[Kenshin's (Tom's) POV]
It's been about six months since I was reincarnated into this world. In that time, I've begun to piece together the basic information about my family and circumstances. My mother, Kana Uzumaki, is the granddaughter of Ashina Uzumaki, the last leader of the Hidden Whirlpool Village.
She sought refuge in the Hidden Rain Village after the fall of the Uzumaki when she was just a child. Growing up in this village on her own, she became a kunoichi at twelve and is currently a chūnin. Now, at 22 years old, she has taken a break from missions to raise me since there's nobody else.
My father's situation, however, is more complicated. He's an Uchiha, the secret grandson of Izuna Uchiha. After Izuna's death, Madara kept my grandfather's relation to Izuna a secret. My great-grandmother wanted her son to lead a relatively normal life, away from the inevitable troubles that would arise if the clan knew about Izuna's child.
This leads to my father, Ichiro Uchiha. He met my mother during his time in the Hidden Rain during the Third Great Ninja War. Mom had just become a chūnin at 19 when they crossed paths.
After the war, they had a daughter. My father wanted to bring them both to the Leaf Village, but the Uchiha clan elders wouldn't allow it. Even the Hokage lacked authority over the internal matters of major clans, so my dad was powerless to change their minds. However, he was allowed to bring my sister with him since she resembled him.
A year later, Mom became pregnant again, and nine months later, I was born. Unfortunately, Dad couldn't visit during my birth due to missions, but he did come a couple of months later. Just last week, the Nine Tails incident happened.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, died, and the Uchiha were suspected. My father either couldn't or didn't come to see us after that, so I never met him or my sister. I can't help but wonder if Mary got reincarnated too. I have my doubts about it, so I won't count on it. Instead, I'll focus on this life and this family.
[Fast Forward: Seven Years Later]
It's been seven and a half years since my reincarnation. Recently, I've begun learning basic ninjutsu from my mother. One day, Konan came to our house. She's been visiting once in a while ever since Pain killed Hanzo and became the leader of the Hidden Rain. Konan has a friendly relationship with my mother, but the villagers treat us as outcasts because my father is a Leaf Shinobi.
Usually, Konan would arrive with a warm smile—after all, her nickname is "Angel." But this time, her face was gloomy, and it was clear something was wrong.
"What's wrong, Konan-sama?" I asked after welcoming her in. Mom came to greet her as well but became concerned upon seeing Konan's expression.
"Well... how should I say this..." Konan began, pausing for a moment. It struck me then: the Uchiha massacre should happen around this time. I had watched Naruto a long time ago, six years before my death in my past life, and had forgotten the timeline.
Konan took a deep breath and finally said, "Kana, I have bad news. The entire Uchiha clan, including Ichiro and likely your daughter, was slaughtered two nights ago. The son of the clan leader, Itachi Uchiha, was the culprit. The only survivors were Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke, and an Uchiha girl named Akane. Itachi spared Sasuke's life, while Akane happened to be outside the Uchiha clan compound that night."
Mom immediately fell to her knees and screamed, "Nooooo!!!!!!!" Slowly, I walked up to my sobbing mother and hugged her tightly, desperately trying to hold back my own tears.
Despite my childlike appearance, I was 26 years old mentally, so I felt the need to stay calm. In my past life, I had lost both my parents—my mother to cancer and my father to a heart attack—so it was marginally easier for me to keep composed.
Konan's heart broke at the sight of her friend's despair, and she wrapped her arms around us too. Amidst it all, my Sharingan awakened, and I quickly hid it while wiping my tears. I managed to deactivate it somehow, and we stayed there like this for what felt like an eternity.
Rather than swearing revenge against Itachi, I decided to remain here and protect my mother. Vengeance had never led to anything good, and I didn't want to lose the last bit of family I had left in this life. Mom eventually fell unconscious from her grief, and Konan used her paper jutsu to carry her to her room.
"It's strange to see a seven-year-old remain so calm after hearing about his father's and sister's deaths," Konan said after putting my mom to bed.
"Well, what can I say, Konan-sama? If I broke down in front of Mom, it would only cause her more pain. She's all I have left now, and I'll do anything to protect her heart," I replied, sitting on the floor.
"You're a good boy, Kenshin. You're mature beyond your years. Kana is in good hands. But I have to leave. I'll come back later to check on your mother, okay?" Konan said with a gentle smile before hugging me tightly.
"Goodbye, Konan-sama," I said before closing the door. Once it was shut, I could no longer hold back my tears. They flowed freely, away from everyone's gaze.
"I'm sorry, Dad, Big Sis. I knew this would happen, but I didn't do anything. I'm sorry."
[Image of Konan]
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Guys I'm sorry for late upload, I was writing the third chapter as well. I'll upload it in a few hours.
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