"Hokage-sama, I know—"
Seeing the situation sliding toward an unknown direction, the future Yamato gritted his teeth and chose to speak up himself.
At worst, he'd be the only one to die.
So he recounted what he knew, more or less as it was.
From his perspective, all he really knew was that Jin possessed tremendous strength and an eerie crimson chakra.
"Crimson, strange chakra? Great strength? Extremely violent?"
But when those words were put together, the Third Hokage's attention was immediately drawn.
He exchanged looks with Danzō and the two advisors.
Four old men and women whose combined ages were nearing two hundred and fifty—at that moment, sharp light burst forth from all of their eyes.
The Nine-Tails' power!
Only the Nine-Tails' power could produce such effects!
Could it be that… the Uchiha clan had once again stolen the power of the Nine-Tails?!
Especially Danzō!
He slammed his cane heavily against the ground, brimming with dissatisfaction.
"I told you, Hiruzen! That wicked Uchiha brat has finally started making a move on the Nine-Tails!"
"Hiruzen, you can't hesitate any longer!" Koharu Utatane hurriedly echoed.
She too held no fondness for the Uchiha—
especially when it involved an absolute power like the Nine-Tails.
Only the remaining Homura Mitokado hesitated for a moment.
But seeing the other two taking such a stance, he could only nod along.
"I think so too!"
For a moment, justice itself seemed to stand on Danzō's side.
He suddenly released his grip on the cane, looking just like the guard under the setting sun from more than ten years ago, his expression earnest.
"Hiruzen, believe me! Only by completely cutting down that Uchiha brat can the village welcome true peace!"
"Have you forgotten the bonds between us?!"
At once, all three advisors turned their gazes toward Sarutobi.
Tap.
Tap.
Ashes piled thickly on the floor.
Amid the swirling smoke, the Third Hokage finally knocked his pipe lightly and murmured,
"Summon the major clans. Emergency council."
"The Nine-Tails' power must not leak—especially not into the hands of the Uchiha clan!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
As the words fell, one ANBU after another leapt away.
In the dead of night, Konoha's clans were destined for a sleepless night.
"Hm? This is… the Third Hokage's summons?"
Within the Uchiha compound.
Just having returned, Itachi looked at the message before him, then turned into a crow and vanished.
Though puzzled, his ingrained Will of Fire drove him to act without hesitation.
Crack.
But just as he reached the outskirts of the compound, he once again saw that mysterious masked man.
His body even seemed a little damp.
Itachi's gaze slowly swept over the man's crimson Sharingan as he said lightly,
"Hm? Finished dumping your water already?"
Obito: "..."
The corner of his remaining eye twitched, and he almost felt like jumping up to curse.
Fortunately, reason still prevailed.
"Itachi, have you finished considering defection?"
"I can help you deal with certain people—for example, an Uchiha girl."
"You've been spying on me?"
Pfft!
The moment the words left his mouth, black flames abruptly ignited on the hem of Obito's clothes.
Obito's expression froze for an instant as his right eye spun rapidly!
Kamui—intangibility.
Plop.
The black flames vanished, and the hem of his clothes remained unscathed.
Obito let out a breath.
This little brat really was troublesome.
Opening with Amaterasu right away!
If he'd reacted any slower, he might've really capsized in a ditch.
"So it really is a space-time technique… I didn't expect the Uchiha to have such a powerful individual."
At the same time, Itachi was equally shocked.
The strength of the man before him exceeded his expectations.
So much water—stored and released at will.
And now he could even remove himself from the current space…
Such unfathomable power made it hard to believe this man was truly from the Uchiha clan.
"Who exactly are you? What is your purpose?"
Hearing this, Obito flicked his sleeve.
"Let me reintroduce myself. I am—Uchiha Madara."
"Uchiha Madara? The ancestor who alone could contend with the God of Shinobi?"
Four ordinary words, yet they instantly stirred a storm within Itachi's heart.
Impossible!
Unbelievable!
Ancestor—Uchiha Madara!
Among the Uchiha, this ancestor was known by all.
"Impossible! The ancestor died long ago—you can't be him!"
As the words fell, moonlight poured from his pupils.
Whether or not he was the ancestor—one test would tell.
But unfortunately, Tsukuyomi, which had never failed him, failed this time.
It didn't even cause the slightest ripple.
Itachi frowned, his thoughts rapidly churning.
"He dodged again… Is his ability unrestricted spatial displacement?"
"No—it's self-intangibility. That's why my attacks pass through him…"
"What a terrifying enemy. If he suddenly attacked the village, without intel, it would cause massive chaos."
Realizing this, his eyes changed once more.
Within the crimson pupils, the Mangekyō spun faster and faster.
Fine threads of blood began to appear.
His ocular power was being overused.
"Itachi, we will be comrades."
Seeing this, Obito shook his head and turned away.
"Don't worry. On the day you take action, I'll help you hold the others back."
"Including that girl—and your younger brother."
With that, his figure vanished outright.
Only Itachi remained, standing alone outside the compound, swallowed by the night.
He froze—
because of the last word: "brother."
"Sasuke is still in school, so… you mean Jin?"
For some reason, when Jin came to mind, his heart couldn't help but tremble.
"No… no! At the very least… Jin and Sasuke must be spared!"
"Perhaps… it's time to negotiate with the Third Hokage."
With that thought, he lifted his leg and stepped fully into the darkness.
His destination—
the Hokage Tower.
Not long after he left, beneath a distant tree, a small figure slowly emerged.
Jin looked in the direction Itachi had gone and shook his head.
"Foolish niisan… I never thought you'd have such a… foolish idea."
"The gun must be held in one's own hands."
"Relying on the Third Hokage…"
"Have you already forgotten what happened to the Fourth's orphan?"
When Itachi had been summoned away, Jin had followed quietly.
He hadn't spoken—only relied on his Weak Presence to draw near.
With his senses strengthened time and again, he heard their entire conversation clearly, even catching the fleeting hesitation in Itachi's eyes.
That was—
hesitation for Uchiha Izumi.
"What a pity. Looks like I'm destined to miss out on Izumi-nee's three-color dango."
He murmured as he turned back toward the compound.
"Looks like that old geezer Third has finally made up his mind."
"But that means I can finally sleep easy."
"When I wake up next time…"
"It should be the night of the massacre."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/CanonBreaker