"You say the reason Itachi didn't kill me was to protect me? That he killed our clan, killed our parents, all to protect me?"
After Daniel Davis revealed the truth about the Uchiha clan's massacre to Sasuke, Sasuke suddenly burst into a fit of crazed laughter, a sense of absurdity laced within it.
"On the surface, he left you alive to let you grow, planning to take your eyes in the future. But in reality, his true intention was to give his eyes to you once you had grown, making you stronger so that you could protect the Leaf in his place."
Itachi was an extraordinary person. Daniel Davis knew that if he were in Itachi's position, he could never have made such a choice.
"To protect the Leaf in his place? Is the Leaf really that important?" Sasuke's voice was filled with hatred. But whether that hatred was directed toward the Leaf or Itachi, Daniel couldn't tell.
"In his heart, you were just as important as the Leaf. If you want to rank them, you probably mattered more to him than the Leaf. Itachi was different from you, who grew up in times of peace. He personally experienced the brutality of war from a very young age, which is why he cherished peace so much. A battle between the Leaf and the Uchiha was inevitable. Regardless of the outcome, the Leaf would be gravely weakened.
If the Leaf were severely weakened, the other ninja villages would definitely seize the opportunity, and war would break out."
"So, he slaughtered his clan and his parents to prevent a war?" Sasuke interrupted Daniel's explanation.
"Let me finish." Seeing Sasuke finally quiet down, Daniel continued, "He killed his clan and parents to prevent a war, yes, but he also did it to save you. If the Uchiha had gone to war with the Leaf, their chances of winning were slim, and you would likely have died in the conflict."
The Uchiha clan was powerful, but not powerful enough to match the entire Leaf Village. Besides, the Uchiha clan wasn't even united. Two of its strongest members, Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, sided with the Leaf.
Even if Shisui and Itachi had sided with the Uchiha, their chances of victory were still low. While Shisui's Kotoamatsukami was formidable, it could only control one person and had a long cooldown period. Even if they managed to control the Third Hokage or Danzo, it wouldn't change the overall outcome.
Don't forget that the Leaf also had the Hyuga clan. Their Byakugan was highly effective at seeing through illusions.
At that time, Itachi had not yet awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. He only unlocked it after Shisui's death. Without the Mangekyo's Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, Itachi was, at best, just an elite Jonin.
You have to admit, the Second Hokage was incredibly cunning. Even though the Third Hokage seemed highly skilled in politics, he still fell short in some areas.
If it weren't for the Second Hokage's tactics to isolate the Uchiha clan, cutting off any assistance from the Leaf, the Uchiha wouldn't have reached their final fate."
"Alright, that's enough about the Uchiha massacre for now. Our deal is settled." Daniel Davis said as he released the chains binding Sasuke, preparing to leave.
"Wait. Are you implying there's more to the truth? You said you'd tell me the whole truth. That was part of our deal, a fair trade, wasn't it?" Sasuke quickly called out to stop Daniel.
"Telling you more won't help right now. You're too weak. Knowing too much as a weakling won't benefit you. I only told you what I have because I didn't want you to continue being deceived. Itachi didn't tell you because he thought the same. Now you know why your clan was destroyed, but what can you do about it? Do you have the strength to kill the Third Hokage or Danzo?"
"Then why tell me any of this at all? Kakashi-sensei says you're incredibly powerful, stronger than him. Someone like you wouldn't tell me this just out of boredom. There must be something in it for you. Whatever it is, as long as you tell me the whole truth, you can take it all once I've had my revenge."
"What if I want your soul?" Daniel Davis asked with a smile as he watched Sasuke's resolute expression.
"You can take it after my revenge," Sasuke replied, completely unfazed.
"Alright then, I'll tell you everything. There are some things that even Itachi didn't know." After a brief silence, Daniel decided to reveal the full truth to Sasuke.
If it were a child from another world, they might not understand these matters. But the world of the Hidden Leaf was different; children here matured early. Itachi had witnessed the horrors of the Third Great Ninja War at around four or five years old and had resolved to protect peace.
Kakashi had become a Chunin at six and a Jonin by twelve.
Naruto and Sasuke, by the ages of fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen, had already attained Six Paths-level power, becoming nearly invincible. Even Daniel Davis would find it troublesome to face them now.
