Itachi's hesitation was reflected within the consciousness of every Konoha ninja.
Shisui's farewell letter was handed to Itachi amid the doubts and suspicion of their clansmen…
"I've grown tired of the current mission."
"If this continues, the Uchiha have no future."
"I feel the same…"
"I can no longer keep betraying the principles in my heart."
…
If one only read these words, without knowing the context, it would be easy to doubt Itachi Uchiha—just as the Uchiha clan had—and suspect that he killed Shisui Uchiha.
But now, with all five senses and even their intuition projected into Itachi Uchiha, whether it was the young Sasuke or the Konoha ninja, they were Itachi Uchiha himself.
Like playing a role-playing game with an ending that could not be changed, their hands clenched Shisui's letter tightly.
What was the mission that had exhausted Shisui so deeply?
It was spying on his most trusted friend, acting as a double agent.
It was being born a Uchiha, growing up as a Konoha ninja, and now being forced to choose between the survival of the two.
"Itachi, after today's clan meeting, come alone to the Uchiha Shrine."
Inside the Uchiha Shrine, they had once seen the four Hokage standing together and heard them speak of how Konoha had changed—from two boys who longed for peace, who tried to change the shinobi world with their meager strength and protect the brother they cherished most, into a village plagued by internal strife and external threats, its council steeped in greed and self-interest.
Fugaku Uchiha stood with his back to his son, allowing Itachi to use the Mangekyō Sharingan to read the stone tablet of the Uchiha clan.
At the time, both Itachi Uchiha and everyone now within his consciousness believed that Fugaku wanted Itachi to convey the contents of the tablet to him.
But to everyone's complete shock—including Konoha's upper ranks and the young Sasuke Uchiha—no one had ever imagined that Fugaku Uchiha also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"During the Third Shinobi World War, my friend gave his life to save mine."
!!!!
'What?!'
'Wait—let me think this through!!'
At this moment, seven-year-old Shikamaru Nara also existed within Itachi Uchiha's consciousness.
He struggled to separate his own thoughts from Itachi's and began to analyze carefully.
'Earlier, I—no, Itachi Uchiha—thought that when his comrade died, his father only cared about the strength he gained from awakening the Sharingan. That was the first time he felt disappointment toward the father he admired, right?!'
'But in reality, any Uchiha who has awakened the Sharingan knows that the condition for opening it is the pain of losing something precious. That means Fugaku Uchiha knew exactly how much pain Itachi was in back then!'
Just like his son, Shikaku Nara was following the same line of reasoning.
'They say the Uchiha clan isn't good at expressing themselves.'
'What a headache. If my relationship with my own brat ever turned out like this, it would be…'
Just thinking about it would be enough to make even a hardened man break down in tears.
'I'd probably get thrown out of the house by my wife and told not to come back for meals until I finally figured things out.'
"It was only through pain soaked in blood and tears that the Mangekyō Sharingan was awakened," Fugaku Uchiha said. "Yet even these eyes cannot decipher the stone tablet in its entirety."
"So that means…" Itachi said in shock.
"That's right," Fugaku Uchiha replied. "The Uchiha clan should still have a long road ahead of it. But the current Konohagakure has already left no space for the Uchiha to move forward."
"But even so, you can't start a coup through violence, can you?!"
"Itachi, you are my son. Do you know why I've hidden the existence of these eyes all this time?"
"Why?"
"Because Konoha's upper ranks fear these eyes and have constantly suppressed the Uchiha. If they learned that I, the clan head, possess the Mangekyō Sharingan, that suppression would intensify many times over. And if the clan knew, their agitation would only grow even worse."
"The future that follows… see it for yourself."
In an instant—
Before Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha within Itachi's consciousness, and the Konoha ninja could even process the shock of Fugaku Uchiha possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan, the bizarre patterns within those crimson eyes began to rotate.
The future unfolded before them.
There wasn't even time to consider what Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyō ability actually was.
The paper door was yanked open violently.
A young boy, bound tightly like a bundled sack, was roughly thrown inside by several young members of the Uchiha clan.
That flash of golden hair made young Sasuke freeze.
'Naruto?!'
"We've captured the Jinchūriki! If it's you, you should be able to do it!"
"Please, Captain!"
"Clan Head-sama! For the sake of the Uchiha, we beg you!"
