Chapter 9

Konoha Hospital, a few days after the Uchiha Massacre

Izuna told Naruto that they would soon have the funeral for all the dead Uchiha. Izuna felt bad for them. There was probably a way by which even the Uchiha could have been saved. If there was, Izuna hadn't seen it. Izuna wasn't wearing his usual clothes, the Hokage's cape with a black Uchiha robe and the Hokage's hat. Instead he was clad black since the funeral for the Uchiha clan was to be held that day.

Naruto just woke up. Naruto was also clad black for the funeral which was going to be held that day. He had the Uchiha clan symbol on the back.

Mito and Menma had just woken up. The two of them were also clad black. They were not their usual cheerful selves. They were very sad. Mito had manifested a Choku tomoe Mangekyou Sharingan on the night of the Uchiha massacre. Izuna was sure of it. This he would confirm in a training session before the Academy started. As for Menma, Izuna feared that the Kyubi and he might have had another match if not for Naruto having stabbed Itachi.

Sasuke had not yet even manifested his Sharingan. Izuna couldn't blame Sasuke for it. The kid was always compared to his siblings and peers and had a lot of pressure put on him by his father who almost ignored him. Sasuke always wanted to prove himself but not once had he gotten his father's attention. Though his father had loved Sasuke the most, Sasuke didn't know that. He had always thought that his father had loved him the least. Sasuke didn't have the chance to manifest his Sharingan. Hopefully he would manifest it in the near future.

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The Uchiha funeral, Konoha Cemetery

Most people there were in tears. They had lost many friends. Izuna wasn't crying but he was clearly sad. Naruto, Menma, Mito and Sasuke were in tears as well.

They were all mourning for their dead friends and family.

The same day, in Mito's room

She had changed her clothes. She was wearing a dark blue dress with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. Her hair didn't have its usual spiky nature that day.

When she went inside, she saw a scroll written to her. It said, 'For Mito'.

She didn't know what to do. She just opened it.

It was written in Itachi's hand. It said, 'Mito, if you are reading this, the rest of clan excluding Izuna-sama, Sasuke and Naruto is dead. In case you have manifested your Mangekyou Sharingan, ask Naruto or Izuna sama or Kakashi senpai for some help. Go to the Uchiha shrine. It contains a lot of information on it. You will never be able to reach my level, no matter how hard you try so you can say goodbye to your revenge. This scroll is just my way of laughing at you.'

Mito was infuriated and used the mangekyou Sharingan to see if there were any more insults hidden in genjutsu, but she just found a face of Itachi laughing. She just burnt the scroll and left it to rot. She wanted to kill Itachi but she needed to become much stronger for that.

She wanted to become much stronger. She thought of approaching Naruto before approaching Izuna-sama.

Izuna's house, Uchiha compound, Konohagakure

Izuna had rebuilt the house. He made Kyokyuyu's room just as it had been before the Massacre. He needed to train Naruto right now. That was his top priority. The academy would start soon. He never knew why the standards at the academy had fallen so low. Most genin of today would probably not pass the examinations during his time. Most chunin of now would barely be able to beat genin of his time. Upon that, the Academy took a lot of one's time without actually teaching them anything. He had tried many times to raise standards for the academy nut most people had denied him by telling, 'We live in an era of peace. Why should we make our children work so hard when they don't have to?' He had hated this attitude of people. The only people who could even understand him were the clan leaders and the higher jonin. He would really like it if everyone thought the same way as he. He had changed his clothes. He had his usual unkempt spiky hair, not unlike Madara's but it was much shorter. He was wearing a black armour-like jonin vest with the Uchiha clan symbol and the Uzumaki clan symbol, a spiralling circle on the back. Above that he wore the Hokage's cape.

Naruto just walked inside the room. He was with Mito. Mito had just told Naruto about the scroll Itachi had left her. Naruto had also been infuriated by Itachi and had come to his father to train him. Naruto had also gotten himself a change of clothes. He was wearing a black robe with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. His hair was spikier than usual and he was much more serious than his usual self.

Naruto came in front of Izuna and said, "Tou-san, I want you to train me."

Mito also added, "Hokage sama, I too want to train under you."

Izuna thought to himself, 'Took them long enough.' He saw Naruto's Rinnegan and said, "I shall train the two of you but separately. I can only train you until academy starts. From then on, you have to train yourselves. We have a month before academy starts. I shall start training the two of you from tomorrow. Be there in Training Ground 3. Early morning at 6 a.m."

Mito and Naruto said together, "Yes," and then left.

Izuna was looking forward for the next day. He would get to test their abilities to the fullest. Hopefully they would be strong. Just as he was thinking this, Sasuke and Menma came inside. Sasuke was wearing his usual bright blue shirt with white trousers and Naruto was clad orange as usual. They asked, "Can you train us, Hokage-sama?"

Izuna knew not why Menma called him Hokage, Menma never called Izuna Hokage; anyways he would like to train them. He said, "Fine, I shall train the two of you. Tomorrow at six a.m. in the morning in Training Ground Three. Be there."

They said together, "Hai, Hokage-sama," and left the room. Izuna sensed rivalry among the two of them. He knew that this rivalry of theirs would get them far.