[~1100 Words]
~ Next Day after Uchiha Massacre.
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Location: Kurenai's Apartment – Three Days After the Massacre
The rain outside fell in gentle waves, tapping softly against the windows.
Kurenai sat alone in her room, still in her training uniform, arms wrapped around her knees. The photo sat on her nightstand beside a dying candle — the one Haruki had given her before everything turned to ash.
She had stared at it every night.
At first, it made her ache. Now, it felt like the only real thing left.
Haruki's arm was around her in the picture, lips pressed playfully to her cheek. Her own laughter was frozen in time, Izumi's angle capturing everything so naturally. The warmth. The possibility. The stolen happiness.
Kurenai's eyes drifted down.
This time, something flickered beneath the surface of the photo.
Faint.
Delicate.
Sealing marks.
Her heart skipped.
She laid the photo down gently on the wooden floor, fingers tracing the chakra lines.
"A storage seal…"
It was sophisticated. Meant to activate only through her chakra signature. Haruki had prepared this just for her.
She pushed a measured surge of chakra into the marks.
With a soft flicker of light, the photo glowed and unfolded — like paper unraveling from another dimension.
From the seal emerged a scroll pouch, small but tightly packed.
Kurenai opened it with shaking fingers.
Inside were dozens of scrolls — all meticulously labeled in Haruki's handwriting.
"Fire Style: Burning Ash Net – Non-Sharingan Variant"
"Shadow Flame Binding – Genjutsu Layer Variant"
"Advanced Trap Layering – Anti-Byakugan Pattern"
"Chakra Suppression Technique (Infiltration Use)"
"Uchiha Flame Cloak – Incomplete (Experimental)"
Each one detailed complex ideas, jutsu modifications, high-level strategies — and all written with precise notes, sketches, and explanations. There were versions meant for Sharingan users, and some adapted for those without it.
Kurenai's hand covered her mouth, breath shaking.
He'd done all this in secret. In silence.
While the world looked the other way and called him quiet, unmotivated, not talented enough, too young — he had been building a legacy.
At the bottom of the pouch was a smaller sealed envelope.
Her name was written on it.
Just Kurenai.
She hesitated only for a moment before opening it.
The letter was handwritten.
Kurenai,
I don't know if I'll still be around by the time you read this.
Knowing the direction the clan is headed... and what my father suspects... I couldn't take chances.
So I sealed this in the photo you love — the one Izumi took of us. I hoped it would make you smile. And if you're reading this, I want you to know something important.
I never planned on falling in love. Not now. Not this young. I thought I'd spend these years sharpening my jutsu, maybe earn a post in the police force, or open a small weapons shop like my grandfather. Something quiet. Predictable.
Then I saw you one afternoon.
You were sitting under the old maple tree near the training field with Anko and Yūgao. You were smiling — but your eyes were sad. And for some reason… I wanted to make that sadness disappear.
I don't know when I fell for you.
Maybe it was when you corrected my form during training, and I noticed how gentle your hands were. Or maybe it was the time you laughed so hard you cried when I mimicked Asuma behind his back.
You made me want to be better. You made me feel real.
I was just a clan heir with too many expectations. But with you... I was just Haruki. That was enough.
Thank you for letting me love you.
Thank you for loving me back.
I wanted to stay.
I wanted to build something with you — a life, maybe even that peaceful shop I never had the courage to tell you about.
I don't know what happens next. Maybe you're reading this with tears. Maybe with a small smile.
But whatever happens, I hope you live your life fully. Smile often. Laugh loudly. Find joy. Find strength. You were born to shine. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
But because someone needs to remember us for who we really were.
And if you do think of me, don't remember my end.
Remember us.
Our moment.
That photo.
Our kiss.
I'll always be with you.
And if there's another life after this…
…I hope I find you there too.
— Haruki
Kurenai pressed the letter to her chest, folding in on herself as the first sob broke through.
She cried silently at first.
Then the tears flowed freely.
She sat there on the floor, surrounded by Haruki's scrolls, his writing, the final fragments of his mind and soul — all left behind just for her.
He'd left it all for her.
A legacy.
A gift.
A promise.
He never once asked her to chase down what happened.
Never asked her to uncover the truth or take revenge.
But as she sat there, surrounded by his mind and heart and the fragile remains of a future they'd only just begun to build…
She made her own vow.
Kurenai wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"I'll live," she whispered.
"I'll laugh, like you asked. I'll grow stronger. I'll even smile…"
She folded the letter gently, placing it beside the picture on her desk.
"…but I will find out what happened."
Not to kill.
Not to destroy.
But to know.
Because someone had to remember the Uchiha not for their bloodline or their curse…
…but for the people they were.
And the love they gave.
Because even in death…He protected her.
When the tears slowed, she sat upright, wiped her face, and looked around.
The grief remained. It always would.
Kurenai rolled the scrolls gently and secured them. She placed the letter in a hidden drawer near her weapons pouch.
Then, she stood.
Her hands moved automatically — tying her hair back, strapping her holster, adjusting her hitai-ate.
She wasn't just a Jōnin anymore.
She was someone carrying the memory — the will — of the last Uchiha no one knew about.
And she was going to find the truth.
No matter what the cost.
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Note:
My bulk chapters are exhausted and chapter release will be delayed since I am still creating ideas for the next couple of chapters. If you have any ideas, It's most welcome. Should he follow the OG Luffy Route or any other concept. I am leaning towards the OG route because it helps me write easier. but i also welcome new ideas. Thanks a bunch for reading my fanfic friends. As usual all the Credits go to Kishimoto-dono and Oda-dono.