The room remained silent.
Neither Shizuku nor Obito moved.
The crimson glow of their newly awakened Sharingan slowly faded as the intense surge of emotion passed, leaving behind only sad, exhausted children standing in a house that suddenly felt far too empty.
The two Uchiha shinobi exchanged stunned glances.
“…Both of them,” one whispered.
The older of the two nodded slowly, his eyes lingering on Shizuku before shifting to Obito.
“One tomoe…
and two.” Neither child was old enough for this to be considered normal.
It wasn’t unheard of for children to awaken the Sharingan after experiencing severe emotional trauma, but awakening it at six and five years old was something that had never happened before.
The older shinobi quietly exhaled.
“We’ll need to report this to Captain Fugaku.” The younger nodded in agreement.
Shizuku heard every word.
Fugaku…
So this is how he’ll learn about us.
She had hoped to attract the clan head’s attention through her accomplishments at the Academy.
Instead…
it would happen because both of them had lost their parents.
She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
Grandma suddenly collapsed to her knees.
A quiet sob escaped her lips.
“My son…” Her hands trembled as tears streamed freely down her face.
“My poor boy…” The two shinobi immediately stepped forward to support her before she fell completely.
For the first time since the news had arrived, Shizuku had slightly lost her composure.
Not because of the Sharingan.
But because of her grandmother.
She had always been the loudest person in the house.
Always smiling.
Always fussing over her grandchildren.
Seeing that warmth replaced with hollow grief made the loss feel real in a way it hadn’t only moments earlier.
Obito ran toward their grandmother and wrapped his arms around her.
“Grandma…” His voice broke.
She pulled him into a tight embrace, crying openly as he buried his face against her shoulder.
Shizuku hesitated.
For several seconds, she simply stood there.
She wasn’t good at this.
She had never known how to comfort grieving people.
Even in her previous life, she had avoided situations like this.
After a moment, she quietly walked over and knelt beside them.
Without saying anything…
she rested a hand gently on her grandmother’s shoulder.
The older woman immediately pulled Shizuku into the embrace as well.
The three of them remained there for several long minutes.
No words were needed.
Eventually, the older Uchiha cleared his throat.
“There are still some matters that must be taken care of.” Grandma slowly wiped her eyes.
“I understand.” “We’ll notify the clan.
The Hokage’s office has already been informed.
The mission report is being finalized.” Grandma nodded weakly.
“Thank you.” The shinobi hesitated before continuing.
“If there is anything your family needs over the next few days…
the clan will help where it can.” It wasn’t an empty promise.
The Uchiha looked after their own.
After offering one final respectful bow, the two shinobi quietly left the house.
As soon as the door closed, the silence returned.
It was different now.
The house no longer felt like a home.
Later that afternoon, several members of the Uchiha Clan stopped by.
One brought groceries.
Another offered to help with paperwork.
An elderly woman stayed with Grandma for several hours, speaking softly while helping organize documents their parents had left behind.
No one mentioned the Sharingan.
No one mentioned talent.
Today wasn’t about that.
Watching everyone come and go, Shizuku found herself thinking about the clan differently.
In the anime…
the Uchiha had often felt like a background faction.
Something that existed only to eventually be massacred.
But standing here now…
seeing relatives she barely knew helping without expecting anything in return…
they felt real.
Not a tragic plot device.
For the first time since arriving in this world, she wondered how many of these people she would one day watch die if history continued down the same path.
The thought settled heavily in her chest.
Obito barely spoke for the rest of the day.
He sat near the front door for hours, staring outside.
Every so often, he would look down the street.
As if expecting two familiar figures to appear.
Shizuku noticed.
She understood exactly what he was waiting for.
She almost walked over several times.
Almost said something.
But every sentence she thought of sounded meaningless.
What could she possibly say?
“They’re in a better place?” She didn’t know if that was true.
“They died protecting the village?” That wouldn’t make the pain disappear.
Instead…
she quietly sat beside him.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence itself became a form of comfort.
After nearly an hour, Obito finally whispered, “…Dad promised.” Shizuku closed her eyes.
“I know.” “He never broke a promise before.” “…I know.” His voice became smaller.
“Why this one?” She didn’t have an answer.
No one did.
As evening approached, exhaustion finally began catching up with everyone.
Grandma had cried herself nearly unconscious.
Obito could barely keep his eyes open.
Even Shizuku felt mentally drained.
Before heading to bed, Grandma managed a faint smile.
“Your parents…
they wanted both of you to attend the Academy.
They were so proud.” She looked between the two children.
“I think…
they’d still want you to go tomorrow.” Obito lowered his head.
After a long silence, he nodded.
“…I’ll go.” His voice trembled.
“I’ll become a great ninja…
for them.” Shizuku met her grandmother’s tired eyes.
“I’ll go too.” Outside, the sun slowly disappeared beyond the walls of Konohagakure, leaving the Uchiha household shrouded in darkness.