"Show Konoha the true power of the Uchiha clan!"
"I'm begging you too, Clan Head-sama!"
"Captain!!"
With each desperate plea, young Sasuke's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints.
What were they asking his father to do?
They captured Naruto… what were they asking his father to do?!
Rage surged.
At this moment, young Sasuke felt the same fury as Itachi.
He watched as those clan members, disguising coercion as pleading, forced the situation forward. Naruto Uzumaki screamed in agony as dark crimson chakra engulfed his entire body.
His human consciousness gradually slipped away. His movements became feral. Moans turned into screams, screams into bestial roars.
Then—
A deafening howl echoed.
From that moment on, there was no longer a Naruto Uzumaki in the world.
There was only the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, imprisoned by the Uchiha clan.
The Uchiha seized the chance to launch a coup against Konoha.
In the chaos of the Nine-Tails' rampage, both Konoha and the Uchiha clan were destroyed.
And never again would there be a Minato Namikaze willing to stake his life to seal the Nine-Tails.
…
"Dad! Sasuke's eyes are bleeding again! This is the third time!!"
Naruto had no idea what Sasuke was experiencing through his Sharingan. The Konoha ninja before him, and Sasuke himself, both looked to be in immense pain.
Kannabi Bridge Minato's expression was grave. After a brief silence, he said, "I don't know why, but I have a feeling… nothing bad will happen."
The Fourth Hokage Minato nodded.
"I feel the same. It's as if everything is still under control."
The two Minatos from parallel worlds exchanged a glance. Sharp as they were, how could they fail to notice that something abnormal was unfolding again and again?
Within Itachi Uchiha's consciousness, Fugaku Uchiha had effectively shown all of Konoha the future that awaited if the conflict between the Uchiha and the Sharingan continued to escalate.
Because of his special bond with Naruto, the one who found this future hardest to accept was the young Sasuke Uchiha.
For a long time after that, he remained in a dazed, wandering state.
Until…
…
"Once the Uchiha launch a coup, no matter what, the only outcome will be total annihilation. Even your completely unaware younger brother will be forced to watch his own family raise their blades against Konoha, only to be cut down by Konoha's counterattack. And then, in disbelief, he himself will die beneath a blade as well."
"The Uchiha, stripped of all honor, will be reduced to an insignificant footnote in the history of the shinobi world. Is that the ending you're hoping for, Itachi?"
"Danzō-sama, are you threatening me?"
"No. I'm simply offering you another choice," Danzō Shimura said. "You will be the one to destroy your own clan."
Without question, he accepted the mission.
Shikaku and Shikamaru Nara both furrowed their brows deeply.
Something wasn't right…
Even if Danzō already knew that Itachi Uchiha possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, how could he be so certain that a single Uchiha could wipe out the entire Uchiha clan?
That left only two possibilities.
First, he never truly believed Itachi Uchiha could kill every last Uchiha. All he needed was for Itachi to severely cripple the clan, after which Konoha's ANBU would move in to carry out the most covert, one-sided massacre.
Second, perhaps he had already guessed that Itachi Uchiha would find powerful assistance to help him carry out this extraordinary task.
As they were still speculating, Itachi Uchiha had already sought out the masked man.
"I will help you take revenge on the Uchiha clan. In exchange, you are not allowed to touch Konoha or Sasuke Uchiha."
What followed was the full, horrifying truth of the Uchiha massacre.
Konoha ninja, weren't you afraid of the Uchiha clan? Didn't you come to hate them?
Konoha's upper ranks, didn't you wish for the Uchiha clan to disappear?
Then now, a perfect opportunity lay before you.
As Itachi Uchiha—
Unrestrained.
Unreserved.
A massacre.
At this moment, these Konoha elders, these Konoha ninja, and this young Sasuke Uchiha were no longer themselves. They were no longer Konoha's leaders, no longer Konoha's ninja, no longer the young Sasuke who had just learned the truth.
At this moment, everyone became Itachi Uchiha from another world.
Wearing the uniform of Konoha's ANBU.
Bearing the forehead protector of a Konoha ninja.
Gripping the blade of a Konoha shinobi.
On a night of the full moon, striding forward like a god of slaughter—blade raised, blade falling.
"Stop!!"
"Hey! Those are your own clansmen!!"
