Chapter 5: The Uchiha Clan Massacre
After Sakura showed off a little during ninja tool practice, the question of whether it was possible to manipulate ninja tools with only chakra and not hands became a hot topic at the academy. The affirmative side argued that it didn't matter how you threw the tool; as long as it could kill the enemy, being pedantic about the method was too dogmatic. The opposing side retorted that such a method was flashy but impractical. Manipulating tools with chakra was too exhausting, and it was better to be down-to-earth and throw with your hands. A kid who was so ostentatious at such a young age would surely be the first to die on the battlefield.
Ultimately, the Ninja Academy declared that being able to use chakra in such a way was Sakura's own skill, and it would be considered a pass on exams. Anyone who disagreed was welcome to try it themselves. However, Iruka-sensei also advised Sakura to prioritize practicing with her body, as fundamentals were still very important.
As for who was stronger, Sakura or Sasuke, that also began to be a perennial topic of debate in their grade.
Sakura was a bit annoyed by this. Honestly, being compared to a little brat was quite grating. What fun was there in competing with a child?
A person fears fame as a pig fears growing fat. After this incident, many people were unconvinced by Sakura. The geniuses that had appeared in Konoha over the years were mostly from prominent clans, having received ninja education within their families from a young age. Their starting points and growth rates were much higher than those of ordinary ninja; these were the so-called geniuses. How many true geniuses came from commoner families? Only a handful, like the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Some were so unconvinced that they wanted to challenge Sakura to a duel. Fortunately, not many actually took action. Sakura wasn't receiving three challenge letters and four love letters every day. True geniuses wouldn't bother with such shallow comparisons, and those who did cause trouble were mostly amateurs who were easily dealt with by words. Those who couldn't be dealt with by words were dealt with in a quiet corner.
The following days passed peacefully.
Itachi, who had taken some notice of Sakura, merely glanced at her from a distance one day while taking Sasuke to school and then paid her no more attention. For a powerhouse of his level, a genius of Sakura's caliber didn't require too much concern. Although his insight and magnanimity had already surpassed those of the narrow-minded Uchiha clan, an idea still lingered deep in Itachi's heart: without a Kekkei Genkai, no matter how strong a ninja from a commoner family became, they could never climb to the same peak that they stood on. This wasn't even prejudice, but a common pattern in the ninja world over many years, with only a few exceptions.
Her upper limit is probably at the level of an elite Jonin. Itachi recalled the many ninja he knew, among whom Kage-level figures were as rare as morning stars. In the ninja world, an ordinary ninja of average talent could reach the rank of Jonin through diligence and luck. A talented, diligent, and lucky ninja from a commoner background could grow to the level of an Elite Jonin or even a Kage-level shinobi, a powerhouse who could overwhelm ordinary Jonin. However, to become Kage-level required a once-in-a-decade talent and personal guidance from a Kage-level master; neither could be missing. But for someone with the Uchiha name, the three-tomoe Sharingan was synonymous with genius, and the Mangekyo Sharingan was a quality guarantee of exceptional talent. Therefore, as long as an Uchiha awakened their Sharingan, they were an elite ninja.
Itachi couldn't see any advantage Sakura had that would allow her to become a Kage-level ninja.
This was also the view many others had of Sakura later on. Before being slapped in the face by reality, people always stubbornly believed they were right.
Regardless, Sakura's life at the academy continued peacefully. The school's curriculum, whether it was culture classes or ninja skill classes, had a bit of novelty at first, but the content was just too simple. Moreover, this simple content was repeated over and over again, ensuring everyone understood before moving on to the next topic.
"I learned all this stuff just by flipping through books at home. Being at school is simply a waste of life," Sakura would sometimes complain out of boredom. Fortunately, when she was bored, Sakura could still practice her chakra control. She would cover her body's surface with water controlled by chakra, then simultaneously feel the presence of the water with her body and feel the presence of her body with the water. This subtle sensation was greatly beneficial to her understanding of her body and chakra. Sakura would sometimes come up with other tricks to creatively train her chakra control. For example, during class, she would appear to be sitting, but she was actually using chakra-infused water to hold herself up, hovering one centimeter above the chair. This was already a form of levitation. It didn't consume much chakra, but it was very mentally draining. Sakura's current duration was about one hour. As her brain and spirit continued to develop, this time would keep increasing.
