Inside the house, an elderly couple cried out in anger: "Itachi, why are you doing this?"
Uchiha Tekka lay in a pool of blood, devoid of life.
Itachi remained silent upon hearing this, his gaze gradually turning cold: "Because of your swelling ambition, Shisui is dead, and both the Uchiha and Konoha will experience war."
"Lacking sufficient capacity, yet possessing an ambition far beyond yourselves—"
"You deserve to die!"
His tone was icy as he raised his blade, no longer feeling any regret.
Squelch!
Another strike.
The elderly man screamed, likewise falling into a pool of blood.
One Second later, he walked out of the house with a cold gaze, following his memory toward the homes of clansmen who possessed the Sharingan and were not at the Security Division tonight.
Bang!
Another door was smashed open.
The clansmen inside charged with blades in hand, the bloodshot veins in their eyes masked by the crimson, leaving only two pairs of Three Tomoe particularly striking.
Itachi's expression was calm as the unique pattern in his eyes spun.
Tsukuyomi!
Under the special Dojutsu, even Uchiha clansmen with the Sharingan were no exception, entering the Illusion World in the blink of an eye.
In the next instant, the opponent collapsed in agony.
Itachi raised his blade and brought it down, taking another clansman's life.
Just then, a cry of pain came from outside: "Itachi, it really is you!"
The blade in Itachi's hand paused slightly as he turned to look outside the door.
Fugaku, having rushed over, had a face filled with a mix of pain, doubt, and confusion; his emotions were extremely complex.
"Why?"
Itachi was silent, then said: "To test my capacity."
"To become stronger."
"To—"
He raised his head slightly, his gaze solemn.
"Revenge!"
Itachi's tone was firm: "Foolish people will only drag the clan into a quagmire; everything is their fault. As long as they are still alive, the Uchiha Clan will never know peace."
"Hokage-sama hasn't made a decision, so why are you acting on your own? Did Danzo say something to you?"
Fugaku questioned.
"Hokage-sama?"
Itachi remained silent for a few seconds, let out a low, cold laugh, and looked around. "Where was Hokage-sama when something happened to Shisui?"
"And where is Hokage-sama now?"
He looked up at his father.
"There is no need for further words; Father, you are also among those to be purged!"
"Itachi, you have disappointed me greatly."
Fugaku painfully drew his blade. "I saw that the Uchiha would have this day, but I never expected the one to act would be you!"
"..."
"I'm sorry, Father."
Uchiha Itachi gripped his blade tightly; though his words were unfinished, the meaning was clear.
On the street, father and son faced each other.
A trace of sorrow flashed in Fugaku's eyes, then he took a deep breath and said: "Itachi, you are still too young; many things you see are too one-sided."
"Promise me, take good care of Sasuke."
He gazed at Itachi.
The silent Itachi finally nodded, but in the next moment, the figure before him suddenly turned illusory.
Uchiha Fugaku turned into a bubble and vanished from the spot.
The one before him was just a Shadow Clone; the real Fugaku had left at some unknown point.
Itachi immediately expanded his perception and quickly found Fugaku's trail, while also sensing intense Chakra fluctuations.
Who is fighting over there?
He sensed that "Madara" had already gone ahead. After a moment's thought, he didn't join the fray but silently held his blade and continued killing according to the list.
The center of the Chakra fluctuations was precisely where the Uchiha clansmen were most densely populated.
At this moment, here—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Two blades collided rapidly, erupting in a series of sharp sounds.
What shocked Kakashi even more was that the opponent wasn't just fast; the force of each strike was immense, growing stronger with every blow. In just a blink of an eye, Kakashi's hand went numb, and his skin began to crack slightly.
In contrast, the opponent—
Seemed completely unaffected.
Sizzle!
A large amount of Kakashi's Chakra flooded his body, the Lightning Release Chakra stimulating his physical activity, further increasing his speed and power.
But at the same time, a powerful Lightning Release Chakra also erupted from the opponent, their speed increasing even more than before.
Kakashi immediately used Body Flicker to dodge.
In the moment they crossed paths, lightning erupted from his palm.
Raikiri!
But at the same time, Kakashi caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye; the opponent's other hand was aimed at his back, fingers spread wide in a strange gesture.
In the next second, finger bones shot out.
"Shikotsumyaku?!!!"
Kakashi's hair stood on end. It was too late to use Body Flicker to change positions, so he had to generate lightning in both hands simultaneously, changing the form of the Chakra gathered in his palms.
Turning around, he opened a lightning shield, blocking and dissolving the finger bones.
Lightning Release: Double Lightning Quake!
After neutralizing the attack, before Kakashi could change his move, the opponent had already retreated to a distance, their hands continuously forming seals in the air.
In the next moment, a large wave of water erupted, flooding and covering the surroundings.
