The Konoha Village was immersed in an unusual tranquility.
Beneath this peace, a murderous intent surged like an undercurrent.
On the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan's residential area, several black shadows moved silently, wearing the distinctive masks of the Root.
Their movements were swift and precise.
Several Root's members skilled in barrier techniques stood dispersed, their hands rapidly forming hand seals. Chakra light flowed at their fingertips as a massive, nearly transparent barrier gradually took shape, attempting to completely seal off the entire Uchiha Clan's compound, turning it into a prison of despair.
A faint energy fluctuation began to permeate the air.
At that moment, the movements of one of the Root's Ninjas, who was fully maintaining the technique, suddenly halted.
He instinctively sniffed. An extremely pungent, foul odor, as if from burning low-quality tobacco mixed with strange medicinal herbs, violently assaulted his nostrils.
"Cough... Gack-"
He didn't even have time to issue a warning. Excruciating pain instantly overwhelmed all his senses.
It wasn't simply suffocation… it felt more like he was inhaling not air, but scalding thick smoke and steel needles, burning and piercing from his throat all the way down to his internal organs.
The hand seals he was forming instantly dissipated. He crumpled to the ground, curling up and convulsing violently like a fish out of water, only managing to emit meaningless gurgling sounds from his throat. The face beneath the mask must have been contorted in extreme agony.
Another nearby Root's Ninja immediately noticed his companion's strange condition, but he didn't rashly step forward to investigate.
As a member of the Root, trained through strict elimination and discipline, his first reaction was extreme vigilance. He scanned his surroundings, his hand reaching for the short sword on his back.
But the next second, that invisible, pungent smoke enveloped him too!
The bizarre, deathly odor drifted into his mouth, nose, and even ears from all directions.
"Poison gas? No-"
The thought barely formed before the terrible pain descended.
He experienced the exact same terrifying sensation as his companion. It felt as if an inextinguishable karmic fire had been lit inside his body, wildly burning his Chakra Pathways and organs.
He staggered once, then fell powerlessly to the ground, joining his companion in a silent, death-throes struggle.
At that moment, a faint sound of tearing air was heard.
In the darkness, two pale bone spikes precisely pierced the vitals of the first ninja to fall.
Almost simultaneously, a gleaming senbon needle pierced the second Ninja's neck.
Their struggles ceased instantly, their life forces rapidly fading.
The next moment, several figures landed silently like ghosts. It was the members of First Squad, led by Hikari.
Her scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan scanned the corpses on the ground in the darkness, calmly assessing the situation.
"East side barrier node cleared." Shisui's voice came from a patch of shadow, appearing as if he had teleported.
The forehead protector he wore was still Konoha's, standing out starkly among the Star Ninjas.
A complex, indecipherable emotion flashed in his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
He had once belonged here, but now, he returned in a different capacity.
"West side also resolved." Oyashiro En stepped out from another direction.
At that time, from under the masks of the two now-dead Root's Ninjas, two streams of condensed, lingering smoke drifted out.
This smoke, as if possessing life, twisted and gathered in the air, finally forming into two human figures, one tall and one short.
"My lord, mission accomplished," Gotta and Yukimi reported after dispelling their Smoke Form.
Oyashiro En looked at Gotta and Yukimi, who had just materialized, and clicked his tongue with interest, "Tsk tsk, the Iburi Clan's Kekkei Genkai, killing without a trace, truly hard to defend against. Impressive, impressive."
'The Iburi Clan...' Shisui, witnessing this ability for the first time, couldn't help but show deep wariness in his eyes.
Their Kekkei Genkai allowed them to transform their bodies into smoke and enter others' bodies through any orifice.
This method of killing without a trace was indeed daunting.
Even Minato and Kushina, who had secretly followed and were hidden further back in the shadows, exchanged surprised glances.
Minato nodded slightly and whispered, "Transforming the body into smoke, directly invading and destroying the enemy's internals... This technique is somewhat similar to the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique."
Kushina also lowered her voice in agreement, "It reminds me of the poison gas of Hanzo the Salamander you mentioned before. It leaves one with no way to defend."
