Chapter 18: The Uchiha Clan Massacre

The fate of what Naruto considered the premier clan of Konoha was sealed in short order. Within days, word reached him of a horrifying event: the Uchiha clan had been massacred.

At first, Naruto could not bring himself to believe it. This was the Uchiha clan, the greatest house in the village. They possessed countless Sharingan eyes with three tomoe, and that eerie Mangekyo. How could they possibly be wiped out?

When he first heard the news, Naruto dismissed it as a joke. But when he extended his senses, he clearly felt a massive, empty void where the Uchiha district used to be. Even then, he remained skeptical—perhaps they had all just gone on a trip? This was the strongest clan in Konoha, a place teeming with powerhouses and countless geniuses; how could they be extinguished so easily?

However, for the next three days, Naruto saw no sign of Sasuke, and the Konoha Military Police Force, usually visible on every street corner, seemed to have vanished entirely. Reconsidering the rumors, Naruto felt a deep sense of unease. Could it really be true?

Naruto lacked reliable sources of information; he hadn't seen the Old Man Hokage in two months, and one couldn't exactly trust the hearsay of children. In the end, he had to rely on his shadow clones to investigate. The message returned from his "socialite" clone was definitive: it was true.

Naruto’s jaw nearly hit the floor upon hearing this. What about Sasuke? Had he died too? That didn't seem right. Naruto wore an expression of existential confusion. Was the "Sasukay" from his memories not an Uchiha after all? Fortunately, after a brief search, he detected the chakra marked as Sasuke's at the Konoha Hospital. Thank goodness the protagonist was still alive.

But the entire Uchiha clan, wiped out from within the village—the world felt absurd. Such a preposterous thing had actually happened. Where was safe in this world anymore? Glancing at the forty-some cold resurrection coins sitting in his inventory, Naruto felt a sliver of relief.

Looking up to see Sasuke sitting at his desk, cold and indifferent, Naruto didn't know what to say. After more than two months of contact, Naruto had realized that Sasuke’s personality didn't match his exterior; he was actually quite easy to get along with. His "coolness" and "icy demeanor" were merely his default settings. He must be suffering terribly. Naruto had once thought that as a protagonist, Sasuke Uchiha would likely not have a smooth upbringing. He just hadn't expected the script to be this brutal. The author was truly heartless.

A massacre! It was even more ruthless than a protagonist who killed entire families on a whim. Naruto had only heard of such things in the legends of the ten ancient tortures. This was even worse; an entire surname had effectively been erased, leaving only one survivor. And this was the top surname in Konoha. In his previous life, could you imagine wiping out everyone with the same last name in the entire country? That would be suicide.

Who was the killer? Naruto suddenly became concerned. The culprit must be immensely powerful and might well become a formidable enemy in the future. The entire village seemed to treat the matter with extreme secrecy, but a single "missing-nin" wanted poster revealed the mastermind: Itachi Uchiha.

Naruto’s reaction was one of pure disbelief. How could it be him? Wasn't he Sasuke’s beloved older brother, the eldest son of the Uchiha, and the genius of the clan? Why would it be him? Naruto couldn't fathom it after ten days and nights of thinking. In the end, he simply wrote the name down in his notebook. Killing family, friends, lovers, even parents—without a doubt, this was a ruthless man. He would stay far away from him in the future.

The incident caused a massive stir and left a deep impact, but as a total "outsider," Naruto only saw the surface, and the matter seemed to end there. The village suppressed the discourse, with only the lone survivor, Sasuke, remaining as a reminder of what had occurred. As for the sole heir, he was essentially forced into the "orphanage of protagonists," beginning his journey of vengeance and ascension.

At the same time, Naruto decided to stop collecting "protection fees" for the time being; after all, Sasuke’s situation was too tragic. Naruto was, however, very curious about what would happen to Sasuke as the protagonist. This was the path of a hero's growth, after all. If he could learn even a fraction of it, or replicate the same growth trajectory, then with his SSSSSS-tier talent, his future would be limitless. After all, he was the protagonist; surely he wouldn't spend his whole life struggling without becoming as strong as he was now?

But there was no rush. Even the protagonist, Sasuke, was still in school. Observing his every move day by day would suffice. Naruto checked the time—still early. It was the perfect time to go upstairs and sell some potato chips. Over the last two months, his business had expanded to other classes and even other grade levels. This world was too crazy; not just the old man, but Naruto himself had to work hard to make money—the Eternal Mangekyo was just too expensive to maintain.

Meanwhile, Choji and Shikamaru arrived a bit late today. The main reason was that Shikamaru had encountered a black cat blocking his path, and he had subsequently lost his way on the road of life. In truth, Shikamaru just didn't want to go to school and wanted to skip class. Choji had spent a long time persuading him before he finally agreed to come.

Choji had his own motives. Among all of Konoha, only his good friend Naruto sold chips at such a bargain—half the price of anywhere else. If he didn't come to school, his chips wouldn't taste the same! Though Shikamaru had once whispered that Naruto’s chips must have a very low cost, otherwise he couldn't sell them so cheaply, Naruto’s own explanation made sense: the chips grown on trees took time, and the watering and fertilizing cost money. The price was already very fair.

Speaking of Naruto, Choji admired his friend’s skill at grilling fish and his ability to summon chips more than anything else. "If only I could summon chips in the future," had become a fixation for Choji. In short, after Choji’s persuasion, the two decided to drag Naruto along to skip class. It was definitely not because they were craving Naruto’s invincible grilled fish—absolutely not!

When they arrived at the classroom, they didn't see Naruto. After asking around, they learned he had gone upstairs to sell chips. They wanted to wait, but then, a commotion erupted from above.

"A fight! A fight!" A scout ran in from outside, shouting.

"Who’s fighting?"

"Naruto is fighting with Dupont and his group from the fourth grade!"

Upon hearing this, Choji immediately stood up and ran toward the stairs. "Choji!" Shikamaru called out, but couldn't stop him. Thinking of Naruto’s grilled fish and his friendship with Choji, he gritted his teeth and followed.

As they reached the second floor, the scene was chaotic, with over a dozen people brawling. Amidst the mess, Choji saw a small figure darting between the older kids, as agile as a monkey, striking any enemy who dared to approach him with the lightness of a dragonfly landing on water.

"Naruto, I’m coming!" Choji roared and joined the fray.

Shikamaru shouted, trying to stop him, "Hey, Choji!" Watching Choji get buried in the crowd, Shikamaru felt a throbbing headache. Was this something you could just jump into? Didn't all these upperclassmen outclass you?

Then—*thump*—a shoe flew out and hit him square in the face, drawing two streams of blood from his nose.

"What a drag."

Shikamaru tightened his ponytail, his eyes filled with resolve, and plunged into the battle.