Homura glanced toward the collapsed building where he'd sent Itachi crashing through the wall. Rubble and dust still hung in the air, but his chakra sensing told him everything he needed to know. That familiar signature had already moved far away, retreating rapidly through the back alleys.
Substitution Technique. The kid had swapped himself out at the last second, probably for a chunk of wood or debris. The rubble was burying nothing but a decoy now.
He watched the direction Itachi had fled but made no move to pursue. There were more important things to deal with right now than chasing down one injured Uchiha.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
White smoke erupted around him. More than a dozen identical copies materialized in the blood-soaked street, each one wearing the same expression as the original.
They scattered immediately without needing orders. The clones spread out across the district, moving quickly from body to body, checking for signs of life among the fallen Uchiha. Green medical chakra gathered in their palms as they worked, stopping bleeding, stabilizing wounds, trying to save whoever could still be saved.
The real Homura stood in the center of the carnage and let his clones handle the rescue work. His eyes tracked the path Itachi had taken. The boy was heading home.
That confrontation was going to happen whether Homura interfered or not. Better to let it play out and focus on the survivors here.
---
Itachi stumbled through the back alleys, one hand pressed against the wall to keep himself upright. Every breath sent sharp pain lancing through his chest where broken ribs ground against each other.
"Cough... cough!"
He stopped and braced himself against a building, coughing violently. Blood spattered across his hand when he pulled it away from his mouth. The metallic taste filled his throat.
The streets were quiet. Every house had its doors and windows sealed tight. Occasionally light leaked through cracks in shutters or under doors, illuminating terrified faces peeking out at the sounds of battle. But nobody emerged. And nobody tried to help or interfere.
They were smart to stay hidden.
Itachi forced himself to keep moving. His legs felt unsteady, but training and discipline carried him forward through familiar paths he'd walked since childhood. He knew every turn, shortcut, and landmark.
It didn't take long to reach his family's compound.
The Uchiha clan head's residence was significantly larger than most homes in the district. Beyond the street-facing gate lay an elegant courtyard with maintained gardens and stone pathways. Covered walkways connected the main house to several smaller buildings.
He pushed through the gate and crossed the courtyard. His footsteps echoed too loudly in the silence. He followed the corridor toward his parents' quarters, trying to prepare himself for what he'd have to do next.
Then he turned a corner and froze.
His father stood in the middle of the corridor, blocking the path forward. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes... the Mangekyō Sharingan spun slowly in both sockets. Behind him, his mother knelt on the tatami mats. Mikoto's face carried a complicated mix of emotions.
Itachi's heart clenched painfully in his chest, and for once it had nothing to do with broken ribs.
"Itachi."
Fugaku's voice was rough.
"You chose to slaughter your own clan. I need to understand why. I showed you the future I envisioned for the Uchiha, a future where we stood as equals in this village. Are you telling me that this ending, this massacre, is what you wanted instead?"
Itachi's three-tomoe Sharingan activated automatically, spinning to life in response to his father's Mangekyō. The difference in power between them was obvious. His eyes were still the standard form, never having evolved to the legendary pattern despite all the trauma he'd experienced.
Shisui hadn't died in front of him like in some other timeline. He hadn't thrown himself off that cliff while Itachi watched helplessly. The trigger for awakening the Mangekyō had never occurred. So now he stood before his father with inferior eyes and a mission he couldn't explain.
He didn't answer Fugaku's question. Instead, the tomoe in his Sharingan began rotating faster, building chakra for a genjutsu. His father would understand. He had to understand.
The technique activated, and reality twisted.
Fugaku didn't resist the illusion. He let himself be pulled into the constructed world, wanting to see what had driven his son to this point. What could possibly justify murdering their own people.
---
The genjutsu world snapped into focus around them.
They stood in a room with no windows. Stone walls, a single door, minimal furnishings. It was the kind of space designed for private conversations that needed to stay private.
Danzō materialized in front of Itachi.
"Don't be fooled by how reasonable Minato sounds. Even if he wants to protect the Uchiha, when it comes down to it, Hiruzen will choose Konoha's interests over clan politics. Always has, always will. And when that moment arrives, Minato will have no choice but to fall in line. Do you really think he'd risk civil war to defend your people? So you need to make a choice. Support Konoha and help us resolve this situation before it escalates into conflict. Or follow the Uchiha into a doomed coup attempt that ends with you and your entire family dead in the streets."
