Chapter 5 The Clash of Fates edited

In the small courtyard, Kaito suddenly felt a wave of spatial disturbances ripple through the air. At the same moment, a massive barrier dome shimmered into existence, sealing off the entire Uchiha compound.

"So it begins..." Kaito whispered, his Sharingan pulsing crimson.

[Plot Triggered: The Uchiha Clan Massacre!]

[Select Mission:

Abandon the clan and flee

Reward: Advanced Sage Body • S-Rank Ninjutsu Scroll

Betray the Uchiha, side with Konoha

Reward: Wood Release Kekkei Genkai • Wind Style Compendium

Lead the Uchiha resistance

Reward: Perfect Sage Mode • Mysterious Legacy Scroll]

"Option three!" Kaito declared without hesitation. No reward could sway him from defending his people.

[Mission confirmed]

"Then let the games begin." A fierce grin split Kaito's face as the tomoe in his left eye twisted into an intricate Mangekyo pattern.

Through its enhanced vision, he saw them - hundreds of black-clad ANBU operatives swarming the compound like shadows, their animal masks leering in the moonlight. One familiar silhouette moved with particular purpose toward Fugaku's residence.

"Damn it..." Kaito's jaw tightened. However he might have respected Itachi as a friend, he would never condone this kinslaying madness. But first, he needed to blunt Konoha's assault before the clan suffered irreparable losses.

Itachi... would have to face his parents alone.

In a blur of movement, Kaito vanished from the courtyard, materializing atop a roof overlooking the densest concentration of intruders. Below, dozens of Root operatives prepared to infiltrate Uchiha homes.

"Danzo's rats," Kaito sneered, hands already flying through seals. "Try this on for size!"

"Fire Style: Great Blaze Annihilation!"

The lead operative spun around, his warning cry dying in his throat as a tsunami of blue-white flames engulfed the entire block. Men screamed as their water-style defenses vaporized before completion. When the inferno cleared, only smoldering earth remained across the hundred-meter kill zone.

"Magnificent." Kaito admired his handiwork. The enhanced technique's efficiency meant he could maintain this onslaught indefinitely. With the civilians already evacuated, he could wage war without restraint.

Another shunshin carried him toward the next battlefront. Every second counted - he needed to cull Danzo's forces before they could organize. Though Uchiha warriors were quality over quantity, even the strongest could drown in numbers.

The massive explosion instantly drew the attention of every Root operative in the compound. With their cover blown, the black-clad assassins abandoned stealth and launched their assault in earnest.

What they didn't anticipate were the Uchiha elites waiting in ambush.

From shadowed doorways and concealed rooftops, Sharingan-wielding warriors struck with lethal precision. Kunai found throats, fireballs engulfed squads, and genjutsu turned allies against each other. The tide began to turn as Root numbers dwindled rapidly.

Yet sheer weight of numbers still favored the invaders. One by one, Uchiha defenders began falling to coordinated attacks, their crimson eyes dimming forever.

Itachi froze mid-sprint toward the clan head's residence.

The distant inferno's glow reflected in his widened Sharingan. The sounds of battle - screams, explosions, clashing steel - filled the night air. For just a heartbeat, uncertainty flickered across his face.

Then his expression hardened.

'Danzo and "Madara" can handle the resistance,' he reasoned, resuming his desperate run. 'But Father...'

Fugaku Uchiha was the true wildcard. That private revelation of the Mangekyo Sharingan weeks ago had shaken Itachi to his core. He still didn't know the full extent of his father's power.

'If I can neutralize Father, the rest will fall.' His hand tightened around his tanto. 'Even Kaito - for all his elite jounin skills - won't be enough to turn this tide alone.'

The four guards never stood a chance.

Itachi found them waiting on the path to the main house - loyal clansmen standing between him and his mission.

"Identify yourself!" the lead guard demanded, not recognizing the masked intruder.

Itachi answered with steel. His blade flashed in the moonlight as he moved with lethal precision. Against the predictive power of his Mangekyo Sharingan, their defenses might as well have been paper. Four strikes. Four bodies collapsing into spreading crimson pools.

"A poor choice indeed."

The voice came from above. Itachi looked up to see Fugaku standing on the engawa - only for the figure to dissolve into white smoke.

'A shadow clone?' Itachi's breath hitched. He broke into a sprint toward the house. The real battle would be between Mangekyo wielders now.

The compound stood silent as a tomb. Itachi moved through rooms like a ghost, every sense heightened. His father had become the most dangerous opponent he'd ever faced.

"Here."

The voice came from deeper within. Itachi followed it to a sliding door, hand trembling on his sword's hilt.

"Enter. No traps await you."

The scene inside froze Itachi's blood. Fugaku and Mikoto knelt with their backs to him, postures relaxed as if for afternoon tea.

"Father I..." The words died in his throat.

Fugaku's voice carried quiet resignation. "So you've chosen Konoha after all."

Mikoto turned just enough to show her profile. "We understand, son. Our pain will be brief - yours will last a lifetime."

"You may disagree with me," Fugaku said, shoulders squaring, "but you'll always be my pride."

"Sasuke..." Mikoto whispered.

"...is in your care now," Fugaku finished.

Itachi's blade rose on its own accord, tears blurring his vision as steel caught moonlight—

BOOM!

The entire compound shook. Plaster rained from the ceiling as a sound like the world ending rolled across the village.

"What—?!" Itachi staggered, weapon forgotten.

The family rushed outside in unison—and froze.

A golden colossus towered over the Uchiha district, its spectral bones visible for miles. The very air vibrated with its power.

"Impossible..." Itachi breathed.

Fugaku's face went pale. "A perfect Susano'o."