[~ 1500 Words]
~ Next Day after Uchiha Massacre.
- - - 🗡️⚓🌀 - - -
Â
Location: Morning – Hokage Tower Courtyard, Konohagakure
Â
The skies were heavy with grey clouds, as if the heavens themselves mourned.
A thick crowd gathered outside the Hokage Tower — civilians, shinobi, merchants — all drawn by the tension humming through the village since the night before. Whispers filled the square, rumors rippling like wildfire.
The great doors opened.
From the steps above, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, stepped out, draped in full formal robes and his ornate Hokage hat. His expression was grave, older than usual, weathered by the weight of a village's sorrow.
Standing just behind him were the village's top advisors — Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo Shimura— each one tight-lipped, unreadable, and dressed in black.
The Hokage raised his hand, and the murmurs fell to silence.
"People of Konoha," Hiruzen began, voice steady, yet worn. "It is with a heavy heart… that I must confirm the unthinkable."
He paused, letting the moment stretch.
"Last night, the Uchiha Clan was… nearly eradicated."
Gasps echoed through the crowd. Several people clutched their mouths. Even hardened shinobi paled.
Hiruzen continued, gaze sweeping the stunned crowd.
"The attacker was one of their own. A prodigy. A former member of the ANBU Black Ops. A shinobi we once believed to be among the brightest of his generation."
His jaw tightened.
"Uchiha Itachi."
A wave of shocked murmurs surged again — anger, disbelief, confusion.
The Hokage's face was carved from stone.
"By his hand, the majority of the Uchiha clan was slain. Men, women… even children. His motives remain unclear. But his betrayal is definitely true."
He lifted a scroll and unrolled it slowly, letting the wind catch its edge.
"From this moment onward, Uchiha Itachi is hereby branded an S-Class Missing-nin. Any engagement with him is prohibited to all but JĹŤnin-ranked shinobi and above. Do not attempt to capture or confront him alone."
There was a long silence.
Hiruzen lowered the scroll and took a deep breath.
"Though there was some strain between the Uchiha clan and the village in recent years… we cannot forget their legacy. Their valor. Their sacrifices."
He glanced upward, as if addressing something greater than the people before him.
"They were one of Konoha's founding clans. Their strength helped carve our home from the chaos of the Warring States Era. Their contributions to peace, to balance… will not be forgotten."
His voice lowered, softer now.
"Let us mourn the fallen with the respect they deserve. And let us protect the dignity of those they've left behind."
He turned his eyes back to the crowd, more focused now.
"There is one known survivor. Uchiha Sasuke. A child. He is currently under medical care at the village hospital."
He raised a hand again for silence as the murmuring reignited.
"I ask, as your Hokage — leave him be. Give him time to recover. Do not chase answers from a boy who has just lost everything."
Some of the shinobi in the crowd bowed their heads.
Others clenched their fists.
Behind him, Homura and Koharu remained still, unreadable.
But Danzo's eyes watched the crowd with something colder. Calculating.
Hiruzen's gaze hardened as he looked toward the people one final time.
"We will investigate further. Until then… honor the dead. And protect the living."
With that, the Hokage turned and re-entered the tower. The great doors closed behind him.
The square remained silent long after.
Even as the wind blew through the village, it carried not peace…
But the quiet, bitter scent of betrayal.
- - - 🗡️⚓🌀 - - -
Location: Morning – Kurenai's Apartment, Konohagakure
Â
Kurenai had already been standing outside the Hokage Tower long before Hiruzen stepped out to speak.
She hadn't meant to stay hidden in the alley beside the courtyard, but when she saw the large crowd forming and ANBU taking positions on the roofs, instinct told her to remain quiet and watch.
When the Third Hokage's voice rang out, it felt like every word was being etched into her bones.
"The Uchiha Clan was nearly eradicated."
Her fingers dug into her sleeve.
"The attacker was one of their own… Uchiha Itachi."
She didn't flinch. Didn't gasp like the others. She just stared, unreadable, as the world around her processed the lie.
