Chapter 4: The Situation of the Uchiha

Hyuga Hiashi left with his beloved daughter; he walked quite hurriedly because he still had to rush back to appease his own clansmen.

Nanshu's patrol mission was also declared ended early due to this sudden incident, and naturally, the Anbu issued a gag order before leaving....

The cold night wind blew; Nanshu looked at the moon in the starry sky, walking silently and alone on the pitch-black street. He left the bustling, incomparably prosperous commercial district of the day, and after a 30-minute walk, arrived at the incomparably remote outskirts of Konoha. Compared to the populous and noisy city center, this place was like a forgotten dark corner.

Passing through a dense forest and walking on a stone-paved road, one could see a planned residential block after walking straight forward for about one hundred meters; the block was surrounded by blue and white walls.

The low wall, short enough for a six-year-old child to easily climb over, completely separated this block from the rest of Konoha. The world inside the wall was a clan driven here and monitored day and night, while the world outside the wall was a village filled with bright lights and laughter.

It was clearly such a low wall, yet it divided Konoha and the Uchiha like a natural chasm.

Looking at that low wall, Nanshu thought to himself that perhaps the wall could be easily climbed over, but the prejudice in people's hearts would never disappear. As long as that xenophobic bias remained entangled in people's hearts, no matter how many walls were climbed, more and higher walls would appear.

If the Uchiha continued like this, sooner or later they would lose all their strength, and perhaps they would be completely crushed by that immense pressure.

It was incomprehensible; what was there to be attached to or hesitant about regarding a village that treated a clan like a jinx and drove them to the edge of the world?

To be honest, if the Uchiha Clan were willing to voluntarily secede from Konoha Village, perhaps that would be the correct choice, and his own mission could be completed more easily.

Nanshu arrived in front of the clan's main gate and greeted the guard on duty there.

"Thanks for your hard work on patrol."

"It is a special period, after all; it will be easier after some time passes."

Although the Uchiha Clan was cold and arrogant toward outsiders, they were very polite to their own kin. If they were people familiar with each other, they might even go to a nearby stall for a drink, and even if they were strangers, they would still greet one another.

Nanshu thought that this might be internal unity caused by external pressure; of course, it could also be that the Uchiha Clan's gentleness was only shown to their own kin and those close to them.

It was undeniable that the Uchiha Clan did possess extremely arrogant sentiments, being unfriendly, cold, aloof, and overbearing toward outsiders; this was a group-wide issue of the Uchiha Clan.

But it was also undeniable that once one gained the Uchiha's recognition, it meant finding the most trustworthy companions. These Uchiha did not know how to control their inner emotions; once they trusted someone, they would invest themselves wholeheartedly.

The Second Hokage was right; the Uchiha Clan was a clan that crazily worshipped love. They did not know how to control the depth of love, and once they fell into it, they would crazily invest all their emotions. The most typical example was that madman Obito Uchiha; jumping directly from Two-Tomoe to Mangekyo was chilling just to think about. Once such deep love transformed into hatred... it truly made the whole world feel pain.

While exchanging pleasantries with the guard and learning some intelligence, Nanshu was basically understanding some of the family's recent trends, such as the usual disputes between the Hawks and the Doves within the family.

The Hawks advocated for a tough stance toward the Konoha high-ups to show the Uchiha's strength, while the Doves still insisted on a policy of compromise and did not want to sharpen the conflict between the two sides.

During recent clan meetings, the two factions were always arguing endlessly and had nearly come to blows several times, but generally speaking, both were for the future of the clan. It was just that external pressure, especially the exclusion from the high-ups, made the pressure felt within the Uchiha heavier and heavier. Recently, even the Doves felt a sense of being unable to breathe from the suppression.

Hmm... unable to breathe in every sense.

"People in the clan are saying that there are more and more surveillance eyes nearby recently; many people suspect whether the village has completely lost trust in us."

Nanshu leaned against the gate and was not in a hurry to go home, instead chatting with Naoha Uchiha, who was in charge of guarding.

"You know, the Cloud Ninja's peace delegation came to Konoha to negotiate, and it was originally our Military Police Force's responsibility to patrol, but now the Anbu has openly intervened and even said it was under the orders of the Third Hokage—Nanshu, you are also from the Military Police Force, so you should understand. This is clearly guarding against us Uchiha having secret contact with the Cloud Ninja. If you ask me, the people in the high-ups are all like idiots. If they are really that afraid, why can't they just treat us Uchiha better?"

