"Hokage-sama, I know what happened—"
Seeing the situation spiral toward something unknown, Yamato grit his teeth and chose to speak up himself.
If someone had to die for this, then let it be him.
He immediately explained everything he knew, more or less as it happened.
Because of his limited perspective, all he really knew was that Kai possessed terrifying physical strength—and a strange, crimson chakra.
"Crimson, abnormal chakra? Enormous strength? Extremely violent?"
The moment those words were put together, the Third Hokage's expression changed.
He exchanged looks with Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura.
Four elderly figures whose combined ages were pushing two hundred and fifty—
And in that instant, sharp light burst from all of their eyes at once.
The Nine-Tails' power.
There was only one thing capable of producing effects like that.
Could it be… the Uchiha clan has once again stolen the Nine-Tails' power?!
Danzo, especially, slammed his cane heavily into the ground, his displeasure unmistakable.
"I told you so, Hiruzen!" he snapped.
"That evil little Uchiha brat has finally made a move on the Nine-Tails!"
"Hiruzen, we can't hesitate any longer," Koharu followed up immediately.
She had never had much goodwill toward the Uchiha to begin with.
And when it came to an absolute power like the Nine-Tails—
That distrust only deepened.
Only Homura hesitated for a moment.
But seeing both of his old friends taking this stance, he could only nod along.
"I think so too."
For a moment—
Righteousness itself seemed to stand on Danzo's side.
He suddenly released his grip on the cane, looking like the loyal guardian he'd once been under the evening sun more than a decade ago.
His face was earnest as he spoke:
"Hiruzen, believe me! Only by completely cutting down that Uchiha brat can the village achieve peace!"
"Have you forgotten the bond between us?!"
All three advisors turned their gazes toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Tap.
Tap.
Ash piled thickly on the ground.
Surrounded by drifting smoke, the Third Hokage finally knocked his pipe and muttered,
"Summon the heads of the major clans. Emergency council."
"The Nine-Tails' power cannot be allowed to leak."
"Especially not into the hands of the Uchiha clan."
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The moment his words fell, ANBU after ANBU flashed away.
In the dead of night, Konoha's clans were destined for sleeplessness.
"Hm? This is… the Third Hokage's summons?"
At the Uchiha compound.
Having just returned, Itachi read the message—then instantly transformed into a crow and vanished.
Though confused, his deeply ingrained Will of Fire compelled him to act without hesitation.
Crack.
But just outside the compound, he once again encountered that mysterious masked man.
The man looked… damp. As if he'd just come out of water.
Itachi's gaze slid over the man's crimson Sharingan as he spoke calmly,
"Hm? Done using your Water Release?"
Obito: "..."
The corner of his remaining eye twitched.
For a moment, he genuinely felt the urge to jump up and start cursing.
Thankfully, reason prevailed.
"Itachi," he said coolly,
"have you thought about defecting yet?"
"I can help you deal with certain people."
"For example—an Uchiha girl."
"You've been spying on me?"
Fwoosh!
Before the words had even fully fallen, black flames abruptly ignited on the hem of Obito's cloak.
Obito's expression stiffened.
His right eye spun rapidly—
Kamui. Intangibility.
Tap.
The black flames vanished, and the fabric was left completely unharmed.
Obito let out a breath.
This little brat was far more troublesome than expected.
Opening with Amaterasu, no less.
If he'd been a second slower, he might really have been taken down.
"So it really is a space-time technique…"
Itachi was just as shocked.
The strength this man displayed was beyond his expectations.
Water of that scale—stored at will, released at will.
And now the ability to detach himself from the current plane of space entirely…
Such absurd power made it hard to believe this man was truly an Uchiha.
"Who are you?" Itachi demanded.
"And what do you want?"
Hearing this, the masked man brushed at his cloak and said lightly,
"Allow me to reintroduce myself."
"I am—Uchiha Madara."
"Uchiha Madara? The ancestor who once rivaled the God of Shinobi?"
Four ordinary words—
Yet they sent enormous waves crashing through Itachi's heart.
Unbelievable.
Impossible.
Uchiha Madara.
Among the Uchiha, this ancestor was known by all—spoken of by all.
"That's impossible!" Itachi snapped.
"Our ancestor has long since died! You can't be him!"
As the words fell, his pupils erupted with lunar brilliance.
Whether he was an ancestor or not—
Testing it would reveal the truth.
But unfortunately, the Tsukuyomi that had never failed him before…
Did nothing.
Not even a ripple.
Itachi frowned, his thoughts racing.
"He avoided it again…"
"Is his ability unrestricted spatial displacement?"
"No—intangibility. That's why my attacks pass through…"
"A terrifying opponent."
"If he attacked the village without prior intel, it would cause massive chaos."
Realizing this, his eyes changed once more.
The Mangekyō in his crimson pupils spun faster and faster.
Thin blood vessels surfaced.
He was overusing his dōjutsu.
"Itachi," Obito said quietly, turning away,
"we will be comrades."
"Don't worry. When the day you act comes, I'll help you hold everyone else back."
"Including that girl."
"And your brother."
With that, his figure vanished outright.
Leaving Itachi alone outside the clan grounds, swallowed by the night.
He stood frozen—
The word that echoed in his mind was the last one.
Brother.
"Sasuke is still in the Academy, so… you mean Kai?"
For some reason, the moment Kai came to mind, his heart trembled.
"No… no."
"At the very least—I must protect Kai and Sasuke."
"Perhaps… it's time to negotiate with the Third Hokage."
With that decision made, he stepped fully into the darkness.
His destination—
The Hokage Tower.
Not long after he left, beneath a nearby tree, a small figure slowly emerged.
Kai looked in the direction Itachi had gone and shook his head.
"Foolish nii-san… I never thought you'd come up with such a… foolish idea."
"The gun has to be in your own hands."
"Relying on the Third Hokage…"
"Have you already forgotten what happened to the Fourth's orphan?"
Kai had followed Itachi the moment he was summoned.
He hadn't spoken.
Only quietly drawn near, suppressing his presence to the extreme.
With senses strengthened many times over, he heard their entire conversation—
And even caught the fleeting trace of longing in Itachi's eyes.
Longing for Uchiha Izumi.
"What a shame… looks like I won't be getting Izumi-nee's dango after all."
He murmured to himself, turning back toward the compound.
"Looks like that old bastard has finally made up his mind."
"But good. I can finally sleep easy."
"When I wake up next time…"
"…it should be the night of the massacre, right?"
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