Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito stood across from Naruto, both wearing heavy expressions, though their thoughts ran in very different directions.
As someone who thinks like a Hokage, Itachi was trying to understand how someone so young—Naruto, a mere child and the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails—could possess such terrifying strength, and more importantly, why he had hidden it all this time...
What exactly was this brat planning? Refusing to follow the village's arrangements obediently… There had to be some unspeakable motive behind it. Most likely, he had lost his sanity under the influence of the tailed beast and now sought to overthrow the Will of Fire!
Itachi's mind was spinning rapidly—he was trying to figure out how to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki while still ensuring the conditions for the Uchiha massacre were met, and without Obito interfering in the process…
On the other hand, Obito's concerns differed, but his wariness toward Naruto was rising with every moment.
Ever since the failure of the Nine-Tails incident, Obito no longer held the blind confidence he'd had when he first awakened Kamui. He had been honing his combat skills all these years precisely to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past—to avoid being taught another painful lesson by an opponent like Namikaze Minato.
But just now, in the brief clash with Naruto…
Obito recalled the boy's hand seals and the release of his technique. The movements had looked ordinary, but they were frighteningly efficient—so much so that not even his Mangekyō had reacted in time…
The way Naruto combined Bringer-of-Darkness with Water Release was near flawless. The instant Obito's vision was obstructed, Naruto seized the opportunity and launched a swift and precise Water Release attack.
'Good thing he's still just a kid… If he were any older, that Water Release just now might've taken my life… Seems I've underestimated my sensei's bloodline…'
'I can't afford to drag this out any longer. He's only seven years old and already managed to injure me—that's something even Minato, at his peak, could only do when I was much younger!'
'If Naruto grows any further, with this kind of monstrous talent and strength, he'll become a massive threat to the Eye of the Moon Plan!'
'On top of that, he managed to hide his power so well that even the ever-watchful White Zetsu was completely fooled. His depth of calculation already surpasses most adult shinobi…'
'I can't allow this threat to grow any further. He must be eliminated—root and branch—today!'
The half of Obito's body composed of White Zetsu surged with powerful regenerative ability. The penetrating wounds from the water needles rapidly healed, and the killing intent in his single eye intensified.
In his mind, Naruto's only saving grace was his likely chakra depletion… If that Water Release, cloaked under Bringer-of-Darkness, had been just a bit stronger, it could have ended the battle right then and there!
At the very least, it would have forced him to use Izanagi instead of relying on White Zetsu's healing.
Obito glanced sideways at Itachi—who on the surface looked composed, but whose brain was working so hard it was practically overheating—and sneered faintly.
A mere mortal body. One hit and his combat capability nosedives. Compared to my White Zetsu-enhanced form, he's fragile and full of limitations.
"Itachi, don't get in my way… You should be focusing on killing the rest of the Uchiha. Otherwise, your little brother will never awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Obito's voice was cold and laced with malice. "Once this fight kicks off, the sound-dampening barrier won't hold. So think carefully—are you going to stop me from taking the Nine-Tails, or are you going to abandon your dream of the Eternal Mangekyō?"
Itachi's heart sank.
He wasn't doing this for the Eternal Mangekyō... But just as Uchiha Obito had pointed out—if the massacre wasn't thorough enough, then Sasuke wouldn't be the only Uchiha left to feed on hatred.
Those clansmen with the cursed blood in their veins would surely set their sights on Sasuke! And Sasuke, only seven years old—how could he possibly defend himself against a pack of deranged Uchihas?
On his way to school, walking home at night, or even, like him, in the dead of night… At any moment, a radical Uchiha could show up, blaming Sasuke for the clan's slaughter and taking it out on him.
That would be a disaster.
Torn by this fear, Itachi suddenly turned around and charged toward the Uchiha compound, blade in hand.
He had made up his mind.
He would finish off the entire Uchiha clan—no exceptions. After all, Naruto's strength was unfathomable, and Obito would likely be unable to defeat him anytime soon…
In that case, his role as the butcher of his clan could also serve as a bystander's advantage. Let the two monsters wear each other down—he might even pick up the pieces afterward!
...
"Wait—why does he hate his own clan that much, Kazuki-nii?"