Orochimaru, who was manipulating the reanimated bodies of Hashirama and Tobirama from a distance behind the group, had a glint of satisfaction pass through his golden serpentine eyes.
He had once been the Iburi Clan's 'benefactor', though they later became enemies.
However, due to the man called Shura, he had intervened to help the Iburi Clan resolve the fatal flaw of their Kekkei Genkai… its instability and tendency to leave them unable to regain human form after transforming into smoke.
The scene before him was undoubtedly the best validation of his research results.
He licked his lips and smiled silently, as if admiring a perfect work of art.
Suddenly, the air in the area seemed to freeze for an instant.
A figure appeared out of nowhere, as if he had always been standing there, merely peeled out of the shadows.
Menma wore a wide black robe, his face covered by a white three-eyed fox mask. The three eye holes emanated an air of indifference.
His appearance immediately caused everyone present, including Gotta and Yukimi who had just materialized, to kneel on one knee in unison, showing reverence and obedience.
"You're here," Hikari reported softly, her voice clear and concise, "Uzumaki Kanon, leading Second Squad, has proceeded towards the Hyuga Clan's compound as planned for diversion. Hoshigaki Kisame's Third Squad has also headed to the Konoha's Military Police Force area. They are expected to have made contact with the clansmen there and begun providing support."
Menma's gaze swept through the mask over everyone, finally settling deep into the Uchiha Clan's compound, which were shrouded in the shadow of death.
He didn't utter any unnecessary words. He simply raised his hand and pointed towards the depths of the Uchiha Clan's compound, from where sporadic screams and sounds of fighting could now be heard.
He waved his hand calmly.
The operation had begun.
…
Meanwhile, on the main street of the Uchiha Clan's compound.
The smell of blood was so thick it was almost palpable, forming a horrifying contrast with the former bustle of the clan district.
Itachi stood amidst the chaos, the sword in his hand still dripping with warm blood.
His Anbu Mask had long been removed, revealing a young face that was cold and devoid of any emotion. Only in those slowly rotating scarlet eyes lay a deep, unfathomable darkness and weariness.
He seemed to sense something and looked up towards the end of the street.
A figure stood there, staring in disbelief at the hellish scene before her.
Izumi, the girl who held vague feelings for him, was now pale as a sheet, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her eyes were filled with horror, fear, and the deepest confusion.
"You're here," Itachi's voice was terrifyingly calm, as if he were merely stating an unrelated fact.
"...Why? Itachi!" Izumi's voice was choked with sobs, almost a scream, "Tell me this isn't true! Why are you doing this?! They are your clansmen!"
For a long time in the past, Izumi had repeatedly fallen into a terrifying, vivid nightmare.
In that Genjutsu World, she experienced the tragic fate of her clan being massacred, where not even infants in swaddling clothes or the elderly could escape.
And the one carrying out the slaughter was the person she saw before her now… Uchiha Itachi.
She had told herself countless times that it was just a Genjutsu, just a nightmare born from excessive worry.
But tonight, the nightmare had manifested in the cruelest way possible.
Faced with Izumi's questioning, Itachi's eyes held not the slightest waver, only a near-cruel calmness, "It's merely to measure my own capacity. A clan filled with such hatred and narrow-mindedness has no value in continuing to exist."
These words, like a final death knell, shattered the last bit of hope in Izumi's heart.
The countless experiences of pain, struggle, and battle she had undergone in the Genjutsu World, the combat experience forcibly instilled in her, and her understanding of the man before her, all overwhelmed her pure fear at this moment.
Her Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly. Two lines of bloody tears streamed down her cheeks… not tears of sorrow, but a manifestation of her Ocular Power being pushed to its limit.
"If... if you are truly such a person..." Izumi's voice trembled, the three tomoes in her eyes spinning madly, two lines of bloody tears tracing paths down her cheeks, "Then consider me, Uchiha Izumi, to have misjudged you for my entire life!"
Before the words fully faded, her figure shot forward. A kunai cut through the air, aimed directly at Itachi's vitals.
A fierce battle erupted instantly!
