The Fateful Uchiha

The meeting did not last long. Ninjas usually go straight to the point. Shiba Arata was given a budget to reorganize the Police. He had a year to do so. During that year, the ANBU would temporarily replace the Police force.

They also discussed Jun’s new responsibilities. As the clan leader, the Uchiha District belonged to him. However, given the tragedy that had happened there, no one would want to live there. It was probably best to raze it to the ground. The teenager could collect whatever belongings he wanted there.

There were things that he should keep, records, ancient artifacts… Jun would also retain ownership of the land. If he decided to sell the land, the proceeds would go to him. In addition to the fortune he had already inherited, his family wouldn’t have to worry financially for a while.

Sasuke was still in the hospital. Itachi had used a powerful Genjutsu on him; the boy was in a coma. His life wasn’t threatened, but no one knew when he would wake up.

As a clan leader, Jun must participate in meetings in the event of a crisis or when important decisions need to be made. There were also meetings of all the clan leaders in the village that would require his attention. The teenager’s name would carry more weight from now on. He was also told that he was likely to receive several marriage proposals.

The Uchiha wasn’t really interested in that. He told Shikaku he had no desire to deal with marriage proposals.

At the end of the meeting, the Sandaime told them that everything related to Danzo’s death was classified. According to him, it was to not make Konoha look weak. Jun didn’t care. The people in the room knew the truth. It was better than nothing.

Everyone went their way. Shikaku reminded Jun that his door was always open to him if he needed advice. Then, the Nara left with Inoichi Yamanaka. The Uchiha could feel the gaze of the head of the Yamanaka clan scrutinizing him for a long time. Shiba also cast an inquisitive look on his former student before opening his mouth.

“Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any recommendations for future members of the Police force, Jun.”

“Just because I’m an Uchiha doesn’t mean I know how it works. I was never involved in Police matters.” He protested.

It was weird for him to claim to be an Uchiha. All his life, he had separated himself from the clan. Shiba raised an eyebrow.

“You are a member of the Division. You must have an idea, no?”

He had a point. Jun thought for a second.

“You would need a bit of everything. Trackers at chunin or jonin level to catch criminals on the run. You can also use some genins to take care of the daily affairs with civilians.”

“That’s what I thought. We probably need to train our members in non-lethal methods of apprehension. Ninjas are trained to kill. But a Police officer doesn’t need to use deadly force… well only as a last resort.”

Jun thought about his mother, who was killed by an overzealous officer.

“It’s a good idea.” The teenager said.

“Do you have any names for me? I’m thinking of asking Natsumi, and maybe her boyfriend Chomu Akimichi.”

“Good choices. There is a kunoichi my age, Madoka Hyuga, you should consider her as well.”

The Hyuga clan was going to ask Madoka to retire when she turned eighteen in order to get married and start a family. But she didn’t want to give up her career. Maybe the clan would let her stay on active duty as a member of the Police. It was far less dangerous than being a ninja.

Jun also suggested Kanna, his former teammate in the special team. Shiba had planned to ask Ebisu. Apparently, many of his techniques were to capture the opponent not to kill. Shiba and his former student continued to talk while walking in the village. They exchanged several ideas on the way such as recruiting officers from the genins who failed their jonin-senseis tests.

Then, they went their own way.

Jun walked to the morgue. He had to organize the funeral of his mother, but also the cremation of all the members of the Uchiha clan massacred yesterday as well as that of his grandparents. The teenager ordered his mom to be buried next to his father. It was an Uchiha protocol to cremate their dead to avoid their Dojutsu from being stolen. However, his mother never awakened it, and he wasn’t worried about people coming to disturb her resting place.

The rest of the Uchihas would have their ashes scattered in the forest surrounding Konoha, per the tradition. His mother would be buried the next day. Jun sent out a message to inform Hazuki’s friends and former colleagues. He, then, went to the Division headquarters to find Izumi, Karin, and Kazuma. They had a lot discussed.

Kazuma didn’t want to move. Karin didn’t want Sasuke to live with them. As for Izumi, the idea of being part of the Uchiha clan again left a bitter taste in her mouth. If it was another day, Jun would have the patience to explain to them why things had to be this way… But not today. They were all on edge, and it didn’t take long for everyone to start raising their voices. It took them a while to calm down. In the end, they had no choice but to agree with the decision. In addition to being their brother, Jun was also their clan leader.