Because that's what it was. A clean, political lie.
She didn't believe for a second that one boy — even Itachi — could slaughter over five hundred Uchiha clan members with atleast half of them being shinobi and many of them having their Sharingan. Not without help. Not without orders.
But there was no room to protest. No one to trust.
So she swallowed the rage building in her chest and stayed quiet.
Even when they said only Sasuke survived.
Even when no mention was made of Haruki.
Anko arrived first, slipping in through the window without knocking.
She wasn't in her usual playful mood. Her eyes were tired, jaw tight.
"You heard it, didn't you?" she asked softly.
Kurenai nodded.
"I was there. I saw the crowd. Saw Sarutobi-sensei talk like the entire clan was just a passing chapter."
Anko leaned against the wall, arms folded. "They're already cleaning up the story."
Kurenai met her gaze. "I want to see for myself."
Anko tilted her head. "You want to go to the compound?"
"I have to."
Moments later, YĹ«gao Uzuki arrived as well. Her purple hair was tied neatly back, and a single violet flower was held between her fingers.
"I brought this for Haruki," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "He always liked that tree in the courtyard. Remember?"
Kurenai nodded, unable to speak. YĹ«gao and Haruki had trained together during their academy years. She hadn't known they were still in touch.
Together, the three kunoichi moved toward the Uchiha district — dressed in black.
They expected to be stopped.
Expected at least two ANBU at the entrance.
But the gates stood ajar, and no one challenged them.
Kurenai's boots echoed against the stone paths as they walked through the eerily silent streets. The air was thick with the scent of scorched ash and iron. Many of the houses were blackened. Some still smoldered.
The homes were empty.
Swept clean.
"Too clean," Anko muttered. "Like someone wanted to erase any traces of the fights."
YĹ«gao stopped in front of one scorched home and pressed her palm to the wall. "Haruki lived here. I remember."
Kurenai stepped inside, heart pounding.
She expected blood.
Bodies.
But the house was spotless — sterilized. Not a drop of red. Not a broken vase. Just silence.
She wandered to the back room where Haruki and Kurenai had once trained Izumi. Her hand grazed the floor.
"I thought… I might find him here," she whispered.
Anko knelt beside her. "The ANBU took all the bodies. Someone said they were buried this morning."
Yūgao blinked, fighting back tears. "No one even asked us. We were his friends…"
Kurenai stood slowly, eyes burning. "Then we're going to the cemetery."
The village cemetery was quiet by the time they arrived.
The sun had dipped just beneath the rooftops, casting long shadows over the polished gravestones. A fresh row of markers stood at the far side—dozens of them.
All carved with the Uchiha fan.
Kurenai walked down the line, reading names.
She found Haruto first.
Then UchihaIzumi.
Then…
Uchiha Haruki.
Her knees gave way, and she knelt before the stone, fingers brushing the engraved name like it might vanish if she blinked.
YĹ«gao placed the violet flower at the base of his stone and stepped back, silently wiping her tears.
Anko stood beside her, hands in her coat pockets, jaw tight.
Kurenai said nothing.
She just sat there, eyes locked on his name, remembering the way he smiled when she teased him, the way he kissed her forehead before vanishing into the night.
She didn't cry. She couldn´t cry with all the people in the cemetery watching.
Not there.
Â
Location : Kurenai's Apartment – That Night
Â
She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, still as stone.
The photo he had given her sat on her nightstand — the one where he kissed her cheek while she laughed. A moment Izumi had captured, full of color, full of life.
She crawled into bed and hugged his flak vest to her chest.
And there, with the silence of her apartment pressing in around her, the dam broke.
Tears flowed like a river, sobs muffled by his clothes, her body curled around the emptiness he left behind.
"I should've stopped you… I should've gone with you…"
She whispered his name over and over again, like it would bring him back.
But the night stayed quiet.
And she cried herself into sleep — surrounded by his scent, haunted by memories, and holding on to the only piece of him the village couldn't bury.
- - - 🗡️⚓🌀 - - -