Itachi raised his sword to block. The sound of metal clashing was especially piercing on the deathly silent street.
Itachi had originally thought he could easily subdue Izumi. After all, after graduating, Izumi had chosen the relatively comfortable internal village work, and was only a Genin.
However, the moment they crossed blows, he immediately felt immense pressure!
Izumi's attacks, evasions, and counters… every move was unbelievably sharp, precise, and seasoned!
Her combat experience far exceeded that of a Genin, even surpassing many Three-Tomoe Uchiha Jonin who regularly carried out missions outside the village!
It was as if she could predict Itachi's every intention, always defusing danger with minimal cost and launching deadly counterattacks.
'How is this possible?!' Waves of shock surged in Itachi's heart.
Izumi's fighting style gave him a strange sense of familiarity… as if... as if it was an instinct honed through thousands of life-and-death battles against him!
Having long served in the Anbu, executing the highest-level missions, his combat experience far surpassed his peers.
In theory, dealing with Izumi should have been effortless.
But now, the tenacity and combat skill Izumi displayed actually prevented him from quickly subduing her in a short time.
"It seems you've been hiding something too," Itachi commented indifferently, the Mangekyo's pattern in his eyes suddenly becoming clear.
He decided to end this meaningless struggle, using the highest level of ocular power to suppress her forcefully, and give this girl one final gift.
An eternal, blissful Genjutsu Dream, allowing her to spend the rest of her life in a beautiful illusion, without having to face this cruel reality and him, this cruel executioner.
The powerful Mangekyo's Ocular Power surged towards Izumi's mind like an invisible tide.
However, the moment his Ocular Power invaded Izumi's mental world, what he saw wasn't the fragile defense he expected, but a high-hanging, ominous blood-red moon!
In the center of that blood moon, a Mangekyo Sharingan he had never seen before, with a strange and unique pattern, suddenly opened, staring back at him with absolute repulsion!
Cold, sinister, filled with protective fury, the Ocular Power slammed into Itachi's invading force like a substantial impact!
"Ugh!" In reality, Itachi groaned as if struck, a sharp pain shooting through his eyes.
Two streams of blood instantly welled up from the corners of his eyes! His Spiritual Energy and Ocular Power had been forcibly expelled and rebounded!
"What?!"
In the real world, Itachi grunted, his body shuddering slightly. The intense pain in his eyes made it difficult for him to maintain his composure.
Two trails of blood flowed from the corners of his eyes, a backlash caused by his ocular power being forcibly interfered with and even reflected back.
He stared in disbelief at Izumi, who still stood her ground, though pale, panting, and in pain, yet not trapped in a Genjutsu.
And at that moment, another figure appeared silently beside Izumi, a hand gently supporting the nearly exhausted girl.
Itachi looked up, his Mangekyo Sharingan's gaze meeting that figure.
The leader of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan held a heavy gaze as it swept over the corpses of clansmen littering the street, finally settling on his son's blood-stained face and sword. He then looked at the terrified girl leaning against him for support, and let out a deep, heavy sigh. That sigh contained too much unspeakable disappointment, pain, and helplessness.
"Is this your final choice, Itachi?" Fugaku's voice was low and hoarse.
Itachi quickly suppressed the storm in his heart, forcing himself to regain calm.
He wiped the blood from the corners of his eyes, his voice still steady, "I'm sorry, Father. I cannot agree with the future brought by the path you foresaw."
Instantly, Itachi's Mangekyo spun again.
He transmitted directly to Fugaku, through Genjutsu, the tragic outcome he had deduced based on his observations and deductions from his time undercover in the Anbu: that if the Uchiha launched a coup, Konoha's higher-ups were actually well-prepared, numerous clans would unite to suppress them, the Uchiha would be completely slaughtered, and even Sasuke would not be spared.
Fugaku's body swayed slightly, his face turning even paler.
