Danzō's hand seals were swift, and his resolve was firm—
But Hiruzen's hands were even faster.
In an instant, Hiruzen's eyes flashed with a trace of confusion and fear as he clamped down on Danzō's wrists with an iron grip.
"Danzō, you mustn't!"
Danzō struggled fiercely, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from Hiruzen's grip.
This damned monkey—how does that shriveled old body still have so much strength?
"We observe for now! Take ANBU and Root and follow him. Naruto might not even be heading into the Uchiha District—he could just be passing by the forest in that direction!"
Hiruzen barked in a deep voice, "Trust me, Danzō! Naruto will be fine. At least tonight—there will be no problems involving the Uchiha."
"If I'm wrong… then I'll step down, and you can become the Fifth Hokage!"
Hiruzen's promise landed like a hammer.
Danzō's face changed instantly. He stared sharply at Hiruzen.
"Really? Swear it!"
That kind of promise—from Hiruzen—was something he had never said before…
If Hiruzen dared to agree, then Shimura Danzō wouldn't hesitate to allow another Nine-Tails disaster to break loose!
"I'm the Hokage. I don't go back on my word."
Inwardly, Hiruzen chuckled.
His sensei, getting into trouble over the Uchiha? Not likely. Unless Uchiha Madara himself showed up in peak form—maybe then it'd matter.
"You said it, Hiruzen… In that case, I'll trust you for now. But—"
Danzō's voice turned cold again.
"We need to get closer to the Uchiha District. If your judgment proves wrong, we must be able to respond immediately."
Hiruzen slowly released his grip on Danzō's hands and gave a slight nod.
That was exactly what he had been thinking…
If his assumptions were correct, Hiruzen believed that tonight would be the moment his sensei made a move to seize the power of the Uchiha.
Most likely, Senju Tobirama had his eyes on Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan!
As for how Tobirama knew that Itachi had awakened the Mangekyō—and that tonight he would take action—
Hiruzen didn't know. But he never once doubted his sensei's ability to know such things.
...
Uchiha District.
Uchiha Itachi moved silently, gripping a bloodstained katana, opening door after door. With masterful swordsmanship, he took the lives of his clansmen in total silence.
The ones he killed—some were Uchiha hawks, plotting rebellion; some were neutral; but most were simply clan members without any aptitude for ninjutsu.
After all, they were just civilians.
But if they were allowed to live, their Uchiha blood—and its sensitivity to hatred—might one day nurture new power.
That would be dangerous for the village… and for Sasuke.
So, they had to die.
At least—that's what Uchiha Itachi believed.
And as he carried out this silent slaughter, high above on the rooftop eaves, Naruto's pupils trembled violently—like a quake in his eyes—watching everything unfold.
He didn't understand…
Why? Why was Uchiha Itachi killing his own people?
And at that moment—
Itachi's smooth, fluid movements came to a sudden pause.
Because standing before him now…
Was the one woman he didn't want to raise his blade against—
The woman he once considered a lover: Uchiha Izumi.
"Itachi… why would you do this…"
Uchiha Izumi stared at him, her Sharingan fully awakened—three tomoe spinning in her crimson eyes. Her beautiful face was now marred with confusion and fear.
She couldn't believe it.
The terrifying figure responsible for tonight's massacre of their clan… was none other than Uchiha Itachi—the same man who just days ago had walked hand in hand with her to eat dango.
From the corner of her eye, Izumi caught sight of the house nearby. Crimson blood was slowly seeping from under the door, and her heart skipped a beat.
A part of her had still clung to the hopeful delusion that Itachi was only targeting the clan's militant faction for the sake of peace in the village...
But the house next door—her neighbors—people she held dear, who were close relatives without any shinobi talent, just ordinary folks who made breakfast for a living...
They'd all been slaughtered by Uchiha Itachi too.
What was this?
Was he trying to wipe out the entire Uchiha clan?
The sheer absurdity of it all overwhelmed Izumi's mind. She hadn't gone to sleep yet, and when she heard those familiar footsteps in the dark, she had simply wanted to open the door and see Itachi…
But halfway through getting up, she heard it—
The unmistakable sound of a blade piercing through flesh.
As a kunoichi, her nerves instantly tensed with alarm.
Could it be… an enemy had appeared, and Itachi just happened to run into them?
Carrying that worry in her heart, Uchiha Izumi had opened her door… only to see the man she cared for—Uchiha Itachi—wielding a katana and wordlessly butchering everyone around him.
Indiscriminate slaughter.
What… what the hell was going on?
Izumi rushed up to Itachi, her three-tomoe Sharingan swirling violently, a kunai clenched in her trembling hand. But all she could manage to ask, her voice shaking, was: "Itachi… what are you doing? Why… why are you doing this…"
In the end, Uchiha Izumi couldn't bring herself to harbor pure hatred toward him. After all, the very reason she became a shinobi was for this man in front of her—
To walk the same path as the one I love…
Faced with Izumi's question—
A flicker of hesitation passed through Uchiha Itachi's eyes.
