Capítulo 30: Chapter 30: I bring all the trauma

Sasuke was momentarily stunned by Sakura's reaction—her head shaking like a rattle—but quickly realized she was also protecting him.

Konoha's high-level officials?

Sasuke began to ponder the deeper meaning behind Sakura's words. He believed Sakura wouldn't speak without reason; she must have given him some sort of hint.

"Sasuke, Sakura is right. Some things are better left unknown."

Kakashi spoke with a hint of concern, noticing that Sasuke hadn't fully grasped the gravity of the situation yet. But how did Sakura know the Uchiha clan's extermination was tied to Konoha's high-ranking officials? She was just a student at the ninja academy back then.

Discussing Konoha's political matters in front of Sasuke and Naruto was clearly inappropriate.

"Sasuke, your eyes!"

Although Naruto didn't fully grasp what Sakura said about Uchiha and Konoha, she noticed the changes in Sasuke's Sharingan.

Hearing Naruto's remark, Sasuke stopped thinking and pulled out a kunai from his ninja tool bag to use as a mirror to observe his eyes.

"Three tomoe!"

Sasuke was thrilled, feeling like himself again.

He realized that not only had his Sharingan evolved, but his mind had also become much clearer.

"Thank you, Sakura! I feel like I'm one step closer to that man now!"

"There's nothing to thank me for. Even though that genjutsu drained a large portion of your mental energy, as your total mental power increases, you'll be able to break free on your own one day."

"No, that's too slow. Breaking the illusion has made my mind clearer, which will help me get stronger faster."

Sakura nodded, silently agreeing with Sasuke while sighing inwardly:

Sasuke who knows how to express gratitude is actually quite cute!

Such a good person was tortured beyond recognition by Konoha and Uchiha Itachi in the original story. A proud and sunny young man was turned into a brooding, vengeful teen...

If I can help, shouldn't I help?

"Kakashi, why do you also have the Sharingan? Are you an Uchiha too?"

Sasuke soon noticed that Kakashi had yet to pull down his forehead protector.

"Oh, this? It was entrusted to me by my best friend before he died."

Kakashi gently stroked his scarlet left eye before pulling down his forehead protector again.

"Please, teach me how to use the Sharingan!"

Sasuke's face was full of sincerity, but before Kakashi could respond, Sakura interrupted:

"You! The most important thing right now is to rest. Although the genjutsu has been dispelled, you've exhausted a lot of mental energy today!"

Sakura said with a smile, tapping Sasuke's forehead protector three times.

Sasuke thought for a moment, agreeing with Sakura's statement, and nodded in response.

"That's right, rest is important too."

Sakura was pleased with his response.

"Sakura's right, the bridge is almost complete. You should rest well for the next couple of days," Kakashi added.

"You can rest today; I'll stay here."

"What? I'm not tired at all!" Naruto protested, clearly unhappy.

However, no one responded. Naruto, now at the bottom of Team 7, knew his suggestions would definitely not be adopted.

Watching Sasuke and Sakura leave, Naruto had no choice but to follow helplessly.

...

That night, in the yard of Tazuna's house, Sakura emerged from her tent.

She had been setting up her tent alone in the yard, not wanting to share a room with Naruto, Sasuke, or Kakashi.

Stretching, Sakura felt the cool, damp evening breeze unique to coastal areas.

Just then, a figure appeared before her.

However, Sakura wasn't surprised by the uninvited guest.

"Follow me."

Sakura's figure flashed as she ran towards the woods, the figure behind her following suit.

Soon, they reached the clearing where Naruto and Sasuke had practiced tree climbing before.

With a smile, Sakura turned to the person behind her:

"You're sharp, Sasuke."

At noon, Sakura had tapped three times on Sasuke's forehead, hinting at a meeting at three in the morning. Sasuke had nodded three times in response.

Sasuke stepped out of the shadows into the bright moonlight:

"Of course, you wouldn't act without purpose."

Then, Sasuke asked directly:

"After the genjutsu was lifted, I remembered some things from that day. It wasn't just him and me—he had other accomplices.

Now that I think about it, no matter how strong he is, he couldn't have killed my father so silently. There's something very off about this.

And you mentioned that this might be related to Konoha's top officials...

Sakura, do you know something?

Please, tell me. The truth about my clan's destruction is very important to me!"

Sasuke bowed deeply to Sakura.

No matter how proud Sasuke was, compared to the blood feud of genocide, his pride was insignificant.

"You don't have to do that. I brought you here to tell you what I know.

