"Not bad."
After testing Kotoamatsukami and Kotoamatsukami: Radiance, Uchiha Ren stretched lazily. Thanks to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, whether he used Time Acceleration, Time Reversal, or Shisui's genjutsu, the backlash was no longer anywhere near as brutal.
As long as he didn't drive his eyes into suicidal overuse, there were practically no side effects—no creeping blindness, no collapse.
"The next step is the Rinnegan…"
Ren's gaze sharpened as he fell into thought.
In canon, Madara Uchiha transplanted Hashirama's cells after the battle at the Valley of the End. At death's door, he awakened the Sage of Six Paths' chakra and evolved his Eternal Mangekyō into the Rinnegan.
Sasuke had it even simpler—after receiving the Sage's power, his left eye evolved into a six-tomoe Rinnegan.
Ren snorted and dismissed it.
"Whatever. I'll clean up Konoha first."
With the God-Tier Sign-In System, he didn't need to gamble his life on experiments. He just had to keep signing in and growing.
And besides—
Shisui was dead.
Which meant Danzō wouldn't be able to sit still anymore.
Ren found himself looking forward to it.
To the moment Danzō, the masked man, and Itachi finally moved to erase the Uchiha.
The Calm Before the Blade
The next few days, Konoha stayed eerily quiet.
Even Shisui's death didn't cause a public stir.
Neither the Uchiha clan nor the village leadership made any official statement.
A rumor quietly spread instead:
"Shisui had mental issues… and jumped into the Naka River."
Most civilians and shinobi only felt regret.
Shisui of the Body Flicker… gone like that?
But what they didn't see was the truth beneath the surface:
The Uchiha became even more restrained—keeping their heads down.
Meanwhile, Root and ANBU began moving more frequently, making more contacts, meeting more often.
Every clan with influence started acting cautious—careful with their words, careful with their movements.
Because they weren't idiots.
Konoha looked peaceful…
but underneath, the water was boiling.
Root Headquarters
Deep underground, inside a cold, dim office—
Danzō shifted his bandaged right arm and stared at the figure in front of him.
"Itachi Uchiha. Have you decided?"
His voice was icy, sharpened like a blade.
"Shisui is dead. The conflict between the Uchiha and the village is beyond repair now."
"This is the best moment to implement the Uchiha Extermination Plan."
"Before they finish preparing—we strike first. We strike hard."
Across from him stood an ANBU in uniform, a cat-faced mask covering his features, a sword strapped to his back.
Itachi's voice came out tight and hoarse.
"…Is there really no other way?"
"Shisui already died to prove his resolve. Isn't that enough?"
"Enough?" Danzō sneered.
"Not even close."
"The Uchiha problem is only solved when the Uchiha disappear from Konoha."
Itachi's shoulders sank.
A quiet, hopeless exhale.
Neither of them knew the truth—that Shisui hadn't been killed by the village or by the clan.
But the hatred had gone too far.
The Uchiha believed the higher-ups did it.
The higher-ups believed the Uchiha did it.
And so both sides—almost politely—settled on the same official lie:
Shisui was unstable, and he killed himself.
Danzō's patience snapped.
"Itachi."
"Agree… or refuse."
"If you refuse, Root and ANBU will act without you."
"And when that happens, you know exactly what the outcome will be."
Itachi clenched his fists.
For a moment, he looked like someone about to shatter.
Then he forced the words out.
"…Fine."
He had no choices left.
Especially not after the Third Hokage stopped meeting him—proof that the village leadership had already made its decision.
So Itachi swallowed his soul and called it duty:
For Konoha's stability.
For the village's future.
And above all—
for Sasuke.
"Smart choice." Danzō rose slowly, satisfaction curling at the edge of his voice.
"We move three nights from now."
"And you will handle your parents yourself."
"Don't let Fugaku resist."
"…Understood."
Then—
Itachi's eyes turned a deep, unnatural red.
Mangekyō Sharingan bloomed.
A wave of killing intent rolled across the room.
"Danzō."
"I'll accept your terms."
"But if Sasuke suffers in Konoha—even once—"
"don't blame me for being ruthless."
Danzō's face tightened, but he nodded.
"Relax. I'll give strict orders."
"With you alive, we won't touch Sasuke."
Itachi paused, then asked—heavy and serious:
"And Ren?"
"Who handles him?"
"Ren was already an Elite taijutsu jōnin seven years ago. He's not weak."
Danzō's lip curled.
"Someone will deal with him."
"A mere taijutsu specialist."
"We'll send him to the grave along with the rest."
The moment Ren's name came up, Danzō's resentment flared.
Ren had never once shown him respect.
Now Danzō would erase the Uchiha—
and drown the clan in its own blood.
"Good."
Itachi held Danzō's gaze for one final beat, then vanished.
Danzō remained alone in the dim office, greed flickering in his eye.
"What a waste… a Mangekyō."
But then he thought of Fugaku's eyes, and his expression steadied.
This time, he wouldn't just wipe out the clan.
He would harvest Sharingan in bulk—
and graft them onto his arm.
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