The opponent moved with the flow and instantly retreated. In a blink of an eye, they vanished without a trace along with the water waves, and the surrounding corpses disappeared along with them.
Only a voice drifted through the air.
"Kakashi, your opponent isn't me, but the one in the shadows."
The lightning in Kakashi's hand dissipated, his eyes showing a solemn expression.
During the brief exchange just now, he realized the opponent understood his style and habits very well, constantly avoiding a direct confrontation with him.
Moreover.
The moment the strike missed, they immediately retreated using Water Release without staying for a second.
"Kaguya Clan?"
Kakashi Hatake recognized that ability, but he was even more confused—this clan was once glorious, but after their assault on the Hidden Mist Village, they should have been wiped out.
In the next moment, Kakashi suddenly sensed something and looked in another direction.
He saw Uchiha Fugaku emerge from the ground, his Kunai stabbing toward another Ninja wearing a Spiral Mask.
Strangely—
The Kunai passed directly through the opponent's body.
In the next second.
Bang!
The Masked Man punched Fugaku in the head, shattering the Shadow Clone before disappearing into the night.
Kakashi immediately realized that the one in the shadows was the "true enemy" the other person mentioned, but this person had also vanished without a trace.
Uchiha—
His thoughts were a bit chaotic, and he couldn't clear his head for a moment, but thinking of Hiruzen Sarutobi's instructions to monitor and protect the Uchiha, Kakashi immediately took action.
"Save Fugaku first!"
He followed the aura and gave chase.
However.
In just an instant, Uchiha Fugaku's Chakra fluctuations disappeared from their original position, and no further clues could be sensed.
He arrived at the original location.
Blood, Kunai, and fragments of a Ninja vest.
And—
The faint sound of a scream coming from the distance.
Space-Time Ninjutsu?
Kakashi felt a chill run through him, realizing that Fugaku had likely met with misfortune.
This was a massacre targeting the Uchiha, and there were far more participants behind the scenes than he or Hiruzen Sarutobi had imagined.
He rushed toward the source of the scream in the distance.
Above, crows circled, letting out shrill cries.
In another space, Uchiha Fugaku was gasping for breath, his body pierced by sharp wooden spikes, his consciousness somewhat hazy.
"Wood Release? Who exactly are you?"
"You don't need to know."
The face behind the mask let out a cold laugh.
After saying that, he appeared beside Fugaku and knocked him unconscious with a punch.
Then, he formed hand seals.
Fugaku's wounds healed rapidly.
Following that, he took the still-living Fugaku and moved from that space to Itachi's side.
"Let's go."
"There are still a few on the list—"
"Not important, I'll kill them."
"Madara" said in a low voice, "Right now, you have a more important task."
Itachi looked at the still-living Fugaku, silent for a long time, finally nodding silently. After a chaotic spatial reversal, he opened his eyes to find himself back in a familiar place.
His home.
"I'll come back later."
"Madara" finished speaking and vanished into space.
Itachi carried his father's body and walked toward the inner room. Before long—
"Is that Itachi?"
An inquiry came from inside the room.
Itachi's throat moved as he finally responded: "Yeah, I've brought Father back."
The door opened.
Smelling the thick scent of blood, Uchiha Mikoto instinctively stepped back. Upon seeing Fugaku in Itachi's arms, a look of disbelief appeared on her face.
Itachi didn't explain and silently walked inside.
Uchiha Mikoto's cheeks trembled as she asked: "Did you really do this?"
"Father isn't dead yet."
Itachi replied.
Despite his words, his hand remained on the hilt of his blade, blood sliding down the edge.
Uchiha Mikoto's gaze dimmed.
"I see."
She looked up, gazing at the son who was both familiar and strange. "In the end, you chose that path."
Itachi remained silent.
"It's okay. A choice had to be made eventually. Child, this isn't your fault. You just... took the most difficult path."
Mikoto took Fugaku from him.
She could feel that Fugaku still had a breath of life, but it was very weak, and blood was constantly bubbling from his mouth.
Clearly, while Fugaku appeared healthy on the outside, his internal organs were severely damaged.
He was beyond saving.
She suddenly understood why her husband had been in a daze since yesterday when he couldn't find Itachi, and why his expression had been so heavy after dinner.
So that was it.
Her face couldn't hide her sorrow, but she forced herself to suppress it: "Itachi, you don't have to blame yourself. We... don't blame you. Let us walk the final stretch of the road ourselves."
After saying that, she closed the room door.
A moment later, the lights suddenly dimmed, and drops of blood seeped out from under the door.
Pushing the door open again, Itachi saw his mother lying across the floor, the blade in her hand having pierced through her and into Fugaku's abdomen.
He knelt powerlessly on the ground, speechless.