But the information I have is limited, mostly guesses based on trivial clues;

It may not be entirely accurate—do you still want to hear it?"

Sasuke nodded eagerly. He trusted Sakura's intellect.

"First of all, it's certain that Uchiha Itachi had accomplices.

According to intelligence, Uchiha Itachi first slaughtered the entire police force before returning to the clan. Do you think he could have swiftly executed nearly 100 Sharingan-wielding ninjas without being noticed?

If he truly had that capability, he could have massacred the entire clan in broad daylight without waiting for the cover of night.

So, let's set aside the clan for now. At the very least, he must have had accomplices within the police force, and it's even possible that the police force wasn't taken down by Uchiha Itachi at all."

Sakura combined the anime storyline with her own speculation, half-lying to Sasuke. While Sasuke had suspected this, he didn't have the factual basis that Sakura seemed to possess.

"Then, who were his accomplices?"

"I don't know who they were, but there must have been at least two factions.

One of them had to be a political enemy of the Uchiha within Konoha—most likely Anbu or Root."

"Root?" Sasuke heard about this organization for the first time.

"Nominally, Root is a reserve force led by the Hokage and used by Danzo to train talent for Anbu;

But in reality, it's another Anbu within Anbu.

Anbu carries out the Hokage's dirty work, but some tasks are so dirty they cross the line even for Anbu ninjas, so they're handed over to Root."

"What about the other faction?"

"I don't know the details, but it must be an external force. Generally speaking, even though Uchiha Itachi colluded with Konoha's top brass, someone who commits such serious crimes would eventually be sacrificed to appease public outrage.

Moreover, Uchiha Itachi knows too much; it would be too risky for them to let him live.

Therefore, Uchiha Itachi must have made contact with an external force beforehand to leave himself an escape route."

"A cowardly guy!"

"I guess he did it not for himself, but for you.

As long as Konoha treats you well, he won't fight them to the death.

After all, regardless of his strength, the knowledge he holds about the massacre would be enough to bring down the Third Hokage and Danzo."

"For me?" Sasuke found it hard to believe. "To prove his own benevolence."

"Sasuke, to understand a person's intentions, don't listen to what they say—look at what they do.

Especially if that person is smart. Pay attention to the results of their actions."

"The result is the Uchiha were destroyed!" Sasuke shouted in frustration. He didn't want to believe his brother, whom he had always seen as an enemy, could have been thinking of him.

"Was the Uchiha truly wiped out? Aren't you still alive?

I suggest you go to the library and look up information on the Kaguya clan from the Hidden Mist Village. Their situation is very similar to the Uchiha's. They attempted a coup but were discovered by their village and subsequently annihilated.

Ninjas who know this story mock them for being brave but not wise, overestimating their abilities.

If not for Uchiha Itachi, the Uchiha clan's fate would have been no different from the Kaguya clan's."

Sakura's words calmed Sasuke.

"Also, even though the Uchiha clan's assets were confiscated by Konoha;

Why do you think Konoha left you so much inheritance?"

Sasuke was about to speak, but Sakura interrupted him:

"I know you think you deserve it, so let me tell you:

Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's orphan. Not to mention the Fourth Hokage's inheritance, his mother had an entire street named after her!

You've seen how he lives.

Do you think the Uchiha's influence could stop Konoha, or that you had the ability to prevent Konoha from seizing your parents' inheritance?"

"That brat... he really is..."

Sasuke was shocked to hear Naruto's true background.

"It's true, 100% true.

And Sasuke, don't underestimate Naruto.

He has the most potential among the three of us. The Uzumaki clan's reputation during the Warring States period was nearly on par with the Uchiha.

You've heard of the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, right? They're incredibly powerful and feared by many. Konoha's founding leaders saw their value and allied with them to form the village. The fact that Naruto has survived this long, despite everything, shows his incredible resilience and potential."

Sasuke remained silent, absorbing everything Sakura had said. It was a lot to take in, but it provided him with a new perspective on the events that had shaped his life.

"Thank you, Sakura," Sasuke finally said, his voice filled with sincerity. "I have a lot to think about."

Sakura nodded, understanding the weight of the information she had just shared with him.

"Take your time, Sasuke. There's no rush. We'll get to the bottom of this together."

Sasuke gave her a small, appreciative smile before turning and walking back toward the house, his mind racing with thoughts about his clan, Konoha, and the path that lay ahead.

After confirming that Sasuke had gone far away, Sakura turned and faced the quiet woods:

"Come out, Kakashi-sensei."

As soon as the voice fell, Kakashi walked out of the darkness and walked to Sakura.