Zero Shinobies ( Shinobi Hunter Naruto)

ch 24

(Two days later)

It was late in the afternoon and under the glow of the setting sun, which cast a warm orange hue across the greater expanse of the village, a group of four youngsters could be seen gathered around the steps next to the playground. Having come here after school had finished for the day, the young girls recognized around as Rea, Naomi, Yuno and Imari- four of the only surviving Uchiha left in the village- were sitting or standing around the steps, looking both upset and defeated.

The saddest one out of all of them was Yuno, who had her head hiding beneath her knees as she cried softly into her skirt. Her good friend Imari was comforting her, while Naomi stood behind them with her hands in her pockets and Rea was poised off to the side glaring at the ground.

Obviously the four hadn't had a good day. In fact, since they were still getting over the fact that their clan had been attacked by one of their own and they had lost not only neighbours but also relatives on that night, returning to a normal, everyday existence was proving to be incredibly difficult. Not only was it the loss of many people that they knew and loved, but also the stigma that came from the rest of their classmates. They were now viewed as some of the last of their once great clan and, because relationships between the village and the Uchiha had been in great decline over the years, those few who remained were now receiving the overflow of that scorn and displeasure from those around them.

It was this mixture of sympathy, sorrow, and disdain that added further weight to their hearts and minds. For the softer hearted members of their clan, they were finding it quite hard to cope.

"It's alright, Yuno," her kimono-wearing cousin Imari spoke while patting her companion's shoulder in a comforting manner. "It's okay. We all lost a lot of family that night. Your dad and uncle... they did their best to protect everyone that they could. I'm sure they gave Itachi the fight of his life..."

Unfortunately though, things had ended tragically for the members of the clan that'd tried to stand up to the oldest son of the patriarch, who'd decided to go turncoat and slaughter every single one of his relatives without even batting an eye.

All four girls were experiencing varying levels of heartbreak and loss. Rea, having been present at the time of the attack on the Uchiha Police Headquarters, was still trying to come to terms with the death of her father, which had left her feeling both angry and upset. She'd also found out her uncle, her auntie, and their two children had also been murdered by Itachi in cold blood. Because her mother was still out on an extra-long mission with Mikoto beyond the village, and both of them had yet to return from it, the young Uchiha was unable to receive any comfort or consolation from her one remaining parent over this sudden and tragic affair. Naomi was also part of her family, and since both of them were incredibly close, the tanned girl was the only person Rea could really confide in about the incident.

The two of them had needed to deal with the loss of their family members together, and though they were incredibly strong willed and brave for their age, it didn't mean the aftermath wasn't hard on them.

Imari on the other hand had lost her mother, her auntie, her nephews, and her grandparents- with her father's whereabouts being unknown, as he was away on a mission. Though she had been incredibly saddened and distraught on the day she found out what'd happened to all of them, she knew that she had to be strong for her friends. Her cousins were going to need guidance and a firm shoulder to lean on, and Imari knew she had to keep a clear head if she was going to fulfil that duty. And then there was Yuno, who had lost not only her father, but also her uncle's family, and her older sister, who guided and supported her through school. Though it was a miracle that her closest circle of cousins had survived the night, the loss of dozens of other members of her family, who she knew and loved the most, was a really devastating blow.