The world quietly slipped into the next day's midnight.
In the dead of night, Sasuke jolted awake from a nightmare, gasping for breath, his forehead slick with sweat.
As if driven by an unseen force, he threw off his covers and ran straight to Itachi's room. It was still empty. Only a crow stood at the window, tilting its head to look at him.
"Was it… a dream?"
He wiped at his sweat. His racing heart gradually calmed.
—The idea that his brother had been killed by some despicable means… that had to be a dream.
Why would I even dream something like that? Seriously…
Awakened by the nightmare, Sasuke couldn't fall back asleep. His clothes were damp and clinging uncomfortably to his skin.
His brother and father were still not back. His mother was already asleep. There were still lights flickering on the streets outside, hinting that something was happening out there—but Sasuke had no interest in finding out what.
He lay down on the floor in his brother's room, still shaken.
Feeling a weight on his chest, he looked down.
The crow from the window was perched there.
Only now did he notice that the bird's left eye wasn't purely black—scarlet patterns shimmered in it, just like his father's eyes.
Just as Sasuke's confusion peaked, the crow opened its beak.
"Sasuke… sorry…"
Sasuke froze.
The crow… talked?
"Ugh—"
He jerked upright in a panic.
The crow was gone.
He blinked and realised he was back in his own room.
What was that?
A dream… inside a dream?
Steadying his breathing, Sasuke once again crept toward Itachi's room. The layout was exactly the same as in his dream: no Itachi, no brotherly warmth. The only difference was the window, now slightly ajar, with no sign of the crow.
"False alarm…" Sasuke patted his chest, ready to head back.
Then he stopped.
He replayed the crow's voice in his head.
"…That sounded… like my brother…"
…
"Stay sharp. Don't let your guard down. The Uchiha will probably choose to strike in broad daylight, but no one knows if they'll snap and attack in the middle of the night."
Hidden in the darkness, ANBU operatives were sharpening their blades—literally and mentally—preparing for the coming battle.
"Are we really going to have a civil war in Konoha?"
After a long silence, someone finally couldn't help asking.
Because of the strict need for secrecy, many of them had only just learned the truth. Until now, they'd thought this was just a training exercise. But after midnight, their captain had informed them: this was a real operation, aimed at stopping the Uchiha clan's coup.
"I'll say it again: this is not a civil war. This operation is to prevent the Uchiha's coup." The ANBU captain's voice was cold and steady. "Our targets are the ringleaders. Only a small number of high-ranking Uchiha who led the conspiracy will be judged. Innocent clan members will not be involved."
The mood eased slightly.
As ANBU directly under the Hokage, they followed orders without question. Whether they knew the full truth or not didn't change their loyalty.
Still, knowing that their enemies were ambitious conspirators plotting to overthrow Konoha gave them a reassurance of righteousness—and a reason to fight with clear consciences.
Watching the ANBU from a distance, Ying let out a quiet sigh, her expression shadowed.
Danzo's orders had nothing to do with fighting Uchiha combatants. Root's mission was to slaughter the defenseless civilians in the Uchiha compound—completely at odds with the Third Hokage's stance. Once this mission ended, who knew how badly the conflict between the Third and Danzo would escalate?
She slowly wiped down her blade.
Soon, it would be stained with the blood of innocents.
…
While the Uchiha and Konoha were actively preparing for war, another confrontation was brewing out in the wilderness.
"…Is this guy really Uchiha Madara?"
"That Sharingan… if nothing else, he must be the Uchiha's secret trump card!"
"Hey, bastard, what did you do to Neiki?!"
Konoha's special strike team had completely surrounded the masked man calling himself Uchiha Madara.
Kakashi glanced around the battlefield. The ground was torn up, tree trunks were scored with blade marks, and several great trees had fallen. This place clearly bore the scars of a fierce clash between Neiki and the masked man.
But… there was no sign of Neiki anywhere.
Hearing the unit's questions, the masked man narrowed his eye slightly.
