Aftermath, Suspicion, and the Root in the Dark

Uchiha Sasuke's heart-rending cry served as the final note, drawing a period to the night of the Uchiha clan's annihilation.

High upon the hill, within the barrier, the surviving Uchiha clansmen heard that wail, and their stifled sobs instantly transformed into uncontrollable mourning. They had lost their kin and their home; now, it seemed the future of the clan was reduced to nothing more than a traumatized child.

Uchiha Izumi pressed her hands tightly over her mouth, tears sliding down silently as her shoulders shook violently. She grieved not only for the fallen clansmen but felt a deeper heartache for Uchiha Itachi, who had shouldered everything alone, his hands stained with the blood of his own flesh and blood.

Ling stood quietly at the edge of the barrier, watching the Uchiha compound below, which had fallen into a deathly silence amidst the flickering flames. His expression was complex. He had altered a fragment of history and saved these people, but he could not erase all the pain brought about by this tragedy.

"My Lord Ling," Haku walked softly to his side, handing him a waterskin with a look of concern. "Are you alright?"

Ling took the waterskin and drank, the icy liquid refreshing his exhausted spirit. "I am fine. Count the survivors and calm everyone down. We cannot afford any slack before dawn."

"Understood." Haku nodded obediently and turned to continue his tasks.

On the other side, Zabuza leaned against a tree trunk, wiping his Decapitator Blade, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible gravity. "Tch, I didn't expect the stench of blood within the Uchiha to be this thick. That youngster named Itachi is a ruthless character."

Kimimaro remained silent, guarding Ling's side like the most loyal and unyielding rock.

The time just before dawn was the darkest hour. Ling sensed a familiar chakra fluctuation from outside the barrier—it was Uchiha Itachi.

He signaled for everyone to remain quiet and stepped out of the barrier alone.

Itachi stood in the faint light of dawn, his Anbu attire stained with dried, blackened blood. His entire being radiated a profound, impenetrable silence and exhaustion. His face was as pale as paper, and only those Mangekyo Sharingan remained bottomless, chillingly cold.

"It is over." Itachi's voice was hoarsely strained, as if every word carried traces of blood. "The Konoha high command will believe that radical elements of the Uchiha launched a coup and have been suppressed. The survivors will be declared missing or dead in the chaos."

He handed Ling a scroll. "This is your new hiding place near Tanzaku Town; it contains sufficient supplies and forged identification documents. Root will come to search soon; this place is no longer safe."

Ling took the scroll and nodded. "And Sasuke?"

"He hates me, and that is enough." Itachi interrupted him, his tone devoid of fluctuation. "He will gain power and walk the path I have set for him." He paused, his gaze truly falling upon Ling's face for the first time. "Remember your promise, Ling. Protect them well, and keep an eye on Sasuke."

"I will." Ling promised solemnly.

Itachi said nothing more; his figure transformed into a murder of crows, vanishing into the brightening sky. He then embarked on his path as a rogue ninja, joining the Dawn Wind to continue his watch from the shadows.

Ling returned to the barrier and immediately organized all the survivors. Guided by the Ice Mirror Passage created by Haku and the protection of Kimimaro and Zabuza, they left this place of sorrow quietly, heading toward their new sanctuary. The entire relocation was swift and covert, leaving no traces behind.

When the light of day fully broke and the ordinary villagers of Konoha awoke from their slumber, they only knew that a massive explosion had occurred at the Uchiha compound the previous night, followed by a complete lockdown by the Anbu.

Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was heavy enough to drip with moisture.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, looked at the final statement left behind by Uchiha Itachi and the preliminary findings of the Anbu. His face was ashen, as if he had aged ten years overnight. The report clearly stated: Uchiha Fugaku and his radical faction had initiated a coup and were suppressed by Uchiha Itachi and the Anbu; all core members of the coup were executed, and some clansmen had gone missing in the chaos.

"The Uchiha... alas." The Third sighed deeply, filled with a sense of powerlessness and grief. He vaguely realized that things were not so simple; Itachi's report had intentionally blurred the specific numbers and details of the "missing" personnel, and there were traces left at the scene that were difficult to explain, such as the thick fog that had appeared and vanished so briefly. But as things stood, for the sake of the village's stability, he had no choice but to accept this "official explanation."

However, someone did not accept it.

"Hiruzen!" The office door was shoved open violently. Shimura Danzo walked in, leaning on his cane with a gloomy expression, a cold light flickering in his single eye. "Why are there so many 'missing persons' in the Uchiha's destruction? The residual chakra traces at the scene are chaotic and certainly not the work of Itachi alone! Furthermore, where were Uchiha Ling and that Kaguya youngster of unknown origin last night? There must be something suspicious about this!"

Danzo's intuition told him he had missed something. The Uchiha's bloodline limit, those precious Sharingan—they should never have "gone missing" in such large numbers!

The Third lifted his eyelids and looked at him coldly. "Danzo, it is over. The Uchiha coup has been quelled; that is the result. As for Ling and that child, they were under surveillance and did not leave their residence last night. What evidence do you have to prove they are involved?"

He had deliberately protected Ling, partly out of lingering guilt toward the Uchiha and partly out of vigilance against Danzo's ambition.

"Surveillance?" Danzo sneered. "That level of surveillance is hardly reliable! Hiruzen, your weakness and indecision will eventually harm Konoha! I will investigate this matter myself!"

With that, he ignored the Third and turned to stride away. The sound of his cane striking the floor echoed through the silent corridor, filled with ominous intent.

Danzo returned to the Root base and immediately summoned his most capable subordinates.

"Increase the effort to search for clues regarding all the Uchiha 'missing persons'! Focus on monitoring Uchiha Ling and any suspicious individuals he comes into contact with! Furthermore, find out exactly what that mist was that appeared at the Uchiha compound last night!" Danzo's voice was bone-chilling and decisive. "The power of the Sharingan must not drift outside, and it certainly must not be controlled by unknown forces!"

"Yes!" A respectful response came from the shadows.

The surface of Konoha returned to calm, but beneath the water, the undercurrents caused by the Uchiha massacre—especially the suspicion and investigation directed at Uchiha Ling and his "Dawn Wind" organization—had only just begun.

Far beyond Konoha, in an abandoned shrine, a spatial vortex emerged. Obito's figure appeared, speaking to the empty darkness:

"Notify Zetsu to focus on a youth who may have mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and has ties to both the Nine-Tails and the Uchiha, as well as... the new forces that may be gathering around him."

The net in the shadows was being cast in silence.