The weeping in the forest grew louder and louder.
Everyone knelt in grief, their faces wet with tears.
Whether it was young shinobi or the older women who had missed their chance to train as ninja, all were heartbroken at this moment.
Perhaps back in Konoha, they were just ordinary clan members. Some were close, others only nodded in passing.
But after arriving in the Land of Snow, the bond among these Uchiha survivors grew stronger and stronger, like a true family. Grandma Sumi was the eldest among them.
She cared about every clan member's physical and emotional well-being. Though she couldn't train, she always supported everyone from behind the scenes.
Every time Yuichi and the others returned from training, there was a hot meal waiting. If their clothes were torn, she would sew new ones.
Everyone saw her as their closest family member.
The dawn of victory was right before their eyes, but then...
A soft sigh echoed.
Yami appeared in front of the mourning crowd.
"Yami-sama."
Yuichi's eyes were bloodshot, his Mangekyō bleeding tears. "What happened to Grandma... She was fine yesterday. Why did she suddenly start vomiting blood..."
"This was her own decision."
At this moment, Yami didn't hide anything. "After arriving in the Land of Snow, Grandma Sumi had already made up her mind."
"She understood the power of the Mangekyō and knew that with your abilities, it would be difficult to awaken it. You were no match for Uchiha Itachi."
"So, this plan was formed."
"To use familial bonds as the soil, and love as the nourishment… to give you that final push."
Yami's gaze swept over the stunned Yuichi and the others.
Yuichi, the most experienced. Yushi, the most talented. Yumi, closest to Grandma Sumi and the only girl among the dozen or so with three-tomoe Sharingan.
All three had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"From the looks of it, the results aren't bad. Three pairs of Mangekyō… You're qualified to face Uchiha Itachi head-on."
The weeping gradually quieted, eventually falling into complete silence.
"Uchiha Itachi!"
Uchiha Yumi's scream was like a ghost demanding vengeance. Before her voice even faded, she shot off toward the battlefield like a cannonball. The others, eyes red, followed close behind.
It wasn't until long after they left that footsteps were heard again in the forest.
"The Uchiha's potential… is truly terrifying."
Hoshigaki Kisame stood beside Yami and sighed. "Yami-sama, Uchiha Itachi came to die willingly. Why bother involving them?"
"Because of dignity."
Yami spoke calmly. "If Uchiha Itachi wanted them dead, he would kill them without hesitation. But he wants to die, so he orchestrates this whole act, pretending to be defeated by Sasuke."
"No one wants to be a pawn under someone else's control. Unless—like me—they set everything up in advance and let the pieces choose their own path."
"But in Uchiha Itachi's case, he never gave anyone a chance to choose. Everything was decided by him alone."
Kisame fell silent after hearing this.
His respect for Itachi faded slightly.
Who would want their fate decided by someone else, without even knowing it?
Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!
The battle between Sasuke and Itachi had reached its climax.
Sasuke's form had undergone a drastic transformation. Milky-white chakra flames engulfed his body, his spiky hair stood up, and a diamond-shaped mark appeared between his eyebrows.
With a single step, the ground cracked beneath his feet, and his speed left an afterimage where he stood.
This wasn't the Body Flicker Technique—it was pure speed.
The battle had moved outdoors. The already crumbling building had been completely destroyed under the collision of their powers.
Itachi cast Tsukuyomi as expected, but Sasuke broke through it with surprising ease.
Over the years, Sasuke had been subjected to at least 80 illusions, if not more. The most important aspect of breaking illusions was realizing you were caught in one. Once that was clear, he could forcefully dispel it with foreign chakra.
With the momentum from breaking Tsukuyomi, Sasuke activated the full power of the Curse Mark, not intending to give Itachi the chance to summon Susanoo—he would kill him directly.
From a distance, White Zetsu poked his head out, surprised to see Sasuke dominating the fight.
"Madara was wrong again. Sasuke isn't as weak as he said."
Zetsu was speechless over Obito's terrible judgment.
When Yami was still young, Obito looked down on him—and now he didn't even dare show his face in front of him.
As for Sasuke, Zetsu had never thought he could defeat Itachi.
Madara, look at the person you picked.
When he couldn't get things done, he hoarded a bunch of Sharingan as resurrection coins for himself.
In truth, whether it was Sasuke from the original timeline or this version, he was never as weak as people thought.
Itachi held back, yes—but not to the extent people romanticize.
Without Susanoo, Itachi might not even be Sasuke's opponent. Without it, he wouldn't have survived Kirin crashing from the heavens.
Sasuke had already taken the upper hand in their Fire Release clash. Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu had both been countered. Itachi had no other techniques to fall back on.
Just as Zetsu was internally ranting about Obito's incompetence, he heard angry roars from afar.
"Uchiha Itachi!!"
A dozen figures rushed toward the battlefield. Startled, Itachi used Sasuke's flying kick to leap back and gain distance, then looked up.
His pupils trembled.
Due to his failing eyesight, the faces were blurry and unfamiliar.
But the scarlet glow in their eyes, and the chakra filled with anger and hatred, were unmistakable.
How… could this be?
Did Danzō use the Sharingan collected during the massacre on other experimental subjects?
No, they were all wielding Three Tomoe Sharingan—and three pairs of Mangekyō. If such a force existed, there's no way he could have completed the massacre.
"Why are you all so slow? No, Yuichi… your eyes…"
Seeing them approach, Sasuke sheathed his sword and stopped attacking. He had wanted to complain, but when he saw the blood streaks on their cheeks and those three Mangekyō, he fell silent.
"…"
Yuichi's voice trembled. "Grandma Sumi died… right in front of us."
