Itachi's eyes instantly regained their calm. He turned to face Kakashi, who wore a white cat mask, and reported in a steady tone: "Kakashi-senpai, all surveillance feeds currently show no abnormalities. Uchiha Izumi returned to the clan's compound at 21:30, appearing slightly fatigued but with no unusual Chakra Fluctuations. The movements of the other clansmen are consistent with their usual routines."
He deliberately omitted any speculation about the reason for Izumi's fatigue, sticking only to objective facts.
Kakashi nodded without further inquiry, as if he had already expected this. He stood up and patted Itachi on the shoulder, murmuring, "Stay vigilant. Don't overlook even the slightest disturbance. This village needs us to protect it."
"Yes," Itachi replied with a brief nod, watching as Kakashi's figure disappeared through the door of the surveillance room.
Though the Anbu's surveillance room was typically manned by a pair, Kakashi's laid-back personality made it impossible for him to stay cooped up in the small room all night.
Moreover, since the Hokage trusted Itachi enough to grant him access to the Anbu's surveillance room, Kakashi saw no harm in giving him some time alone.
Once the door closed, Itachi turned his gaze back to the ever-shifting surveillance screens. The night was deep, and the village remained asleep, but to his eyes, the air seemed to carry an intangible tension, like the scent of gunpowder.
…
Meanwhile, within the Uchiha Clan's compound-
The soft moonlight bathed the ancient eaves of the Uchiha Clan's compound, lending a rare tranquility to the usually austere area.
Standing atop a roof, Hikari and Menma watched as Izumi, who is now freed from the Endless Massacre Night, walked wearily into the Uchiha Clan's compound, her steps cautious, as if she feared a bloodstained Uchiha Clan's member might leap out at her from the shadows at any moment.
"Come to think of it, the Uchiha Clan's head's family in this era must be quite interesting, don't you think?" Hikari's voice was lazy, tinged with amusement.
She glanced sideways at Menma, who stood beside her in a long black cloak, his white three-eyed fox mask gleaming faintly under the moonlight.
There was a gleam of eagerness in Hikari's eyes, that was Uchiha Clan's unique desire for power and challenge.
"Why?" Menma chuckled, a hint of amusement in his voice, "You want to pay them a 'visit'?"
"Of course." Hikari answered without hesitation, her voice light, as if she were merely planning to drop by a neighbor's house rather than the residence of the head of Konoha's most prominent clan.
She knew Menma never refused such 'unexpected funs', and besides, she was genuinely curious about the Uchiha Clan of this era… about these clansmen who shared her name and bloodline but lived on a different timeline.
She was especially curious about how that man named Fugaku had raised a clan-killer like Itachi, and how he had led the Uchiha Clan to their doom.
"It's up to you." Menma replied succinctly. For him, anything that stirred the stagnant waters of the Ninja World and introduced more variables was worth indulging.
In an instant, their figures flickered like phantoms melting into the night. The next moment, they stood in the courtyard of Fugaku's house, which is deep within the Uchiha Clan's compound.
The lights inside the house were still on, warm and inviting, casting soft silhouettes through the paper screens.
The door slid open with a quiet creak.
"It's so late, who is it…?" A gentle gentle woman's voice called out. Uchiha Mikoto, dressed in a homely kimono, appeared with a kind smile, assuming it was a late-returning clansman paying a visit.
But when she saw the two figures standing outside, her smile froze slightly.
One wore a black cloak and a white three-eyed fox mask, while the other was a strikingly beautiful young woman with an extraordinary presence.
Mikoto recognized that mask immediately, as her husband's study held a wanted poster of the very same Shura.
"I apologize for disturbing you so late at night." Hikari's voice was cold, but carried just the right amount of politeness.
As the wife of the Uchiha Clan's head, Mikoto has a very strong psychological quality. Moreover, though she had long retired from active duty to focus on raising her family, her instincts as a former Konoha's Jonin screamed at her… these two were unfathomably strong!
But the two of them didn't seem to have any ill intentions, and Mikoto didn't feel the danger-ridden feeling of being on a battlefield.
"You're here to see Fugaku, aren't you? He's in the living room." She sighed and stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter.
The young Sasuke peeked out from the living room, his big, dark eyes brimming with curiosity as he looked at the two guests.
"Mom, who is it?" Sasuke's childish voice sounded.
"They're guests, Sasuke. Go back to your room for now." Mikoto responded with a smile, gently ushering Sasuke away before leading Menma and Hikari into the living room.
Inside, Fugaku sat upright in the main seat, reviewing a scroll containing the clan's affairs. His sharp senses immediately detected the movement at the entrance. When he looked up and saw the two figures following Mikoto, especially the one wearing the white three-eyed fox mask, Shura, a wave of foreboding crashed over him.
'Shura!'
'This guy-'
'He had just attacked the Hyuga Clan a few days ago, and now he appeared in the village again, and even entered my house so openly?!'
Fugaku's face couldn't conceal his shock.
His gaze then darkened as it settled on the girl beside Shura.
To his astonishment, he noticed the Uchiha Clan's crest emblazoned on her attire … a design unmistakably belonging to his clan.
The two's eyes met, and Fugaku instinctively activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.
However, in the very next moment, the eyes of the mysterious girl in front of him suddenly transformed.
Her pitch-black pupils swirled, the three tomoes spinning rapidly before connecting and morphing into three curved blades encircling her irises!
Mangekyo Sharingan!
"How is this possible?!" Fugaku's pupils constricted violently.
In an instant, he was dragged into Hikari's Tsukuyomi World.
"You-! Who the hell are you?!" Fugaku demanded, immediately unleashing his own Ocular Power in an attempt to resist.
A pure battle of Ocular Power… silent, yet heart-stopping.
Hikari's Tsukuyomi world distorted slightly but quickly stabilized.
Meanwhile, Fugaku's eyes were already bleeding as he staggered and collapsed to his knees.
"You… are you the one Shisui spoke of?!" Fugaku gasped for breath, feeling the opponent's overwhelming ocular power crashing down like a tidal wave, suppressing his Mangekyo Sharingan with sheer force. Suddenly, he recalled the mysterious enemy Shisui had encountered in the Land of Stars half a year ago.
Fugaku's consciousness gradually faded into endless darkness.
…
He didn't know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes again, only to break out in a cold sweat from shock.
By then, Shura and the mysterious girl were already seated peacefully, while his wife, Mikoto, was pouring tea for them.
"What's wrong, Fugaku?" Mikoto noticed her husband's pale expression and asked with concern.
Nearby, Sasuke was playing with his toys and also glanced over curiously.
Fugaku took a deep breath, his eyes still throbbing faintly. A single glance… that was all it took for him to be completely overpowered!
Had the other party truly intended to kill him, he wouldn't have lived to see Mikoto and Sasuke again.
That overwhelming pressure had made him feel as if he were standing before Madara himself!
"Who are you, really?" Fugaku's gaze locked onto the girl across from him, as well as Shura, who was leisurely sipping his tea.
He was certain that there was no such person in this generation of the Uchiha Clan.
"By seniority..." Hikari counted with her fingers, "You should call me your great-great-great-grandmother."
Three hundred years of time, a gap of fifteen generations… an infinitely stacked lineage.