His grip on the blade tightened to the point of pain.
"Stop right now!!"
"They're the family who watched you and your brother grow up!!"
Itachi Uchiha had sealed off his own heart completely, while the basic conscience of the Konoha ninja was being pushed to its limit.
"Hey! Itachi Uchiha!!!" Even Koharu Utatane wanted to stop him at this moment.
"Damn it! I can't control this body!"
"Stop! Stop it now!!"
The stench of blood flooding their nostrils did not belong to enemies, but to kin who had lived alongside "them" day after day.
"Stop! There has to be another way!" The Third Hokage still tried to cling to delay, hoping to find an alternative.
"Itachi! Stop!! That's enough! Itachi!!" ANBU Kakashi tried to intervene, yet there was nothing he could do.
The sticky sensation in his hands made Kakashi think of the blood he could never wash clean after that Chidori strike years ago.
"Damn it! How did things end up like this?!" Asuma cursed in fury.
"Someone, make this stop!!" Kurenai Yuhi couldn't break free of the illusion either.
"No matter what, these non-combatants from the Uchiha clan don't need to die, right?!" Might Guy's forehead bulged with veins as he struggled to force his way out of the illusion.
Although their consciousness was trapped within Itachi Uchiha by genjutsu, the rage and helplessness caused veins to stand out on many Konoha ninja's foreheads. Their fists clenched so tightly they trembled.
"What kind of order is this from the higher-ups?! Is this really the will of the First Hokage-sama and Second Hokage-sama?!"
"Is this still the Konoha ninja village we know?!"
"Damn it… stop it…"
"Stop it!!!"
Fear.
The fear of the Konoha ninja.
Itachi Uchiha's heart had gone numb, utterly still.
Yet it was precisely this stillness that felt like staring into an abyss, as though the abyss itself was staring back.
There was another person like this.
His eyes were hollow and lifeless, just like Itachi Uchiha at that moment.
Sasuke Uchiha.
He could have used his Sharingan to escape this suffering.
Yet it was as if he were trapped in a terrifying nightmare, sinking into a bottomless swamp. The harder he struggled, the deeper he sank.
"Itachi-kun! Save me!!"
It was the girl who had once treated Itachi Uchiha to dango. Her name was Izumi, wasn't it?
She tried to run, only to be dragged back by the masked man's chains.
Slash.
"Itachi…"
Regardless of age or gender, whether ninja or civilian, this one-sided slaughter tested the conscience and the bottom line of every person in Konoha.
Who, exactly, caused this massacre?
By now, even they could no longer say for certain.
Was it Itachi Uchiha's cruelty, when he had once been so gentle and kind?
Was it the arrogance of the Uchiha clan, who had volunteered to fight the Nine-Tails on the front lines, only to be refused?
Was it the incompetence of Konoha's leadership? If anyone truly stood in their position, wouldn't they also try to minimize risk, erase every threat, and suppress any danger exceeding the warning threshold?
Or was it the exclusion practiced by everyone in the village?
Those who excluded the Uchiha were none other than themselves. And they were only afraid of Madara Uchiha and the Nine-Tails, unable to forget the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage-sama.
Whose fault was it?
Whose fault was it, really?!
The souls of Konoha ninja and civilians trapped inside Itachi Uchiha's body had gone from resistance, to shouting, to trying to stop him, and finally to gradual surrender as the sticky sensation coated their hands.
They wanted to close their eyes, to block out their five senses.
But because Itachi Uchiha never closed his eyes, they were forced to see everything clearly, to feel every fragile life end in this massacre, to feel scorching blood splatter across their faces again and again.
The one killing was not a madman.
Yet the ones he killed were his own family.
Every strike was an original sin.
Especially for the sensitive Uchiha clan, and for Itachi Uchiha, who had been delicate of mind since childhood and keenly felt the pain of others. Every scream, every swing of the blade, felt as though it were cutting into his own heart.
No one had ever cried out for Itachi Uchiha's pain.
But now, through this experience, Sasuke's soul convulsed in agony.
The Konoha ninja hurt so badly they wanted nothing more than to flee this body at once.
"Itachi."
Amid the sea of crimson, Sasuke-Itachi's vision met their father's.
"At the end of this slaughter, what do you see?" he asked. "I showed you Konoha's future. Do you still not understand?"
…
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