There was a distant conversation, a shocked cry. Jun was carried with care. He didn’t wake up. He moaned softly but kept his eyes closed. He didn’t have the strength to open them. He was exhausted. Moreover, if he woke up, he would have to accept a cruel reality. He wasn’t ready for it, not yet. He allowed himself fall asleep again.

Jun vaguely sensed a new, soothing chakra moving over his wrist, shoulders, the cuts on his arms and cheeks. He had no idea he was injured so badly. He felt a firm mattress against his back and heard the regular beeping of machines. His mother’s voice came to his ears. It was a mix of anger and sadness. Jun also sensed the chakra of his little sister. The latter was squeezing his hand. He took all that in but did not wake up. His fatigue was immense.

Hours or days passed. Jun wasn’t sure. He navigated between dream and reality. He was somehow aware of his surroundings without fully being awake. He often sensed the chakra of the people moving around him. His mother and sister were there almost everyday. Iruka and Yugao also came to visit him. There were many strangers as well. Jun was a bit surprised. He didn’t think his sensory abilities were so precise.

It took him a while to wake up. He had no memory of when he first opened his eyes. Everything seemed distant and blurry to him. Had his mother really been there, sitting next to the bed with tears in her eyes or had he imagined it? Where was he? It wasn’t his room. Was he still dreaming?

Jun gradually emerged from his coma. That was the term they told him. Apparently, he was in a coma for two weeks. The nurses told him he was lucky. He had exhausted his chakra. Many people would have died from it. When he was brought to the hospital, they weren’t sure he would make it.

His mother and his sister came to see him. They told him how much they had missed him. Jun learned that fifteen days had passed since the appearance of Kyubi. The funerals had taken place. His father was dead. Their house had been destroyed. Hazuki’s parents had offered to host them, and she accepted. They were going to be part of the Uchiha clan now. His mother seemed nervous as she told Jun the story. She knew how her son felt about her parents. She was expecting him to protest. But Jun did not react. It worried his mom even more.

Jun hadn’t forgotten about the massacre. But, he didn’t have enough energy to care about it now. He felt empty. His dad was gone. The rest seemed unimportant. They released Jun three days later. The hospital experienced a shortage of beds. They couldn’t afford to keep him any longer. Jun left with his mom and sister. They were both holding his hands as they walked.

The village still bore the signs of the attack. There were ruins, battered streets, and damaged buildings. However, the reconstruction had already begun. There were carpenters all over the streets. The walk was longer than he remembered. It seemed like the police station and the clan buildings also suffered from the attack. The Uchiha clan had moved to another location. A couple in their sixties was waiting for them.

“Here we are.” His mother announced nervously.

“Father, mother, this is my son, Jun. Jun, these are my parents, your grandparents. Seichi Uchiha and Nao Uchiha.” She introduced.

Jun stared at them. Seichi had a stern face, a receding hairline, and was leaning on a cane. Nao had the same face as her daughter Hazuki, piercing eyes and long gray hair tied in an intricate bun at the back of her neck. They bore the Uchiha emblem on their clothes. They were his grandparents, yet, Jun felt nothing towards them. He was completely indifferent.

His mother’s hand tightened on his, as a warning. Jun got the message and bowed automatically. He was the very image of an obedient and well-behaved child.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

They exchanged some pleasantries, then Seichi and Nao accompanied them home. They had a big house. Nao told them it was smaller than the previous one they owned. Jun remembered his mom had mentioned they lost uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, and cousins in the previous war. It was no wonder they had a huge house. Jun also understood the reason they wanted to get close to Hazuki’s children now. Jun and Izumi were the only grandchildren they had left.

Jun’s belongings, or the little that was salvaged after the disaster, had already been placed in the room next to Izumi’s. He found a book on Fuinjutsu whose pages were damaged. It was the unique book that survived.

There was a futon bed in the closet, along with some new clothes. Jun turned away. He wondered how life could have changed so much in a short period of time. The family moved in with the Uchihas, and life went on.

It was probably easier for Izumi since she was still young. She could adapt faster. Initially, she cried a lot. With time, she managed to forget the pain. Their mother grieved longer. She was having a hard time dealing with it since she wasn’t doing much. She decided to come out of retirement and return to active duty. Konoha was short on ninjas anyway.

She received her old rank of chunin back and wore the green jacket all the time. Moreover, she was actively participating in the Uchiha’s relocation, which would take many months. She was home late. When her parents told her it wasn’t good for the kids, her smile would freeze, and her eyes would turn cold. So, no one said a thing about it anymore.

Jun mourned too. It took him several days to come out of his state of shock and emptiness. He did not cry with his sister or mother. He cried with his friends. Iruka had lost his parents during the attack. He endured the same pain. It was heartbreaking but also liberation to let his tears out. After he cried, fatigue settled in. He felt better.

He wanted to be angry. Truth be told, he was a bit upset. He was mad at Kyubi, at Tobi for unleashing the Nine-Tails in the village, at the Yondaime for not being fast enough, and at everyone for not saving his father. But the feeling was brief.

What’s the point? It won’t bring my father back. It just brings me more pain.

He would have liked to blame someone, to be able to hold someone responsible, to have someone to hate. But he knew better. It wouldn’t make things any easier, and he wasn’t that type of person. He cherished his mother and little sister, and even this messed-up village. He treasured them, and that feeling kept him going. It would have been so much easier to let himself be consumed by hatred and rage. But he wanted to heal. He missed his father, but he would move forward. His dad would have wanted him to keep marching onward.

The Academy reopened, and the students returned. The children were quiet the first few days. Everyone was dealing with the trauma at their own pace. Some were still in shock. Others were crying. A few were aggressive and angry, and other children were suffering in silence. Jun, Iruka, and Yugao stuck together. They all experienced the loss of someone dear. Iruka’s parents were gone. Yugao would never see her mother and little brother. Her father was also gravely injured. He would never be a ninja again. Compared to them, Jun was better off. He only lost his dad. On the other hand, he was the only one who saw a loved one perish. He still remembered it.

Jun did not talk about it. He would live with it until the gaping wound in his heart hurt less. He experienced many phases of the grieving process, from denial, and anger to depression. With time, he realized the grief was no longer as unbearable as it used to be.

The explosive trio began to fracture. Yugao no longer had anyone to train her in Kenjutsu. She started to exercise on her own at night. She had no desire to play and joke around anymore. Iruka was different. He hated the orphanage, the indifference of the adults, the loneliness, and the grief. He started acting up and getting himself in trouble to draw attention to his person. Jun tried to stay close to them. He tried to keep Yugao company and listen to Iruka. But that wasn’t enough. He couldn't give them back what was permanently taken away from them.

Jun’s grades had dropped. He no longer had the drive to perform well in class. He also lacked focus during the Taijutsu lessons. He went down in the ranking before stabilizing his position in the middle of the pack. He was still a gifted ninja. Thinking about it reignited a spark of pride in his chest. His dad has taught him a lot. He wanted to make him proud.

The weeks passed; the pain became less suffocating. He learned to live in his father’s absence, in their new home with his new family in a village in reconstruction. He still missed Renzo, but he was moving forward.