The Depopulated Uchiha Clan

"Rustle, rustle..."

As the gates of the Ninja Academy opened, countless children rushed out into the light rain.

"Hey, Yoshiki, over here!"

Beneath the shade of a tree, a gentle-looking mother held up an umbrella.

When she saw the children running out of the school, her face brightened. She waved at one of them and said softly.

Hearing her voice, the child named Yoshiki immediately lit up and ran toward her through the dense drizzle.

"Let's go, Yoshiki. Mom specially made your favorite feast today..."

"Yeah, a feast!"

At that moment, similar scenes played out all around the school gates.

"Sakura, Mom specially made the purple flower cakes you like today."

"That's great! I'm so happy!"

"This is a reward for our Sakura being such a good girl at school. Let's go."

Amid their sweet conversation, pink-haired Sakura slowly left hand in hand with her gentle mother.

Meanwhile, nearby.

"Shikamaru, let's go too."

"Dad, didn't I say I could go home by myself...? Why go through all this trouble and make a special trip...?"

"Hehe, it's fine... Your mom made the deer antler cakes you like at home. I happened to want a taste too!"

"Hey, Dad, you're only getting some because of me."

Shikamaru slowly walked away with a tall, unshaven man.

Though the young boy occasionally cast helpless glances at his father beside him, the happiness in his eyes could not be hidden.

Beneath the gloomy curtain of rain, the area before the Ninja Academy gates bustled with people.

Yet once they had picked up their children, they gradually left, leaving behind a muddy, murky ground that looked utterly disheveled.

The drizzle continued to fall softly, yet at the now-empty school gates, two small figures still stood quietly there.

One had black hair, with his bangs slightly