harleyscars Chapter 115 Aftermath
Chapter 115 Aftermath
In short, the huge uproar caused by the Uchiha clan massacre has gradually subsided with the passage of time and the compromises made by various forces, and life on the surface has returned to a certain degree of calm.
In the days that followed, when everything settled down, Naruto returned to the Ninja Academy.
The most noticeable difference from before is the change in Satsuki. If the original Satsuki was "tsundere," then "tsundere" accounted for 50% and "tsundere" accounted for 50%. Now, the ratio seems to be a bit extreme. "Tsundere" accounts for 90%, while that bit of "tsundere" has become an occasional, cute awkwardness.
And she became... unusually clingy. Whether it was during breaks or on the way home from school, she habitually stayed within Naruto's reach.
Although they no longer grab onto her sleeves like they did at first, their silent attachment and following gaze are more evident than any words.
To be honest, Naruto was secretly pleased with this change.
Furthermore, some time later, Satsuki seemed to have developed a new hobby he hadn't expected—photography.
This was indeed a path Naruto had never imagined. He hadn't even considered whether cameras actually existed in the Naruto world... After all, with cameras and movie theaters existing, it wouldn't be surprising if portable cameras existed.
Satsuki had somehow acquired a rather sophisticated-looking camera, which she often fiddled with. Naruto frequently saw her with her head down, her fingers carefully adjusting the lens and focus, her expression focused.
However, Naruto never actually saw what scenery or people Satsuki photographed. He only often saw her fiddling with the camera in front of him.
Then, he gestures in a certain direction for a long time in front of himself, but finally puts it down, as if he hasn't found the right angle.
After the massacre of his clan, Fugaku Uchiha, as a "survivor" and "former clan head," had several closed-door conversations with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The conversation mostly revolved around the Uchiha clan's current awkward situation of being "no longer worthy of the name" in Konoha. Faced with the fact that the once glorious number one clan in Konoha had almost vanished overnight, leaving only a handful of members, the Third Hokage's face aged and became even more haggard, his words filled with heavy sighs and guilt for being powerless to reverse the situation.
At the same time, Fugaku also officially learned that Shimura Danzo, the Konoha high-ranking official who had been hiding in the shadows and sparing no effort to target and suppress the Uchiha clan, had been confirmed dead.
What shocked him even more was that Danzo's numerous crimes over the years, including desecrating the remains of the First Hokage, colluding with rogue ninja, conducting human experiments, and harming his own people, had all been exposed to the public, completely ruining his reputation and making him infamous for eternity.
In the past, when he was still the Uchiha clan leader who had to rack his brains for the benefit of the entire clan, he would have been overjoyed to hear this news.
But now, having shed the burden of clan leader and experienced life and death and betrayal, his most important identity, besides the empty title of "Konoha Jonin," is simply a husband and father who longs to protect his family.
Upon hearing the news, he felt only a complex, settled calm, and a sense of desolation at the loss of what he had experienced.
Within the family, some new changes were gradually emerging. Satsuki had repeatedly suggested to her parents that Naruto move into the now-empty Uchiha clan compound, even explicitly stating her wish for him to live directly opposite their house…
This wasn't difficult at all. With the Uchiha clan's territory almost completely vacant, this area could theoretically be considered the private property of the Fugaku family. It's also possible that because of the tragedy that occurred here and its remote location, no one bothered with it.
However, Fugaku firmly rejected Satsuki's request. Aside from feeling somewhat uneasy as a father seeing his daughter's dependence on and closeness to an "outsider" far exceeding that of himself, he gave a very reasonable and irrefutable reason.
The small apartment Naruto currently lives in is a bit old, but its location is excellent, situated in the very heart of Konoha. Whether it's going to the Ninja Academy, shopping, or Ichiraku Ramen, it's much more convenient than living on the outermost Uchiha clan grounds. Having Naruto move here would only cause him trouble.
This realistic and reasonable rejection still left Zuoyue feeling down for a long time, and she was listless for several days.
Furthermore, regarding their eldest daughter, Itachi Uchiha, who accepted Danzo's plot and personally carried out the massacre of her clan… Konoha has officially designated her as an S-rank rogue ninja and issued a high bounty on her head. Fugaku and Mikoto's feelings towards this daughter who betrayed her clan are too complex to describe in words.
Heartache, confusion, and a lingering, indelible attachment... all these emotions intertwined.
Ultimately, they chose to stop mentioning the name at home, trying to protect their youngest daughter from further trauma and to give their own wounded hearts a moment's respite.
However, every time Mikoto inadvertently sees Itachi's old room or the backs of Satsuki and Naruto together, her thoughts inevitably drift away, and her eyes involuntarily redden. She has to silently turn her face away to hide the deep sorrow that surges up in her, the sorrow that belongs to a mother. That unforgettable pain cannot be easily erased by never mentioning it again.
So, what is Itachi Uchiha's current situation?
Naruto was unaware of all the details, only occasionally hearing fragmented information about the internal workings of the [Jin] organization from Hizashi.
According to Hizashi, shortly after Itachi Uchiha was brought to the base, she was arranged to have a private meeting with Shisui Uchiha, who had "come back to life".
The meeting that day seemed extremely intense. No one knows exactly what happened behind the closed door; all that can be vaguely heard are suppressed, near-collapse-like sobs and heated arguments.
In the end, it was Shisui who left the room first, his eyes red and his aura heavy with lingering sorrow. Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi remained inside…
However, Shisui wanted to keep her associated with the name "Uchiha Itachi," a name burdened with the sin of massacring her clan, and to divert attention from this special "prison."
Shisui used some of the privileges granted to him as a core member of the [Jin] organization to secretly change her name.
Uchiha Yuzu.
When Hizashi reported to Naruto (Menma), his tone was filled with complex emotions. As a core member of [Jin], he had met the girl who had changed her name to "Yuzu" several times.
His assessment was... that girl who lost her sight and was renamed "Yuzu"... as expected, she was completely rejected by Shisui, who had once entrusted all his will to her.
Because Menma had taken her Mangekyou Sharingan, leaving only empty eye sockets and damaged tear ducts, her eyes were covered and wrapped in layers of white gauze.
However, perhaps because the extreme grief and regret never stopped eroding, or perhaps because the body remembered the instinct to cry, the gauze covering the eyes was often soaked with uncontrollable liquid.
Sometimes the tears are clear, and sometimes... they are streaked with faint, crimson blood.
On the white gauze, damp stains often appeared, sometimes transparent, sometimes tinged with a tragic blood color... It looked like a strange and broken beauty.
She remained quietly in the solitary confinement room assigned to her, like a soulless doll. Only the gauze occasionally stained red with tears and blood proved that some intense emotions were still silently raging within that seemingly calm body.
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(Thanks! To Gao Shanming who loves red yeast rice sausage! And to the boss for the gift! The gift value has been met again! Another day has passed since the fourth update.)