Night of the Clan Massacre

"Are you all right?" Yuun crouched down and stroked Hinata Hyuga's head as she still stood there in a daze. "Whose child are you? I'll take you home."

"Mm, thank you," Hinata said softly.

"Heh, don't mention it." Though it was a little regrettable that he had not seen Hinata blush, Yuun did not mind. No matter what, they were clansmen, so it was only natural for them to feel close from the start. There was nothing strange about her not being shy. After all, shyness was an appealing trait; being shy around everyone would be a sickness.

"Why did you run out by yourself?" Holding Hinata's little hand, Yuun asked curiously. With the Hyuga Clan's protection of the Main House, there was no way Hinata would have no one guarding her. How could she have ended up getting bullied by a few bratty kids?

"Mm..." Seeing that Hinata had no intention of answering, Yuun did not press further. Everyone had their own secrets, and there was no need to ask too much unless necessary. Showing concern was enough. After all, Hinata would very likely become a member of the Main House in the future, while Yuun, although he had not been branded with the 'Caged Bird,' had yet to be acknowledged as part of the Main House. If anything happened in the future, he might need Hinata's help.

Each occupied with their own thoughts, the two walked in silence and soon returned to the Hyuga Clan's residential area.

"I'll leave you here. You know the way home, right?" Yuun released Hinata's little hand and smiled.

"Mm." Hinata nodded and softly thanked Yuun.

"Heh." Yuun casually waved his hand and turned toward Hizashi's home. Ever since Hizashi died, Yuun had gone over every so often to see how Neji Hyuga was doing. Regrettably, for some reason, Neji no longer seemed as close to Yuun after Hizashi's death. No matter how Yuun asked, Neji would not say anything. Now practically a teenager, Neji had become increasingly mature for his age. Even with the title of senior brother, Yuun could not say much.

The Hyuga Clan's population was not particularly flourishing. Even after nearly ten years of peace, with the addition of the new generation, the Hyuga Clan had only just surpassed a hundred members. Thus, aside from a few children, Yuun only saw a scattered handful of Hyuga clansmen along the way. Thinking about it gave him a rather desolate feeling.

Yuun did not dwell on such melancholy for long. Ninja had always been a profession where tomorrow was never guaranteed. Was not the Hyuga Clan's great reputation built upon the lives of generations of clansmen sacrificed on the battlefield? Without them, the Hyuga Clan would be nothing. Their sacrifices had given Yuun his comfortable life today. When war broke out in the future, he too would take to the battlefield and inherit the will of his predecessors.

He knocked on the door, but no one answered for a long time. After hesitating, Yuun activated his Byakugan and found that there truly was no one inside. Expanding his vision, he finally spotted Neji sweating away at the training ground. The boy had already spent a year at the Ninja Academy and, under Yuun's guidance, had awakened his Byakugan. He was now training in the Gentle Fist.

"His skill has improved quite a bit since I last saw him." Yuun watched Neji practice the Gentle Fist for a while. His moves were steady and proper, not outstanding, but already quite good for someone his age. Yuun had no intention of disturbing him and left after watching quietly for a while.

When he returned to his still-empty home, Yuun prepared himself a fairly lavish dinner from the ingredients in the refrigerator. Having lived alone for ten years and frequently gone out on missions, his cooking was not exceptional, but it was no worse than an ordinary chef's. He set out two pairs of bowls and chopsticks. "Mm, I'm not an adult yet, so I didn't prepare any alcohol. You won't blame me for that, will you, Teacher?" Yuun sat in his chair and spoke to the empty seat across from him.

"Today is the third anniversary of your death. I was on missions the last two times, so I couldn't help it. Now that I have time..." After a long silence, Yuun gave a mute laugh. "What am I doing? Forget it, let's eat."

Originally an atheist, Yuun had changed his position after transmigrating, going from an atheist to a supporter of agnosticism. He could not help it. Even something as unscientific as transmigration had happened, so what else was impossible? Besides, the Naruto World supposedly had beings such as the Grim Reaper and souls. It was not strange for Yuun to suddenly think of commemorating Hizashi.

After silently finishing dinner and washing the dishes, Yuun went out for his usual walk. A small habit from his previous life had followed him into this one. Since it was not a bad habit, Yuun simply let it be. He strolled slowly along the riverbank as the slightly cool summer night breeze blew toward him, leaving him feeling refreshed and at ease.

"Mm..." A small figure suddenly appeared not far away, carrying a schoolbag and running toward Yuun's current position. It looked like a Ninja Academy student. Yuun darkly wondered whether the student had been kept after class by a teacher or punished with cleaning duty.

"Huff... I need to hurry. I accidentally trained too late..." Sasuke panted heavily as he ran home. As an outstanding student, he was naturally not late because of what Yuun had imagined. He had merely trained until he forgot the time.

"You're... Sasuke?" Just as Sasuke hurried home, a brief question made him stop involuntarily.

"Brother Yuun?" Sasuke stared blankly at the youth before him, who had grown much taller than he remembered. Ever since Itachi joined the Anbu, Yuun had not visited their home again. Aside from having many missions, the biggest reason was to avoid suspicion. As a result, Yuun and Sasuke had not seen each other for several years.

"It is Sasuke. Long time no see." Yuun greeted him lightly. He held no particular ill will toward Sasuke.

"Yeah, Brother Yuun, you haven't come to see me in a long time." Sasuke stopped and slightly steadied his breathing. "I waited for you for so long, too."

"Mm, sorry about that." Yuun smiled and shook his head. "I have a lot of missions, so I can't visit you as often as I used to."

"I see." Sasuke curled his lips, then his expression suddenly changed. "Ah, this is bad."

"What's wrong?" Yuun asked curiously.

"I need to hurry home." Sasuke hurriedly ran past Yuun. "Brother Yuun, I'm leaving first. Remember to come see me when you have time."

"..." Watching Sasuke's receding figure, Yuun frowned. He looked up at the sky, where a full moon hung high at its center. "I see..."

After encountering Sasuke, Yuun suddenly lost all interest in continuing his walk. He slowly returned home. If anyone had noticed his feet, they would have found that, for some reason, his steps had become extremely heavy.

The next day, an earth-shattering piece of news spread throughout Konoha. Nearly everyone was discussing how the Uchiha clan had been massacred the previous night. It was said that the culprit was the Uchiha clan's genius—Itachi Uchiha.

Yuun also heard the villagers discussing it on his way to the Ninja Academy. The Uchiha clan was known as Konoha's strongest clan, so naturally Konoha's higher-ups saw them as a thorn in their side. But to the villagers, the prestigious Uchiha were synonymous with mystery and strength, and they had a fairly good reputation.