Chapter 9 : We Are the Clan of Love!
Something felt… off in the Uchiha district today.
The villagers' eyes were strange. Every time they passed, the common folk whispered behind their backs. They thought they were being discreet—but what secret could hide from the Sharingan?
"Odd. What's with those looks?"
The Uchiha patrol squads exchanged confused glances.
Truth be told, the Konoha Police Force had never had a good reputation.
Most of their daily work was mediating petty neighborhood squabbles, arresting the occasional pickpocket or foreign spy. Naturally, this earned them resentment. Getting bad-mouthed behind their backs wasn't unusual.
Still, the Uchiha's standing in Konoha had never been high—even before the tragedy of the Night of the Massacre.
Villagers often muttered:
"You Uchiha are so strong, why don't you go fight Cloud, Stone, Mist, or Sand? Why just strut around here bullying civilians?"
As if it were the Uchiha's choice! It was the Konoha leadership that forced them into police work.
During wartime, the higher-ups smiled and begged for Uchiha strength in the name of the Will of Fire. And the Uchiha marched out, restoring the terror of the Sharingan across the battlefield.
But once the war was over, while other shinobi kept taking mission after mission, carving their names into history—what did the Uchiha get? Politely escorted back into the Police Department.
Even Shisui, who had made a name for himself as "Shisui of the Body Flicker," ended up playing city cop, breaking up catfights and chasing chickens through alleyways.
It was only because Shisui had a good temper—and, frankly, wasn't quite right in the head—that he put up with it. Any other Uchiha would have snapped.
Naturally, they felt it was beneath them. Naturally, they were in a foul mood. And naturally, villagers thought their bad attitudes meant arrogance.
Thus the cycle of resentment between Uchiha and commoners spiraled ever downward.
But today… today the villagers' eyes held something different.
The patrolmen whispered among themselves:
"Did you feel it?"
"You felt it too?"
"Yeah, the way they look at us, it's… it's…"
"It's what?"
"…hard to describe. Just… strange."
An Uchiha would rather die than say words like pity, sympathy, or tenderness.
And as for doubt or confusion—well, without knowing the cause, they couldn't name it either.
Their unease grew, gnawing at them—until finally, they saw it.
A newspaper.
The front page of the New Konoha Times.
The headline screamed in bold letters:
"UCHIHA — THE CLAN OF LOVE!"
Every Uchiha who saw it nearly spat blood.
"What the hell?! Love?!"
"Since when are we the Clan of Love?! We're the Clan of Power!"
"This is slander! Utter slander! Who dares smear us like this?!"
Furious, they activated their Sharingan to scrutinize the paper, ready to trace the lies back to the source.
But what they found made their blood boil even hotter—
The Uchiha Exposed!
The Clan of Tragic, Deep Love!
A People Burdened by Fate and Sorrow!
The Secrets of the Sharingan, Revealed!
…
The Uchiha stood frozen, veins bulging on their foreheads.
"Which bastard… which absolute dog dared print this nonsense?!"
At the same time, reading those explosive headlines, the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato fell into deep thought.
"…Is this really true? Obito… Shisui… and Yujiro…"
Some say the Uchiha are a clan born evil, and indeed, they have committed cruel acts. This has led the ignorant to conclude that the Uchiha are evil by nature.
But is that really the truth?
Of course not! The reality is the opposite!
There is no people on earth who love more deeply, no clan who understands the power of love more profoundly, no lineage cursed with a fate more tragic than the Uchiha!
The proof? The Sharingan itself!
The Sharingan awakens not through malice, but through grief — the grief of losing a loved one. It is not a curse, but an eye of love. A scarlet eye born from mourning for companions, friends, kin, and beloveds.
Yet people twist this truth, claiming, "To awaken the Sharingan, you must kill your dearest one!"
What a monstrous misunderstanding!
Those scarlet eyes are not eyes of hatred, but proof of the Uchiha's devotion — their sorrow, their rage, their unyielding love for Konoha and its people!
…
"Kagami… were your eyes opened for us too? Did you weep, rage, and carry that burden for us as well?"
Elsewhere, Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed at the New Konoha Times with a nostalgic expression.
He too had once counted an Uchiha as a comrade. He knew the article wasn't mere drivel. It was slanted, yes, meant to "whitewash" the clan—but at its core, it was true. And it stirred something in him.
People only ever saw the power of the Sharingan. Few cared to see the cruelty and sorrow buried beneath it.
As that thought sank in, Hiruzen's guilt deepened… and with it, a shadow of doubt.
The Uchiha will never say it themselves. They are proud. They will never beg for pity or understanding.
They bury their blood, their tears, their grief inside, hiding behind a cold, aloof mask.
They live in darkness, misunderstood, their pain unseen. People fear them, mistrust them, and distance themselves.
And so, unable to express their feelings, the Uchiha turn inward, clinging fiercely to family. That passion for kin is mistaken for selfishness, for apathy toward the village. But it isn't so! The Uchiha are capable of loving all, protecting all, fighting for all — if only the village would reach back to them.
At their core, the Uchiha could be the clan that loves Konoha most of all.
All they need… is a little love in return. And they would repay it tenfold, a hundredfold.
…
"Utter nonsense! Filthy lies! The Uchiha are evil from birth—Evil!!"
Meanwhile, deep within Root headquarters, Shimura Danzō roared in fury:
"This is sedition! Manipulative drivel! This paper will corrupt hearts, sow sympathy for the Uchiha! Who allowed this trash to circulate?! Confiscate them immediately! Burn them all! Do you hear me?!"
"…Uh…"
The Root operatives glanced at each other nervously, until one finally spoke:
"Sir… this paper…"
"…this paper was published by order of the Fourth Hokage."
"With the Fourth's backing… we can't…"
"…we can't do anything about it."
Danzō froze.
"…Tch."
"Damn it all!"
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