Uchiha Itachi was clearly taken aback by Hatake Kusuo's words.
Life is a one-way journey; what's past is past, and what's missed can't be reclaimed...
He repeated the phrase to himself, somewhat lost in thought.
Then, he let out a laugh, as if to himself. "Those are good words, Kusuo."
"In the days to come, please take good care of Sasuke."
Those were the last two sentences Itachi left him with before he departed. For Kusuo, from that day forward, Uchiha Itachi no longer disturbed him. Life continued as usual.
He spent his days training alone with his sword at the practice grounds. With all the attention of the higher-ups—from Danzo to the Third Hokage—focused entirely on the Uchiha clan, Kusuo had plenty of time. He wished he could practice his sword until dawn every day. Without needing to worry about exposing his strength, he could freely display his superb swordsmanship.
Sun Breathing, First Form... Second Form... Third Form...
Sun Breathing, Sixth Form—Burning Bones, Summer Sun!
[Current Role-Play Percentage: 80%.]
A month had passed, and Kusuo had now unlocked nearly a third of the template. The further he progressed, the more he realized that Yoriichi Tsugikuni's greatest strength wasn't his breathing techniques, nor his innate Mark or the Transparent World.
It was his unparalleled talent! An innate gift for sword techniques, for the blade in his hand.
Therefore, relying solely on practicing the breathing forms was no longer enough to satisfy the requirements for increasing his role-play percentage. During this time, he had also actively sought out Kakashi and begun to learn the Hatake clan's ancestral sword style.
The Hatake Sword Style! This was the art that had allowed the White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, to dominate Konoha and even make a name for himself throughout the entire ninja world. With it, the White Fang was able to overwhelm the other legendary "Eight Colors" and suppress the Sannin to become Konoha's strongest warrior of his time. Even the Kage of other villages regarded him with a degree of fear.
And now, Kusuo, having inherited Yoriichi's monstrous talent, began to integrate the Hatake Sword Style into his own breathing techniques. It seemed the system could also help with the compatibility of the two.
As a result, Kusuo's understanding of swordsmanship ascended to a new level. His strength grew day by day.
And in his world, a line appeared.
A red line that represented death.
Sever it, and he could sever all things.
Standing before a stone more than a meter tall, Kusuo held his sword, his eyes narrowed in careful observation. The line of death didn't just exist on people or living creatures. In his eyes, mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas all had their own red lines.
Sever it, and he could sever mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas.
However, under normal circumstances, the tougher and more difficult an object was to cut, the fainter its red line would be—so faint that it was almost impossible for Kusuo to see. Even if he was lucky enough to spot it, he couldn't accurately target it in the heat of battle.
At this moment, he looked at the boulder before him, as tall as a full-grown adult, and raised his sword.
Kusuo saw it.
He saw the red line on the boulder.
Schlick!
One slash. Clean and decisive.
The sound of the blade passing through the stone was fleeting, as if the two had never made contact. After the strike, Kusuo sheathed his sword and walked away without a backward glance.
Behind him, a few seconds passed before the massive boulder collapsed with a loud thud, split perfectly in two from the middle. The cut was neat and smooth, without a single imperfection. The sharpness of that single sword strike was self-evident.
...
In an undisclosed underground chamber in Konoha, a large round table was filled with people. All of them were members of the Konoha Council. The higher-ups—Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, Danzo Shimura, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—were all present.
"Elders, our preparations are complete. This plan is foolproof. Everything is ready; we are just waiting for the east wind," Danzo said, speaking first after glancing at his old friend Hiruzen, who remained silent.
Koharu and Homura, who had always been the most conservative and stubborn of the higher-ups, nodded in agreement with Danzo's words.
"Back then, Teacher Tobirama's decision to suppress the Uchiha clan because of his dislike for them was indeed the correct one," Homura stated.
"Now, the Uchiha's ambition is plain to see. If we do not strike first, then we will be the ones to suffer—the entirety of Konoha!"
"When that time comes, how will we face our teacher? How will we face Lord First?!" Koharu's voice grew agitated as she directed her verbal spear at Hiruzen. "Sarutobi, you always say to wait... just wait a little longer. Well, we're telling you now, we can't wait anymore!"
"In the current situation, we and the Uchiha clan are already sworn enemies. It's either them or us!"
"They are a clan born of evil! Think of the Nine-Tails Rampage! Think of how the Fourth Hokage died! And think of that man! Keeping them around is a disaster waiting to happen! It is a stain on the Will of Fire!"
The three elders were in perfect concert, their voices passionate and righteous, having already reached a consensus.
Watching this scene, the Third Hokage couldn't help but sigh.
"This is ultimately my failure, for not being able to reconcile the relationship between the village and the Uchiha clan."
"So be it. Things have already developed to this point. There is nothing more to be done. Let us proceed according to the plan."
After speaking, he called out to the door.
"Come in!"
A desolate figure walked out from the darkness and knelt on one knee.
It was none other than Uchiha Itachi.
"Itachi, have you remembered what you were tasked with?"
"Since you've guaranteed you can complete the mission alone, we will trust you this one time."
"We chose you to give you a chance. If the village were to handle it, the matter could be resolved just as well, perhaps even more cleanly. Not even the children would be spared," Danzo said, his gaze icy as he spoke down to the kneeling Itachi.
When Itachi heard that last line—not even the children would be spared—his pupils visibly contracted.
After a few breaths, he finally suppressed his reaction.
Uchiha Itachi bowed his head low and answered in a deep voice.
"Yes."
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