"All day long it's either guarding or monitoring; now even contact with the outside world has to be monitored by the Anbu. No wonder the clansmen are getting more and more annoyed with the high-ups."

"Hmm, no wonder some people in the clan have been restless lately," Nanshu asked.

"Who could sit still! Don't forget that we were driven out from the center of the village. The dignified Uchiha Clan was swept out the door and lost all face, and now we are confined to the corner of the village like stray dogs—I tell you, Nanshu, this is only because the Clan Head is able to suppress things; otherwise, something big will happen between us and Konoha sooner or later!"

Naoha Uchiha complained directly. He was originally a patrol officer within the family and often dealt with the clansmen, so his words often represented the inner voices of most of the grassroots clansmen.

Yes, something big would indeed happen.

The full moon overhead was so bright and clear, until one day it was stained red with blood.

"Speaking of which, does the young master come back often lately?"

Nanshu asked.

"You mean Young Master Itachi?"

Naoha thought for a moment, then said: "If you hadn't asked, I really wouldn't have noticed. Young Master Itachi has appeared less and less lately, and every time he comes out, he stands at the gate looking at the family compound. Sometimes he can stand there for an entire afternoon without moving."

"Does he have any other abnormal behavior?"

"Who knows? Young Master Itachi carries too many expectations from the Clan Head; perhaps the pressure is too great, leading to abnormal actions. But I think Young Master Itachi is the most outstanding genius in our family. If it weren't for..."

Naoha's words stopped abruptly, revealing a sorrowful expression.

"If Shisui had not died, our Uchiha might not have fallen to this point."

"Although some people speculate that Shisui's death has something to do with Young Master Itachi, I believe Young Master Itachi could not possibly do such a thing. After all, he is the Clan Head's son and the most highly anticipated genius of the Uchiha. If he killed Shisui, it would mean betraying the family... but this doesn't make sense logically, so I would rather believe that Shisui's death was a conspiracy by the Konoha high-ups than believe Young Master Itachi would betray his own family."

Nanshu raised his eyebrows slightly. Naoha's words came from the bottom of his heart and also represented the inner voices of most clansmen. At this time, the Uchiha, including the moment the night of the massacre broke out, did not believe that Itachi Uchiha would betray his own family.

"If you ask me, sooner or later the Uchiha will restore its former glory, and the person leading us will be either Clan Head Fugaku or Young Master Itachi. I dare to bet with you, Nanshu!"

In the eyes of many, Itachi Uchiha was a perfect genius.

A gentle, reasonable, powerful, and beautiful young man who always wore a smile and was very kind to everyone.

Until that night of the massacre, Itachi Uchiha picked up the butcher's knife, restrained his smile, and used cold and ruthless means to unite with outsiders to slaughter all the old and young of the clan.

And people like Naoha, who once unconditionally trusted and supported him, died miserably on that bloody night. The kin who should have been deeply loved and protected fell in a pool of blood—the elderly, women, children, and even newborn infants.

Itachi Uchiha personally held the butcher's knife and killed them one by one, slitting their throats to bleed them like pigs, letting his clansmen fall to the ground and die in pain and despair. If he was the perfect noble son in the hearts of all clansmen before the night of the massacre, then after the night of the massacre, he was a thorough executioner. No matter what reason was used to cover it up, it could not hide his heinous crimes of slaughtering the old and young, murdering his kin, killing his parents, and exterminating his own clan.

And what was most hateful was that he was full of benevolence and righteousness, claiming it was for the sake of peace, yet he stubbornly and selfishly spared his younger brother's life. If he had truly killed everyone, he could have been considered a ruthless character, but from the moment he spared Sasuke Uchiha, this man was nothing more than a hypocritical villain full of idealism.

However, Nanshu's perception of Itachi Uchiha was not important; what was important was that Nanshu needed the Uchiha Clan to survive and continue. Therefore, sooner or later, Itachi Uchiha would become his stumbling block, and a head-on conflict was only a matter of time.

"Naoha, I'm heading back first. I feel a bit tired after just finishing the patrol."

Nanshu patted the other's shoulder; he was a bit tired and turned to walk toward his own house.

Watching Nanshu's departing back, Naoha stood there in a daze.

"... Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

Naoha scratched his head in embarrassment, but assuming Nanshu was just too tired from a hard day's work to be in the mood to listen to him talk so much, Naoha smiled bitterly and turned to continue guarding the entrance.