He continued without pause.
"If you choose to stand with Konoha, to help us eliminate the Uchiha threat and spare your younger brother in the process, then you can prevent this disaster before it begins. As someone who's operated as a double agent between the village and the clan, you're uniquely qualified for this mission."
"Why? Why does it have to be extermination?"
"Why?" Danzō's expression didn't change. "Because eight years ago, during the tailed beast incident, the ninja who controlled the Three-Tails and Six-Tails to attack Konoha was an Uchiha. Minato's son had just been born. Kushina had just given birth and was at her most vulnerable. Despite that, she risked the Nine-Tails going berserk and fought alongside Minato to drive back the beasts. But that Uchiha responsible escaped."
He paused, watching Itachi's reaction.
"After that battle, Kushina's jinchūriki seal was completely destroyed. The Nine-Tails had to be transferred into newborn child to prevent it from running wild. She survived thanks to Uzumaki vitality, but barely. She's still dealing with the injuries. You think Minato's going to just forgive the clan that nearly killed his wife and forced his son to become a jinchūriki?"
If Kenji had been present to hear this conversation, he would've laughed out loud. The truth was that Minato had split the Nine-Tails in half and sealed it into both Naruto and Kushina, a top-level secret known only to those directly involved. Danzō, as a high-ranking Konoha official, knew the real story. He was just lying to Itachi's face because he could.
"Don't think your coup has any chance of success. Eight years ago, even the Three-Tails and Six-Tails were suppressed relatively easily. Unless Madara himself comes back from the dead, you have no hope of winning. And Minato's closest ally, Kenji, wields Wood Release inherited from the First Hokage. That's power on par with Madara. If the Uchiha launch a coup, the only outcome is total annihilation."
He stared directly at Itachi, forcing the boy to hold his gaze.
"So. Are you willing to accept this mission?"
Before Itachi could formulate a response, the entire constructed reality shattered.
The genjutsu world fractured into countless motes of light that swirled through the air before reassembling into a completely different scene.
---
A dark forest materialized around them.
Itachi stood at the center of a small clearing, gripping a kunai and scanning his surroundings warily. The trees were too close together, the shadows too deep. This wasn't a real place. It was a memory filtered through fear and uncertainty.
The air rippled like disturbed water.
A figure wearing an orange tiger-striped mask appeared out of nowhere, emerging from the distortion as if reality itself had opened to let him through.
Itachi's hand tightened on his kunai. "Who are you?"
"I am Uchiha Madara." The voice that came from behind the mask was cold. "The one who will avenge the Uchiha clan."
"Madara?" Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Stop with this act and tell truth."
His arm whipped forward, sending the kunai flying straight at the masked man's head. At the same time, his hands blurred through seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
A massive sphere of flame erupted from his mouth, filling the clearing with scorching heat. The fireball roared forward on a direct path toward the intruder.
The masked man didn't dodge. He ran straight into the flames.
Itachi watched in shock as the figure passed through the fire without taking any damage. The flames washed over him like he wasn't there at all and he emerged on the other side completely unharmed.
Before he could process what he'd just seen, the masked man was in front of him.
Itachi's body moved on pure instinct. His hand shot out with another kunai, stabbing directly at the man's head. The blade passed through skull and brain matter without resistance, like he was stabbing air.
His eyes went wide. He tried to pull back, but the masked man's hand closed around his throat and slammed him into the ground.
Itachi tried to rise, but wooden vines suddenly erupted from the masked man's arm. They wrapped around his torso and limbs, binding him completely.
The masked man stood over him, looking down with the single Sharingan visible through his mask.
"I want revenge on the Uchiha. And you're a talented shinobi. I hope you'll help me achieve it."
"Revenge?" Itachi struggled against the vines. "Against your own clan?"
"That's right." Something cruel entered the masked man's tone. "I was betrayed. Everything I built, everything I offered them, was cast aside. They turned their backs on the future I promised. There's no place for them in this false world anymore. The Uchiha clan has outlived its purpose."
---
The genjutsu world shattered one final time.
The fragments of illusion swirled through the air before reassembling into a new scene. Itachi stood on a rooftop overlooking the Uchiha compound, the masked man beside him. Below, the district spread out in all its quiet evening glory, lights beginning to flicker on in windows as families settled in for the night.