He had once wrestled with what to do about Izumi on this night of annihilation…
Should he let her live, along with Sasuke?
But ultimately, Uchiha Itachi abandoned that choice.
Izumi's talent was simply too exceptional. At just thirteen, she had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
What's more, her father carried the bloodline of the Senju Clan.
Her potential… was far too great.
And now, as her lover, Uchiha Itachi had betrayed her—
Slaughtered her kin—
And turned his blade against her.
This was far too aligned with the Uchiha clan's tragic pattern—gaining love, then losing it, triggering the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan and falling into the abyss of extremity and madness.
Uchiha Itachi didn't dare to take that risk.
If he spared Uchiha Izumi, and she awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan… if her mind then spiraled into extremism, she would undoubtedly become a demoness even he would struggle to deal with.
And that would pose too great a threat—
To Konoha.
To Sasuke.
Sasuke was only seven years old. Under the guidance of the Will of Fire, his mindset still had room to grow and be shaped. But Uchiha Izumi was already thirteen; her thinking was much more set.
So the best solution—
Was to eliminate Uchiha Izumi!
That was the safest option.
Across from Itachi, standing behind Izumi, Uchiha Obito watched silently, a chain coiled around his hand, his gaze icy.
He had sensed something was off.
To prevent anyone from escaping, Itachi and Obito had agreed to attack from opposite ends of the compound, slowly closing in along the central axis of the Uchiha district.
But it was clear—
As they neared the building where Izumi lived, Itachi's movements had noticeably slowed.
At first, Obito suspected some trickery.
But judging from Itachi's demeanor, it seemed far more likely that he simply couldn't bring himself to do it—
That he was hoping Obito would kill Izumi in his place.
Cold-hearted, yes.
But not quite cold enough.
'How foolish… You've already resolved to kill the woman you love, and yet you hesitate?' Obito sneered inwardly.
'Disgusting. If it's true love, how could you even think of killing her? And if it's not love—then just kill her without hesitation.'
'Indecisive trash like this… Uchiha Itachi will never accomplish anything great.'
As a self-proclaimed master of romance, Uchiha Obito passed judgment on Itachi according to his own doctrine.
In fact—
Back then, if he'd had the chance, Obito would've rather killed Rin with his own hands than let that useless Kakashi touch her!
To Obito, that was what true Uchiha love looked like.
As for Itachi's indecisiveness and self-inflicted torment, it had already earned him a spot on Obito's mental list of worthless failures.
"In that case, I'll help you."
With a cold grunt, Obito's chain shot forward, rapidly extending toward Izumi's back!
But Izumi didn't react at all to the piercing sound cutting through the silent night.
Her eyes were locked solely on Uchiha Itachi—
Waiting for him to give her an answer.
In that moment, Uchiha Itachi's mind was thrown into chaos.
Originally, having Uchiha Obito kill Uchiha Izumi had seemed like the most optimal solution…
But the full plan had required Obito to strike while Itachi wasn't watching—to kill Izumi while she was out of his sight.
Yet now that all three of them were here together—
Itachi realized he couldn't accept watching Uchiha Izumi be brutally killed by someone else.
If it had to be done, he'd rather do it himself!
And so, Itachi moved.
[Bang!]
A sharp clang of metal rang out—
In an instant, Itachi appeared behind Izumi, swinging his blade to sever Obito's incoming chain.
Seeing this, Uchiha Obito narrowed his eyes dangerously, the single Sharingan behind his mask glowing crimson.
What the hell did that mean?
Was Itachi abandoning the mission? Letting his emotions get the better of him? Was he going soft because of a woman?
But just then—
Itachi suddenly turned his head, the complex pattern in his pupils spinning at full speed. Streams of blood ran from his eyes as he unleashed a massive burst of ocular power.
Tsukuyomi.
The moment their eyes met, Uchiha Izumi was pulled into a powerful illusion. Before she could resist, her consciousness was swallowed whole, and her body collapsed limply to the ground as if she had fainted.
Obito snorted coldly and was about to speak—
After all, the agreement he and Itachi had reached was clear: Sasuke would be the only survivor.
Uchiha Izumi had never been part of that plan.
If Itachi dared to change the terms now, Obito wasn't going to let it slide.
But to his surprise—
Itachi closed his eyes, waiting only a few moments… and then let out a chilling, almost deranged laugh.
Without hesitation, he drove his katana straight through Izumi's throat with surgical precision—
Killing her instantly.
That deranged, twisted look on his face...
Even someone like Uchiha Obito, who had seen far too much and lived through extreme things himself, felt a shiver run through him. The summer night breeze, which had been crisp and cool a moment ago, now seemed to carry an icy bite.
Was he really this far gone?
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