Chapter 555: The Remains of the Uchiha Clan
Naruto scratched his head, his mind taking a couple of rotations before he realized he should let Sasuke in first.
"Well, come on in."
Naruto got him a pair of slippers. Sasuke, with an awkward expression, changed into them and stepped into the room.
Minato Namikaze was cooking. When he saw Sasuke enter the room, he was first taken aback, then flashed his signature smile. "Sasuke, is something the matter?"
Sasuke glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eye.
Minato wiped his hands. "Alright, let's talk outside."
The major ninja clans in the village, including some ninja with master-student lineages, were busy making sure their ancestors' graves were secure. Even Kakashi had placed sealing tags on his father's and the Hatake clan's ancestral tombs. As a jonin and the sole survivor of the renowned Uchiha clan, Sasuke had the same concern.
If one day, his own father, mother, and older brother were all reanimated to fight against him, he felt he would find it emotionally difficult to accept.
Sasuke had pondered this for a day and concluded that the Fourth Hokage was, all things considered, the friendliest Hokage to him. So he had come to his door in the evening to ask about one thing.
"Lord Hokage, do you know where my parents and my clansmen's remains are buried?"
Comparing the major ninja clans of Konoha, which family had more dead than the Uchiha? Yet, he didn't even know where the remains of the Uchiha clan were buried.
He had asked when he was younger, but the Third Hokage had been vague about it, saying, "You're still young. You'll know when you grow up."
During the Fifth Hokage's time, Jiraiya had helped him get his old family home back, but with so many other things going on, he hadn't paid much attention to the historical issues of the Uchiha clan.
Minato Namikaze immediately recognized the crux of the problem. Because the Third Hokage and his advisors had treated nonsensical matters with utmost seriousness and serious matters with nonsensical carelessness, a series of extremely opaque and untouchable operations had turned the Uchiha clan into a very thorny historical legacy issue.
There was great resistance to addressing this matter. Jiraiya and Sasuke's relationship was average, so he couldn't push it forward. The desire to slack off took over, and he dropped it.
Minato Namikaze's relationship with Sasuke was closer. This was Kakashi's student, his own direct grand-student.
He had to take care of it.
He thought for a moment. "I will handle this matter as soon as possible. Sasuke, please give me two days."
The Uchiha clan had been executed for the crime of treason. The Sharingan from their bodies had been divided among several parties. If the hollowed-out eye sockets were discovered by the village's ninja, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar. If nothing else, the Hyuga clan would certainly be furious. You dig out Sharingan today, does that mean you'll come for our Byakugan tomorrow?
After the night of the massacre, the bodies of the Uchiha clan had been quietly disposed of.
Could he just find a random mass grave now and say to Sasuke, "Look, this is where your parents and relatives are buried?"
Could he say that?
It was a fact that the Uchiha had committed treason, but it was also caused by multiple factors. Minato Namikaze had always insisted that his wife and Sasuke's mother were best friends. Now, this best friend was buried in some random wilderness, and as the Hokage, he did nothing about it. That friendship would seem far too fake.
Disregarding the ugly expressions of the two advisors, Minato Namikaze re-examined the historical records of that year.
Then he instructed the Intelligence Division to search for the remaining files from that time.
Finally, he discussed it with Kakashi.
In reality, Sasuke only cared about his parents and his brother, Itachi. He didn't particularly care about the Uchiha who sold rice crackers or eggs.
If they handled his parents' matter well, they could just muddle through with the rest of the Uchiha, and it would be over.
When the Hokage was strong, the supporting advisors would be weaker.
The ANBU quickly found the burial site from that year.
Looking at the hastily buried piles of bones, Minato Namikaze felt a deep sense of unease.
He went to discuss it with Kakashi again.
"I've seen the remains. They're all mixed together. This... how should we handle this?" Minato was in a very difficult position. The scene was uncomfortable even for him to look at. Show it to Sasuke? He would probably explode on the spot!
Kakashi thought long and hard but couldn't come up with a solution. However, he wasn't in a hurry. "Sasuke is already very mature. I believe he can make a rational judgment. As for the remains... perhaps Lady Tsunade can identify them through medical means from what's left?"
The two of them went to find Tsunade.
At that moment, Ino, Tsunade, and Shizune were gathered together, studying Tonton.
Tonton's expressions were becoming more and more human-like. It tilted its head, looking at the three of them strangely.
Tsunade stared at Tonton's rear. She didn't know what her pet pig had been eating recently, but it was getting fatter and fatter!
Previously, Shizune could hold Tonton like a pillow. Now, it was a bit of a struggle. On one hand, it was because Shizune's strength was very average. On the other, Tonton had indeed gotten heavier.
"Sigh, Tonton isn't as fun as before," Tsunade sighed lightly. This sentence sent Tonton into a cold sweat. What does that mean? What's the hidden meaning? Will I be abandoned, or...?
Ino slapped Tonton's butt hard. "The elasticity is getting better and better... Congratulations, Tonton! From today on, you are no longer a pet pig, but a—"
Tonton's expression was one of extreme panic. "!!!"
"You are a ninja pig!"
Tonton: "???"
The King of Hell's life essence had transformed Tonton, giving it the qualification to use chakra. Now, the chakra pathways in its body had completely solidified. In the future, it could use simple ninjutsu, just like Kiba Inuzuka's ninja dog, Akamaru.
"Oink oink!" Tonton let out a long sigh of relief. That was a close call. It thought it was done for.
When Minato Namikaze and Kakashi came to find them, they were holding chakra paper, testing Tonton's chakra nature.
"Oh... it's quite lively here. We're not interrupting, are we?" Minato saw the three of them jumping up and down, fussing over a pig, and for a moment, he felt he had come a bit rashly.
Kakashi even stood in the shade of a tree, pretending he didn't exist.
After hearing Minato's reason for coming, Tsunade impatiently rubbed her forehead. Identifying hundreds of bodies from a mass grave—the task sounded incredibly troublesome.
She had become an advisor to collect a salary and then go on a killing spree at the casino. She really didn't want to do such a tiring job.
But with the Hokage personally coming to find her late at night, she had no real reason to refuse.
She immediately looked at her two disciples.
Shizune pointed to the distance. "I have more work at the hospital."
Ino also nodded vigorously. "The Intelligence Division's tasks are even more critical. So, Teacher, I'll make sure Tonton brings you your meals on time!"
"Oink oink!" Tonton raised its left hoof, indicating that it was very strong now and could bring her two extra bento boxes.
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 50 advanced chapters available on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/GirlsLove1