Shocking news ripped through Konoha the next day. The arrogant, proud Uchiha clan... was gone. Wiped out. It happened last night, the whispers said. Over nine hundred ninja killed, another hundred missing. Only nine-year-old Sasuke Uchiha remained.
And the culprit? Sasuke's own older brother, Itachi Uchiha, the clan's young prodigy.
Konoha wasted no time issuing a wanted notice: S-Rank Missing-Nin, Itachi Uchiha.
Sasuke, the sole survivor, lay blankly in a Konoha Hospital room, staring lifelessly at the ceiling. Villagers craned their necks for a look, whispering among themselves as they passed his room.
Even those just outside the hospital walls couldn't help but linger. In times like these, any tragedy became fodder for hushed gossip.
The Uchiha clan, the largest and strongest clan in the village meeting its end was the biggest news Konoha had seen in years.
"It's so pitiful, the whole clan... gone."
"Heard his own brother did it."
"So tragic... his brother killing his parents and everyone else in the clan, leaving him all alone."
"That monster didn't even leave babies, he killed them too. I can't bring myself to visit that funeral, my daugther just gave birth to my grandson. If something like this happened to her..."
Some felt pity. Others tried to imagine it.
"If it was me, I wouldn't know how to keep going. Just... wouldn't know how to live."
Some weren't so kind and gloated.
"The Uchiha... they had it coming."
"So that's what that white light last night was... almost blinded me..."
And of course, wild rumors started flying.
"Don't tell anyone I told you this, but... I heard something else... That Itachi did it because he was going to be forced into marriage but couldn't let go of his love for Shisui and finally cracked. That's why he didn't even let go of his parents while letting only his brother live."
"I heard that, Itachi snapped because Fugaku forbade him from becoming a poet. He always wanted to publish haikus, you know."
"Actually word is Itachi found out he was adopted and lost his mind. Real parents? No one knows. Apparently clan secret, that died with the clan."
"Some say the massacre was a summoning ritual gone wrong. He was trying to summon the Sage of Six Paths to ask him for power."
"I don't believe it, how can a clan that big disappearing overnight? It was clearly aliens. The Uchihas were abducted. That kid Sasuke? A clone left behind to spy on us!"
"Itachi didn't kill them. They were all in on it, faked their deaths to start a secret ninja village under the sea. Uchihagakure."
"I believe, the real reason Itachi spared Sasuke? Sasuke knew where he hid his embarrassing childhood diary and made arrangements to leak it, if he died."
All sorts of outlandish stories emerged, but Sasuke and the Uchiha clan remained the focus. And then there were those who'd always held a grudge against the Uchiha. They spoke without restraint, airing long-held resentments. T
heir words were often harsh, but they found plenty of agreement. The Uchiha clan's reputation hadn't been great to begin with, especially in recent years. Few were willing to defend them. If you're badmouthing the Uchiha? Consider us allies. Much like how they used to speak about Naruto.
Well, almost. At least some people pitied Sasuke. He was better off than Naruto had been, at least.
"It's been three days, a full three days," a young nurse at Konoha Hospital reported to the head nurse, her voice edged with concern. "He's just been lying there... not drinking water nor eating food, hasn't even said a word. He just stares at the ceiling."
Perhaps only the hospital staff showed him genuine care. The head nurse glanced towards his room, sighing softly.
"I hope he can get through this," she murmured. "It's just too much for a child, especially at nine years old."
Inside, Sasuke still stared at the ceiling, his mind a blank landscape. His mind played back the events of that horrible night on repeat. His father and mother, lying in their blood... Itachi's blade, dripping with it. He'd rushed forward without thinking, only to be casually knocked down by a single punch from Itachi. He'd screamed, demanding to know why... only to hear the cold reply:
"To test my capacity."
'For such a pointless reason...'
'Father... Mother...'
Granny Hanako, next door, who always sneaked him candy...
Auntie Kazumiko, down the street, who loved her garden...
Uncle Ryohei at the smithy, loud and cheerful, who promised him custom gear when he became a genin...
Ryohei's daughter Kyoko, so bright and mischievous...
And Uncle Koji's baby Renji, born just two days before... hadn't even opened his eyes. 'I even got to help name him...'
His beloved clan...All of them... gone.
Now... everything was gone.
One night was all it took to go from a happy family to utter desolation. Naruto started with nothing and still had nothing. Sasuke... Sasuke had everything, and now had nothing.
'I can endure darkness, if I have never seen the light.' That was Sasuke's reality now.
He was only nine years old. Most adult would crumble under this.
"Hey, Sasuke." A voice cut through the silence, a ripple in the stagnant dark of Sasuke's mind.
Sasuke, eyes still blank, turned his head towards the voice and saw a shock of golden hair. Naruto was sitting on the windowsill, leaning against the frame, chin resting on his hand.
"How long are you gonna lie there?"
Sasuke's gaze flickered.
"Gonna stay like this? A total wreck?" Naruto pushed. "Think Uncle Fugaku and Aunty Mikoto would be happy seeing you like this? Or maybe you just don't care about them? Someone like you... Itachi should've just finished you off too."
The mention of Itachi finally sparked something. Sasuke's blank gaze sharpened into an angry glare aimed at Naruto. A hot, inexplicable rage flared in Sasuke's chest. 'Was it at Naruto? At myself for being weak? Or at Itachi?'
Naruto ignored the glare, pressing on. "Oh, wait. You're not even worthy of being killed by him."
Naruto's words hit Sasuke like a match in a barrel of oil.
"What the hell do you know?!" Sasuke finally yelled, his voice rough from thirst. "What could you possibly know?! You have no idea what I've gone through..."
"Course I know," Naruto cut him off, his tone flat, distant, like he was talking about a stranger. "My parents died right in front of me. The day I was born. I saw it. With my own eyes."
Sasuke froze, the fight draining out of him. 'Parents... died right in front of him... The day he was born?' 'He saw it... with his own eyes?' 'How... How could he speak so calmly about it?'
"Never knew what having parents felt like. Not ever," Naruto continued. "That word... 'parents'... feels like another language. I envy you. At least you had yours. For a while."
Naruto's tone remained unchanged, but in Naruto's stomach, the Minato's expression clouded over. He'd been an irresponsible father.
"You know about me, right?" Naruto crossed his arms, settling more comfortably on the windowsill. "You've probably heard things."
"The adults avoid me like the plague even cross the street to avoid me. The kids won't play with me. Can't buy anything from the shops as not a single shop in the village will sell me anything."
"I've been on my own since I was a little kid, taking care of myself. But guess what? I'm doing just fine."
"Everything I've been through is just a stepping stone to make me stronger."
"What doesn't kill me... makes me stronger."
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Narrator: Will Naruto's discount therapy and unique brand of trauma bonding snap Sasuke out of his angsty spiral? Will Sasuke ever stop glaring long enough to realize he's talking to the only kid in the village who actually gets him? Will Kurama be able to stop himself from gleefully dancing at Uchiha clan being crippled? Will Naruto beat up Kurama if he does dance? Will Obito suspect Itachi for sabotaging the Clan Extermination leading to a conflict between them? How will Danzo overcome his recent massive shortage of manpower?
Stay Tuned for next chapter of Son Goku's Disciple Naruto. And remember: When tears stop flowing, the kunai starts flying!
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