Hey guys, here is the new chapter hope you will liked and read thru everything.
If we hit 300 PW I post a extra chapter
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Two days had passed since the night of absolute terror had covered the skies of the Hidden Leaf Village in blood and fire. The smell of burning and the traces of the Kyūbi's corrosive chakra no longer floated in the humid morning air, mixing instead with the constant dust rising from the ruins. The cold, gray light of this new day's dawn harshly illuminated a semi-destroyed Konoha, revealing the true magnitude of the catastrophe the Nine-Tailed Fox had caused after breaking free from the mental control of that mysterious intruder.
The districts that once overflowed with life and commerce were now only valleys of desolation, splintered wood, and limestone reduced to ashes. The emergency rescue and reconstruction teams, organized immediately by the village's military forces, worked without a single second of rest under the unified direction of the most prominent clanes. Members of the Nara clan coordinated search maps and food supply logistics, while the giants of the Akimichi clan used their partial multi-size techniques to remove, with superhuman physical effort, the heavy stone blocks trapping the former residential streets.
At the same time, trackeres from the Hyūga clan walked across damaged roofs with their Byakugan active, exhaustively inspecting every subterranean corner for any sign of life or residual cursed energy. Stretchers carrying the wounded continued to cross the main streets toward improvised medical centers in a collective effort to stand the Land of Fire back on its feet.
In Konoha's central hospital, which miraculously stood firm despite the brutal tremors that had shaken the foundations of the land during the battle, the atmosphere in the intensive care unit was one of extreme medical tension. Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki lay in adjacent beds, separated from the outside noise by thick concrete walls and acoustic isolation seals. Both warriors were connected to complex biological monitors and intricate systems of tubes that recorded the alarming and unusual weakness of their internal systems.
Tsunade, who had been near Konoha, had been summoned with a message stating she was desperately needed; despite her fear of blood, she showed up to help the only family she had left in Kushina. Tsunade and the head doctors showed a deep and honest concern as they reviewed the physical exams of their chakra pathways over and over again.
"The damage to your nervous systems and your chakra coils is definitive and irreversible, Minato, Kushina," Tsunade explained to them, making it absolutely clear.
"The execution of that forbidden sealing technique to invoke the Shinigami, combined with the direct and prolonged exposure to the Kyūbi's corrosive and poisonous chakra, has destroyed approximately twenty-five percent of your natural chakra reserves forever. Your biological systems will no longer be able to process, mold, or regenerate energy the same way as before. Your bodies have lost a massive amount of vitality for your age."
Minato, noticeably pale, with dry lips and deep dark circles marking his extreme physical exhaustion, nodded in silence while staring at the white ceiling of the room with mature calmness. He tried to slightly lift his right arm to perform the hand sign characteristic of his Hiraishin, but a sharp pain, like a thousand hot needles piercing his flesh, ran through his entire nervous system from the base of his neck, forcing him to desist immediately with a slight groan of frustration.
He knew perfectly well that from that fateful day forward, using his space-time technique consecutively or in high-intensity direct combat would represent a dangerous strain that could cost him his life for now. And despite everything, Minato promised himself he would stand up and regain his level, even if they said it was impossible.
To his right side, Kushina, with her characteristic red hair now showing a few white streaks after losing part of its vital luster due to the tremendous effort of childbirth and the subsequent restraint of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, held little Naruto with trembling but firm hands. The baby slept placidly, completely oblivious to the chaos, politics, and destruction of the outside world, bearing the intricate design of the Eight Trigrams Seal inked with black dye and chakra on his small stomach.
Both parents were weak, physically limited for the rest of their days in this world; with Kushina's shinobi career finished and Minato losing 25% of his power, he would have to train immensely, but looking at their son's face, they knew every wound had been worth it. Their little Naruto was safe, and the Kyūbi was under control.
Hours later, when noon arrived without the presence of the sun, a dense and constant rain began to fall over the official cemetery of the Leaf, adding a veil of melancholy to the environment. Practically the entire surviving civilian population and the totality of the village's military forces had gathered in the sacred place, wearing black clothes that reflected the collective mourning of a nation heavily struck by fate.
The smell of wet earth, incense, and lotus flowers filled the air. In the exact center of the grounds, right in front of the grand monument carved with the names of those fallen in past wars, the dark wood coffin of Fugaku Uchiha rested on an elevated stone platform. The casket was covered with the highest military honors: the official symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village, the crimson banner of the Konoha Military Police, and the Uchiha fan emblem lay placed flawlessly atop the wood.
Minato Namikaze, wearing his official Hokage cloak over his black mourning clothes but looking noticeably diminished, walked slowly toward the main podium. He had to lean heavily on a dark wooden cane to support his weakened body, taking short steps that reflected the price of the night of the attack. Kushina watched him from the front row, seated in a wheelchair due to her extreme weakness while holding Naruto lovingly, flanked by Minato's only living disciple, Kakashi, who also wore black alongside his mask.
Minato stood before the immense crowd of ninjas and civilians who looked at him with a mixture of sadness and hope. His voice, though entirely lacking the physical power and overflowing energy of just a few days ago, resonated with absolute clarity, military seriousness, and unyielding dignity through the amplifiers placed across the entire perimeter of the cemetery.
"Today, after two days of pain, debris removal, and tears, we have not gathered here to bury just anyone, nor to point fingers with suspicion or resentment toward our own brothers-in-arms who gave their lives during the attack," the Fifth Hokage proclaimed, fixing his blue gaze directly on the members of the Uchiha clan who stood grouped in the first section of mourning with hardened faces.
