It had been so long since Itachi Uchiha awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan. In these three years, he had repeatedly pondered the masked man's true identity. Because he had seen that Sharingan at the time, he deduced that the person was from the Uchiha clan.
However, in the past three years, Itachi Uchiha had interacted with every male member of his clan, yet none possessed space-time ninjutsu, nor did anyone have the same voice or aura. It was as if that man wasn't from Konoha. But the Uchiha clan had lived in the village since Konoha's founding, and he had never heard of anyone outside the Uchiha clan possessing the Sharingan. In wartime, if an Uchiha clan member died on the battlefield, other ninja would follow protocol and bring their Sharingan back; thus, enemies couldn't steal Sharingan from corpses. Even if it did happen, the disappearance of valuable kekkei genkai like the Sharingan or Byakugan would be a major incident, and Konoha and the clan couldn't possibly have no record of it. There were no rumors of Sharingan falling into the hands of other villages either.
So, only one last possibility remained. That masked man was a clan member who had left the Uchiha clan in the past. Itachi Uchiha's first reaction, when he considered this possibility, was that it was impossible, even after feeling the immense pressure and power the masked man exuded. This was because, since Konoha's founding, only one clan member had ever left the Uchiha clan and Konoha alone.
—Madara Uchiha.
But Madara Uchiha had died at the hands of the First Hokage.
Yet today, this most improbable theory was confirmed. Not just Itachi Uchiha, but Shisui Uchiha too had calmed down and fallen into thought.
"Possessing an unrecorded Mangekyo Sharingan, and this eye power that is several times stronger than mine..." Shisui's forehead broke into a cold sweat as he thought. Just as ancient texts described, he had only used Kotoamatsukami once at full power and already felt his eyesight declining. But from the masked man's unrestrained use of his eye techniques, this guy seemed to completely disregard the consumption of eye power; only the legendary Madara Uchiha could do that.
"I hope you've thought it through, otherwise it'd be truly disappointing."
Obito Uchiha looked down at the two, letting them speculate, his tone cold. "From beginning to end, I've been watching you, watching your childish and flawed plan." With that, his figure vanished from its spot, reappearing before Shisui and Itachi. His intangible ability made him seem to instantly teleport, the oppressive feeling physically squeezing their nerves.
"And I'm here precisely to help you fix the flaws in your plan," Obito said coldly.
"You," Shisui's throat bobbed, his voice hoarse. "What did you say?"
Before his words finished, footsteps suddenly sounded, instantly jolting Shisui and Itachi's taut nerves. They abruptly turned their heads towards the sound. They saw a figure dressed as an Anbu emerge from the darkness, but its body seemed to writhe like mud or liquid. Under Itachi and Shisui's horrified gazes, in just a few breaths, it transformed into a pale humanoid creature, then into the likeness of Yashiro Uchiha, standing before them.
"This feeling..." Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan was filled with grave concern. "Not just the appearance, but even the chakra fluctuations and aura are identical?" This was definitely not something a mere Transformation Jutsu could achieve!
And the moment Itachi Uchiha saw the white humanoid creature's mimicry, combined with "Madara's" words, a fatally tempting possibility surfaced in his mind. He abruptly turned to "Madara," his voice trembling slightly. "You mean, every time we kill a target, you'll replace them with this thing?"
"And those dead clan members will continue to 'live,' so no one will discover any anomaly?"
Hearing this, Shisui Uchiha also realized this, his pupils slightly constricting.
"Not beyond salvation after all."
Obito expressed a hint of approval, but more so playful dissatisfaction. "These creatures are called White Zetsu. I created them after I survived, using Hashirama Senju's Wood Style cells."
"After absorbing a target's chakra, they can transform into the same appearance, aura, and chakra fluctuations. Not even the most familiar person or a sensory ninja can distinguish them."
"They will replace the clan members you kill and continue to play their roles until you deem the appropriate time has come."
The White Zetsu grinned, showing a chilling smile to Shisui and Itachi, and spoke in a strange cadence: "Hehe, nice to meet you. This sort of thing, leave it to me!"
"How is it?" Obito asked softly. "Now, hasn't your flawed plan become even more perfect?"
"..."
Shisui and Itachi exchanged glances, unable to help but fall silent. Watching the two geniuses dumbfounded by this solution, Obito's lips under his mask curved into a satisfied arc, feeling a long-lost sense of exhilaration. Since that damn 'Shadow' exposed his identity in front of Nagato, he hadn't experienced this feeling of being superior in a long time. So what if he lost a pair of Rinnegan? The eyes Madara Uchiha could obtain, he could replicate again! One day, he would return with new Rinnegan!
Meanwhile, in a place they were unaware of.
