Chapter 6: The Aftermath and the Escape
"However, the most important thing right now is to lose the pursuers on my tail!"
Sensing the familiar chakra signature of the lead ANBU, Uchiha Naoki's heart sank slightly. "Hatake Kakashi. He's a troublesome one."
His body melted into a puddle of magma, seeping into the earth and vanishing from sight as he pushed his speed to its limit.
"Tracking team, don't let him get away!" Hatake Kakashi's single visible eye narrowed, but his voice remained calm as he issued the order.
Immediately, a member of the Hyūga clan within the ANBU squad activated his Byakugan, the veins around his eyes bulging as he took the lead, guiding the team in relentless pursuit.
Back in the Uchiha Compound
"Very good, kid. I'll remember you."
Uchiha Obito ripped away the sleeve of his cloak, which had been scorched by the Shadow Clone's final explosion. His lone eye gleamed with a cold, murderous light. He, Uchiha Obito, a puppeteer pulling the strings across the ninja world, had been tricked and delayed by a mere thirteen-year-old's Shadow Clone. This humiliation would not go unanswered. He would have his revenge, and he would take that boy's two-tomoe Sharingan for himself.
In the Uchiha Main House
"I'm sorry, Father… Mother…"
Uchiha Itachi's hands trembled as he held the blood-stained tantō. He looked down at his parents, who lay still in a growing pool of crimson, before his legs gave way, kneeling on the ground on the verge of mental collapse.
"It's… it's alright, Itachi." Uchiha Fugaku's voice was weak, but his tone was one of strange relief. "For us, this is only a moment of pain… compared to the path you must walk. Even if we had chosen differently… I would still… be proud of you."
With his dying breath, he smiled softly, reaching for his wife's hand beside him. His final words to his eldest son were a whisper. "Take care… of… Sasuke."
With that, his life faded, a semblance of peace on his face.
"Yes." Uchiha Itachi rose, his grief a bottomless well. When he stood, his tears had dried, leaving only the deep, carved lines of sorrow beside his mouth.
Half an Hour Later, The Hokage's Office
"What did you say?!"
Upon hearing Hatake Kakashi's report, Shimura Danzo shot to his feet, his voice a disbelieving roar. "The operatives I sent were elite, among the best in the entire ninja world! How could they all have been killed by a single Uchiha brat? Kakashi, is this some kind of joke?"
Hatake Kakashi remained impassive. "Lord Danzo, I understand this is difficult to accept, but it is the truth. If you doubt my report, you may send someone to the village gate to verify the scene for yourself."
Danzo's face darkened further, a storm of fury brewing in his eyes. He snorted coldly and sank back into his chair, a wave of bitter frustration washing over him. Before the operation, the higher-ups had been in unanimous agreement: aside from the two brothers, Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke, there would be no third survivor from the Uchiha clan. Now, this critical aspect of the plan had failed on his watch. How would the rest of Konoha perceive him now? As incompetent? Mediocre? The thought was intolerable.
"Sarutobi, dispatch a hunter-nin team immediately! We cannot allow such a dangerous variable to remain alive!"
"Taking action now would be too late," the Third Hokage said, shaking his head wearily. He puffed on his pipe, the smoke curling into tense air. "According to Kakashi's report, this individual eliminated five of your Root elites in a matter of minutes. That speaks volumes of his power. Furthermore, the fact that he was able to conceal his true strength within the Uchiha clan for so long, accurately predict this crisis, and execute such a swift escape the moment it began shows he is no ordinary shinobi. A rash pursuit would likely yield no results and only cost more lives."
Hearing this, Shimura Danzo grew frantic. "Sarutobi!! How can you know if you don't even try?!" He needed this hunt to restore his damaged credibility and pride. He couldn't let the Third Hokage deny him.
The Third Hokage was silent for a long moment, weighing the options, but ultimately shook his head again in refusal. His expression then turned stern, his voice taking on the weight of final authority. "Compared to this, we must focus on managing the aftermath of the Uchiha incident and handling the reactions from the other ninja villages. Stability within Konoha is more important than anything else right now."
This statement earned nods of agreement from the two councilors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. But for Shimura Danzo, it was the final straw.
"Sarutobi, you—!" he began, his face contorted with rage.
The Third Hokage cut him off, his voice firm and absolute. "Danzo, this is a Hokage's order!"
Danzo stared at the Third Hokage, a naked, venomous glare that lasted for a full thirty seconds. Then, with a look of pure resentment, he rose and stormed out of the office. "Sarutobi! You will live to regret the decision you made today!"
The man was a fool, blinded by his weak-willed ideals. Danzo was utterly disillusioned.
"In that case," he muttered to himself in the hallway, his jaw clenched so tight it ached, "Uchiha Itachi… cannot be allowed to live either."
If the Uchiha were gone, there was no further need for Itachi. He could pin the entire massacre on the boy, a rogue agent who turned on his own clan. It would absolve the Konoha leadership of suspicion and maintain their righteous image. The dead could not speak, after all. It would also help salvage a shred of his own reputation.
A Few Hours Later, Within a Root Base
Creek…
The sound of Danzo's grip tightening on his cane was the only noise in the tense room. After listening to his subordinate's report, his face was once again a livid mask, his eyes so cold they could freeze blood.
"You are telling me…" he began, his voice a low, dangerous growl like a beast preparing to strike, "…that you let Uchiha Itachi escape as well?!"
"Y-yes, Lord Danzo," the kneeling Root member stammered, trembling under the force of his leader's killing intent. "Uchiha Itachi never let his guard down around us. He had pre-placed genjutsu triggers on all the 'teammates' he had ever worked with. When we moved to eliminate him, the genjutsu activated automatically, causing them to turn on each other. He… he walked away unscathed."
Hearing this, Danzo gritted his teeth, his expression turning thunderous. "So, after all my years of training you, I have cultivated nothing but a pack of useless trash?!" he roared, his composure shattering. In a fit of rage, he lashed out, kicking the operative squarely in the chest. "It's bad enough you were all slaughtered by some unknown Uchiha whelp! Killing Itachi was our one chance to salvage this situation and restore my standing! But you…" He seethed, his murderous intent filling the room. "Is this how you worthless dogs repay my investment in you?! Have you been feeding on scraps all these years? You couldn't even handle one Uchiha Itachi!"
No one in the dimly lit chamber dared to answer. The only sound was the heavy, furious panting of Shimura Danzo as he glared at his failed instruments.
Somewhere in the Land of Fire
"The Konoha ANBU are certainly persistent. It's a good thing I led them on a chase."
Uchiha Naoki looked over the scarred and smoldering patch of earth before him, the final resting place of his pursuers. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a surge of magma to churn the ground, obliterating all traces of the battle.
"Now, it's time to find a place to settle and plan my next move."
After a brief rest to regain his breath, he turned his gaze northwest. Lingering any longer risked drawing a larger, more organized siege from Konoha's hunter-nin—a trouble he did not need.
During his diversionary run, he had already roughly charted his future path. First, he would attach himself to an existing power to accumulate strength and resources. Then, when the time was right, he would establish his own ninja village. Only with a solid foundation of power could one truly pursue their ideals in this world.
And the organization he had chosen was the one perpetually shrouded in the rain of a war-torn country—the Akatsuki.