"Fools," he said softly, "being used and not even knowing it…"
Neiki wanted these people dead, and yet here they were, anxious about Neiki's safety.
How laughable.
His single visible eye slid over to Kakashi.
This guy too.
Still hasn't grown up.
Back then, he couldn't protect Rin.
Even with my Sharingan, he still can't see what's really going on.
Pathetic.
Suppressing the killing intent in his chest, the masked man forced himself to relax.
Leaving these fools alive might be better.
They were proof that this naive world wasn't worth saving.
"I'm not interested in being Neiki's tool," the masked man said calmly. "So I'll spare you—for now. Appreciate this rare mercy. You won't see it often."
From the hole in his mask, a violent suction erupted, warping the air as he began to draw himself into it.
"He's trying to escape!"
Kunai flew at him from all directions—but they phased right through his body.
"What… what is that ability?!"
The Konoha elites stared at the empty spot where the masked man had vanished, then looked around at each other in shock.
…
"The Yata Mirror… it really is something," Neiki mused, squinting as he slid his sword back into its sheath and looked down into the valley.
Even with all his planning and preparations, Itachi's sudden use of such a powerful artefact had made his precautions look sloppy.
Neiki had known that, in the future, Itachi would wield both the Yata Mirror and the Totsuka Blade—but he hadn't realised Itachi already possessed one of them.
He hadn't accounted for this.
Just like with Shisui's eye: Neiki had never given Itachi a chance to swap out his eye mid-battle and use Kotoamatsukami. So he'd never adjusted his plans for that possibility.
"What a waste of those eyes," Neiki sighed.
After being ambushed, Itachi had left nothing for Neiki to take. Using the Yata Mirror—which required no chakra—he'd blocked Neiki's attacks like a man hiding behind an unbreakable shield. As his stamina drained away, Itachi had made his choice:
He dragged the battle toward the cliff's edge—
And jumped.
Just like Shisui, two years before.
"You'd better die down there," Neiki said, turning away.
The cliff was deep, the current below vicious. Even with his Byakugan's ten-kilometre range, he'd already lost track of Itachi's body.
Severely injured, swept away by the river at the base of a towering cliff—it was the kind of setup you'd see in some clichéd novel.
Regardless of whether Itachi survived, however, Neiki's goal was already achieved.
The Uchiha would rebel in broad daylight.
And all obstacles had been removed.
After confirming there was nothing more to find, he turned and left.
…
On the riverbank below, hundreds of crows clustered together, cawing softly.
The masked man stepped out of the warped space of Kamui and looked down at the dying man lying on the stones, a short blade piercerd through his chest.
His gaze narrowed.
He recognised the man.
"Uchiha… Itachi."
And he recognised the short blade.
—Neiki.
Not long ago, he'd fought against Neiki's Sword Clone, a short blade that had transformed into Neiki himself. That very blade was still stored inside his Kamui dimension.
Looking up at the cliff, he fought down the urge to go back and hunt Neiki right now.
Instead, he crouched next to Itachi and inspected the sword lodged in his chest.
His eye narrowed again.
This is… acupoint sealing?
I see.
"Not just elemental sword techniques…"
"Neiki's even developed a hidden acupoint-sealing sword style."
"No wonder you lost so badly…"
PS :
Yata Mirror - Divine defense artifact, used by Uchiha Itachi.
A shield that can nullify or deflect virtually any attack, regardless of chakra nature.
Totsuka Blade / Totsuka Sword :
Spiritual sealing weapon (legendary sword).
User (future): Uchiha Itachi.
A blade that can seal anything it pierces into a permanent genjutsu "drunken dream."
Works as both a lethal weapon and sealing tool.
Sword Clone (A-rank Ninjutsu) :
Clone technique (A-rank).
Origin: Neiki's original ninjutsu, inspired by Lightning Style Shadow Clone.
Acupoint-Sealing Sword Technique :
Hyuga-derived kenjutsu type
Combines Hyuga-style chakra acupoint sealing with swordplay.
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