Chapter 73: Itachi, You Are Now Expelled from the Uchiha Clan!
Uchiha Akira's strength was terrifyingly powerful. The remaining rogue ninja immediately split into two groups. Five of them rushed towards Uchiha Fugaku, while more spread out their formation to surround Uchiha Akira. The initial greed in the eyes of these rogue ninja had long vanished, replaced only by deep apprehension toward him.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Three massive earth walls rose from the ground, attempting to trap Akira. Howling winds transformed into sharp blades, descending from above. Roaring water dragons churned, sealing off the last remaining gap. Ninjutsu of various elements collided in the confined space, forming a deadly, inescapable net.
"Die!" A hint of madness flashed in the eyes of one Explosion Release ninja, and he slammed his hands onto the ground. "Explosion Release: Landmine Fist!" Centered around Akira, the ground within dozens of meters instantly became riddled with invisible explosive tags. The moment his feet touched the ground, he would be blown to smithereens.
However, facing the encirclement, Akira remained unfazed.
"Zzz—" A blinding blue electric current burst forth from his palm, instantly surging to 5 meters in length. Chidori Sharp Spear. The lightning spear tore through the air, piercing precisely through the throat of a rogue ninja who was forming hand signs, at a speed beyond visual perception. Blood mixed with electric sparks gushed out. "Second one."
Lightning Release Chakra Mode activated. Akira's right palm, at some unknown moment, held a rapidly spinning orb of energy. It had already slammed into a rogue ninja's chest at close range. Lightning Fire Spiraling Sphere. It was too fast; Akira's speed was simply impossible to track, and another rogue ninja died instantly.
"Third one."
"Boom—!" A deafening explosion rang out. From the very beginning, the battle was a one-sided slaughter. The ninjutsu that the rogue ninja prided themselves on were like child's play in the face of Akira's extreme speed.
At the same time, at the top of the Konoha Police Force Department building, a figure wearing an orange spiral mask appeared out of thin air, coldly observing the slaughter on the street below.
"Oh?" A hint of imperceptible amusement entered Uchiha Obito's tone. "This Uchiha Akira is quite interesting." That decisive, no-nonsense killing intent, and that exquisite application of ninjutsu, had far exceeded Obito's understanding of the Uchiha.
Just as Obito was observing with interest, Akira, who was in the midst of the slaughter below, suddenly paused his movements.
[Warning! High-threat target detected: Masked Man—Uchiha Obito (Mangekyō Sharingan, Space-Time Ninjutsu)!]
Obito had arrived. Akira's eyes instantly turned cold. This guy's Kamui was a huge variable. If Obito bypassed him and directly attacked the refuge where the Uchiha clan members were hiding, the consequences would be unimaginable. He couldn't play around anymore.
"End this quickly." Akira's killing intent, at this moment, completely boiled over. He no longer held anything back.
"Chidori Stream!" The electric current, accompanied by an ear-piercing buzzing sound, swept wildly in all directions. Lightning Release Chakra Mode was activated to maximum power.
"Ah ah ah—!" The remaining rogue ninja were terrified, turning to flee, but found that their bodies were unable to move an inch. Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Within a few seconds, these rogue ninja all collapsed, completely losing their vital signs.
On the other side, the rogue ninja who were fighting Uchiha Fugaku were utterly terrified at this sight. They had no will to fight left, screaming and scattering in different directions.
"Stop playing, Fugaku," Akira's voice came. "The main event is about to begin."
Uchiha Fugaku's expression instantly became solemn. "I know." He roared, and in his eye sockets, 3 tomoe spun wildly in his blood-red pupils, finally merging into a pair of three-bladed pinwheels, emanating a chilling aura. Mangekyō Sharingan, activate!
A vast and chilling ocular power erupted with a roar. A giant Susanoo rose from the ground. The massive skeletal arm swung down with an unstoppable force, directly crushing 2 of the rogue ninja into a blurry mess of blood and flesh. Then came another slash, killing all the fleeing rogue ninja. The battle ended. Over 20 A-rank rogue ninja, infamous in the Ninja World, were completely wiped out. In the air, only the thick, lingering smell of blood remained.
"Alright, warm-up's over."
Soon, light footsteps came from the end of the street, and 3 figures slowly emerged from the darkness. The leader, dressed in the standard Konoha Anbu uniform, wore a tanuki mask, and was Uchiha Itachi. To Itachi's left was a man with skin as pale as paper, whose golden vertical pupils glowed with an eerie light in the night. It was the Cold Sage, Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. Finally, the figure on the right wore a Takigakure forehead protector and mask. The legendary bounty hunter, Kakuzu.
Fugaku's breathing completely hitched the moment he saw the leading figure. Even though he had a premonition, seeing Itachi actually appear, Fugaku's inner grief was indescribable.
Itachi slowly raised his hand and removed the tanuki mask from his face. "Itachi..." Fugaku's voice was filled with sorrow. "Why?" His Mangekyō Sharingan spun violently in his eyes due to extreme emotional fluctuations. "Why! Betray the Uchiha Clan!"
Itachi's eyes showed no ripples. He looked at his father, who was distraught with grief, and at those Mangekyō Sharingan that were similar yet distinctly different from his own, his tone indifferent. "Father. Your capacity is too small. For the Village's long-term peace, the existence of the Uchiha has become an obstacle. It must be removed."
"Ungrateful wretch!" Fugaku let out an enraged roar, veins bulging on his neck, his entire body trembling. "I admit! I once held unrealistic fantasies about the Third Hokage! For the sake of so-called peace, I made some decisions that harmed the Uchiha Clan's interests! But I, Uchiha Fugaku, never thought of betraying my own Uchiha Clan! I never thought of raising a butcher's knife against my own Uchiha Clan members!"
Itachi fell silent. He no longer argued with words. Within Fugaku's heart, that last shred of fantasy, that Itachi might have been coerced or had hidden difficulties, was completely shattered at this moment. Standing opposite him was no longer his son, but an enemy who intended to erase the entire Uchiha Clan from this world.
Uchiha Akira stepped forward, looked at Itachi, and said coldly. "Uchiha Itachi. You colluded with external enemies and betrayed your bloodline. I, Uchiha Akira, as the current leader of the Uchiha Clan, hereby declare—"
"The traitor—Uchiha Itachi!—is permanently expelled from the Uchiha Clan! Your name will forever be nailed to the Uchiha Clan's pillar of shame. All Uchiha Clan members will be ashamed of you!"