Sasuke wanted to die.
Whether it was passively or subjectively, it felt like he wouldn't live much longer.
He once believed that with the support of the senjutsu chakra from the Curse Seal Mode, he could steadily break through Tsukuyomi, and that the gap between him and Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan had closed.
But after receiving training from Izumi, he realized how narrow-minded that thinking was and finally understood why so many people feared the appearance of Mangekyō Sharingan.
Amaterasu could be dodged. Tsukuyomi could be broken.
But what about Susanoo?
Was he supposed to split it with a kunai?
Once Izumi activated her silver Susanoo, most of Sasuke's ninjutsu became useless. Only two techniques still had any effect—both developed in recent years.
[Lightning Release: Kirin]
[Lightning Release: Thousand Eclipse Fang]
Kirin used the Chidori in his hand as a trigger to draw lightning from the sky, making it both fast and powerful.
Thousand Eclipse Fang wasn't any weaker in level. It used large amounts of lightning and fire chakra to condense into an almost-solid lightning crystal, which was then launched using Uchiha's throwing technique and detonated instantly.
Fire chakra created extreme heat, while lightning produced a high-frequency current. Though not a Kekkei Genkai, thanks to his mastery of these two chakra natures, it was even stronger than some bloodline techniques.
Compared to Kirin, Thousand Eclipse Fang had slightly less power, but it was more convenient—it didn't rely on weather.
Previously, Yami thought the name sounded pretentious and suggested calling it "Thunderfire Fang" for clarity. Sasuke rejected it.
With the power of the curse seal, both techniques could break through Susanoo.
But only the ordinary version.
Once Susanoo reached its third form, the half-armored Crow Tengu stage, both techniques were useless—only capable of damaging parts of the armor, not the person inside.
What's worse, Izumi told him that Itachi's Susanoo didn't carry an offensive artifact like the Ame-no-Habakiri, but had the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror—both defensive treasures. This made Sasuke even more helpless.
"You only have two options to deal with Uchiha Itachi's Susanoo right now."
After another day of training, Izumi dismissed the Susanoo Giant and walked over to Sasuke, who lay collapsed on the ground.
"Either master Dust Release within the next few days...
Or rely on the agility of Flying Thunder God to slowly wear him down. Uchiha Itachi's body and ocular power can't maintain Susanoo for long. He might die from exhaustion."
"No!"
Sasuke immediately rejected the idea. As a Flying Thunder God practitioner, of course he had thought of that tactic. He just didn't want to use it.
What he wanted was to win head-on, to defeat Uchiha Itachi with his own strength—not by using some old-man tactic of attrition.
"Then there's nothing I can do."
Izumi shrugged. She didn't care what Sasuke thought and turned to leave.
She was now Konoha's uncrowned Kage, responsible for finalizing all the village's major decisions daily. Taking an hour to act as a teacher wasn't easy.
Still, she didn't mind. Her current life lacked combat training. She took this as a way to stretch and relax.
After Izumi left, Sasuke didn't lie there long before he heard soft footsteps behind him.
"Sasuke."
"Shisui." Sasuke turned around and greeted him politely, smiling. "You're all back?"
Shisui smiled and nodded. "We're back."
Naka Shrine.
The surviving Uchiha looked around. Some were nostalgic, others sighed, and some even had tears in their eyes.
A hundred years could change everything.
Even if Konoha feared and isolated the Uchiha, it didn't change the fact that this was still their home. After ten years, returning to this land again brought indescribable feelings.
By the time Sasuke and Shisui arrived at Naka Shrine, the once-dilapidated place had already been cleaned up and had regained some of its vitality.
"Sasuke."
Many people smiled and greeted him. It warmed Sasuke's heart.
Humans need to prove their value in this world. Being needed by others was part of that.
Sasuke's personality had changed greatly over the years, and the presence of his clan had played a significant role.
He understood that he wasn't alone in this world. He had responsibilities—to others—and his mindset had grown more rational.
Soon, Yami arrived with Yuichi and the others.
This was the entirety of the Uchiha's current strength—one Mangekyō Sharingan user, Sasuke, and others with dual tomoe.
Their combined power was close to half of the Uchiha clan's former peak.
Most of them were descendants of former civilians or marginal members of the clan.
To have come this far proved the strength of their bloodline, and also how important emotional clarity and conviction were to the Uchiha.
"The duel in three days will take place in a land once used by the Uchiha during the Warring States era. I will not intervene. Neither will Konoha."
Yami's words made the entire group fall silent.
"Yami-sama, can we go?" Yuichi asked.
Yami looked at Sasuke. Yuichi turned to Sasuke and said seriously, "Sasuke, killing Uchiha Itachi isn't just your burden. It's the will of all of us. You can't stop us from taking our revenge."
Sasuke frowned slightly, confused and a bit dissatisfied. "But didn't we agree that I'd be the one to end Uchiha Itachi? Why go back on that now?"
"Sasuke, this isn't going back on anything."
Shisui spoke gently. "You've seen Susanoo's power yourself. You can't defeat him alone."
Sasuke stayed silent. It was the truth. He couldn't deny it.
Even now, he hadn't found a way to crack Susanoo.
Shisui smiled faintly and continued, "Aside from me—the root cause—every Uchiha here has the right to avenge themselves. And as the clan head, aren't we part of your strength too?"
"Shisui, it's not your fault." Sasuke responded quickly.