"No. Sasuke must live."
"Oh? You're about to slaughter your own clan and parents, yet you still care about such illusory familial bonds?"
"It's not about bonds," Itachi said calmly. "I need him as a vessel for the Sharingan."
"The Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"Yes."
"I see. Don't worry. I have no interest in children without the Sharingan."
The image fractured.
Everything dissolved into pure white light. The constructed reality collapsed completely, and both father and son withdrew from the genjutsu simultaneously.
They stood facing each other in the corridor once more, the real world settling back into place around them.
"The coup will fail," Itachi said into the silence. "The Uchiha will be annihilated. But I can save Sasuke. I can keep him in the village and give him a future. That is all that matters."
Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan slowly faded back to its standard three-tomoe form. When he spoke, his voice carried a weariness, "Do you truly believe that? That this is the only path forward?"
"It's the future I saw. The only way the Uchiha survive."
The words came out firm, but Fugaku could see the tremor in his son's eyes. Itachi wanted to believe what he was saying. He needed to believe it. But some part of him wasn't sure, and that uncertainty was eating him alive from the inside.
Fugaku looked at his eldest son. Blood from other Uchiha stained Itachi's clothes and hands. The boy who'd been kind and thoughtful, who'd shown such promise, had become this. A weapon pointed at his own people.
Then his hands came up, moving through seals.
He took a deep breath. Chakra surged in his throat, building heat and pressure.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive sphere of flame erupted from his mouth, roaring across the courtyard straight toward Itachi. The heat was intense enough to make the air shimmer and distort.
Itachi's hands moved quickly. The same seals, the same technique, drilled into him from childhood. His own fireball launched forward to meet his father's attack.
BOOM!
The two spheres of fire collided in the center of the courtyard with explosive force. Flames scattered in all directions, illuminating the entire compound in flickering orange light. Sparks rained down like burning snow.
In the firelight, father and son stood motionless, facing each other. Neither flinched or looked away.
Off to the side, Mikoto knelt on the tatami mats with tears streaming down her face. She watched this tragedy unfold, and couldn't find words. What could she possibly say? What words existed that could stop this?
The flames died down. Darkness rushed back in to fill the void.
Then both of them moved.
They crashed together in close combat. Steel rang as Fugaku's short blade met Itachi's kunai, sparks bursting with every clash.
The injuries Itachi had suffered in his fight with Homura were slowing him down. Every block sent sharp pain through his broken ribs. His movements were sluggish, and his reactions lagged by a split second. Each parry felt as though it demanded everything he had left.
They separated after another exchange, both breathing harder than before.
"You're hurt."
It wasn't a question. Fugaku's eyes tracked the way Itachi favored his left side, the slight tremor in his sword arm.
"Homura has the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"The Mangekyō?" Surprise flickered across Fugaku's face. He went quiet for a moment. Then he murmured, almost to himself, "Those must be Enma's eyes."
"Who's Enma?" Itachi pressed, still trying to catch his breath.
Fugaku didn't answer.
Instead, he raised his head slowly. The three tomoe in his eyes began spinning faster, accelerating until they blurred together and transformed.
"Itachi," he said quietly. "The Mangekyō is the ultimate power of the Uchiha. Watch closely."
Purple chakra exploded outward from his body in a violent surge. The energy took shape rapidly, forming translucent skeletal structures that materialized around him like armor. Ribs appeared first, locking into place to protect his torso. Then a skull, hollow-eyed and massive. Finally an arm, reaching out with fingers spread.
Susanoo.
The skeletal construct towered over the courtyard, dwarfing both combatants. Fugaku stood at its center, protected by ribs of pure chakra.
He directed the construct to attack. The massive right arm drew back and then swung forward, the fist slamming down toward where Itachi had been standing.
CRASH!
The impact pulverized the ground, creating a crater several meters wide. Dust and debris exploded upward in a cloud that momentarily obscured everything.
Itachi had rolled backward at the last second, barely escaping the strike. He came up in a crouch, hands already forming seals while his body was still in motion.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Dozens of small fireballs shot from his mouth like a swarm. They peppered Susanoo's skeletal frame, exploding against the purple chakra construct in showers of sparks and flame.
The attack did nothing.