Naruto stared at Itachi, who had turned to resume his extermination of the clan, his small head filled with big questions. He muttered in a mix of fear and relief: "This damn ninja world… so many extremists everywhere! I'm really lucky you brought me to witness this moment, Kazuki-nii. It showed me just how important strength is…"
"I have to train—I have to get so strong that no devil like that could ever hurt me!"
Itachi's obsession with the massacre had left a deep impression on Naruto. In a twisted way, it had planted the seeds of his unshakable determination to train harder than ever.
Kazuki looked at Naruto and chuckled softly.
Poor little Naruto. He seemed borderline traumatized by Itachi's madness… But in truth, that might be a good thing. After all, in the ninja world, being over-prepared was always better than being caught off guard.
"Kazuki-sama, do you need my chakra?"
Compared to Naruto, the well-traveled Nine-Tails noticed something odd: "Your Water Release techniques are swift and flawless in execution, but the chakra you used… it felt like it came from this brat."
The Nine-Tails sounded concerned.
Could something be wrong with Kazuki's condition? After all, he, like the Nine-Tails, existed inside Naruto more like a spirit than a physical being…
Was it possible Kazuki couldn't fully unleash his power?
"No need to worry, Kurama."
Kazuki gently stroked the Nine-Tails' long, furry tail with a look of praise, then turned to Naruto—who still looked clueless but now visibly worried too—and spoke softly: "I'm mimicking your current state… I'm only using the amount of chakra this body of yours contains, along with techniques you can learn—but haven't yet had the chance to."
"I want you to understand something, Naruto… You are a genius. Even though you're only seven years old, there's power inside your body capable of changing the entire world."
Naruto and the Nine-Tails were both stunned.
Only using Naruto's chakra? And only using the techniques that Naruto himself was capable of learning?
That meant… Kazuki hadn't used his own power—he'd just been standing in for Naruto all along?
That would explain why the Water Release attack earlier hadn't managed to take down Uchiha Obito or Uchiha Itachi…
"First, you have the Uzumaki bloodline," Kazuki said. "That means you're capable of learning Adamantine Sealing Chains…"
Within Naruto's body, the exchange of thoughts was intense—but because it was a clash of consciousness, only an instant passed in the outside world. Uchiha Itachi remained frozen in the moment he had just turned, blade raised.
In that instant, Naruto suddenly brought his hands together in a forceful seal!
From behind him—
Not particularly thick, but glowing with a dangerous dark-golden hue in the night, chains burst forth, whistling violently as they surged toward Uchiha Itachi!
Itachi was already forcing himself to endure the piercing pain of the water needles. His movements were noticeably slower than when uninjured.
The sharp howl of something tearing through the air reached his ears. Itachi spun around and instantly formed hand seals—Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
A solid wall of earth shot up from the ground. He was just about to use Body Flicker to escape—
But to his shock, the chains erupting from within Naruto tore through the earth wall like it was nothing.
"This is the Uzumaki Clan's kekkei genkai… It can even seal the Nine-Tails! If that hits me, I won't even be able to maintain my chakra…"
In a flash, Itachi had no time to think further.
Two dark streaks of blood-tears streamed from his eyes, crimson lines spreading across the whites.
Susanoo!
A flaming red skeletal frame enveloped Itachi. The Susanoo's arm, formed from his Mangekyō power, blocked the assault of the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
But the chakra that exploded from his body could no longer be hidden by the soundproofing barrier.
In the blink of an eye, chaos erupted across the Uchiha compound.
Uchiha Obito narrowed his eyes. If the other Uchiha joined the fray now, both the massacre and the plan to capture the Nine-Tails would be ruined.
At least one of these missions had to succeed.
'The massacre turned out to be much easier than I expected… With Kamui, I could slaughter the rest of the Uchiha one by one. But this brat Naruto… he's the real problem.'
'Seven years old. Mastery of genjutsu, Water Release, and now the Uzumaki's kekkei genkai? This is absurd. If he ever gains full control over the Nine-Tails and becomes a perfect Jinchūriki… that would be a disaster!'
Obito took a deep breath and activated his chakra—
Uchiha Fire Formation!
A massive wall of flame erupted from the earth, forming a blazing barrier that cut off Itachi, Obito, and Naruto from the rest of the compound.
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