NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Goals and Choices
Chapter
13: Goals and Choices
The Uchiha clan— a name that has
echoed through nearly a thousand years of history. It's a well-deserved wealthy
ninja clan with a legacy of power and prestige. Throughout history, very few
ninja clans could compete with the Uchiha clan. In the last hundred years, only
one or two clans could be compared to the Uchiha. In the era of the five great
nations, with the natural extinction of the Senju clan for unknown reasons, the
Uchiha clan became recognized as the foremost wealthy family in the ninja
world.
Even in the Hidden Leaf Village, the
Hyuga clan often boasts of being a wealthy family equal to the Uchiha. But the
reality is clear. In the eyes of people from all over the ninja world, Uchiha
represents strength.
Such a ninja clan holds immense
significance and value for a ninja village. The Uchiha clan alone boasts dozens
of Jonin with three-tomoe Sharingan, a terrifying combat force. This is why
high-ranking officials like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo fear the Uchiha clan. If
there were only 10 or 20 Jonin, or even fewer, would people like Sarutobi
Hiruzen and Danzo need to worry? If the Uchiha clan were that weak, the Anbu
could wipe them out multiple times.
However, this powerful Uchiha clan
was destroyed. The official news released by Konoha stated that it was
destroyed by one person—the genius of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Itachi, who was
only twelve or thirteen years old. The only survivor was Uchiha Sasuke, the son
of the Uchiha clan leader and Itachi's younger brother.
This news shocked the entire
Konohagakure Village and quickly spread throughout the ninja world, drawing the
attention of other countries' ninja villages to Konohagakure. They pondered the
impact the disappearance of a wealthy ninja clan would have on the village.
Especially Iwagakure and Kumogakure added troops to the border, ready to seize
any opportunity.
The Third Ninja War had ended seven
or eight years ago, and the major ninja villages seemed capable of starting a
new round of conflict. If Konoha showed any signs of weakness, it would be a
dangerous time.
In the following period, the
high-level leaders of Konoha, led by Sarutobi Hiruzen, had to be on high alert
to handle any possible threats and temptations, even the storm of war!
But these concerns had nothing to do
with Menma at the moment. Being familiar with the original plot, he knew that a
new round of Ninja World War would not break out during this period. Even if it
did, would Konoha send a seven-year-old Jinchuriki to the front line? Menma
only needed to focus on his training.
The tragedy of the Uchiha clan's
genocide quickly passed through Menma's mind and was automatically filtered
out. Sasuke might become a good partner or ally in the future, but that was not
a concern now. The primary task was to become stronger in the shortest time
possible.
Menma continued to follow his daily
routine firmly. With his dedication to both theory and practice, he had far
surpassed "Uzumaki Naruto" from the original work in this life. Menma
eagerly absorbed all knowledge. Unlike the original Naruto, who relied purely
on talent, Menma sought to excel in all areas.
He wouldn't neglect any theoretical
knowledge. In fact, a ninja required a lot of theoretical knowledge! If strict
evaluation criteria were followed, Uzumaki Naruto might never graduate in his
lifetime. But the most important thing for a ninja was still "personal
strength."
Menma could distinguish between the
important and the unimportant, but when he was capable, he aimed to develop in
an all-around way. A solid foundation was always beneficial.
Time passed quietly. A week later,
Uchiha Sasuke, the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, returned to academy .
Unlike before, Sasuke now carried a cold aura, and the extreme indifference on
his face was evident. This wasn't a deliberate act of coolness but a real
change in mentality.
Witnessing his most respected
brother kill his parents and slaughter an entire clan, maintaining a calm
mentality was impossible unless he had serious mental issues.
'This is the cruelty of being a
ninja, Sasuke-kun, and this is only the first step in your life,' Menma thought
silently, looking at the gloomy Sasuke.
The Uchiha clan's annihilation
seemed like a small ripple in the progress of the ninja world. Although it was
a crucial plot point for Konohagakure and the entire ninja world, time slowly
faded the wave it had stirred up. Few people in the village paid attention, and
even other ninja villages gradually lost interest.
This was certainly due to the
efforts of the Konohagakure seniors led by Sarutobi Hiruzen. No matter the
process, the result remained the same as in the original work. The five major
ninja villages didn't break out in a new round of Ninja World War. Konohagakure's
display of strength played a significant role in this outcome.
While ninja villages remained wary
of Konoha's power, they also had to consider their neighbors' intentions. This
mutual vigilance caused them to lose the best opportunity to start a war.
As for Menma, he was still immersed
in his training. Unless these ninja villages started a war that placed
Konohagakure in a huge predicament or forced them to the core of the village,
it had nothing to do with Menma.
As Konohagakure's 55th year came to
an end, the third academy year was about
to begin, and Menma's training entered a new stage.