Fugaku commanded the construct to strike again. The massive fist came down toward Itachi, who was still airborne with no footing to dodge.
BANG!
The Itachi that got hit shattered into pieces of wood.
"Using the flames to block my vision... Good instinct."
Fugaku smiled slightly. His son had learned well.
Then the ground beneath his feet cracked and split.
Itachi burst up from below, having used an underground movement technique to reposition. His blade gleamed as it drove straight toward Fugaku's chest.
The older Uchiha made no move to defend himself.
The blade sank deep.
SCHLINK!
Steel tore through flesh and bone, the tip emerging from Fugaku's back in a spray of blood. Itachi's hand, still gripping the hilt, trembled violently.
He stared at his father's face, expecting pain or anger. Instead, he found something that looked almost like relief. A faint smile played at the corners of Fugaku's mouth.
"Why... Why didn't you dodge..."
Fugaku didn't answer the question. Instead, his head tilted back slightly. The Mangekyō Sharingan in his right eye began spinning again, faster and faster. Blood leaked from the corner of his eye socket, trailing down his cheek in a crimson line.
Itachi froze in place. For a split second, he felt something take hold of him. Then it released, and he could move again.
He looked at his father with shock and confusion warring on his face.
"This is... what did you..."
"A secret technique of the Uchiha." Fugaku's voice was growing weaker with every word. He coughed, and blood sprayed from his mouth to splatter across Itachi's face. "I'm giving it to you now. I never wanted... to kill my own son... never..."
"Father..."
The hot blood on his face shattered the last of Itachi's composure. Something changed in his vision. The three tomoe of his Sharingan began spinning wildly, accelerating beyond anything he'd experienced before. They blurred together, merged, and transformed into something new.
A pattern of three blade-like shapes, interlocking and connected in a design that was both beautiful and terrible.
The Mangekyō Sharingan bloomed in his eyes.
"Ahh!"
The pain was excruciating. It felt like his eyes were being burned from the inside out. Blood seeped from the corners of his eye sockets as he staggered backward, his vision swimming.
"So you've awakened the Mangekyō as well," Fugaku said softly. There was no surprise in his voice. "The power born from hatred and suffering. This is what I wanted for you, Itachi. The strength you'll need for what comes next."
He'd planned this from the beginning. His death would be the trigger to unlock his son's ultimate power.
"Father, was I wrong? Did I make the wrong choice?"
"Itachi." Fugaku's breathing was shallow. His life was draining away quickly. "Promise me one last thing. Take care of Sasuke... Protect him."
He took a step backward, pulling his chest away from the blade. The movement opened the wound wider. Blood gushed out in a torrent, soaking through his clothes and pooling on the floor.
He collapsed to his knees, his strength finally giving out. He looked up at Itachi one final time, seeing his son trembling slightly, barely able to stand.
"Your mother... is waiting for you," he said, forcing the words out with the last reserves of his strength. "Don't be afraid. This is the path you chose. Compared to what you'll carry... our pain is only a moment. Even if we disagree with your methods... we're still proud of you, Itachi."
His voice faded to nothing. His head slowly dropped forward, and he went still.
Fugaku was dead.
"Father... Mother..."
Itachi stared at his father's corpse like he was seeing it from very far away. His body moved on autopilot. He stepped over the body, until he stood before his mother.
"Itachi, don't be afraid."
Mikoto reached out and gently touched his cheek. Tears fell freely down her face, but she was still smiling. It was the same warm smile she had given him countless times throughout his childhood.
"I'll always support you. Do what you have to do. Your father is waiting for me on the other side."
Her words broke something in him. He raised the blade slowly, positioning the tip over his mother's heart.
"Take care of Sasuke, Itachi."
Mikoto didn't flinch or try to move away. She just kept looking at him.
The blade began its descent.
CLANG!
A kunai shot in from beyond the courtyard wall, flying straight at Itachi's back. He reacted on reflex, spinning and bringing his sword up to deflect the projectile.
The kunai clattered to the ground.
He turned sharply toward the source of the attack.
A figure stood atop the courtyard barrier, illuminated by the pale light of the moon. It was Homura, who had finished treating the wounded across the district and rushed here as quickly as he could.
His eyes swept across the scene, taking in Fugaku's corpse and Mikoto kneeling before Itachi with his blade raised. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun slowly.
---
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50 Advance Chapters!
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