Naruto is one of the most popular anime and manga franchises of all time, telling the story of a young ninja aspiring to become the Hokage of his village. The series has a variety of characters, shinobi clans, plot twists, backstories, tragedies and so on. Konoha is home to several shinobi clans, some of which are one of the strongest in the entire world. One clan that once stood at the pinnacle was the legendary Uchiha clan. After the third great shinobi war, a majority of powerful clans were destroyed, including the Senju and Uzumaki clans. That made the Uchihas the strongest clan among the five great nations. The members of the Uchiha clan were the direct descendants of Indra Otsutsuki, the eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths.
It's not unknown among Naruto fans how the can was massacred overnight, as this was considered the biggest tragedy of Konoha. For those uninvolved, it was the work of a mindless killer who abandoned his family and village for the sake of power. However, those who knew the secrets were aware of how overwhelming this tragedy was. It was the result of resentment piling up for decades. Many schemes and mistakes took place over several generations during that time, making fans question the decisions of those involved and how the tragedy could have been avoided altogether.
What Happened to the Uchiha Clan?
The Uchihas took great pride in their lineage and strength. However, the Second Hokage assigned them to the police force and made them shift to the outskirts of the village. As a proud clan, they felt insulted to be ostracized like that, especially after contributing so much to the village during the wars. Their pride led the Uchihas to believe that Tobirama was threatened by their power and wanted to keep them in check. However, in reality, Tobirama felt that being in the police force was the best role for the village's most powerful clan.
The misunderstanding continued for decades, sprouting seeds of hatred among the Uchihas. Ultimately, they planned a rebellion in an attempt to control the entire village. However, word of the rebellion reached the ears of the village elders and Hiruzen. Seeing Hiruzen's neutral stand on the matter, Danzo took matters into his own hands. He secretly ordered Itachi, a member of the Anbu Black Ops, to kill his entire clan. Though Itachi didn't want to carry out this mission, he accepted it for the sake of saving the life of his younger brother, Sasuke. Soon after the tragedy took place, Itachi joined the Akatsuki and worked as a spy for the village.
Scenarios Where the Tragedy Could've Been Easily Avoided
The plans of the coup were going around for several years, giving enough time for the Hokage and the village elders to make a better decision that would result in the least casualties. Hiruzen, as the Hokage at that time, should have been able to give his words the required weight. However, he gave too much power to the village elders, who had a rather conventional mindset. They did all the dirty work while Hiruzen lived in glory. That was especially the case with Danzo, who was the leader of the Anbu Black Ops at that time. Hiruzen always turned a blind eye to Danzo's evil deeds even while knowing how obsessed the latter was with becoming Hokage.
Hiruzen's lack of qualities as a Hokage allowed Danzo to secretly carry out the entire plan on his own. He brazenly stole Shusui's eye and forced him to commit suicide, as well as using the feelings of an elder brother against him and forcing him to kill his entire clan and then continue serving the village by being a world-rank criminal. Not just Danzo but also the other village elders were also aware of the situation and played with the village's fate. As the person standing at the top, Hiruzen chose to play the role of a bystander instead of finding a real solution to the problem. The tragedy of the Uchiha clan was Hiruzen's biggest regret in life. Even after his death, he never stopped blaming himself for the tragedy that took place because of his cowardice.
The seed of hatred among the Uchihas was always there even after they joined Konoha. However, with the never-ending war and the need to protect their own, they let go of their hatred and chose to protect the village. The Uchihas were loyal to the village until Tobirama excluded them and turned them into the police force. Tobirama was an exceptionally intelligent shinobi with great leadership qualities and strategic skills.
He knew that as the strongest clan, it would be best to have them placed at the first line of the village's defense. Though his intentions were pure, he never explained to the Uchiha clan why he was doing that. However, Tobirama always gave the impression that he resented the Uchiha clan. The Uchihas hated being forced to live so far away from the rest of the village. They were sure that Tobirama felt threatened and that the position of Hokage would be taken from him if he didn't cast the Uchihas aside.
Minato's death was a major tragedy that occurred a few years before the massacre of the Uchiha clan. Minato surpassed Hiruzen in terms of both ninjutsu and leadership skills. As a young Hokage, he had a flexible mindset and wasn't tied by the values that the village elders followed. Minato never compromised the lives of others for the sake of the village. During the Fourth Great Shinobi War, Orochimaru revived all the previous Hokage.
They learned about the fate of the Uchiha clan and the reason why that happened. Minato found it difficult to comprehend that all this happened after his death. After all, minutes before his death, he left the welfare of the village under Hiruzen's hands. He told Hiruzen that if he had been in the latter's place, the Uchihas wouldn't have died. This wouldn't have been an impossible outcome, as a brilliant leader like Minato wouldn't have succumbed to the pressure of the village elders.