Days passed in a steady rhythm for Inoiki as he adhered strictly to his rigorous training routine. Each morning, he woke early to complete his physical exercises before heading to the Ninja Academy. After a full day of lessons, his evenings were spent refining his combat skills and enhancing his mental discipline. On weekends, his training intensified with sparring matches, usually against his father or his Uncle Choza. Shikaku, however, true to his lazy nature, rarely bothered to engage in these sessions.
Time flowed like a quiet river, unbroken by any major disruptions, until two years had passed.
On this particular morning, Inoiki was returning from his usual run at the playground near his house. The cool dawn air brushed against his skin as he finished his final lap, his breaths steady and controlled. But something felt off today. The air was different, thick with tension, as if the village itself was holding its breath. More people were awake and out this early than usual, their faces marked with unease. There was a strange buzz of conversation—whispers, hurried exchanges, and furtive glances that hinted at something stirring within the village.
Inoiki slowed his pace, eyes scanning the streets around him. "The atmosphere... something's not right today," he thought. He could feel it in the air, a subtle shift in the usual quiet of the morning.
But he quickly dismissed the feeling, shaking his head. "Whatever it is, it's none of my concern," he told himself. Gossip and village rumors didn't interest him—his training was far more important. Whatever was going on, he would deal with it later if necessary. For now, his focus remained unshaken.
Without a second thought, Inoiki turned and made his way home, his mind already shifting back to the next phase of his training.
When Inoiki returned home, something felt immediately off. Sitting in the living room were not only his father, Inoichi, but also his Uncle Choza and Shikaku. The sight of the three men gathered so early in the morning sent a jolt of alarm through him. He knew right away that something significant must have happened. Without wasting a second, he asked, "Dad, what's going on? The atmosphere in the village is strange, and seeing all three of you here this early can only mean something serious has happened."
Inoichi looked at him, his expression grim. "The Uchiha Clan was massacred last night," he said slowly, his voice heavy with the weight of the news. "The culprit is Uchiha Itachi, the eldest son of the Uchiha Clan Head. He killed his entire clan. Alone."
The words hit Inoiki like a shockwave. His mind raced, and suddenly, memories from his past life came flooding back with sharp clarity. The Uchiha massacre... It all made sense now. He had been so consumed by his own training that the timing of the tragedy had slipped his mind. If he had gone to the Academy the day before, he would have remembered this infamous event. But even now, knowing about it, he felt strangely detached. He didn't know anyone from the Uchiha Clan personally, and even if he had remembered sooner, there was nothing he could have done to stop it.
After a brief pause, Inoiki asked, "What's the Hokage's reaction to all of this?"
It was Shikaku who answered, leaning back with his usual calm demeanor, though his voice carried a rare seriousness. "Itachi has been declared an S-rank missing-nin. Several Anbu teams have already been dispatched to hunt him down."
Inoiki, his brow furrowed in confusion, spoke up. "That's it? Do they really expect us to believe that one person slaughtered the entire Uchiha Clan? It's ridiculous. Does the Hokage think we're all fools?"
Shikaku's usually laid-back demeanor shifted as his eyes narrowed. He turned to Inoiki, his tone cautious. "What are you getting at, Inoiki?"
"I mean exactly what I said," Inoiki replied, his voice steady, but firm. "I don't buy this story. Even if, for the sake of argument, I accept that Itachi took out the entire Uchiha Clan alone, there's no way the battle would've gone unnoticed. There were over ten Jonin-level ninja in that clan. A fight of that scale would've created massive chakra fluctuations. We, as members of the Yamanaka Clan, would have sensed it from miles away—especially with our sensitivity to chakra signatures. But we didn't feel anything. That means something else was at play."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in before continuing. "The only explanation is that the Uchiha compound was covered by some kind of barrier or formation, one strong enough to mask all the chakra signatures and fighting. And that kind of barrier... it's not something an outsider could've set up unnoticed. If foreign ninjas had infiltrated Konoha, Father, as the head of the Intelligence Department, would've been alerted instantly."
Inoiki's voice grew colder. "Which means this didn't happen without the village's involvement. It was sanctioned—probably with the consent of the Hokage. And yet, no one's offering any explanation."
Inoichi and Choza exchanged a shocked glance, clearly rattled by the sharpness of Inoiki's deductions. They hadn't expected such insight from him, but the logic was impossible to ignore.
Shikaku, however, remained relatively calm, though his gaze had grown more thoughtful. He had also noticed inconsistencies in the official story but hadn't voiced them until now.
Choza, hesitant and unsure, broke the silence. "If what you're saying is true... then it must have been ROOT," he said quietly. "Danzo could have orchestrated this, without the Hokage's knowledge. Itachi might have been forced to act under ROOT's influence. We all know Danzo would do anything to protect what he considers the village's best interests, even if it means making these decisions from the shadows."
Inoiki shook his head, disagreeing with Choza's suggestion. "No, that's impossible," he said firmly. "We all know that the Uchiha Clan had a heart of rebellion. It's no secret among the clans connected to Konoha's higher-ups. That's why the Hokage had Anbu ninjas stationed to monitor the Uchiha compound. There's no way he didn't know about what was happening. Anbu only obey the Hokage—they would never abandon their post without his direct orders."
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