Later, around the beginning of the summer vacation of her second year, the case of the Uchiha clan's extermination happened unexpectedly.
That entire day, Sakura noticed that the atmosphere in the village was strange, filled with an indescribable sense of oppression. Sakura noted that her father, who had just finished a mission and was on leave, was assigned an emergency shift and didn't come back until midnight. This was extremely rare. Her heart skipped a beat—could it be that that event had happened? She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. The next day, all the ninja on the streets wore solemn expressions, as if they knew a huge secret they couldn't speak of. Then, in the afternoon, Konoha made an official statement: Uchiha Itachi had killed his entire clan overnight and had then defected. Honestly, only Uchiha Sasuke would believe such a story. For a long time after, many people discussed the matter in private, speculating on all sorts of possible truths.
Sakura, having read the original story, couldn't be bothered to participate in such discussions. She, of course, knew the truth. As for the non-ninja villagers who had already concocted ten different conspiracy theories, Sakura sometimes truly admired their penchant for entertainment. The truth was complicated in its own way, but it wasn't hard to understand. It was simply that the Uchiha's coup was on the verge of happening, the Third Hokage was slow to intervene, Danzo forced the issue with a deadly solution, and Uchiha Itachi could only choose to annihilate his clan to save Sasuke.
Sasuke, who had personally witnessed his parents die by his brother's sword, was in a coma for three whole days. Before leaving, Itachi left Sasuke with unforgettable memories and a frenzied hatred. This led a young boy of only seven, after the destruction of his family and the tragic death of his relatives, to make revenge his life's goal. Hatred kept Sasuke alive, and it would dominate his growth, making him both strong and fragile. The night of the massacre occurred on the second day of summer vacation. After the one-month break, the Ninja Academy reopened. When Sakura and the others saw Sasuke again, he was a completely different person.
The old Sasuke was just awkward and tsundere; now he had become sinister and cold. There was no life in his eyes, which were as cold as ice and snow. Only sometimes would his face suddenly become contorted and filled with hatred, as if he couldn't suppress the loathing in his heart. It was only at these times that people could see the turbulent emotions surging beneath Sasuke's cold mask.
To her dismay, Sakura discovered that those ignorant, love-struck little girls actually thought Sasuke had become even cooler. Paired with his rather handsome face, he was now even more attractive. In the entire class, besides Sakura and Hinata, all the other girls seemed to follow the trend and fall for the poker-faced Sasuke who got perfect scores in every subject. And Ino, by virtue of being the strongest and having the best grades, became the only girl among them who was "qualified" to approach Sasuke.
The battles between women... Sakura expressed that she didn't understand.
As for what happened on the night of the Uchiha massacre, the village issued a gag order. No one dared to discuss it openly. Even in private conversations, they were extremely guarded and secretive.
The impact of the massacre continued to ferment and spread as time went on.
Some people were filled with sympathy for Sasuke, but this sympathy, in fact, caused him secondary harm. Before, when people looked at him, they saw the pride of the Uchiha clan. Now, they looked at him as the pitiful boy whose clan was massacred, their gazes filled with pity. Sometimes, they would be talking in private, and the moment they saw Sasuke approach, they would immediately stop. This, in turn, triggered Sasuke's painful memories. Many people unconsciously distanced themselves from Sasuke. Some did so because the post-massacre Sasuke seemed even more arrogant, cold, and unapproachable. Some didn't want to get close to a figure at the center of a storm, fearing trouble. And others were simply ignorant enough to feel that being near Sasuke was unlucky.
After the massacre, when Uchiha Sasuke returned to school, he became very lonely.
Fortunately, not everyone was so worldly or snobbish, nor were all the students told by their families to avoid Sasuke. For example, Naruto. Perhaps it was because fellow sufferers commiserate. Naruto, who also had no relatives and no family, resonated with Sasuke. The outwardly boisterous Naruto was actually very emotionally sensitive on the inside. He instinctively sensed the loneliness in the heart of Sasuke, who had lost his family. Such loneliness, he had already experienced deeply! For Sasuke, the existence of Naruto, who also had no family, made him feel that he was not alone, or rather, that he and Naruto were equally lonely. And this shared loneliness drew the two of them towards each other.
This was the beginning of their bond, formed in this unintentional way.