Uchiha Ran had stockpiled a large amount of food and water inside the Shadow Space—enough for one person to survive for three months.
Even with more people now, lasting a full month wouldn't be a problem.
The slaughter outside had ended, but the night's events were far from truly over.
Root ninja began mobilizing, searching everywhere for the masked man while also collecting Sharingan. However, because Ran had swept through the area ahead of time, the number of eyes that ultimately fell into Danzo's hands was far lower than he had originally planned. On top of that, the loss of Kotoamatsukami dealt Danzo a devastating blow.
ANBU also entered the scene, but their role was largely cleanup rather than collection.
There were countless bodies to deal with, bloodstains throughout the clan compound to erase, and order to maintain within the Village. In short, there was an overwhelming amount of work.
From within the shadows of the clan compound, Uchiha Ran led the survivors in quiet observation, watching people come and go as the Uchiha Clan was systematically erased.
The clan's accumulated wealth—property deeds, secret techniques, scrolls, and assets built up over a thousand years—were all absorbed as spoils by Konoha.
During this process, Ran quietly reclaimed a portion for himself, especially the clan's secret technique scrolls.
Taking advantage of the ANBU's carelessness, he directly emptied the studies and storehouses of several key clan figures, stopping only when the Shadow Space could no longer hold any more. Strangely enough, when the ANBU later saw the empty shelves and warehouses, they didn't seem surprised at all. They didn't even bother checking carefully before moving on.
"So… the Village really did know everything…"
Uchiha Izumi murmured in a daze as she looked at the items Ran had brought back.
"How many times do I have to say it, Sister Izumi?" Ran glanced at her, beginning to wonder if he'd saved the wrong person.
"Even naivety has its limits."
"I know," Izumi said with a bitter smile, shaking her head.
"It's just… hard to accept all at once."
Then she looked at Ran. "What do we do next? Hide here forever?"
"Of course not," Ran replied. "We're not rats. We can't live in the dark forever. We'll wait a little longer. Once this storm passes and the Konoha high command fully relaxes, we'll go out and breathe some fresh air."
The biggest flaw of the Shadow Space was that it couldn't move.
That meant they were effectively trapped here. Only a thin boundary separated them from the outside world, but crossing it was the only way in or out.
If the Shadow Space could move—or even if its range could expand just enough to extend beyond the clan compound—the situation would be far more flexible.
Because of that, as the days passed, Ran spent most of his time expanding the Shadow Space whenever he wasn't monitoring the outside.
It was simply too small.
At the same time, he continued telling stories to the children, further strengthening the power of Recognition. This time, even Izumi—who had originally shown no interest at all—ended up listening along, gradually becoming absorbed in the stories.
Izumi's most important role during these days was calming the children and teaching them ninjutsu.
They could no longer attend the Ninja Academy, but they still needed knowledge and strength. Izumi had always been an excellent student herself, so Ran felt completely at ease letting her guide these younger clan members.
Before they realized it, a full week had passed.
---
Outside.
Sasuke finally left the hospital.
Walking through the now-desolate clan compound, which felt like a land of ghosts, his heart was filled with a deathly silence.
"Father… Mother… and Itachi…"
For a fleeting moment, a glimmer of life flickered in his eyes—only to sink back into stagnation.
He didn't want to remember that night.
But he couldn't forget it.
The moment he closed his eyes, the image of his parents lying in pools of blood resurfaced.
"Revenge… death… revenge… death…"
Pure, simple hatred began to fill his heart.
"I have to become stronger. I have to take revenge. I have to kill him!"
The seeds of hatred took root and grew rapidly.
At last, the aura around Sasuke subtly changed. It was no longer just lifeless gloom.
He now had motivation. A goal. Something he had to do.
From this perspective, Itachi's plan was proceeding exactly as intended.
From a distant corner, Uchiha Ran curled his lip at Sasuke's retreating back.
In the end, he's just a native who can't break free of his own limitations.
After everything, he still ends up tied to Konoha, actively solving problems for them.
This so-called revenge was nothing more than focusing on the small while ignoring the big picture.
Withdrawing his gaze, Ran looked toward the distant sunset and took a deep breath.
"Let's go. There's work to do," he said to Izumi beside him.
Izumi was still staring in Sasuke's direction.
"Itachi's younger brother…"
"Want to go talk to him?" Ran teased.
"Maybe he knows more about Itachi."
"No need."
Izumi shook her head calmly.
"There's no point. I'm no match for Itachi, and that kid doesn't know anything anyway."
"So," Ran asked, "have you really made up your mind?"
"Yes," Izumi replied quietly.
"He killed my mother—and our clansmen. I will take revenge with my own hands."
Her tone was flat, without the slightest fluctuation.
Yet Ran could feel the terrifying resolve hidden beneath that calm.
"That's good," he said with a smile.
"I was worried you'd still be clinging to old feelings and wouldn't be able to act when the time came."
The only answer he got was an eye roll.
"Don't treat me like some love-struck fool," Izumi snapped.
"I won't put my personal feelings above the hatred of the entire clan. The crimes Uchiha Itachi committed must be repaid in blood."
She flicked her long hair back and strode forward.
At some point, her eyes had turned red.
The familiar Three Tomoe were gone—replaced by a completely new pattern, one never seen before.
Behind her, Uchiha Ran smiled and followed.
At that same moment, Ran's right eye briefly turned red as well—the Kotoamatsukami he had stolen.
But in the blink of an eye, the red faded, returning to an ordinary black.
In the distance, Sasuke suddenly stopped and glanced back thoughtfully at the spot where the two had been standing.
---
This departure from the Shadow Space marked the first true outing for Ran and Izumi since the massacre.
The younger children remained behind. Bringing them along would have made movement far too risky, so they had no choice but to endure a little longer.
Konoha's control over the Uchiha Clan Compound had long since been lifted—otherwise, Sasuke would never have been allowed to return.
In theory, as long as they didn't reveal their Sharingan or run into someone who recognized them, Ran and Izumi could move quietly through the Village without much danger.
Naturally, Transformation Jutsu had to be maintained at all times.
Fortunately, unless they ran straight into someone like Kakashi or another ninja skilled in sensory techniques, it wouldn't pose too much of a problem.