On the Uchiha Clan's watchtower, two silhouettes stood shoulder to shoulder:
The Masked Man and Uchiha Itachi.
Beneath them lay the quiet Uchiha district—still, peaceful.
Behind them, three Uchiha guards lay in pools of blood—dead or unconscious.
> "Three Uchiha," the masked man said flatly.
"Two with double tomoe, one with triple."
> "Even the night watch is this extravagant now?"
His tone was indifferent—emotionless, like he was recounting some trivial fact.
Both he and Itachi remained unscathed.
Not a scratch. No signs of a struggle.
To them, ordinary Sharingan users were no threat.
They were simply on a different level.
> "Let's move," Itachi said coldly, drawing his katana.
"Time is short. No need to drag this out."
> "Let them die in their sleep."
> "Too easy on them," muttered the masked man.
He gazed at the homes below, hatred flickering for an instant behind his lone eye.
Itachi didn't notice—he was too lost in his mission.
But then—
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
The Uchiha's emergency alarm rang out behind them.
Both men turned sharply. One of the "dead" guards had risen and managed to sound the alarm.
> "Itachi!" the masked man barked, glaring.
He assumed Itachi had gone soft—but Itachi was equally stunned.
He was sure the blow had been fatal. He didn't show mercy.
There was no time to argue.
In a flash, Itachi appeared before the guard and slit his throat with his blade.
Blood spurted.
The alarm cut off mid-ring.
But it was too late.
That brief alarm was enough.
The Uchiha elites would now be rushing to arms.
> "So much for a clean job," the masked man muttered.
"I was hoping they could die painlessly."
It didn't matter.
Whether by stealth or by force, it was all the same—
> Before the Mangekyō, all others are insects.
---
Back at the Fugaku household, the doors burst open.
A Uchiha shinobi staggered in, drenched in blood.
> "Chief…! We're under attack! The Elders and Elite Squad Three already engaged—y-you must...!"
He collapsed before he could finish.
> "It's begun?!"
Fugaku and Minato (in his clone form) exchanged sharp looks.
> "Damn... Sasuke hasn't returned yet!"
Fugaku hadn't expected Konoha to strike this quickly.
He had planned to buy at least a few more days.
> "Lord Fourth! Please take Mikoto and get her out now!"
Fugaku turned to Minato.
"I'll stay and find Sasuke—and maybe save whoever I can."
> "Fugaku...!" Mikoto's voice trembled, but her husband simply nodded at her.
He would bring their children back.
> "Alright."
Minato grabbed Mikoto and disappeared in a burst of Flying Thunder God technique.
> "Be careful. I'll need a little time before I can teleport again."
His clone had limits. It wasn't the real Fourth Hokage, after all.
---
Alone now, Fugaku opened his eyes.
> "Let's see just how much firepower Konoha brought to crush the Uchiha."
His Sharingan flared—the tomoe spinning wildly.
---
Elsewhere in the compound, Uchiha Itachi was spotted.
The elite response team arrived. Rage burned in their eyes.
> "It's you—Itachi!"
> "You killed Yuuto and the others?!"
> "Do you even know what you're doing?!"
> "You've betrayed your people! You've betrayed the Uchiha!"
Their hatred could've incinerated him.
The Elder, at the front, growled:
> "I'll kill you myself and offer your head to the clan chief!"
Itachi said nothing.
Instead, he calmly pointed his blade at them.
> "Just the few of you? Not enough."
In unison, the elite Uchiha activated their triple tomoe.
But Itachi...
Closed his eyes—
Then opened them again.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
---
Moments later, fire lit the skies above the Uchiha compound.
Flames roared—giant fire dragons soared overhead.
But they vanished almost immediately, as if they'd never been there.
Where proud warriors once stood, now only bloodied corpses.
Itachi sheathed his sword, wiping the blade clean.
Even without his Mangekyō, few in the clan could match him.
And standing beside him was the Masked Man—a monster with all of Madara's power.
Their enemies were no match.
---
Another team of Uchiha arrived.
They saw the bodies.
They saw Itachi.
They saw the blood.
They charged.
More shouting, more fire, more Sharingan.
And again: Mangekyō.
---
Screams echoed across the Uchiha district.
But they faded quickly.
Too quickly.
Silence returned, eerie and unnatural.
The difference in strength was just too great.
> Before the Mangekyō, all are ants.
---
The Uchiha compound was located far from the village center, isolated by a stretch of forest.
No other families noticed.
No one came.
Maybe a few shinobi saw flashes of light.
But no one reported it.
Because this was the Uchiha.
The arrogant Uchiha.
The despised Uchiha.
> "What does it have to do with us?"
They would never understand.
> That when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold.
That when the Uchiha fall... everyone else will be next.
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