"Ridiculous!"
"You think I, Uchiha Madara, would be no match for that man?!"
Uchiha Itachi glanced at him calmly.
"If you truly were Uchiha Madara, then aside from the First Hokage, there would indeed be no one in this world who could stand against you."
"But unfortunately—
you are not."
The masked man's voice turned cold.
"Why?"
Itachi replied evenly,
"The real Uchiha Madara would never seek cooperation with anyone."
The masked man fell silent.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"No… you're wrong."
"My battle with Hashirama left me grievously wounded. Though I still live, I long ago lost the power I once possessed at my peak."
"But even so—
an Uchiha Qianyu is nothing I need to fear."
Itachi shook his head.
"That's exactly what all of his enemies once believed."
"Hiruzen's sons…
Shisui-senpai…"
"And today—
Danzo Shimura as well."
The masked man sneered.
"So you fear him."
Itachi answered calmly,
"You underestimate him only because you've never seen him with your own eyes."
"I once believed Shisui-senpai to be invincible—
yet he was utterly defeated and killed by that man."
"And now—
Qianyu is far more terrifying than he was back then."
The masked man said coldly,
"You're wrong. I know him very well."
"In fact, I know every secret Konoha holds."
"But even so—
he is no match for me."
"Even in my weakened state, during the Nine-Tails incident, I still killed the Yellow Flash—Minato Namikaze—and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Kushina Uzumaki."
"In my eyes, Uchiha Qianyu is still far inferior to Minato."
Itachi did not agree.
But he did not argue either.
There was no point.
The masked man saw through him regardless.
"You're hesitating."
"You keep acknowledging Qianyu's strength only to justify that hesitation."
"I know the war between Konoha and Kumogakure is ending. Fugaku Uchiha and the clan will soon return."
"And when they do—
the final rupture between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership will begin."
"You, who have already aligned yourself with Sarutobi—
haven't you been pressured to make a choice?"
"Your clan…
or the village?"
"Just like what happened with Uchiha Shisui."
Itachi remained silent, though his eyes flickered.
The masked man laughed softly.
"The more you fear Uchiha Qianyu, the more it proves you've already accepted him as your destined enemy."
"In other words—"
"You've already resolved yourself to stand against the entire Uchiha clan."
"Otherwise, the stronger Qianyu became, the happier you would feel for your clan."
Itachi had been completely seen through.
He said nothing.
"Uchiha Itachi… you truly are a rare talent."
"Think carefully."
"When you've made your decision—come find me."
"You should understand—
without my power, you can never achieve your goal."
"This opportunity comes once in a lifetime."
With that, the masked man vanished into the void once more.
Itachi remained in the darkness for a long time.
He knew—
He didn't have much time left.
The Third Hokage wanted an answer before his father and the clan returned.
A narrow choice—
the clan.
Or a broader one—
the village.
Which path…
should he walk?
In the end, he decided to speak with the Hokage once more.
Hokage's Office
There was no time to mourn Danzo's death.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado were already fully focused on the coming final confrontation.
"Jiraiya—when will he return?" Koharu asked.
"Soon," Hiruzen replied. "ANBU reports say three days at most."
"But—"
"But what?"
Hiruzen snorted.
"Jiraiya has always followed his own will. He may not obey me completely."
"He's been wandering for years because of some prophecy from the Great Toad Sage—searching for a so-called Child of Prophecy. Utter nonsense."
Homura said calmly,
"Even so, Jiraiya isn't Orochimaru. His loyalty to Konoha is unquestionable."
Hiruzen shook his head.
"He is loyal to Konoha—
but not necessarily to me."
"Otherwise, he would've returned long ago."
"You mean… he also disapproves of some of our actions?"
Hiruzen gave no answer.
Koharu sighed.
"No matter what, he's still your student. He won't abandon the village."
"…I hope so."
At that moment, Uchiha Itachi requested an audience.
Hiruzen's heart stirred, and he immediately had him admitted.
Itachi knelt respectfully.
"Hokage-sama."
"Itachi," Hiruzen asked gently,
"Have you reached your decision?"
After a long pause, Itachi shook his head.
"I still cannot decide."
"Hokage-sama…
is there truly no third option?"
Hiruzen frowned, then spoke with apparent sorrow.
"Itachi… do you think I wish to see internal conflict?"
"But the Uchiha clan's aggressiveness—you've seen it yourself."
"Have you forgotten Shisui's death?"
Itachi's expression tightened.
"I have not."
Hiruzen said gravely,
"Shisui died trying to stop the Uchiha rebellion—even at the cost of his life."
"He was a true inheritor of the Will of Fire."
"One who abandoned narrow clan interests and viewed the problem from the greater good of the village."
"And you—
are his successor."
"I understand," Itachi said quietly.
"If Konoha falls into chaos now, Kumogakure and the other great nations will exploit the opening."
"Then it won't just be Konoha—
the entire shinobi world will be dragged into war again."
"I've been on the battlefield since childhood."
"I've seen war's cruelty."
"I cannot allow Konoha—
or the shinobi world—
to descend into chaos again."
Hiruzen was taken aback.
He hadn't even needed to persuade him.
Itachi had already reached that conclusion himself.
"That… is good," Hiruzen sighed.
"If only everyone had your capacity, the world would know peace."
"Itachi—remember this above all else."
"Konoha must not fall into disorder."
Itachi's body trembled.
"I understand…"
"I've read the Uchiha clan's dark history."
"Killing kin to awaken the Mangekyō…
using forbidden techniques to win wars…
power struggles, ambition, rebellion after rebellion…"
"I'm tired of it."
"Perhaps—
as the Second Hokage once said—
the Uchiha are a clan cursed by inherent evil."
Hiruzen's heart stirred sharply.
Excellent…
This was far easier than Shisui.
He didn't need to push at all—
Itachi had already internalized Tobirama's ideology.
Still, now was not the time to encourage that thought.
Instead, Hiruzen shook his head solemnly.
"Do not say such things, Itachi."
"No clan is born evil."
"The Uchiha simply feel too deeply—
their emotions are too extreme."
"They crave love and bonds more than most."
"But once those bonds are lost, they fall into darkness more easily."
"The Uchiha and Senju together founded Konoha."
"The Uchiha clan's honor still needs someone like you to protect it."
Itachi's body shook violently.
"To protect… the Uchiha's honor?"
"That is precisely why—"
"I must destroy the entire clan with my own hands."
Behind his calm expression—
Hiruzen smiled inwardly.
It's done.
"If you like the story Please Consider writing a review and vote using power stones-
it helps promote the story to more readers"
For Early Access 200+Advanced chapters please visit Patreon.com/UchihaAce"