He understood Shisui's guilt. Shisui believed that had he not instilled the idea of peace into Itachi, Itachi might never have carried out the clan massacre.
But Sasuke believed that peace was a noble idea. Itachi had simply chosen an extreme method. Shisui bore no blame.
"I understand."
With his Sharingan glowing with three tomoe, Sasuke took a deep breath. "Three days from now… all of us will avenge Uchiha Itachi!"
Over a dozen Uchiha activated their Sharingan. Killing intent surged.
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
Many people were already anticipating the upcoming battle between the brothers.
---
As a spy with ties on every side, Kabuto couldn't even count how many people he was working for. But that wasn't important.
What mattered was remembering that his roots lay in Konoha—and in Yami—so he wouldn't forget his true purpose.
After receiving news from Pain, he passed it on to Orochimaru.
What surprised Kabuto was that Orochimaru didn't react strongly. He simply acknowledged the information and remained silent.
Kabuto asked curiously, "Orochimaru-sama, have you lost interest in the Uchiha bloodline?"
"Of course not."
Orochimaru didn't pause his work and replied softly, "I just have more important things to deal with. Let them fight. The winner of the two brothers will be worthy of becoming my vessel."
Kabuto gave a slight bow and left the lab. Before leaving, he saw Orochimaru holding a crimson, twisted mask in his hand, but he didn't think much of it—he had to hurry.
Soon after, Uchiha Obito also received the intel from Kabuto.
Though he had already heard it from Kisame, Kabuto's report still left an impression.
"So… is Uchiha Itachi planning to die, or is he after Uchiha Sasuke's eyes?"
Obito muttered, staring off into the distance. Zetsu emerged beside him, thinking for a moment before replying, "He's a Uchiha. I think he wants Sasuke's eyes."
"For power, a real Uchiha will do anything."
"Yeah."
Obito sneered. "Maybe he kept Sasuke alive all along just for this day. After all, he's seen the stone tablet too. How could he not desire the Eternal Mangekyō?"
"But I hope Uchiha Sasuke wins. Compared to Itachi, he's much easier to manipulate."
"Then let's go watch." Zetsu suggested. "If Sasuke wins, we'll tell him everything Konoha has done."
Zetsu was confident that once Sasuke learned the truth, he would hate Konoha and join the Akatsuki.
He knew how powerful the Eternal Mangekyō was. Maybe he could trick Sasuke into becoming a pawn for the Eye of the Moon Plan, just like he had with Madara.
Obito agreed, and the two left the Akatsuki base.
Konoha.
Yami went to confront Danzō.
So many Uchiha had returned to the village and were about to appear in public. Most importantly, Uchiha Shisui was among them. That alone was enough to piss Danzō off.
Yami didn't care about how others felt, but since the old man hadn't said anything for years, it was better to talk things out clearly and avoid future issues.
To strengthen his position, he even brought an outsider with him.
Root Base.
As expected, when Danzō heard that dozens of Uchiha were still alive—and that even Uchiha Shisui had survived—he nearly had a stroke.
He pointed at Yami with trembling fingers. "You… Are you insane?!"
"Twelve three-tomoe Sharingan, one Mangekyō, and all of them were once civilians. We went through so much effort to raise a talent like Uchiha Itachi, and now you've undone all of it!"
"Konoha needs the Uchiha… but not that many Uchiha!"
This was perhaps Danzō's greatest moment—he was the only person in the shinobi world who dared to point a finger at Yami's face.
"Old man, I get it. You're almost pissed off."
Yami sighed, and the words nearly sent Danzō into cardiac arrest.
"You know the biggest difference between you, me, and the Third Hokage? It's strength."
"All those schemes and calculations are pointless in front of me."
"Even the Uchiha at their peak couldn't make a ripple under my control. That being the case, the stronger Konoha becomes, the better."
"Foolish!"
Danzō snapped. "Yami, I know you're strong—maybe even comparable to the Shodai. But how long can one man live? How many years can you suppress the Uchiha?"
"Haven't you seen how terrifying their bloodline is? Given enough numbers, they'll keep producing powerhouses."
"That's the danger of bloodlines. Once your generation is gone, no one in the village will be able to keep them in check."
Danzō and the top brass never feared a single Uchiha.
What they feared was the terrifying potential of the clan.
Who could say they wouldn't become a future disaster for Konoha?
Yami actually agreed with that point.
Whether the shinobi world stayed peaceful or descended into chaos was often decided by the Uchiha.
If not for him, the best solution would have been to erase them from history.
"Old man, like you said, as long as I'm around, they can't go rogue. So wouldn't it be even better if I became immortal?"
Yami raised an eyebrow.
"Immortal? What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"Why do you think I've been collecting the Tailed Beasts? They're no match for my Wooden Golem in combat."
Danzō's expression changed. He leaned forward and asked in disbelief, "You're saying collecting all nine Tailed Beasts can make you immortal? Where'd you hear that?!"
"It still requires a few more steps. The key medium is currently in the hands of the Akatsuki."
"Speaking of which, old man, have you really forgotten your grudge with Akatsuki?"
Yami asked. Danzō frowned. "My grudge with Akatsuki? Have I crossed paths with them?"
"When I was four or five, didn't you go negotiate with Hanzo? I saw it in Root's files. The group you provoked back then was Akatsuki."
Danzō froze.
Yami's reminder jogged an old memory.
That peaceful group from Amegakure… was Akatsuki?
(To be continued.)
***
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