In the forests of the Land of Fire.
More than a hundred Uchiha clan members moved swiftly through the woods.
At the very front was the Third Elder, Uchiha Takuya.
Ever since he had seen the "future" within Natsuki's genjutsu world, he had submitted wholeheartedly to him, willingly assisting the group of Uchiha who had chosen to leave.
Although Itachi possessed overwhelming combat strength, he was still too young and inexperienced. With Takuya supporting him, things would be much safer.
Among these hundred-plus Uchiha, most were hawks, while the rest were those with special talents that set them apart.
All of them had been carefully selected by Natsuki, and their thoughts altered with Kotoamatsukami.
Now, they were unwaveringly loyal to Uchiha Itachi and ready to fight for the clan's future.
These Uchiha were all shinobi—mostly chunin, with only a few jōnin and genin. Altogether, this group represented nearly half of the clan's fighting strength.
The nearly one thousand civilians and their families, however, had not left with them. The plan was to establish a foundation outside the village first, then gradually relocate their families later.
Whether they had stayed behind or chosen exile, every Uchiha carried their own burdens.
A figure landed beside Itachi, handing him a skewer of dango.
Itachi accepted without expression. "You didn't have to come with me."
Though his tone was cold, he still put the dango into his mouth.
Uchiha Izumi smiled faintly.
"If you left, there would be no one to eat dango with me by the river anymore."
Ever since that night when Itachi had invited her, Izumi had finally understood his heart. And before she learned the full truth, she had chosen to leave everything behind and stay by his side.
The other Uchiha acted as if they hadn't heard a thing, even pulling back a little to give the two of them space.
Itachi remained silent for a long time, though his expression shifted slightly.
At last, he chuckled softly. "In Natsuki-senpai's plans, there are many new foods. Once they're made, I'll let you try them."
Izumi's smile brightened sweetly, her eyes filled with nothing but Itachi.
Their journey was exhausting, and their destination was a small nation bordering Konoha—the Land of Rice Fields. There, a small shinobi village known as Otogakure existed.
Those chosen by Natsuki through other channels, lacking the stamina for the journey, were to take different routes there.
It was then that Itachi sensed something.
"Stop." His hand tightened into a fist.
The Uchiha behind him halted immediately.
Up ahead, the air distorted, forming a vortex. From it emerged a masked ninja who appeared out of thin air.
Itachi eyed him warily.
"You're the one who's been lurking around the shrine, aren't you?"
Obito let out a low laugh. "Didn't expect you to be so sharp. You noticed me even then?"
Itachi's tone was icy, detached, neither welcoming nor fearful.
He waved his hand slightly, signaling the others to move ahead. Without a word, they bypassed the two and continued forward.
Only Itachi and Obito remained. Obito made no move to stop them—his true goal was Itachi. Recruiting him would make things far easier.
"I've heard about Shisui. Konoha is already rotten. Staying there is not a wise choice."
Itachi stayed silent, showing no desire to converse.
Finding his lack of response odd, Obito pressed on:
"Join our organization. The future of the shinobi world—"
"Uchiha Madara!" Itachi's sudden shout cut him off.
Obito stiffened. Why had he shouted that? In the split second he looked back at Itachi—
There was no testing. Itachi had gone all out! His eyes flared with violent power.
The world around Obito warped, dragging him into the red-and-black realm of Tsukuyomi.
"How do you know who I am?" Obito asked coldly. Despite being bound within the illusion, he didn't seem surprised. If anything, he found it interesting that Itachi mistook him for Madara.
Itachi stood before him in silence, blade in hand, ready to strike.
Obito scoffed, unleashing the full power of his Mangekyō Sharingan.
The illusion wavered briefly, but quickly reformed. Obito was stunned.
Steel pierced his body—sharp pain surged through him. But the genjutsu held firm.
Again, Itachi stabbed down… again and again.
This was the Mangekyō's Tsukuyomi!
Obito's will was strong, but even so, three full days of torment inside the illusion left him shaken.
And when he finally staggered back into the real world, still reeling, a shuriken drove into his throat.
"Ambitious fool…" Itachi muttered coldly, showing no surprise as Obito's body vanished.
Feigning caution, he scanned the surroundings.
Natsuki had already told him everything about Obito.
Itachi knew this was the man who had controlled the Nine-Tails, the one who made Konoha suspect the Uchiha. For that, he hated him bitterly.
If Obito wanted to play Madara, then let him play.
Itachi might not be able to kill him outright, but he could teach him a lasting lesson.
At least now, Obito would think twice before targeting him. Itachi was no longer just one man—he had over a hundred loyal followers, and Izumi by his side.
A distorted shimmer later, Obito rose again, clutching his face.
"You seem to have taken quite a hit, huh?" A plantlike figure emerged, its twin halves unfurling—Black Zetsu spoke slowly.
Obito pulled off his mask, revealing his left Sharingan had turned gray and blind.
Zetsu's eyes widened. "You even used Izanagi? Is Itachi really that strong?"
The Uchiha's forbidden power to rewrite fate itself… at the cost of losing the eye's light.
Obito's Kamui had once given him a near-unassailable advantage in battle. But he had one crippling flaw—he couldn't defend against genjutsu.
That was why, in the original timeline, Obito had kept a low profile early on.
Only after Shisui, Itachi, and Fugaku were gone did he act openly, with no Mangekyō users left to threaten him.
But today, he had barely spoken a word before Itachi struck with overwhelming genjutsu.
Even accounting for the ambush, Obito had to admit: Itachi's illusion techniques countered him perfectly.
"Just a misstep," Obito growled, steadying himself.
"Good thing he doesn't know about Izanagi. Otherwise, it could've been worse."
He plucked out his now-blind Sharingan.
"He didn't accept your offer?" Zetsu asked curiously.
Obito's voice carried irritation. "I thought he might be different… but he's just like the rest of the Uchiha. A madman who attacked me on sight."
In truth, without the Uchiha massacre, Obito didn't yet have much stockpile of Sharingan. Every one he lost was costly.
…Aren't you a madman yourself? Zetsu thought silently.
"Will you go after him again?"
Obito shook his head. "Let him be. Uchiha Itachi, this powerful, leaving Konoha only makes things easier for us later… especially when it comes to capturing the Nine-Tails."
In truth, he should be grateful—had Shisui's eye not been exhausted earlier, Obito might have been crushed by Kotoamatsukami instead.
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