Chapter 16: Red Moon Night  

The Hokage's Office in Konoha.

Danzo sat in the Hokage's chair, facing Itachi.

"What do you want from me?" Itachi asked, his voice cold.

Danzo chuckled. "Itachi, from the way you speak, it seems you have a lot of resentment towards me."

Itachi remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Danzo continued, "That's understandable. If I were you, I'd be angry too. After all, your brother was killed, and his eyes were taken. But you must understand… Everything I do is for the village. The Uchiha clan is a restless bunch, always stirring up trouble. I'm deeply concerned about your clan."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "If you have nothing else to say, I'll be leaving. Also, you're not the Hokage, so you're not qualified to sit in that seat."

Danzo's expression hardened for a moment before he continued, "Alright, let's get down to business. Itachi, if it comes to a battle between the village and the Uchiha clan, what are the chances of your clan winning?"

Itachi responded modestly, "If Shisui were still here, our chances would be around 20%."

Danzo's voice dropped to a whisper. "And now?"

Suddenly, space rippled beside Itachi, and a figure wearing a tiger-patterned mask appeared. His eyes gleamed with the red light of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Itachi's eyes widened. "It's you!"

Itachi recognized the masked man and was well aware of his formidable power. Thoughts raced through his mind as he quickly calculated his options. "Now, the Uchiha are sure to lose."

Danzo's voice cut through the tension. "So, between the village and the Uchiha, what will you choose?"

Itachi's face showed a moment of struggle before he answered, "The village."

Danzo's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Good. I'm giving you two choices now."

"One: You return to the Uchiha clan, fight to the death with them, and we wipe out the entire clan."

"Two: You side with Uchiha Madara and do the job yourself. If you choose this, I'll spare Sasuke's life. Your brother will live."

Itachi's voice wavered. "Has it really come to this?"

Danzo nodded, his tone resolute. "Yes, it has. The Uchiha must be eradicated."

Itachi hesitated. "Does the Third Hokage know about this?"

Danzo replied, "Why do you think I arranged this meeting here, in secret?"

He pressed on aggressively, "Make your choice, Itachi."

After a long, painful silence, Itachi finally spoke, his voice heavy with resignation. "I choose the second option."

"If the Uchiha clan goes to war with the village, the other ninja villages will surely take advantage of the chaos. I don't want to see another ninja war break out. So, I choose option two."

A slow, twisted smile spread across Danzo's face.

The mysterious masked man faded into the shadows, disappearing as silently as he had arrived. Itachi's form shimmered, then dissolved into a murder of crows that flew off into the night.

One of the crows made its way to the Uchiha compound, specifically to Sasuke's room.

A dark crow flew in through the window, its red eyes gleaming with the Mangekyō Sharingan. Sasuke stared in surprise—this was clearly one of Itachi's summons.

The crow locked eyes with Sasuke, and in the next instant, Sasuke found himself trapped in a Genjutsu. Inside the illusion, Itachi revealed Danzo's plan to Sasuke, warning him to tell their father to prepare.

Once the Genjutsu faded, Sasuke was left trembling with excitement. His plan was finally about to come to fruition!

Night fell, and the Uchiha compound was eerily quiet. The red moon hung high in the sky, casting an ominous glow over the village.

Sasuke made his way to the entrance of Konoha's Police Force headquarters. The person on duty tonight was a beautiful young woman—Izumi Uchiha. She had always been fond of Itachi and had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan at a young age, marking her as a prodigy.

Izumi smiled as she saw Sasuke approach. "Isn't this Itachi's little brother, Sasuke? What brings you here?"

Sasuke leaned in close and whispered, "Sister Izumi, my brother sent me a message through his summoning jutsu. He said someone is going to attack the Uchiha clan tonight. I've already warned my father, and he's keeping watch in the shadows. But you need to be careful—the enemy is very powerful!"

Izumi's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. She nodded. "Thank you, Sasuke. I'll stay alert."

Minutes ticked by, and Sasuke's nerves were on edge, but his excitement was palpable. He knew something was coming.

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a strange disturbance behind him, as if a gust of wind had blown through the room—yet there were no windows open. He turned around and saw a mysterious figure clad in a dark blue robe and wearing a tiger-patterned mask.

Obito glanced at Sasuke but ignored him, his focus on the chain he held in his hand as he advanced slowly toward Izumi.

Izumi's Sharingan activated, spinning with three tomoe as she watched Obito warily.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Izumi quickly launched her attack, sending a stream of flames shaped like dragon heads hurtling toward Obito.

But the flames passed harmlessly through Obito's body, causing him no harm.

"Foolish," Obito muttered, raising his chain and lunging at Izumi.

Izumi pulled out a kunai and tried to stab Obito, but once again, her weapon passed right through him. In the next moment, Obito's chain wrapped around her body, binding her tightly.

"Damn it!" Izumi cursed as black flames suddenly erupted from her body, engulfing the chain and causing it to melt.

She broke free, but when the flames reached Obito, they dissipated as if they couldn't touch him.

Just then, Itachi dropped from above, landing in front of Izumi and Sasuke, shielding them from Obito. "I'm sorry," Itachi said, his voice cold. "But I can't let you harm my friends."

Obito sneered. "This wasn't part of our agreement. I only promised not to harm Sasuke."

Itachi's gaze hardened. "I've changed my mind."

In the next instant, a massive black arm smashed through the wall—a jet-black Susanoo had manifested, its hand reaching for Obito. But just like before, the attack phased through Obito's body.

As the house began to collapse, Izumi grabbed Sasuke and hurriedly escaped the falling debris.

Fugaku stood inside the half-formed Susanoo, his expression calm as he addressed Obito. "You're an Uchiha too, so why are you attacking your own clan?"

Obito's voice dripped with disdain. "This world is false—it has no value. Even without Itachi, I can still annihilate the Uchiha."

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