In his study, Fugaku Uchiha sat back down at his desk, picking up the scroll he hadn't finished reading. His expression remained focused and steady, as if everything that had just transpired was merely a trivial interlude. He occasionally paused, unconsciously stroking his temples, but his gaze remained calm, and the fingers turning the scroll did not tremble in the slightest. Only the cold moonlight from outside the window, filtering through the window frame, shone upon his face, which was calm to the point of numbness.
However, deep within the consciousness of Shisui's eye, which had been completely taken over, a sliver of Fugaku Uchiha's own consciousness was struggling futilely, like a drowning man sinking into the deep sea.
The spiritual ocean that once belonged to Fugaku now had a Mangekyo Sharingan hanging in its sky like a sun, its green light covering the surface of the ocean! That was the absolute will of Kotoamatsukami, dominating this spiritual space. But in the center of this green-covered ocean, there remained only a small, solitary black island, preserving Fugaku Uchiha's last vestiges of self-awareness.
"Why? Why is this happening?"
"Shisui! Itachi! What exactly are you doing?!"
"Let me out! Let me out!!"
Fugaku could see the outside world, but his roars and cries could only be desperately suppressed within this mental space, unable to transmit even a whisper. He was like a ghost imprisoned within his own body, forced to watch his body carry out Shisui's commands.
But at that moment, a playful voice sounded behind him.
"Still deceiving yourself?"
Fugaku's remaining consciousness violently shuddered. Following the voice, he turned his head to look behind him and saw a figure emerge. A black robe enveloped the figure. Inky liquid, like a living thing, surged from the robe, flowing and spreading onto the green ocean below. This feeling was like... erosion...
It was then that Fugaku Uchiha realized that the black island where he remained was precisely the shadow of that figure.
"You, who are you?" Fugaku questioned, his voice filled with surprise and wariness.
Undoubtedly, the figure that appeared in Fugaku's mental space was Hyuga Kawa. The consciousness of Fugaku, which should have been completely overwritten, was also what he had preserved.
"Even now, do you still not understand your predicament?"
Hyuga Kawa did not answer Fugaku's question, only chuckled with almost cruel mockery. "Even now, you still don't understand that your son and Shisui Uchiha, whom you placed such great hope and trust in, are trying to use your body for something?"
As if finally realizing something, Fugaku Uchiha began to tremble violently. Itachi, Shisui, were they actually...
"That's right," Hyuga Kawa said with a playful smile. "They want to use your body, leverage the clan's trust in you, to draw out those hardliners, those clan members they consider obstacles... one by one, and then, with your hands, kill them."
Every word was like a poisoned ice pick, stabbing deeply into Fugaku's consciousness!
"No, impossible!"
Fugaku shook his head in a daze. "Itachi is my son, and I treated Shisui well. How could they do this? How could they betray the clan? How could they slaughter their own brethren?" His consciousness was already somewhat muddled. His cherished son and protégé were actually planning a purge targeting their own clan members, and wanted him to be the butcher's knife in their hands?!
"Betrayal? Slaughter?" Hyuga Kawa spoke as if he had heard a joke, his tone laced with sarcasm. "What if, in their eyes, this is salvation?"
"Salvation?" Fugaku felt a strong sense of absurdity.
"Sacrificing the hardliners, whom they see as beyond saving, in exchange for Konoha's peace..." Hyuga Kawa's voice was like a devil's whisper. "What a noble cause, isn't it?"
"No, I don't believe it. Itachi wouldn't... Shisui wouldn't..." Fugaku Uchiha could only deny it futilely. Those so-called hardliner clan members were, in his eyes, his brethren, living individuals with parents, wives, and children. How, how could their lives be taken through this so-called "sacrifice"? How could their right to live be negated so easily? "Sacrifice" was about willingly offering one's life. What right did Shisui and Itachi have to force them to "sacrifice"?!
"Whether you believe it or not, it doesn't matter."
The black liquid flowing from beneath Hyuga Kawa's robe grew denser, firmly maintaining Fugaku's last sliver of conscious thought. He smiled. "Because you'll see it soon."
With that, he slightly raised his head, looking at the Mangekyo Sharingan in the sky.
"Feel it thoroughly, Fugaku Uchiha."
His voice carried a nearly cruel delight, as if he were savoring a meticulously orchestrated tragedy. He spoke softly: "Feel the pain of being betrayed by your closest kin."
"Feel the powerlessness of losing everything due to your own indecisiveness and cowardice."
"Feel the despair of being forced to watch yourself destroy everything you cherish."
"Finally, regret, hate, beg."
"Your pain, your powerlessness, your despair, your hatred, your begging..."
"These are precisely the most indispensable movements of this magnificent drama!"
Inside the study, the moonlight filtering in remained cold. Fugaku Uchiha's fingers continued to turn the scroll. But deep within those black pupils, a scarlet blood color flickered intermittently, as if struggling.
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