The next morning, a piece of shocking news spread across all of Konoha:
The once arrogant, lofty, prideful Uchiha Clan…
Had been annihilated.
All in one night.
Over 900 clan members, from top to bottom, had been slain.
More than 100 were missing.
Only one 9-year-old child, Uchiha Sasuke, was left behind.
And the murderer?
None other than his own older brother—Uchiha Itachi, the heir of the clan.
Konoha immediately issued an S-rank bounty notice:
Uchiha Itachi, missing-nin of Konoha.
The sole survivor, Sasuke, now lay silently in a hospital bed, blankly staring at the ceiling.
Passersby outside the hospital would glance toward the window of his room, whispering.
Even those just walking past the Konoha Hospital couldn't help but steal a few looks.
Everyone loves gossip, drama, and disaster—no matter the world.
And this was Konoha's biggest drama in years.
> "So pitiful… his entire clan was wiped out."
> "They say his brother was the one who did it…"
> "What a tragedy. His own big brother killed their parents and left only him alive…"
Some pitied him.
> "If that were me, I don't think I'd be able to go on…"
Some imagined themselves in his place.
> "Well, it's the Uchiha. They had it coming."
Some delighted in his misery.
> "So that's why there was that blinding light last night. Nearly burned my eyeballs…"
Others were talking about Naruto's Solar Fist from the night before.
> "Hey, don't tell anyone I told you—but I heard this top-secret rumor…"
Some even spread wild conspiracy theories.
All sorts of talkers and onlookers emerged like mushrooms after the rain.
But the focus of every conversation was always Sasuke.
Always the Uchiha.
Many who'd already disliked the Uchiha were now openly vicious, venting their frustrations.
Some of the words were ugly, but they drew plenty of agreement.
The Uchiha had a bad reputation in the village.
And no one was going to speak up for them now.
> You want to badmouth the Uchiha?
Great—then we're basically blood brothers!
Just like how people used to talk about Naruto.
Actually—Sasuke was treated a little better.
At least he had some sympathy.
---
Meanwhile, inside the hospital—
> "It's been three days… he hasn't eaten, drank, or said a word."
A young nurse reported Sasuke's condition with a face full of worry.
Perhaps only the nurses truly cared about Sasuke's well-being now.
The head nurse stood watching the door of Sasuke's room and sighed softly:
> "Let's hope he makes it through."
> "For a child only nine years old… this is far too much."
---
Inside the room...
Sasuke lay in bed, unmoving, staring at the ceiling.
His mind endlessly replayed the horrors of that night:
His parents' corpses lying in pools of blood.
Itachi, standing over them, his blade stained red.
He had rushed forward—only to be easily swatted away.
When he screamed, begged for answers,
All he got was:
> "To test the limits of my power."
Just that.
For that one line, he had killed...
His father, his mother...
Hanako, the old woman next door who always gave him candy in secret.
Aunt Kaho, who tended flowers at the end of the street.
Ryōhei the blacksmith, who always promised to forge him a custom kunai set.
Little Kyoko, his playful cousin.
And Uncle Koji's baby, born just days ago—whose eyes hadn't even opened yet.
> Sasuke had even fought to name that baby...
All of them—gone.
His world had crumbled in a single night.
Where once was family, love, and warmth—
Now, nothing.
If Naruto had started with nothing and lived with nothing,
Then Sasuke had everything—only to be left with nothing.
> "I could endure the darkness... if I had never seen the light."
That was Sasuke's truth now.
And not just for a child—even an adult would have shattered under this trauma.
---
Just then, a voice broke the silence:
> "Hey. Uchiha Sasuke."
A flicker of emotion stirred in Sasuke's numb eyes.
He slowly turned his head—
And saw a mop of bright blond hair.
> "How long are you planning to just lie there?"
Naruto sat on the window ledge, back leaning against the wall, hand under his chin.
> "What? You gonna mope forever?"
For the first time in days, Sasuke reacted.
> "You think your dad and mom would be proud of what you are now?"
> "Or… do you not care about them anymore?"
> "The way you are now… you might as well have been killed by Itachi."
At the mention of Itachi, a change sparked in Sasuke's eyes.
Anger, rage, grief—it all surged forward.
The fire that had been buried beneath despair started to smolder again.
Naruto, unfazed by his rage, continued to prod.
> "Oh? Or maybe… he didn't think you were even worth killing."
This last jab was like pouring water into hot oil.
It exploded.
> "What do you know?!"
Sasuke shouted hoarsely—his throat sore from days of silence.
> "You don't know anything about what I've been through!"
> "Of course I do."
Naruto cut him off sharply.
His voice was calm—almost too calm.
> "My parents died right in front of me... the day I was born."
> "I saw it with my own eyes."
Sasuke froze.
> "My parents died the day I was born."
> "I saw it."
He looked at Naruto—another boy his age.
> What kind of life must he have lived…
To speak of something like that so calmly?
> "I've never known what it's like to be loved by a parent."
> "The word 'family'… means almost nothing to me."
> "Honestly... I envy you."
> "At least you got to spend some time with your dad."
Inside Naruto's belly, Minato—the Fourth Hokage—heard this and fell silent.
His expression darkened.
> He knew he had failed as a father.
---
> "You've heard of me, right?"
Naruto crossed his arms, settling into a relaxed position on the window sill.
> "You've probably heard a few rumors."
> "The adults want nothing to do with me."
> "The other kids never invite me to play."
> "Not a single shop in this village will sell to me."
> "Since the day I was born, I've lived alone."
> "I cook for myself. I clean for myself. I survive by myself."
> "And yet here I am. Still alive and kicking."
Naruto's voice didn't waver—not once.
> "All the pain I've suffered...
It's all just fuel for the fire."
> "Anything that didn't kill me?"
> "It made me stronger."
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