The Uchiha Clan's Destruction

When he stepped into the classroom, the usual noise and bustle were absent.

Many seemed to be aware of the news, yet Naruto, that silly and carefree boy, appeared completely oblivious to it.

Ning Xue sat in the corner, appearing indifferent, though in reality, he felt a deep sense of sympathy for Sasuke.

People often called Sasuke arrogant or cold, but if one were to put themselves in his shoes—to have one's entire clan wiped out in a single day, to have everything one held dear vanish, and to know it was the work of one's own kin—it would be a miracle not to go insane.

And all of this, it seemed, had been tacitly approved by the higher-ups.

How could that be? A massacre on such a scale. Could the leadership truly have known nothing about it?

In the end, it was simply that the higher-ups feared the Uchiha.

Allowing Itachi and the Masked Man to carry out the extermination together was merely taking advantage of the situation.

Those Uchiha clansmen had done nothing wrong; they were targeted solely out of fear, to prevent the village from falling into civil war.

Yet, there were clearly better ways to handle the situation. They were nothing more than tools discarded for the sake of the so-called interests of the village.

His fingers tightened around his pen as he contemplated the terrifying nature of this brainwashing known as the Will of Fire.

He realized that the roots of the Konoha leadership might already be rotten.

Immediately, his thoughts turned to his father.

"Heh, it's all the same, isn't it? In the eyes of these higher-ups, anyone can be a tool for the sake of the 'greater good.' It's laughable; they're nothing but a bunch of cowards, using the village's interests as a shield. It's truly ridiculous."

Ning Xue's inner voice was filled with mockery and self-derision.

Just then, Sasuke walked into the classroom.

He had become even colder and more withdrawn than Ning Xue, his eyes burning with a near-pure fire of hatred. He radiated a "keep away" aura, and the coldness and pride he usually displayed had vanished entirely.

"Hey, did you hear? The Uchiha clan... they're all dead!"

"Only Sasuke-kun is left..."

"It was Itachi... his own brother did it! It's terrifying!"

"Overnight... how could this happen..."

The whispers were like the buzzing of mosquitoes, yet they reached Ning Xue's ears with perfect clarity. He sat in his seat, not stealing glances at Sasuke like the others.

For some reason, this feeling made him think, Well... I feel a bit like an old veteran.

These words fell upon Sasuke, making his already icy demeanor feel almost tangible.

Every sentence only deepened his hatred for that man.

Iruka entered the classroom, his expression heavy and sorrowful as never before.

He opened his mouth, wanting to offer some words of comfort, but looking at Sasuke's silhouette—as if he had sealed himself off in another world—all words seemed pale and powerless. In the end, he simply began the lesson in a hoarse voice, though it was clear that few were listening.

During the break, the atmosphere grew even more bizarre.

Sakura and Ino nudged each other, their faces filled with worry and confusion. They wanted to go up and comfort Sasuke, but were repelled by that icy, unapproachable aura, leaving them to watch from afar.

Naruto's perspective, however, was somewhat unique. Initially, he felt sympathy for Sasuke.

But then he thought, it seemed Sasuke was just like him—no parents, no friends, all alone.

So, out of a sense of kinship, he wanted to be friends with Sasuke.

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he awkwardly shuffled step by step toward Sasuke's desk.

"Hey... Sasuke..." Naruto's voice was much lower than usual, tinged with caution. "Are... are you okay?"

Sasuke didn't react; he didn't even lift his head, as if Naruto didn't exist.

Naruto grew anxious and took another step closer. "Look... I... I know you're sad... because, because I also..."

He had wanted to say that he was also alone, and perhaps they could... perhaps they could understand each other?

However, before he could finish his sentence:

"Get lost."

Sasuke snapped his head up. The cold indifference usually found in those black eyes was gone.

There was only the gaze of someone blinded by hatred and infinite rage. He unleashed the pain within him upon Naruto.

"You dead-last... what do you know?!" Sasuke's voice was hoarse and sharp, laced with malice.

"Stay away from me! I don't need anyone's sympathy! Especially not yours!"

Sasuke did not want to be pitied by Naruto; this was a matter of his pride.

He believed that Naruto was not as strong as he was, and he had no need for the sympathy of the weak.

Furthermore, he believed Naruto could not possibly understand him.

Naruto had no parents, no family, no friends—what right did he have to understand his pain? It was impossible for him to understand!

Naruto recoiled, startled by this sudden, violent reaction. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He had thought he had found a companion, but reality had dealt him a painful blow. In the end, he said nothing, simply lowering his head and walking away in silence.

The rest of the class watched it all unfold, but no one said a word.

They simply looked at the two of them with various strange expressions.

Ning Xue took all of this in, sighing inwardly at Naruto's naivety.

How could an orphan who had never known love possibly understand the plight of an orphan who had grown up in a loving family only to lose everything overnight?

He sympathized with Sasuke because he understood the feeling of losing one's family in a single night.

But for those who failed to recognize reality, reality would eventually deal them a painful slap.

Having witnessed the tragedy of the Uchiha, his inner need for power had become even more urgent; he needed this strength to protect those he cared about.

Uchiha... he murmured to himself, as if in lament.

Meanwhile, in a nameless village near the border of the Land of Fire, a butterfly fluttered by, eventually landing on a strange man.

His complexion was deathly pale, as if he had not seen the light of day for a long time. He wore his long, smooth, jet-black hair loose over his shoulders and was dressed in a peculiar white kimono tied with a purple rope. His eyes were particularly striking, as sharp and piercing as a snake's.

He stood in the village, gazing into the distance toward the direction of Konoha.

"Shimura Danzo... what an old man who loves to stir up trouble. It's been a year, heh..."

"We were colleagues once, but to think you'd finish me off for the sake of your own shady business—that's truly unkind..."

"But this is merely a minor variable."

He had originally planned to establish the Hidden Sound Village in the Land of Fields as his base of operations and had recruited several promising prospects, such as the uniquely gifted Kidomaru and Toku.

However, a raid launched by Konoha's Root on a secret base near the Hidden Grass Village had completely disrupted his plans.

Those youths who were meant to become sound ninja, along with talented children like Kin Tsuchi, had either been captured or perished in the chaos. The survivors had lost all possibility of becoming ninja and were now under the strict surveillance of Konoha.

For Orochimaru, this was undoubtedly a significant setback.

Yet, he had no intention of giving up.

"The Konoha Crush Plan..." he muttered to himself, a cruel smile flashing in his golden, serpentine pupils. "It seems I need to enter the stage under a different identity. The Fourth Kazekage... heh, that's a truly excellent choice."