Chapter 115: Aftermath
In any case, the massive upheaval caused by the Uchiha massacre gradually subsided as time passed and various factions reached compromises through political maneuvering. On the surface, life returned to a semblance of peace.
In the days that followed, once the dust had settled, Naruto returned to attending classes at the ninja academy.
The most significant change was in Satsuki herself. If the old Satsuki had been a classic tsundere—seventy percent "prideful" and thirty percent "affectionate"—now that ratio had shifted to an extreme degree. The "affectionate" side dominated ninety percent of her personality, while that tiny bit of "pride" had become an occasional, adorable bit of stubbornness.
And she had become... unusually clingy. Whether during breaks between classes or on the walk home from school, she habitually stayed within arm's reach of Naruto.
Though she no longer grabbed onto his sleeve and refused to let go like in those first days, her silent devotion and those following eyes spoke more clearly than any words could.
To be honest, Naruto felt a secret thrill about this change.
Moreover, after some time had passed since the incident, Satsuki seemed to have developed a new hobby that caught him completely off guard—photography.
This was truly a path Naruto had never anticipated. He'd never given much thought to whether cameras even existed in the ninja world... though considering they had movie cameras and theaters, portable cameras didn't seem particularly strange.
Satsuki had somehow acquired what appeared to be a rather sophisticated camera and could often be seen fiddling with it. Naruto frequently caught sight of her with her head bowed, carefully adjusting the lens and focus with meticulous attention.
However, Naruto had never actually seen what landscapes or people Satsuki photographed. He only noticed her frequently tinkering with the camera in front of him.
She would aim it in various directions for long stretches, only to lower it again as if she hadn't found the right angle.
After the massacre incident, Uchiha Fugaku, in his capacity as both a "survivor" and "former clan head," held several closed-door meetings with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Most of their discussions centered around the Uchiha clan's current awkward position in Konoha—their reputation not matching their reality. Faced with what had once been Konoha's premier family reduced to almost nothing overnight, with only a handful of survivors remaining, the Third Hokage's face had aged considerably, his words heavy with sighs and helpless guilt.
At the same time, Fugaku officially learned that Danzo Shimura—the high-ranking Konoha official who had been working tirelessly from the shadows to target and suppress the Uchiha clan—had been confirmed dead.
What shocked him even more was that all of Danzo's accumulated crimes over the years had been exposed to the public: desecrating the First Hokage's body, colluding with rogue ninja, conducting human experiments, harming fellow villagers, and other horrific deeds. His reputation was utterly destroyed, ensuring his infamy would last forever.
If this had happened in the past, when he was still the Uchiha clan head responsible for his people's welfare, hearing this news would have filled him with satisfaction.
But now, having laid down the burden of leadership and experienced betrayal and near-death, with only the empty title of "Konoha Jonin" remaining, his most important identity was simply that of a husband and father hoping to protect his family.
Upon hearing this news, he felt only a complex, dust-settling calm and a touch of melancholy at how things had changed.
Within the family, new changes were gradually emerging as well. Satsuki had repeatedly suggested to her parents that Naruto should move directly into the now-empty Uchiha district, even specifically hoping he would live in the house directly across from theirs...
This wouldn't have been difficult to arrange. With the Uchiha district almost completely vacant, the area could theoretically be considered private property of Fugaku's family. Perhaps because of the tragedy that had occurred there and its remote location, no one else showed any interest.
However, Fugaku firmly rejected Satsuki's request. Beyond a father's natural discomfort at seeing his daughter's dependence on and closeness to an "outsider" far exceed what she showed him, he provided a very reasonable and irrefutable reason.
Though Naruto's small apartment was a bit old, its location was excellent—right in the heart of Konoha. Whether going to the ninja academy, shopping, or visiting Ichiraku Ramen, everything was far more convenient than living in the Uchiha district on Konoha's outskirts. Moving Naruto there would actually be causing him trouble.
This practical, reasonable rejection still left Satsuki dejected for quite some time, lacking energy for several days straight.
There was also the matter of their eldest daughter—Uchiha Itachi—who had accepted Danzo's conspiracy and personally carried out the massacre. Konoha's government had officially classified her as an S-rank rogue ninja and issued a substantial bounty. Regarding this daughter who had betrayed their clan, Fugaku and Mikoto's feelings were too complex for words.
Heartbreak, incomprehension, and a trace of concern they couldn't completely erase... all these emotions wove together.
Ultimately, they chose to avoid mentioning her name at home, attempting to protect their younger daughter from further trauma while giving their own wounded hearts a chance to breathe.
However, every time Mikoto accidentally glimpsed Itachi's former room, or saw Satsuki walking alongside Naruto, her thoughts would drift uncontrollably and her eyes would well up with tears. She had to quietly turn away to hide the maternal grief that would surge up in those moments. That bone-deep pain couldn't be easily erased simply by not speaking of it.
So what was Uchiha Itachi's current situation?
Naruto didn't know all the details, only occasionally hearing fragments of news about the Ember organization from Hizashi.
According to Hizashi, shortly after Uchiha Itachi was brought to their base, they arranged a private meeting between her and the "resurrected" Uchiha Shisui.
That day's meeting seemed extremely intense. No one knew exactly what happened behind the closed door, only catching muffled sounds of suppressed, near-hysterical sobbing and heated arguments.
In the end, it was Shisui who emerged first, red-eyed and carrying an aura of heavy, lingering sorrow. As for Uchiha Itachi, who remained inside...
But Shisui, in order to distance her from the name "Uchiha Itachi" that bore the sin of genocide and to keep the outside world from focusing on this particular "prison," used his authority as a core member of Ember to privately give her a new name.
Uchiha Yu.
When Hizashi reported this to Naruto (Menma), his tone carried a complex sort of sentiment. As a core member of Ember, he had encountered the girl now called "Yu" several times.
His assessment was... that girl who had lost her sight and been renamed "Yu" had been thoroughly, completely rejected by Shisui—the same person to whom she had once entrusted everything.
Since Menma had taken her Mangekyo Sharingan, leaving only empty sockets and damaged tear ducts, her eyes were wrapped in layers of pristine white bandages.
However, perhaps because extreme sorrow and regret never stopped gnawing at her, or perhaps because her body remembered the instinct to weep, those blindfolding bandages were frequently soaked by uncontrollable fluid.
Sometimes it was clear tears, other times... faint traces of crimson would seep through.
The white bandages often bloomed with wet stains—sometimes transparent, sometimes tinged with tragic beauty in their bloody color... creating an eerie, broken sort of beauty.
She remained quietly in the isolation cell assigned to her, like a soulless doll. Only those bandages, occasionally stained red with tears and blood, proved that some violent emotion still silently ravaged within that seemingly calm shell.