"To understand everything, we need to go back to the founding of the Leaf Village, to the time of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Uchiha Madara."
"Uchiha Madara?" Sasuke immediately interrupted.
"You've never heard of Uchiha Madara?"
"No."
Sasuke's face showed clear shock at Daniel's question. He had no idea his family was connected to the founding of the Leaf Village.
"Of course, he wouldn't know. He was too young when the massacre happened. Neither Fugaku nor Itachi would have told him about Madara. In the Uchiha clan, the name Madara was practically forbidden."
"Don't interrupt. Let me continue." Daniel then told the story from the founding of the Leaf to the downfall of the Uchiha clan. Of course, he omitted the parts involving Black Zetsu.
The differences in ideals alone would have caused Hashirama and Madara to part ways, even without Black Zetsu's manipulation.
"So, the Uchiha clan's destruction was all part of the Second Hokage's plan from the beginning."
"That's right. When the Fourth Hokage was in power, thanks to his and your father's efforts, the tensions between the Uchiha and the Leaf had eased somewhat. If things had continued, coexistence might have been possible. But, unfortunately, he died too soon. When the Third Hokage resumed power, the Uchiha were pushed back to their previous status."
At this point, Daniel smiled meaningfully at Sasuke and said, "Speaking of the Fourth Hokage, I bet you can't guess who his son is."
"Who is it?" Sasuke asked curiously, having developed a favorable impression of the Fourth Hokage based on his treatment of the Uchiha.
"Your current teammate, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Impossible! How could Naruto be the son of the Fourth Hokage? If that were true, why doesn't anyone know? Everyone calls him a demon fox!" Sasuke's expression darkened upon hearing this revelation.
"Not many know about Uchiha Madara either. His identity was deliberately hidden. The same goes for Naruto. The son of the Fourth Hokage, yet he grew up being ostracized and despised. The Leaf... it's truly something, isn't it?"
"Why would that happen?" Sasuke asked, perplexed. He thought about how the Third Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru, was treated. He had a personal Jonin tutor, and everyone knew his identity.
"It's simple—because he's a jinchuriki. A jinchuriki is..." Daniel briefly explained what a jinchuriki was, then continued, "When everyone else discriminated against him, the Third Hokage acted kind and caring toward him. What do you think happened next?"
The one thing Daniel Davis disliked the most about the Leaf Village was the way Naruto was treated. It annoyed him to no end that the Third Hokage played the role of a good guy after everyone else had shunned Naruto.
Naruto's optimism might have been a result of being Ashura's chakra reincarnation, but without that, he might have ended up like most jinchuriki—shunned and isolated.
There was even speculation that Naruto might have been influenced by Kotoamatsukami from a young age. However, considering Naruto's unique nature, Kotoamatsukami might not have worked on him, just as it likely wouldn't work when Itachi later tried to change Sasuke's will with it.
Of course, things might not have unfolded exactly as Daniel Davis described. There could have been many factors at play, including Danzo, who was always suspected of being the mastermind behind these events.
Many people viewed Danzo as the mastermind, and Sasuke himself later confronted him with this belief. However, it's important not to forget that at the time, the Third Hokage held the greatest power in the Leaf.
It's possible the disappearance of the Senju clan was linked to the Third Hokage. After the Second Hokage's death, the Senju, who were as famous as the Uchiha, dwindled to just Tsunade and Nawaki. It was too strange.
It wouldn't be surprising if Nawaki's death was also connected to the Third Hokage.
It's not that Daniel Davis was deliberately painting the Third Hokage
in a bad light, but many events in the Leaf don't hold up to scrutiny. The death of Sakumo Hatake, the demise of Hizashi Hyuga, Orochimaru's betrayal—these were all suspicious.
Perhaps Danzo was responsible for these incidents by exploiting the Third Hokage's trust, but the treatment of Naruto was definitely something the Third Hokage could not be absolved of.
"In truth, I respect Uchiha Madara the most. Though he failed, he was the one who came closest to bringing true peace to the ninja world. Both Hashirama and your brother Itachi had too narrow a view of peace, focusing only on their own village, while true peace remained elusive."
"When Hashirama was alive, the ninja world was peaceful, but that peace was maintained by his overwhelming power," Daniel explained, pointing out that the same kind of peace existed during the Fourth Great Ninja War, thanks to the strength of Naruto and Sasuke.
