keep this secret locked away in your heart. Don't rush. Danzō will die a painful death.

That's the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Don't let the power of hatred consume you, Sasuke.

Burn this after reading."

"Drip, drip..."

Two hot tears slid down his cheeks and fell onto the white paper. Sasuke buried his face in his hands and sobbed, the sound echoing through the silent room as if he were pouring out all his sorrow.

Taking into account the things he remembered about the Uchiha Clan before the massacre, Sasuke already believed the note about eighty or ninety percent.

"Ni-chan, is this... why you did it? Was Konoha really worth all you gave up for it in secret?!"

Holding back emotions he couldn't tell were sorrow or joy, Sasuke hurried out of bed to look for the lighter he'd thrown somewhere.

He found it in the cupboard and quickly set the note alight.

The flames burned, vivid and scorching. In their glow, a solemn look appeared on Sasuke's face in the darkness. His gaze gradually deepened, revealing an indescribable resolve.

Danzō...