Chapter:48

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"Hokage-sama, something terrible has happened!" An Anbu's voice echoed from a distance, causing Sarutobi Hiruzen to freeze, sensing that a serious event had occurred again.

Outside Konoha Village.

As in the original story, Uchiha Itachi took care of the two Root elites tasked with assassinating him and arrived at the meeting place with Obito.

"You're finally here. Is everything ready?" Obito asked, leaning against a large tree with his arms folded. A gentle breeze stirred, scattering leaves and causing both of their long hair to flutter.

"Yes, let's go." Itachi didn't question the death of Sarutobi Shinnosuke or the disappearance of the Uchiha bodies. He had an agreement with Obito—he would turn a blind eye to Obito's actions in exchange for his brother's safety and a promise that Obito would not attack Konoha for the rest of his life.

"No, we need to wait for one more," Obito replied, shaking his head.

"Who?" Itachi asked, surprised. He hadn't expected anyone else to be involved in the Uchiha massacre.

"A new member of Akatsuki," Obito answered calmly and fell silent, waiting.

Before long, a figure appeared, leaping swiftly and covering vast distances with each step, arriving in front of them in moments.

"You're finally here. Why didn't the girl come with you?" Obito stood and addressed the figure hidden in the darkness.

"As for Izumi, I sent her out of the village using the reverse summoning technique. Once she's safe, I'll bring her back." Kirito casually gave an excuse and stepped out from the shadows, revealing his pale face under the moonlight.

"It's you... Kirito?" Itachi was shocked and speechless, his expression full of disbelief.

"Why not me?" Kirito responded with a playful smile.

Itachi glanced at Obito. "What's going on here?"

"As you can see, Kirito is also a member of Akatsuki now. Just as you joined to protect your brother and destroy the Uchiha clan, Kirito has chosen a similar path to protect the young Uchiha girl. The Kirito you killed, along with the Uchiha girl, were simply substitutes created through Kirito's unique abilities," Obito explained.

Kirito walked over to Obito, casually draping an arm around his shoulders despite Obito's clear displeasure. "So, how does it feel, Itachi, the one who killed his parents? Surprised? Your Mangekyō Sharingan is useless against me."

"Of course, you could always use the other eye's technique on me, but the consequences may be more than you can handle."

Itachi glanced at Kirito, then back at Obito. Seeing Obito's discomfort with Kirito, he thought it over before speaking calmly: "I am no longer a Konoha ninja. Since you've joined Akatsuki, I won't attack you."

"But I'm curious. Earlier, Madara said you made the same choice as me. Does that mean you also wiped out a family in Konoha?"

"Of course," Kirito replied with a calm smile.

As they spoke, Obito grew impatient, shrugging Kirito's arm off. "We can talk on the way. It's time to leave."

With that, Obito used his teleportation technique and vanished, closely followed by Kirito.

Itachi followed as well, asking, "Which family did you destroy?"

"Danzo threatened Izumi and forced me to help with the Uchiha massacre, while also ordering you to kill me and Izumi. Sarutobi Hiruzen turned a blind eye to all of this. I'm someone who always seeks revenge. Which clan do you think I wiped out?" Kirito glanced at Itachi, teasing him with a smile.

"Sarutobi and Shimura?" Itachi realized suddenly.

Looking back at Konoha, a whirlwind of emotions flickered across his face—hesitation, fear, worry, and perhaps a faint, hidden sense of relief.

Finally, he sighed and followed Kirito and Obito into the darkness.

Elsewhere...

Konoha's Anbu, who had just finished collecting the bodies of the Uchiha clan, barely had time to rest before they were called into high alert again. They were urgently summoned to a new location—the Sarutobi clan's grounds.

The sight before them was horrific: corpses everywhere, blood staining the earth and the buildings. The deaths were brutal. Even Kakashi and the others, who had grown accustomed to the carnage of the Uchiha massacre, couldn't help but wonder what kind of hatred could drive someone to such a ruthless act, leaving no survivors.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen was on the verge of collapse. Just as he rid himself of the Uchiha "thorn," news came that his eldest son had died. Soon after, more bad news arrived: his youngest son's lower body was crushed, his chest severely wounded, and three ribs broken. He had dragged his injured body out of the clan's grounds only to faint from blood loss. An Anbu patrol found him and rushed him to the medical ward.

Following the trail of blood, the Anbu entered the Sarutobi clan's territory, where they discovered a scene as devastating as that of the Uchiha clan—the entire Sarutobi clan had been annihilated, corpses scattered across the land, with almost no survivors.

Seeing the bodies of his fallen kin, Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart ached. His life's work had been to quietly build up the Sarutobi clan, growing it from a small, unknown family into a powerful one, rivaling the Uchiha. He had hoped that, after the fall of the Uchiha clan, the Sarutobi clan would become the dominant force in Konoha, ensuring that the Hokage title would stay within his family.

But now, all of it was gone in one night.

His only surviving son and grandson were mutilated. He was an old man, his wife long dead. Even if he survived this, he was no longer able to rebuild his clan.

The Sarutobi clan was now on the verge of extinction.

How could he remain calm? How could he not grieve?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Overwhelmed by sorrow and fury, Sarutobi Hiruzen's vision darkened, and he fainted on the spot.

(End of the Chapter).

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