"Clan Head!!"
"All Uchiha who can be contacted are already here!"
"In three days, we'll be ready to launch the attack on Konoha!"
"Clan Head! As long as our hearts unite and our strength moves as one, crushing Konoha will be effortless!"
The Uchiha compound.
The main courtyard.
Hundreds of Uchiha shinobi gathered together.
Scarlet eyes flared open almost simultaneously, slicing through the darkness of the night itself.
Even the sky seemed to grow heavy under that pressure.
"So… it's really come to this after all…"
Seeing the hatred and agitation burning in his clansmen's eyes, Fugaku turned his back to them and let out a long, heavy sigh.
In those crimson eyes—hidden from the clan—he clearly saw their fate reflected.
Death.
Desolation.
Not even screams would remain before they were wiped out completely.
The once-glorious Uchiha clan would fade into history, swallowed by the turning of time.
But…
He couldn't tell them any of this.
All he could do was silently turn away, give a slow nod, and return to the ancestral hall.
That single motion instantly ignited the excitement of hundreds of shinobi.
"Great! The Clan Head finally agreed!"
"Hahaha! I'm going to be a great Hokage guard someday!"
"Hmph! Let's see who dares provoke the Uchiha again!"
"With the Clan Head leading us and the young master's strength, overthrowing the Hokage will be easy!"
"By the way… has anyone seen the young master?"
Amid the cheers, a clan elder suddenly spoke up.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to make the overheated crowd slowly come back to their senses.
That's right.
Where was Uchiha Itachi?
As the clan's most famous genius, any rebellion would naturally need someone like him to take the lead.
Only then would their momentum be unstoppable.
The clan members began looking around, whispering and searching.
Soon, the elder's eyes lit up, and he pointed toward the village entrance, laughing.
"The young master is already at the entrance!"
"Hahaha! Looks like the young master is even more eager than we are!"
Rustle… rustle…
Amid the laughter, a silent figure slowly approached.
Step by step.
Footprints steady and deliberate.
Crack.
A dry twig was crushed underfoot, producing a sharp, grating sound.
The excited clan members gradually fell silent.
An ominous scent seemed to seep into the air.
They finally realized something was wrong.
Uchiha Itachi… was entering from outside the village.
The elder sensed the unease and instinctively spoke.
"Itachi, you—"
Caw—
His words were answered only by the cry of a black crow.
Thump.
Thump-thump.
Under the crow's gaze, the elder's heartbeat suddenly accelerated like a war drum—
heavier, louder, faster.
He raised his head—and met those crimson eyes.
The three tomoe spun and warped, forming the shape of three shuriken blades.
"This is—!"
The elder's expression changed instantly.
Suspicion.
Shock.
Then wild ecstasy.
Like a lottery winner who had just struck the grand prize, he jumped up, hands on his hips, throwing his head back in laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"It's the Mangekyō!"
"Heaven truly favors the Uchiha! With the Mangekyō Sharingan, forget Konoha— we could conquer the entire shinobi world!"
His laughter spread like a contagion.
Mangekyō!!!
The pupils of hundreds of Uchiha shrank at the same time.
Thousands of scarlet tomoe eyes locked onto a single pair of Mangekyō.
One after another, clan members burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"HAHAHAHA!!!"
The laughter flooded the entire Uchiha compound.
The moment they saw those eyes, they already envisioned themselves storming the Hokage Tower.
Their faces twisted with ecstatic smiles as they sank deeper into the illusion.
"Handling this many people at once is still a bit taxing…"
A moment later, Itachi covered his left eye and exhaled softly.
"Let you all… enjoy yourselves a little longer."
Then he lifted his gaze toward the ancestral hall.
The lights there burned bright.
A single silhouette was cast against the wooden doors by the firelight.
"Father… were you waiting for me too?"
He murmured, stepping toward the doors.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Each footstep was light, yet gradually steadied.
Creaaak.
The wooden doors slid open.
Uchiha Fugaku stood directly before him.
Inside the ancestral hall.
"You're here."
Fugaku showed no surprise. Like a father chatting casually with his son, he gestured toward the seat in front of him.
"Using the Mangekyō on such a large scale will make you dizzy at first.
Come—have some tea and steady yourself."
As he spoke, he poured a cup of tea.
Itachi froze slightly.
He hadn't expected his seemingly hesitant father to know everything already.
"Father… you knew?"
"Yes."
"Then you…" Itachi hesitated, confusion rising in his eyes.
If he knew, why allow this to happen?
Fugaku lowered his head, his face filled with quiet sorrow.
"What about me? I am the clan head of the Uchiha… but I am also your father."
"I'm old. I can no longer suppress the Uchiha clan, nor can I change your resolve."
"Ending it like this… might not be so bad."
Then—
He suddenly raised his head. Frost spread across his expression.
"But you must not touch Sasuke or Ren! Especially Ren… that child is… a little lonely…"
"Otherwise, I'll make you taste the 'Seven-Wolf Belt' again!"
Thump.
Thump-thump.
"Mangekyō… Father, you really are as well…"
When Itachi saw the three taijitu-like patterns spinning within Fugaku's eyes, his expression finally changed.
Bitterness.
Regret.
And a trace of longing.
He could already sense the resolve to die emanating from his father.
After a long silence, he forced a strained smile and shook his head.
"Don't worry, Father. I'll take care of Sasuke and Ren."
He slowly raised the long blade in his hand.
And brought it down.
Whoosh.
But just as the blade was about to cut across Fugaku's throat, the wooden doors of the ancestral hall were suddenly pushed open.
From behind came a teasing, amused voice:
"Well, well… killing your own kin for the greater good?"
"One against seven, huh? You really treated my words like a breeze past your ears."
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