"So, that's why you repeatedly confirmed with me before, whether I had secretly contacted Uchiha Hikari of the Land of Stars, to ensure that this 'rebellion' would not have any external interference, thus allowing the Konoha's higher-ups to 'perfectly' execute the cleanup-" Fugaku's voice held a hint of mockery, but it soon turned into powerlessness. He closed his eyes, and when he reopened them a moment later, there was understanding and an even deeper sorrow in them, "It was for Sasuke, wasn't it-"
Itachi was silent for a moment, then nodded with difficulty, "This is the best-"
"The best?" Fugaku interrupted him, his eyes filled with sorrow, "You are wrong, Itachi. And... I'm sorry."
Itachi was taken aback, a sense of extreme foreboding rising in his heart.
'Could it be that Father he...'
"I indeed never took the initiative to contact Uchiha Hikari or that Shura."
Just as a sliver of doubt arose in Itachi's heart, Fugaku's next words plunged him into an ice cellar.
"However, when they secretly visited last time, they made a prophecy to me-"
Fugaku's gaze sharpened, staring directly at Itachi, "...The Uchiha Clan is destined to walk the path of self-destruction, to die by the hands of one of their own, who shares the same bloodline."
"When that time comes, she and Shura will come to take all the survivors away from this long-rotten Konoha Village, to seek the Uchiha Clan's true, bright future!"
At that moment, a figure landed lightly beside Izumi, reaching out to support her as she swayed, on the verge of collapse from both mental and physical exhaustion.
When Izumi's blurry vision recognized the person's profile, her nerves, which had been stretched taut and on the verge of breaking, finally relaxed. An overwhelming sense of relief washed over her. Her head lolled to the side, and she fell completely unconscious.
That person gently laid Izumi flat on the ground, then slowly stood up.
"Itachi… you've disappointed me so much…"
"Shisui?!" The familiar voice rang out. When Itachi clearly saw the speaker's face, his expression showed a look of near-crushing shock and disbelief for the first time!
Itachi's pupils contracted violently, and he whispered in disbelief, "Impossible… you-"
Shisui has been missing for over a year, long presumed dead, as his body never found!
Shisui, 'back from the dead', the forehead protector of Konoha still worn on his brow. The eyes that should have been lost now shone clearly with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, filled with disappointment, staring fixedly at Itachi.
"So it was he who saved you," Fugaku said, looking at Shisui, his tone complex, as if he had expected this all along.
His gaze didn't linger on Shisui for too long, but turned towards the wall of a nearby street.
At some point, several figures were already standing silently there.
The two leaders stood side by side.
It was the mysterious Shura in black robes and the white three-eyed fox mask, and the stern-faced Hikari.
Beside them, Oyashiro En, Gotta, Kimimaro, Haku, Yukimi, and others were lined up. All wore the uniform of the Star Ninjas, with the Land of Stars' forehead protectors tied on their heads, looking down coldly at the human tragedy unfolding below.
And in the shadows further away, unnoticed, Minato let out an almost inaudible sigh.
Kushina bit her lip tightly, her eyes filled with sympathy for the Uchiha's plight and anger at the decisions of the Konoha's higher-ups.
"First Hokage-sama, Second Hokage-sama, please look..." In an even more concealed corner, Orochimaru was quietly introducing the scene to the two figures in white robes and hoods beside him, his tone full of malicious pleasure, "This is the latest fruit borne by Konoha under the illumination of your [Will of Fire]… a satisfying mutual slaughter among clansmen."
As if the stimulation wasn't enough, Orochimaru added softly, like the whisper of a devil, "By my estimate... the direct Anbu led by the Third Hokage should be arriving at the scene soon to 'clean up the mess', right?"
Hashirama and Tobirama, who had just had some of their restrictions lifted and regained a portion of their consciousness, looked up and saw the hellish scene on the street below… countless Uchiha corpses strewn about, the tragedy of brothers killing each other playing out before their eyes...
Hashirama's pupils trembled violently, his face showing an expression of disbelief.
Tobirama watched coldly from below, especially focusing on Itachi, Shisui, and Hikari on the wall, a sharp, thoughtful light gleaming in his eyes.
On the wall, Menma's gaze penetrated through the mask, coldly falling upon Itachi, who stood below holding a blood-stained sword.
The air in the entire Uchiha Clan's compound seemed to freeze solid due to the intervention and standoff of this force.