The Time That Flowed Away

Don't let the Third Hokage's reputation as a moderate or the two advisors' apparent attempts to play peacemaker fool you; in reality, the roles these three high-ranking officials played in the annihilation of the Uchiha Clan were no better than that of the cruel, hardline Shimura Danzo. They were all just a bunch of disreputable characters operating in the shadows.

Furthermore, this night of slaughter clearly deviated from the plot of the original story in his past life. While he couldn't be one hundred percent certain, Naruto believed it was highly probable that Uchiha Itachi had exposed some clues before he could strike, which were then discovered by the hardline members of the Uchiha who had already been planning a rebellion. A portion of the clan must have rioted when they realized they had no other way to communicate, otherwise, there was no way to explain the massive commotion that occurred last night.

Moreover, it had to be a partial riot for it to be suppressed so quickly.

Otherwise.

The subsequent developments would be equally inexplicable.

After all, the Hidden Leaf Village leadership had openly announced the annihilation of the Uchiha Clan, stating that only the rogue ninja Uchiha Itachi and the survivor Sasuke Uchiha remained. This much could be believed; in other words, the result of the Uchiha Clan's destruction was the same as in the original story, making it easy to deduce the aforementioned conclusion.

After all, one had to remember that the Uchiha Clan was the number one clan in the ninja world.

If it hadn't been a partial riot.

If it had been a full-scale rebellion in the true sense of the word.

Regardless of whether it could be suppressed, even if it were possible, it would never have been that easy. Heaven knows how many jonin were in the Uchiha Clan? How many chunin? Coupled with the blessing of the Sharingan—known as the number one ocular technique in the ninja world—even if the Hidden Leaf Village could have wiped out all the Uchiha ninjas just like in the original story, the process would have been far more arduous, and the resulting chaos would have been far from the seemingly noisy yet actually quiet disturbance of yesterday.

Of course, these thoughts only circled through Naruto's mind for a moment.

Naruto wouldn't pay them any extra attention.

He didn't have the time or the inclination to care.

Or perhaps it should be said.

The current Naruto didn't have the capital or the qualifications to care.

Living his own life as usual was what mattered most.

Even though such an event had occurred the night before, the Ninja Academy still held classes as usual.

However, when Naruto arrived at school.

Unsurprisingly, he did not see Sasuke Uchiha.

Naruto could even guess that for the foreseeable future, this orphan of the Uchiha would not be appearing at the Ninja Academy. It wasn't just because of the shock of the massacre; if Naruto remembered correctly, last night should have been the first time Uchiha Itachi used Tsukuyomi on Sasuke. This was arguably the ceiling of genjutsu in the original story, and for a long time at that. Even if Uchiha Itachi had slightly restrained its power, Sasuke was still just a child the same age as Naruto. Especially after witnessing his entire clan being slaughtered and watching his most beloved brother kill their parents with his own hands, the impact of Tsukuyomi was devastating.

Combined.

The trauma on a mental level.

Was not something that could be healed in a short time.

Even with the special care of the Third Hokage.

Allowing Sasuke to enjoy the best medical conditions.

Such mental trauma.

Could not rely solely on treatment; it required time to heal.

And it did not exceed Naruto's expectations.

Counting from the night of the massacre.

A full month passed.

Only then did Naruto see Sasuke in class again.

And this time, the Sasuke who returned to the Ninja Academy was wrapped in an aura of coldness. It wasn't the feigned coolness of the past, but a genuine, bone-chilling sensation as if he had fallen into darkness.

It was also the moment he saw Sasuke.

Naruto's heart twitched slightly.

Because Naruto understood that the Sasuke Uchiha before him was no longer the child who seemed cold but was actually just simple, arrogant, and a bit of a brat.

He had become an avenger whose eyes held only the color of blood.

That day.

The group of girls who had always pestered Sasuke.

Also became uncharacteristically quiet.

After all, although they were infatuated.

They were not stupid.

With the Uchiha Clan having just been wiped out.

If they still tried to cozy up to him.

That would truly be a display of low intelligence.

"What a pitiful guy..."

Watching the expressionless Sasuke, whose eyes remained somewhat dull and vacant.

Naruto shook his head gently in private.

In a sense.

Sasuke and Naruto had many similarities.

"Perhaps this guy could become an important asset to my plans in the future..."

Naruto looked at the side profile of the person sitting there. Scenes from the original story—Sasuke Uchiha's defection and his subsequent actions after learning the truth about Uchiha Itachi and the night of the clan's massacre—couldn't help but surface in his mind. Naruto couldn't help but think this to himself.

To be fair.

In this world.

There was no clan more naive than the Uchiha.

Moreover, this naivety had been a tradition since ancient times.

This included the Sage of Six Paths' eldest son from the oldest era—Otsutsuki Hagoromo's son, Indra—as well as those who came after, like the formidable Madara, Obito during the Third Great Ninja War, and now Sasuke Uchiha. They were practically legendary figures who could be easily swayed by anyone. Even those who seemed rational and possessed their own subjective views, like Itachi and Shisui, were, in Naruto's eyes, synonymous with a certain kind of foolishness.

Of course, this was a highly personal and subjective opinion.

But looking at these Uchiha.

Naruto truly felt that these people were just too easy to manipulate.

Especially Sasuke.

Looking back at the entire Naruto World original story, Sasuke never truly had his own subjective consciousness or perspective. Early on, he was swayed by his dearest brother, Itachi; later, he was swayed by Obito; and in the final wave, although Orochimaru claimed he wanted to see how the wind named Sasuke Uchiha would blow, in reality? Wasn't he still being swayed just the same?

Therefore, in summary.

Sasuke could be manipulated!

Not to mention.

Naruto held a massive bargaining chip in his hands—the truth about the Uchiha Clan's massacre!

He wouldn't say it was a hundred percent certain.

But Naruto was quite confident.

He could use this in the future to persuade Sasuke to become his asset!

Naruto thought to himself in secret.

Of course, at this stage, this was ultimately just a temporary plan. When to say it, how to say it, how to make Sasuke believe him, and various other pros and cons were all things Naruto had to consider clearly one by one.

A future plan.

Had already begun to take shape in Naruto's mind. In this world, Naruto was destined to walk a different, glorious path of a ninja that belonged solely to him.

"The future, huh..."

Gazing at the bustling scenery outside the window, a faint golden halo flickered within Naruto's blue pupils.

What needed to be done for now was to continuously strengthen himself.

Only then.

Would his future self.

Be qualified to stir the great chessboard of the ninja world.

And it was under such circumstances.

Five years of time flew by in the blink of an eye.