"What?!"
Sasuke's body shook violently. He stared at them in disbelief.
"She died for us." Yumi's gaze toward Itachi was filled with hatred, as if she wanted to flay him alive. "Grandma wanted us to kill Uchiha Itachi ourselves, not rely on this weasel's mercy!"
Itachi was completely stunned.
What did they mean... what did they know?
"I get it now."
Sasuke took a deep breath and held back Yuichi and the others. "Don't be hasty. Let him die knowing the truth. Uchiha Itachi, are you surprised that there are so many Uchiha still alive?"
Itachi was indeed shocked. He scanned Yuichi and the others with a dazed expression.
He had no memory of these people.
Were they… all Uchiha?
It fit his personality. Perhaps to him, only Sasuke and his parents mattered. Everyone else was just another target. It made sense that he didn't remember them.
Suddenly...
He recalled the night of the massacre. The number of people he killed was far fewer than the intel had indicated.
"Did Shimura save you?"
Itachi asked with confidence, but Sasuke laughed—mockingly.
"Hahaha, do you think you control everything? You traded the lives of our clan for my survival, and you couldn't even figure out something this simple?"
"Let me tell you, even though it was allowed by Yami-sensei, it was Shisui who rescued them!"
"Impossible!"
Itachi's heart was shaken, and he shouted instinctively, "Shisui…"
"He's dead?"
Sasuke finished the sentence for him, sneering. "He jumped off the cliff in front of you. Did you ever see Shisui's corpse?"
"Shisui is really alive?" Itachi's eyes lit up with hope. "Then where is he? Why didn't he come with you?"
"Because he doesn't want to see you."
Yuji stepped forward coldly. Every word was like a blade. "The biggest regret of Shisui-sensei's life was teaching you his ideal of peace—only for you to twist it into extremism."
"He thought he was responsible for your downfall. But I don't agree."
"Your nature is the real issue, Uchiha Itachi. If you had fully sided with the village and wiped everyone out, I'd at least respect you as a man."
"But sparing Sasuke while murdering us all—that was your sin. Only Sasuke mattered to you. The rest of us didn't."
Itachi's pupils trembled. He staggered back a few steps.
Those words stripped away all pretense and exposed the guilt buried deep in his heart.
Was he loyal to Konoha? Yes. But above all else, he wanted to protect Sasuke.
If he hadn't agreed, the clan and village would have gone to war. The clan would lose, and Sasuke, as the heir of the clan head, would not survive.
"Itachi, two and a half years ago, Yami-sensei and Shisui told me everything. I now clearly understand the conflict between the village and the Uchiha."
Sasuke wasn't angered by Yuji's words. In fact, he nodded in agreement. He stepped forward and stood before the Uchiha.
"Do you know how painful it was for me to go on after learning the truth?"
"Every minute, every second… I've lived in penance for your crimes. If I had a choice, I would've rather died by your hand that night."
"Why? Why do you always make decisions for others without permission?"
"An avenger? You think I'll find closure by killing you as you planned? No. I'd only feel empty. My life's meaning would vanish."
"…"
Itachi had never been so shaken. He couldn't refute a single word.
He felt like a complete clown.
"Uchiha Itachi!!"
Sasuke shouted, "The only thing you can do now to lessen your guilt is show your full strength and die at our hands!"
"After your death, I'll follow Yami-sensei and completely reshape this rotten shinobi world—and crush the pathetic ninja village system!"
"I see…"
Itachi took a deep breath. Blood streamed from his eyes. Deep red chakra formed around him, quickly shaping into a skeletal frame, then covered with flesh and muscle, forming a half-body warrior.
"Come then. Let me see if your strength is worthy of the Uchiha name."
At this moment, Itachi felt guilt—but also relief.
At least he didn't have to worry about Sasuke losing his path after this. He had his own ideals. His own people.
The path Yami had planned for Sasuke was better than anything Itachi had imagined.
Then… his only remaining role was to become their final whetstone and help them grow stronger!
Boom!
Susanoo roared and evolved. The heavy Crow Tengu armor draped over it, making it even larger. It wielded a shield in one hand and a gourd sword in the other.
A powerful aura radiated outward.
"You've just awakened Mangekyō, so I doubt you'll even force me to use this…"
Itachi slowly advanced toward Sasuke and the others. Blood was flowing from his mouth, but it merged with Susanoo, increasing its intensity.
"Attack!"
Sasuke wasn't afraid. Instead, he was more fired up than ever.
Only by killing this version of Itachi could they prove their strength was real.
With a bang and puff of smoke, two massive windmill shuriken appeared in Sasuke's hands. He hurled them toward Susanoo.
As they neared, the shuriken exploded, and the wires tied to them entangled Susanoo's limbs.
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!
Over a dozen Uchiha launched their Fire Release techniques simultaneously, lighting up the sky in red. Among them, Yuyi's dragon-shaped flame was the most overwhelming—nearly three times larger than the others.
It wasn't that his Fire Release mastery was that advanced, but that his Mangekyō's ability amplified all fire-based techniques.
The raging flames surged along the threads, completely engulfing Susanoo. Even White Zetsu, far away, began sweating.
Not from the heat—but from fear.
Yami had planned this for ten years… and in one move, gave them three Mangekyō Sharingan.
What kind of monster was this?
Zetsu didn't dare keep watching. He immediately used the Mayfly Technique to rush back to Konoha.
Whether Itachi won or lost no longer mattered.
He came to die. Even if he wanted to win, he couldn't.
If he did somehow win…
Then he shouldn't be called Uchiha Itachi anymore—but Uchiha Madara.
(To be continued.)
***
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