Chapter 10: The Uchiha Massacre - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

### Chapter 10: The Uchiha Massacre Hinata, regarded as an anomaly within the Hyuga clan, found her interest in ninjutsu far surpassing her interest in the Gentle Fist. While the Gentle Fist is elegant and graceful, ninjutsu is undeniably cooler! After all, having arrived in the ninja world, how could she not learn a few ninjutsu techniques and truly embrace her destiny? It's just unfortunate that the Hyuga clan would never teach her ninjutsu, seeing it as a waste of time. In the world of ninjas, there are only four ways to learn ninjutsu. First, through family instruction. Second, through guidance from a team leader post-graduation. Third, by diligently completing missions and then applying to the village for training. Fourth, by becoming someone's disciple and learning under the guise of a mentor-student relationship. This is precisely why, during the Four Great Ninja Wars, a large number of ninjas could only face enemies using shuriken and taijutsu. Of course, the chakra-intensive nature of ninjutsu was also a significant factor. ... Time flew by, and Hinata continued to muddle through her days at the ninja academy. Things like early graduation, diligently training to improve herself, or breaking through dire situations on missions were simply not suitable for her. After all, Naruto and Sasuke were around to save the ninja world. Moreover, Hinata was already quite accomplished. By her second year, she had begun learning various secret techniques of the Gentle Fist. As the Hyuga heir, she had free rein to learn all sorts of Gentle Fist techniques. Hinata had mastered numerous moves from the Eight Trigrams, including the Thirty-Two Palms, Vacuum Palm, and Body Blow. She was almost finished with Rotation, only slightly lacking in the finesse needed for a seamless 360-degree defense. She truly learned these effortlessly. The moment the second semester of her second year began, the Uchiha Clan's massacre unfolded without anyone noticing. She clearly recalled how the school had organized an outdoor exercise that day, which lasted until over nine at night before they were dismissed. The following day, the entire village's atmosphere felt peculiar and oppressively stifling. The ninjas she encountered on the streets all wore solemn expressions, as if something monumental had occurred in the village. They seemed eager to speak yet restrained by regulations. After school, upon returning home, Hinata was informed by Hiashi Hyuga about the Uchiha clan's annihilation. Hiashi's expression was exceedingly grave, as the decimation of the Uchiha clan served as a harsh wake-up call for all clans in Konoha. The era had transformed. The current ninja world was no longer the turbulent Warring States period of clan dominance but an era of ninja villages. Those unable to integrate into the new era would inevitably be abandoned by it. Everyone must learn to survive in this new age. In reality, through the repeated great ninja wars, the vast majority of clans’ ninjas had already merged into the village. Even the Hyuga clan was now part of the Konoha’s Hyuga clan. The Hyuga family, as a clan with a bloodline limit, upheld the purity of their lineage, not intermarrying with outsiders—unless one possessed the prowess of Naruto, capable of saving the entire ninja world. Conversely, the Uchiha clan, in the era of ninja villages, still had "the clan" on their lips daily, basking in the glories of the past. Their downfall was, in some ways, self-inflicted. So, did Konoha treat the Uchiha unfairly? Though they might have, Hinata believed the Uchiha clan bore greater fault. Setting aside the era of the First Hokage, starting from the era of the Second Hokage, the Konoha Police Force was used to marginalize the Uchiha clan to the edges of the village. The Police Force’s many duties overlapped with those of the ANBU, making the position seem honorable, but lacking in actual power. In the era of the Third Hokage, who inherited the Will of the First Hokage, there was an effort to mend relations with the Uchiha clan. However, the Uchiha had long lost faith in the village, and with older generations harboring little affection for Konoha, communication broke down, leading inevitably to their annihilation. From the village's perspective, they did no wrong. The Uchiha, too, made errors, primarily underestimating the power dynamic between them and the village. A few days later, Konoha officially declared that Itachi Uchiha slaughtered his entire clan overnight before defecting. Truth be told, such a statement was hard to believe. Yet, the Uchiha clan had become a taboo subject, almost no one dared to openly discuss them in the village. With the Uchiha one's popularity originally poor, no one was willing to clear their name. Sasuke readily believed the village's narrative. Not to mention Sasuke was still young, lacking mature judgment; Itachi's haunting memory ingrained in him was enough to convince Sasuke of its truth. But if one pondered deeply, how could the ninja school conduct an outdoor exercise on the day of the Uchiha massacre without the village's cooperation? It might even be possible that the Third Hokage conspired with Danzo. Sasuke, after witnessing his parents die by his brother's hand, lay in the hospital for seven days. When he awoke, Sasuke had transformed into a taciturn individual, his previous stubborn pride replaced by deep-seated hatred, his eyes void of life, with a sudden ferocity whenever Itachi crossed his mind. For those infatuated with him, a cold Sasuke only seemed more alluring. While Hinata's daily life wasn't tangibly affected by the Uchiha massacre, the invisible impact was somewhat present. With the Uchiha clan eradicated, the Hyuga naturally rose as the most prestigious household in Konoha, even arguably the ninja world. And Hinata was the heiress and the young lady of this esteemed family. Compared to the ambitious Uchiha, the Hyuga maintained strict aristocratic decorum, impeccable in their interactions within the village. The existence of the Byakugan allowed them to forge numerous alliances during past wars. While the Uchiha massacre instilled considerable apprehension in various clans, the Third Hokage soon pacified them. The Hyuga's influence in the village grew, though Hiashi Hyuga remained steadfast in his allegiance to the Hokage. At this point, beneath the calm surface of Konoha, lay true peace. Once the impact of the Uchiha massacre subsided, the village thrived with new vigor. Many noticed how venturing into the village felt considerably lighter without the imposing presence of the Uchiha clan. Currently, the only instability in the village stemmed from Danzo and Sasuke. However, one had recently been stripped of power by the Hokage, busy plotting a reformation of the Root division, and the other was still too young to cause any significant trouble. Returning to the school, Sasuke was entirely transformed, constantly challenging Hinata at every opportunity. Sasuke held a deep sense of familial pride and now desperately needed validation of the Uchiha clan's genius and strength, hoping to carry the torch of Uchiha's honor single-handedly. After each failed challenge against Hinata, Sasuke would bitterly resent his weakness. Unable to best even Hinata, how could he talk of avenging Itachi? While Hinata found Sasuke pitiful, she wouldn't go easy in their matches, as that would be disrespectful to both herself and would inflate Sasuke's ego. Continuously pressing down on Sasuke, he wouldn't grow overconfident like his original self.