Itachi pushed open the door to his house.
Given the commotion outside, the people inside should have reacted long ago.
But they hadn't.
Itachi took a deep breath and stepped in, seeing Fugaku sitting with a desolate look.
"Why, Itachi?"
"For the Leaf."
Itachi's voice was utterly calm. "Rebellion—whether it fails or succeeds—will only drag the Leaf into the abyss."
Fugaku's gaze was complicated.
Since Itachi's birth, he had been Fugaku's pride.
Too smart, too exceptional.
But as a father, he had never tried to truly understand him.
As a result, Itachi drifted further and further from the clan.
"Is this the future you want?"
Fugaku raised his head. The three tomoe in his eyes connected into one—his Mangekyo opened.
Itachi's body tensed as countless images flashed through his mind in an instant.
Scenes that had not yet happened.
He clenched his fist under his sleeve and said, "I only trust myself."
Blood seeped from Fugaku's eyes.
His ocular technique showed the most probable future.
But the price was steep.
He rarely used it.
Fugaku wiped the blood away, sighed, and said, "I'm sorry, Itachi. It's my fault that you became who you are today."
With that, he closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.
He had seen his future—death was certain.
Since that was the case, he would trust Itachi one last time.
In a side room not far away—
Natsume covered Mikoto's mouth with one hand and gripped her wrist with the other, preventing her from moving.
She watched Itachi raise and bring down his blade. Her pupils shook, her body struggled desperately, tears and spit streaming down.
But it was useless.
Natsume looked on coldly.
Mikoto's talent was average—just an ordinary chunin. She needed a push to evolve.
As Fugaku fell, bloodied, three tomoe blossomed in Mikoto's eyes.
A powerful aura burst forth.
"Who's there?"
Itachi turned, his emotions mixed. "Is that you, Mother?"
Mikoto trembled all over with rage and grief.
Natsume whispered in her ear, "You can't beat him now. The priority is to save the other clan members."
The next second, he used the Flying Thunder God to transfer her to a point in the northeast.
"Itachi."
The door opened.
But it wasn't Mikoto who came out—it was Shisui.
Itachi froze, his expression finally changing.
He could hardly believe his eyes.
"I never thought you'd go this far."
Shisui's three tomoe trembled rapidly, and after a moment, connected into one.
"You're not Shisui."
Itachi raised his short sword. "You just awakened your Mangekyo. You can't be him."
Shisui had vanished three years ago—life or death unknown.
For him to appear tonight of all nights was too strange.
And to have just awakened a Mangekyo? Even more impossible.
Deep down, Itachi still clung to a self-deceiving thought.
Even if it were true, nothing could be undone now.
Tonight, former friends raised blades against each other.
Natsume withdrew his gaze, looked at Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo, and said, "Sorry, no passage this way."
He had re-disguised himself to avoid being recognized.
He wasn't worried about Orochimaru's actions so much as the impact on his later plans.
For example, he didn't want Danzo to give up on smearing Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Who are you?"
A bad premonition rose in Orochimaru's heart.
Though he didn't recognize Natsume, the situation was all too familiar.
It had been like this when he attacked Shisui.
Now another one appeared.
He strongly suspected this person was connected to Natsume's organization.
He just had no proof.
"Get out of my way!"
Danzo, on the other hand, hesitated far less than Orochimaru.
He was frantic.
He was just waiting to collect those Sharingan.
Anyone in his way would die.
As his words fell, he formed seals without hesitation.
Wood Release: Tree Piercing Spear!
He opened with a killing move.
Danzo's regenerated right arm swelled instantly, transforming into a massive tree.
Its branches writhed like tentacles, wrapping around the enemy before devouring them.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes but didn't move.
The next second, his face changed and he retreated quickly.
He sensed a familiar ripple.
Sage chakra.
Sage Art: Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!
A roaring deluge rose, enough to form a lake, and in an instant blasted the giant tree away.
Danzo's face twisted in disbelief.
What the hell?
Since when did Water Release pack that much power?
A vortex of wind spun around him, whisking him away to a point ten meters back.
Danzo's expression grew so dark it could drip water.
He now had the same thought as Orochimaru.
Why did mysterious powerhouses always show up to ruin their plans?
Was becoming Hokage really this hard?
"Orochimaru, aren't you going to do something?"
Danzo snarled. "Are you going to watch another Mangekyo Sharingan get taken?"
Orochimaru made up his mind.
He revealed his Eight Branches Technique. This time, failure wasn't an option.
Sage Art: Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!
He unleashed nearly all his sage chakra.
Centered on Natsume, endless water surged in all directions, then shot skyward.
In an instant, a massive oval water prison formed.
Inside, there was nothing but water.
Orochimaru's enormous body immediately felt an unimaginable crushing pressure.
Blood seeped from his skin.
Pain raced through his limbs.
He couldn't maintain the Eight-Headed Serpent and reverted to human form.
Danzo had it easier in one sense.
He turned himself into a tree.
But he wasn't comfortable either.
Water battered the trunk from all directions, sending violent tremors through him.
"Itachi!"
Shisui's voice rang out.
Natsume turned and saw Obito suddenly appear, grab Itachi, and vanish before their eyes.
Hardly surprising.
He ignored Orochimaru and Danzo, turned back, and took Fugaku's eyes.
"Shisui, let's go."
Without waiting for a reply, Natsume gripped his shoulder and flashed away with the Flying Thunder God.
A second later, the two appeared at the northeast corner of the Uchiha compound.
All the rescued women and children were gathered there.
Natsume swept his gaze around, exchanged for a temporary Sage Body, and used the vast chakra to teleport everyone away.
Only wreckage remained.
As Natsume disappeared, his jutsu broke under Orochimaru and Danzo's efforts.
The two looked over the corpses, trembling all over—every Sharingan had vanished.
All that effort for nothing.