Kaede quietly stared at the spot where Obito had vanished.
"Kamui… huh. Next time, that ability will be useless."
With Kamui, Obito practically stood at the pinnacle of invincibility—few jutsu in the ninja world could even touch him.
But Obito himself had left behind a fatal flaw.
That flaw… was Kakashi's Sharingan.
And Kaede's second Mangekyō ability would soon allow him to turn that power into his own.
Shaking his head, Kaede pushed thoughts of that sickening man aside and turned toward Izumi.
"Why are you still here? Didn't the Great Elder take you all to hide at the edge of the village?"
"I… I came to find you," Izumi replied, still a little flustered.
"I don't know exactly what's happening, but something terrible must have happened to the clan. You're our genius—you'd definitely be at the frontlines. I want to help you!"
As she spoke, her gaze became firm and resolute.
"…You silly girl."
Kaede sighed and placed a gentle hand on her head.
"With your level of strength, you'd only be a distraction here. Go back to the Great Elder."
The battles to come were not for someone like her.
He would soon be leading the Uchiha against Danzō, Itachi, possibly even Hiruzen and Fugaku—and facing hundreds of ANBU and Root operatives.
Izumi had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan at a young age, but she had never been inclined toward violence. Her combat ability was only at the level of a mid-tier chūnin. In a clash of this scale, she would be nearly useless.
Or worse—he might get distracted trying to protect her.
Not giving Izumi any chance to argue, Kaede sensed the marked kunai in the Great Elder's possession and quickly handed Izumi another kunai.
Then, in the blink of an eye, he swapped her with the elder using his space-swap dōjutsu.
"I—"
Before Izumi could even react, she found herself back at the Great Elder's side.
The elder was briefly surprised by her sudden appearance, but he quickly realized what had happened.
With a sigh, he said, "Izumi, this is no place for you right now."
"Even if it's just to keep Kaede from being distracted, you have to stay here."
Izumi opened her mouth, wanting to protest, but lowered her head in frustration.
She remembered what had just happened. Because of her appearance, Kaede's enemy had managed to escape.
She… had only dragged him down.
"Who was Kaede fighting? Why are we all hiding here like this?"
The Great Elder hesitated, then spoke frankly.
"Kaede… is fighting Konoha's ANBU."
"Because Sarutobi Hiruzen has decided—the Uchiha clan must be exterminated!"
"Itachi betrayed us. Fugaku didn't choose the clan."
Everyone present was stunned.
These were the clan members who respected and followed the Great Elder. Aside from those near Fugaku's estate, nearly the entire loyalist faction was here.
This wasn't about faction politics—Kaede and the Great Elder still intended to save everyone.
But to avoid alarming Fugaku, this separation was necessary.
Still, no one here doubted the elder's words.
"Exterminate the Uchiha?! Sarutobi Hiruzen is a bastard!"
"Itachi betrayed us? That bastard! I used to look up to him!"
"Great Elder, we can't just sit here! We're Uchiha too—we should be fighting beside Kaede!"
The room erupted with noise. The elder raised his hand, motioning for calm.
When the crowd quieted, he spoke solemnly:
"Among you are veterans who once shed blood for Konoha… and the future hopes of the Uchiha."
"This battle belongs to Kaede and the others!"
"I know how hard this is. But for the future of the Uchiha, you must stay here!"
"When the time comes, when you've grown strong enough, I won't stop any of you from seeking revenge…"
Hearing the elder's words, Izumi stood frozen.
At that moment, more than any other in her life—she wanted to become stronger.
Not for pride.
Not for vengeance.
Just to stand at Kaede's side next time, confident and unafraid.
"Kaede-nii… please, be safe!"
...
Meanwhile—
Having driven Obito away, Kaede immediately rushed toward Itachi's location.
While Itachi wasn't yet as strong as he would be later in the original timeline, he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Against six jōnin-level opponents, he would be in trouble—but not overwhelmed.
When Kaede arrived, the battle was exactly as he expected.
Naoto and the others were being suppressed. The rest of the clan couldn't even interfere—they simply weren't on the same level.
One of the Uchiha noticed Kaede and cried out joyfully:
"Kaede! You're finally here!"
"Itachi's awakened the Mangekyō! Hurry and help Captain Naoto!"
With Kaede's arrival, Itachi broke free of the others and calmly turned to face him.
"You've finally come, Kaede."
Kaede looked at him coldly, disgust clear in his eyes.
"So… you really chose to stand against the clan."
"What the hell did Sarutobi and those other bastards fill your head with? To make you turn your back on your own blood?"
Itachi took a deep breath and replied heavily:
"This is all for peace. Konoha can't endure another war—"
"Spare me that crap!"
Kaede cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"For the sake of peace, you'd slaughter your own clan with outsiders?"
"You could've killed Hiruzen and the rest of those old fools and still created peace—real peace. A stronger Konoha."
"Kaede!" Itachi snapped. "You and I have fought many times. I know you're someone with vision."
"Isn't sacrificing one clan worth it, if it means peace for all?"
"Face the truth. The Uchiha—arrogant, prideful, dangerous—shouldn't exist. All they do is threaten hard-won peace!"
Kaede gave him a mocking laugh. "Still clinging to your delusions?"
"The truth is that you betrayed the clan that birthed and raised you. You lowered yourself to become Hiruzen's executioner."
"As your former rival, allow me to personally end your miserable, disgraceful existence."
Itachi regained his calm. A hint of pride flickered in his eyes.
"That's pointless. With my Mangekyō, I'm no longer the same."
"I could never beat you before, but now? You'll never match me again."
He activated his Mangekyō Sharingan once more.
Kaede merely shook his head, disappointed.
"A pair of Mangekyō eyes… that's the source of your confidence?"
"Let me show you the difference between us now—it's a gap you'll never close!"
Kaede activated his own Mangekyō. The dōjutsu power it released was no weaker than Itachi's.
Itachi's eyes widened in shock. He immediately pushed back with his own chakra.
The clash of Mangekyō chakra between them was so intense that Naoto and the others instinctively closed their eyes.
Compared to that pressure, their own three-tomoe eyes were utterly insignificant.
"You… you awakened the Mangekyō too?!"
Kaede's gaze was sharp. "Thanks to you, actually."
"These eyes were born with one goal—to kill the traitor Itachi."
The clan members rallied behind Kaede immediately.
"Hmph! Itachi! Your end has come!"
Their ocular duel was evenly matched—for now.
Both prepared to engage fully.
Then, a sigh cut through the tension.
"Such talented Uchiha… why must you fight each other?"
Everyone turned.
It was Uchiha Fugaku.
This battle had finally drawn him out.
...
(End of Chapter)
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