Chapter 151: Uchiha Izuna

"Itachi!"

"Brother…"

Mikoto, clutching Sasuke in her arms, rushed forward with urgency. She pulled the pale, bloodied Itachi into her embrace. Her hands trembled as she gently caressed his face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Even though he had been killed by his own sibling, Mikoto bore no resentment toward Itachi.

She understood.

This was the path he had chosen.

Yet, as a mother, the pain was undeniable.

Fugaku, standing silently as the clan head, had tacitly allowed Itachi's actions. But was that not also an injustice to the rest of their clan? Who had given them the right to decide their people's fate?

Her heart ached, but it was a mother's love for her son that overwhelmed everything else.

"Itachi-kun…"

Uchiha Izumi covered her mouth, her eyes filled with a complicated mixture of emotions.

Itachi had subjected her to a Tsukuyomi that spanned fifty years within the genjutsu world, where she lived and died by his side. Her love for him was unwavering, yet the reality of the clan's massacre haunted her.

(A/N: Itachi's portrayal here follows the depiction in the official novel Itachi Shinden, lending him a trace of humanity amidst his actions.)

"Itachi… how did things come to this?"

Shisui stood off to the side, his fists clenched tightly as he gazed at the unconscious Itachi. His expression was a storm of confusion and frustration.

Before his supposed death, Shisui had entrusted Itachi with his other Mangekyō Sharingan, imbued with Kotoamatsukami. This technique should have been enough to influence Fugaku and suppress the clan's rebellion.

Why had it failed?

Could it have been Danzō? Had that man not only stolen Shisui's eye but also manipulated Itachi with Kotoamatsukami?

As he pondered, Shisui's hand brushed against his cheek, and his confusion deepened.

Wait… why can I still see?

"This is absurd! What kind of justice is this?"

"Kneeling? That's his answer?!"

"A few bows, and he expects forgiveness for slaughtering his clan? Ridiculous!"

Itachi's act of repentance sparked a fiery uproar among the resurrected Uchiha. Anger surged through the crowd, and in their rising emotions, many instinctively tried to activate their Sharingan.

"My Sharingan… it's gone!"

"What happened to my kekkei genkai?!"

A shocking realization dawned upon them. Their Sharingan had vanished.

Following the massacre, the Sharingan of the deceased—whether single tomoe or fully developed—had been harvested. Danzō, Obito, and even Orochimaru had taken their fill, leaving nothing behind.

The Rinne Rebirth technique had brought them back to life, but it could not restore their stolen Sharingan. They were left with the ordinary eyes of a common person.

The Uchiha's bloodline limit had not disappeared entirely, however. If anyone among them possessed exceptional talent, they might still awaken the Sharingan anew.

As the commotion settled, someone finally voiced the question weighing on everyone's mind:

"Wait… we were dead. Where are we now?"

The familiar sunlit surroundings and their very breath spoke of life, not the afterlife.

"Do you know what's going on, Sasuke?" Fugaku turned to his younger son, his tone both skeptical and desperate.

"It's the Hokage and the ancestors—they brought everyone back to life!" Sasuke exclaimed with excitement. Cradled in Mikoto's arms, he was overjoyed to see his family and clan alive again. His respect for the Hokage, once tenuous, had grown considerably.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen resurrected us?!" Fugaku's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wasn't it that conniving old fox who wanted the Uchiha gone in the first place?"

"No, not him," Sasuke clarified. "It was his teacher, Senju Tobirama… or something like that."

"The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama?!" Fugaku's shock was palpable.

He knew Tobirama's reputation all too well—a man who harbored deep suspicion toward the Uchiha. His students, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō, had inherited those sentiments. Why would he of all people revive the Uchiha?

And wasn't he supposed to be dead?

Then again, if Tobirama could bring back the Uchiha, resurrecting himself didn't seem impossible.

"Who's this 'ancestor' you're talking about?" Fugaku pressed, eager for answers.

"Uchiha Madara—the ancestor who rivaled the First Hokage! He's the one who revived us. He even took me as his student!" Sasuke declared, his tone proud.

"Madara…" Fugaku murmured, stunned beyond words.

Could it be? Had Madara faked his death at the Valley of the End to outlast Hashirama? Had he launched a counterattack against Konoha after learning of their plight, defeated the still-living Tobirama, and used him to resurrect the clan?

Fugaku's mind raced with theories, convinced he had pieced together the truth.

He quickly gathered the clan to share his analysis. Though many had lost faith in him as a leader, his words carried weight in this uncertain time.

Meanwhile, Madara, deep in conversation with Hashirama, suddenly remembered another who had been revived—his long-deceased younger brother.

With excitement, Madara led Hashirama and Tobirama toward a secluded area.

In a quiet corner, a lone figure stood, looking around in confusion.

"Where… am I?"

Uchiha Izuna gazed at his hands and the unfamiliar surroundings, his mind clouded with questions. He remembered dying on the battlefield, giving his Mangekyō Sharingan to his brother so Madara could awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Izuna!!"

Madara's voice broke through Izuna's thoughts. His elder brother was sprinting toward him, joy evident in his every step.

Hashirama and Tobirama exchanged a glance before following.

"Brother?!" Izuna looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of Madara, who appeared almost unchanged from the day he'd last seen him. But his gaze quickly shifted to the two Senju trailing behind.

"Brother, watch out! Those Senju scum won't lay a hand on you!"

Izuna charged forward, his fist aimed at the two.

"Oh?" Tobirama raised an eyebrow, stepping forward.

In an instant, Izuna was pinned to the ground.

Recently revived and lacking chakra, Izuna was no match for Tobirama, who subdued him with ease.

"Damn it! Let me go! Brother, run!" Izuna struggled, shouting for Madara to escape.

"Enough, Tobirama," Madara said, stepping forward. "Release him."

Tobirama shrugged and let go.

"Izuna!" Madara pulled his brother into a tight embrace, his relief and happiness overwhelming.

"Brother… what's going on?" Izuna looked between Madara and the two Senju, his wariness undiminished.

As Madara recounted the decades of history since Izuna's death, his younger brother sat in stunned silence.

"I've… been dead for over sixty years?"

"The Warring States Period is over?"

"You and Senju Hashirama built Konoha together?"

"You're now… Senju Tobirama's subordinate?!"

"I am not his subordinate!" Madara barked, flicking Izuna on the forehead.

"But he's the Hokage, and you work in Konoha. Isn't that the same thing?" Izuna muttered, rubbing his head.

"Stop talking nonsense and listen!" Madara snapped, though he didn't deny it outright.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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