The teenager made an effort to find compromises, though. Kazuma could have a say in choosing the neighborhood of their new home. Izumi was assured that she could add or change anything to the Uchiha traditions. Jun promised Karin that Sasuke was not going to replace her. He couldn’t refuse to take care of him as he had no family in the village. They were the Uchiha clan now; they had to present a united front.

“Izumi, when Itachi attacked you, your eyes…” Jun asked his sister later.

Izumi blinked in incomprehension. Her brother realized she hadn’t noticed.

“I believe you have awakened the Sharingan. Itachi and I are the only ones who saw it. I’m asking you to keep it a secret for the time being… just long enough to get back on our feet.”

Jun was worried they could be targeted. They may be the Uchiha clan, but they haven’t developed enough to protect themselves.

“I want to tell Ume.”

Ume was one of her genin teammates and her best friend. Jun relaxed, relieved that she hadn’t disagreed with him.

“Sure. But make sure she doesn’t tell anyone...”

His sister suddenly looked very tired.

“I know; I’m not stupid. We just have… I mean… It’s just us now, right?”

She was right; it was just them. It seems like they were against the whole world, against Itachi, against Orochimaru, against the Sandaime and the elders… The massacre had not put an end to their problems, far from it.

The day went by. Izumi returned to her sensei and teammates to update them on the recent events. The dead Uchihas were brought to the cremation site. While overseeing the transfer, Jun had the crazy idea of stealing a Sharingan or two, just in case. Considering that he possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, it was worth thinking about unless he wanted to go blind.

Moreover, he realized it was his last chance to act. It would even be legal. It was his clan now. A clan leader taking a couple of Sharingan wasn’t the same as an outsider doing it. It could be seen as a way to manage his clan’s power. The Sharingan was a powerful Dojutsu. People would kill countless innocents to get their hands on one eye. However, the thought of gouging out someone’s eyes didn’t sit well with him. Thinking about Shisui, he didn’t have in him to mutilate the corpses.

But he was shinobi, a cold-blooded killer capable of being ruthless and calculating. A Sharingan was definitely an asset. Therefore, among the hundreds of dead bodies, he chose three and sealed them away in big storage scrolls. Three bodies, that was six Sharingans. His choice wasn’t random. He selected the previous clan leader, Fugaku Uchiha, Nao Uchiha, his grandmother, and Ichiro Uchiha, a member of the police. Jun felt like their eyes had the potential to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Would they have agreed to give their eyes to protect others beyond death? Maybe. But Jun doubted they would have offered them to him, the insolent half-blood. Or perhaps they would have overcome their reluctance for the good of the clan, who knows…

Jun put himself in their places. If it had been his corpse, he would have been indifferent to it. He would be dead. Why would he care about the fate of his Sharingan? Especially if they were to be used to protect someone. The Dojutsu was a weapon, and he would have been stupid to waste it. At least, the cursed Dojutsu would serve some good purpose.

In another world, in another life, Jun would probably never dare to steal dead bodies. But he belonged to a ruthless universe, and he couldn’t afford to be stifled by sentimentality. These people were dead, They no longer had any use for their eyes. The Sharingan was going to become a rare commodity. There were many people obsessed with Dojutsus. If Jun or Izumi ever got their eyes gouged out, they could use replacements. He had to be prepared.

The teenager was responsible for his family, and now it had a target on its back as the last Uchihas alive.

Jun made sure no one had noticed that three bodies were out of place. He also took the time to recount all the bodies and examine each one to verify that no corpse was missing an eye or two. Nothing was missing. He didn’t know if he should happy about it. Orochimaru was on the loose. He was also obsessed with the Sharingan. The man would definitely come after the Uchihas still breathing. The teenager didn’t want to think about it.

The young clan leader personally cremated all the bodies. A few people were attracted by the fire and came to the area. Each clan leader came and bowed gravely to offer condolences. Kanna and Miyamoto also came. It was probably to honor Shisui’s memory. Jun felt Kakashi’s chakra at the edge of the forest. And that was about it.

In the end, only a few people came. There had been too much distance between the clan and the rest of the village. The Uchiha clan, one of the founding pillars of Konoha, had begun dying long before Itachi carried out his massacre.