"Today, we bid farewell with the highest honor in our history to Fugaku Uchiha, the true Hero of the Leaf. In the darkest, most desperate, and unforeseen moment of our existence, when the most savage and destructive force in the world attempted to extinguish our future and assassinate the new generation that was barely being born, he and our fallen brothers did not hesitate. He did not hide behind the suspicions that others sowed in the past. Fugaku threw himself into the path of danger with his own body, offering his life, his flesh, and his soul to protect the Hokage and the heir of this village in an act of supreme loyalty."
A deathly silence swept through the crowd of thousands, broken only by the rhythmic sound of raindrops hitting black umbrellas. Minato's clear, direct, and honest words struck the hearts of Konoha's inhabitants with tremendous force.
The old whispers of suspicion, the irrational fear that many civilians felt toward the power of the Sharingan, and the old political prejudices inherited from the dark era of Danzō Shimura dissolved completely under the rainwater at that exact moment. The civilians from local shops and the ninjas from other clans looked at the members of the police force with a deep and renewed sense of respect, debt, and collective gratitude. The Uchiha were no longer seen as marginalized suspects living isolated from decision-making; they were now officially recognized before the graves of the ancestors as the authentic saviors of the homeland.
Minato continued his speech, raising his left hand toward the coffin covered by the official banners.
"The history written in this village's most sacred scrolls will remember the name of Fugaku Uchiha not only as the firm leader of his clan, but as the man who built the definitive bridge of unity in Konoha with his own blood. His sacrifice reminds everyone present that we are all leaves that feed on the same fire of the Will of Fire, no matter the surname we bear. May his name and his memory live forever in the heart of every shinobi who has the pride of wearing this ninja headband on their forehead."
After the conclusion of the painful and historic state ceremony, the rain continued to fall heavily on the dark-tiled roofs of the Uchiha residential compound. In the absolute privacy of the clan leader's primary residence, away from the bustle of the elders, civilian councilors, and burial formalities, Minato and Kushina met intimately with the immediate family of the deceased commander. Mikoto Uchiha received the village's highest authorities with eyes visibly swollen from constant crying over the last three days, but she maintained an upright posture, a straight back, and an impeccable dignity that honored her family's legacy.
At her right side, a young Itachi Uchiha maintained a completely expressionless, almost stone-like countenance, reflecting a maturity forced by family tragedy while holding the infant Sasuke, who was barely a few months old and slept placidly wrapped in blue woolen blankets, with extreme care in his small arms.
Minato, sitting on a traditional cushion, immediately noticed something that gripped his heart and chilled his blood: the terrible emotional trauma of witnessing his father's violent death and the chaos of the night of the attack had caused Itachi's Sharingan to manifest prematurely at an unimaginable age. Two black tomoe spun slowly inside the boy's intense red pupils, displaying a gaze laden with a tragic, analytical, and painful weight.
"I will fulfill every last promise I made to your husband and my friend in that forest clearing, Mikoto," Minato spoke with honest softness, extending his left hand to place it gently on Itachi's small shoulder, offering his support. "From this very moment, I am issuing an official decree from the Hokage's office: Itachi is placed under the direct guardianship, protection, and consideration of my administration as my personal protégé. The Uchiha clan will maintain its historic position of military leadership intact, absolute control of the Konoha Police, and the strategic direction of internal security. No one in this administration or future ones will ever doubt the loyalty of your blood again, and your clan's name stands completely free of all guilt or suspicion regarding the cause of this tragedy. The Uchiha who did this does not represent the will of this lineage."
Mikoto bowed her head for a moment, letting a couple of silent tears roll down her cheeks as she squeezed the hands of Kushina, who consoled her from her position with the gaze of a mother who perfectly understood the value of life, sacrifice, and loss.
"Thank you, Minato... Kushina... I know Fugaku left this world knowing that the future of the village would be in good hands. He trusted your vision more than that of any other shinobi in this world," Mikoto replied, her voice muted but firm.
Itachi, keeping his gaze fixed on the Fifth Hokage while his red eyes gleamed with intensity under the dim candlelight of the room, spoke with a clear and deliberate voice that surprised the adults present with its composure and military determination.
"I will protect the Hidden Leaf Village with everything I am and everything I will become, Hokage-sama. I will take care of my brother Sasuke and maintain the peace my father chose to give his life for. It is an Uchiha's promise of honor, and I will keep my clan aligned with the light of the village."
Minato observed the young Uchiha closely, detecting the massive potential he held within, but also the latent danger of pain and responsibility resting on the shoulders of such a small child. He knew that with twenty-five percent of his chakra permanently lost and his body severely weakened by the aftermath of the technique, young men like Itachi and his own son Naruto would be the ones tasked with holding up the heavy pillars of the shinobi world in the near future.
The era of invincible old heroes was coming to an end by the force of battle wounds, and the shadows of the other Great Nations outside would not wait for Konoha to finish rebuilding its stone walls before moving their pieces on the geopolitical chessboard.
The Fifth Hokage stood up very slowly, leaning once again on his wooden cane while Kushina stood by his side to offer physical support along the way. Together, they looked through the large window toward the village skyline, where the emergency lights of the construction brigades attempted to dissipate the shadows of the lingering storm.
Konoha was alive, standing, and unified under a single cause like never before in its history, but the price of that social peace had been terribly high for everyone. Tomorrow rose uncertain, marking the beginning of a long transition where the Leaf's leadership would have to rely on strategy and politics rather than the brute force of its ruler.
End of Chapter