**Chapter 74: Chaos**

*Snap!*

When Itsuki had gathered all the intel he needed, he snapped his fingers once more.

Suddenly, the eyes of the ANBU squad captain and his subordinates went blank. They completely lost consciousness, sinking into the world of Itsuki's genjutsu.

So naturally, they didn't notice that after they lost consciousness, the ANBU members who had seemingly been killed by having their necks twisted suddenly reappeared before them.

From start to finish, the only ones who actually died were the two ANBU members secretly following them, sent by the Hokage. They were killed by Hayate and Tenzo.

The entire ANBU team of sixteen members, plus the squad captain, totaling seventeen, was still intact.

Perfectly complete!

Hayate sighed, "Your genjutsu is truly extraordinary, sir."

Itsuki smiled slightly, "Enough chatter, let's begin the operation as planned!"

"Yes, sir!" 

Hayate and Tenzo responded before leaving, while Uzuki Yugao remained in place.

Itsuki, grinning, asked, "Did you miss me?"

Yugao rolled her eyes at him and replied teasingly, "What's the point of missing you? Someone's already found a new flame and forgotten about the old one, living the good life without a care in the world."

"How could I forget? We've known each other for over ten years!" Itsuki laughed heartily.

When Itsuki decided to start collecting his team, his first targets were Kurenai Yuhi and Uzuki Yugao, two of Konoha's most renowned beauties. Despite being a bit older than him, they were still within his acceptable range.

Due to his arrival, the timeline in the ninja world had become even more chaotic. The Konoha 12 were now around nine to ten years old, three to four years older than they were in the original timeline. Itachi was thirteen, while Itsuki was still not quite fifteen. Shisui was just under seventeen.

Uzuki Yugao and Kurenai Yuhi, though in their early twenties, were exactly to his liking. After all, older women are said to be more caring, right?

"Let's go. We can talk on the way," Itsuki said with a smile.

"Alright!" Yugao agreed as the two of them, along with the entire ANBU squad now trapped in a genjutsu, set off towards the Hidden Cloud Village.

…

Meanwhile, in Konoha, inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at an ANBU member beside him and asked, "What's the situation over there?"

"After Uchiha Itsuki left the village, he disappeared from our sight. However, 'Kara' reported that everything is normal, and 'Tori' has been in constant contact."

"Everything's going smoothly?" The Third Hokage was somewhat surprised.

"Do you mean to say..." the ANBU hesitated.

The Third Hokage slowly said, "I've always been concerned that Uchiha Itsuki would contact the Hidden Cloud Village after leaving Konoha and secretly plot to kill the ANBU."

"Would he dare?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

The ANBU fell silent. There wasn't anything Uchiha Itsuki wouldn't dare to do. Contacting the Hidden Cloud Village… they had done that before.

"So, what's your plan…?"

"We can only place our hope on the Hidden Cloud."

The Third Hokage's expression was indifferent as he said, "I've never believed that Tori and the others could kill Uchiha Itsuki. He's always been wary of them."

"But…"

The Third Hokage didn't finish his sentence. Even though the person standing before him was his most trusted ANBU captain—his eldest son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke—some things were known but never spoken aloud.

Uchiha Itsuki, you could never guess how determined Danzo is to kill you this time.

The Third Hokage looked down at the documents in his hands again. Initially, he was furious about the leak of the military defense plans, but on second thought, he realized it was an opportunity. An opportunity to strike at the Uchiha and remove a troublesome pawn.

If handled properly, the Uchiha would be pacified, and Danzo would be quiet for a long time.

The Third Hokage's face remained unchanged, but deep in his eyes, there was a hint of a sneer.

The final victor, hehe…

…

"Damn that Danzo!"

Hearing these words, Yugao was a bit bewildered.

Big Brother, do you even realize what you're doing right now? And at a time like this, you're cursing Danzo?

How is that appropriate?

Uzuki Yugao, frustrated, bit Itsuki hard.

"Ouch!" Itsuki winced, grimacing in pain.

With a dark expression, Yugao snapped, "Get lost!"

"No, I'm sorry," Itsuki quickly apologized, trying to make amends, but even after a flurry of effort, Yugao remained angry.

When everything had finally settled, Yugao glared at Itsuki and sarcastically said, "You've got quite the peculiar taste. Even in a moment like that, you were thinking about Danzo. How about next time I kidnap Danzo for you, and you can do whatever you want with him?"

This time, it was Itsuki's turn to look serious.

"Don't say nonsense!" he scolded. "I was thinking about the information we just obtained."

Surprised, Yugao asked, "Isn't that just normal intel? Danzo's people are in contact with the Hidden Cloud Village, planning to take you out secretly."

It was indeed normal intel. The information they got from the ANBU was that they were carrying out their mission as usual, but if they encountered Danzo's people, they were to retreat immediately. This indicated that Danzo's forces were also on the move.

This wasn't surprising! Ever since Itsuki had taken down over ten elite jounin from the Root division and publicly humiliated Danzo, it was clear that one of them had to die.

The only reason there was still stability between them was because Danzo's Root was powerful, and the Third Hokage wouldn't let anything happen to him. But the Uchiha were equally formidable, so the end result was that Danzo had to pay to settle the matter.

It was this incident that caused a rift between Itsuki and Fugaku. Fugaku didn't even want compensation. The Third Hokage stripped Danzo of his position and put him under house arrest, which Fugaku felt was punishment enough.

However, Shisui and Fugaku opposed this, fighting for compensation on Itsuki's behalf. If Itsuki had been present at the time, his fiery temper would have likely caused a scene where no one would have been able to back down.

A mere dismissal and house arrest? Who do you think you're insulting?

"Yugao, don't you think there's something wrong with this intel?" Itsuki asked.

Yugao was taken aback. "What could be wrong? Don't forget, the ANBU members have 'locks' in their minds. Getting information from them is nearly impossible."

"True," Itsuki agreed, smiling slightly. "Alright, let's not dwell on it. We're almost at the Hidden Cloud Village. Are you ready?"

"Ready?" Yugao was puzzled. "Your plan is simple. What is there to prepare for?"

"Good," Itsuki smiled again.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound.

Yugao jumped up. "Thunder?"

"No," she said, looking towards the direction of the Hidden Cloud Village. "Someone's fighting? Itsuki, what did you do?"

They were still quite a distance from the Hidden Cloud Village, yet the noise was audible even from where they stood. It was clear that something significant was happening.

Itsuki chuckled. "I believe the Third Hokage and Danzo's plan isn't simple. They know I might have a Mangekyo Sharingan, so the cost of killing me won't be small. Since that's the case…"

"I'll stir the pot even more!"

"Plans? Let them choke on their own schemes!"

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Hidden Cloud Village, a group of Hidden Cloud ninjas stood with grim faces. Not far from them was a massive crater, surrounded by severed limbs and broken bodies.

There were also shattered masks scattered around.

If any Konoha ninja were present, they would recognize those masks immediately.

They belonged to the ANBU and the Root division of Konoha!