"But after Hashirama's death, the Second Ninja War broke out almost immediately, and it lasted over a decade." The war began with the death of the Second Hokage and only ended when the Sannin earned their fame.
"Then, after the Second Ninja War, there was a brief period of peace for about ten years before the Third Ninja War broke out. If nothing changes, the Fourth Ninja War is likely not far off."
Had it not been for the emergence of Uchiha Madara as a common enemy, the Fourth Great Ninja War would have been an internal conflict among the five great ninja villages rather than a united effort against Madara.
"Do you know why these wars keep happening? Because peace allows the number of ninjas to increase, while the number of missions doesn't grow to match. Whether to compete for missions or to eliminate surplus ninjas, war is inevitable."
Daniel sat down and drew a diagram on the ground, illustrating the causes of the Ninja Wars, including population, economy, and other factors.
"Do you know why I told you all of this? Because your brother Itachi's version of peace is unsustainable. If the root causes aren't addressed, the cycle of ninja wars will continue: the Fourth, the Fifth, the Tenth—until one side is completely wiped out."
When Sasuke sought to end the Fourth Great Ninja War, he intended to kill the Nine Tailed Beasts and the Five Kage, believing that this would be the only way to secure lasting peace. Although brutal, from a long-term perspective, it wasn't necessarily a bad plan. Unfortunately, he lost to Naruto's powers of persuasion.
One of Daniel's reasons for revealing so much to Sasuke was to see if a Sasuke with a completely different mindset would still be swayed by Naruto's talk of peace.
Daniel didn't hold any ill will toward Naruto. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sympathized with the hardships Naruto faced as a child. However, Daniel did think Naruto's view of the world was overly naive.
"In the Leaf, you won't be able to grow stronger. They won't allow an Uchiha descendant to rise. The only reason you're still alive is partly due to your brother's threat, but I suspect it's more because they want to preserve the Uchiha bloodline in case it becomes useful to them."
Daniel stood up as he finished his explanation.
"Oh, and by the way, what I said earlier about wanting your soul—that was just a joke. You must be overwhelmed by all this new information. Take some time to think it over. I'll find you again later."
This time, Daniel didn't give Sasuke a chance to respond. Before Sasuke could say a word, Daniel had already disappeared.
"What's wrong, Sasuke? Are you still upset about losing to me?" At dinner that evening at Tazuna's house, Naruto laughed loudly as he noticed Sasuke staring at him.
"Sasuke would never lose to you!" Before Sasuke could reply, Sakura immediately shouted at Naruto.
"Idiot." Sasuke sighed, shook his head, and pushed his bowl aside before walking away from the table.
"Sasuke, what's going on?" As Sasuke was about to leave the room, Kakashi spoke up. He had noticed Sasuke's odd behavior for some time now. Normally, Sasuke would have snapped back at Naruto, but now he seemed indifferent.
But unfortunately, the Sasuke standing before him was no longer the same. After his conversation with Daniel, Sasuke had come to understand many things. He gave Kakashi a cold glance before silently walking out.
A few days later, as Sasuke lay on the grass staring at the sky, Kakashi suddenly appeared beside him. Sasuke acted as though he hadn't noticed, continuing to gaze upward.
"Something's bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?" Kakashi had been observing Sasuke for a while now and had concluded that something was definitely wrong. Sasuke no longer responded to Naruto's provocations, nor did he seem as focused on training. Instead, he spent his time sitting in silence, deep in thought.
"Nothing, Kakashi-sensei. The bridge should be finished tomorrow. We'll be leaving soon." Sasuke seemed to have reached a resolution, standing up and walking away.
"Naruto, come visit again sometime!" Amid cheers and farewells, Team 7 crossed the newly completed "Naruto Bridge" and stepped onto the land of the Fire Country.
"Hey, we meet again." Just as Kakashi and the others entered the forest, they were greeted by three familiar figures—Daniel Davis, Zabuza, and Haku.
_________________________________________
From May 26 to June 3, I'm offering a 33% discount on all Patreon tiers.
Just use this code when you sign up: 83AA7
If you'd like to support the project and get early access to chapters, now's the perfect time to join or upgrade.
This limited-time offer lasts only for these 9 days!
Thank you for your support ❤️
[w w w . p @ t r e o n . c o m / M u t t e r]