Chapter 569: The Power of Uchiha

While Sarada was still reeling from the revelation that her father was second only to the Hokage in terms of strength within Konoha, the image on the massive screen in the square flickered again.

This time, the screen showed the rooftop of the Hokage Building, revealing a spacious platform. Danzo was there, preparing to gather more Konoha shinobi to his cause. The effects of his earlier use of Kotoamatsukami had been remarkably successful. If he could secure the support of enough shinobi this time, the Hokage's position in this new era would be practically within his grasp.

His plan was to use Naruto's family as leverage, forcing the so-called "strongest Sixth Hokage" to surrender all the Tailed Beasts within him. With that power, Danzo could directly unify the entire shinobi world, reducing the Five Great Nations to Konoha's sole dominion. He might even go so far as to obliterate the other four nations entirely.

At this moment in the footage, Danzo hadn't yet given the final signal for the shinobi to rally to his side. Suddenly, the sky above filled with a seemingly endless swarm of black crows. In the next instant, Itachi appeared amidst the crows, materializing abruptly behind Danzo.

Danzo froze for a split second before whipping around to face Itachi. "Uchiha... Itachi? You're still alive? And in Konoha?!"

Danzo was clearly shocked. Although he had been in the village for a few days and had a general understanding of Konoha's current state, he hadn't yet grasped the specifics regarding the Uchiha clan. After all, Konoha had grown so large that it was impossible to fully comprehend the entire village in such a short time. Danzo was deeply surprised. "A rogue ninja like you... can actually return to Konoha?"

The people watching the giant screen, both civilians and Konoha shinobi, were so astonished their jaws nearly dropped.

"Rogue ninja? Why would he say that? Was my dad a rogue ninja?"

"No!! Was he ever a rogue ninja?"

Hearing Sarada's question, Kakashi smiled gently. "No."

"Itachi was never a rogue ninja. Back then, on the Third Hokage's orders, Itachi had to infiltrate a dangerous organization."

"So, he was forced to bear the label of a rogue ninja!" Sarada exclaimed, sighing in relief. It seemed her father had only been on a mission, not actually committing any heinous acts that would warrant the title of rogue ninja.

However, Kakashi kept the devastating truth to himself: Your father killed almost your entire clan. Even your grandparents.

In the footage, Itachi ignored Danzo's surprise. "Lord Danzo, give up. You won't succeed. The greatest enemy in this world isn't the Five Great Nations!"

"It's the Ōtsutsuki clan – a terrifying race from the stars!"

"They possess power far beyond that of humans. If we don't unite to fight them and instead continue fighting amongst ourselves,"

"the entire shinobi world will..." Itachi trailed off, hoping to persuade Danzo. After all, Danzo was quite powerful, and if he could be convinced to join their side, he would be a valuable ally.

But Danzo merely sneered. "If such enemies truly exist, then it's all the more reason for Konoha to become the shinobi world's sole power."

"Unity? Hah! Without strength, there is no unity. When you lack power, everyone becomes your enemy!"

"Enough delusions, Uchiha Itachi. Since you're here, let this old man see if you can stop me now." With that, Danzo raised his hand, signaling the Root shinobi around him to attack.

Yet in the next moment, Itachi suddenly lifted his head and opened his eyes. A six-tomoe Sharingan activated. The six tomoe slowly rotated within his pupils.

Seeing this unusual Sharingan, Danzo was stunned. "What kind of eyes are these?"

"The Sharingan. Shouldn't you know this well, Lord Danzo?"

"Why does the Sharingan have six tomoe? Is this the Mangekyō?" Danzo was clearly confused. The only explanation that seemed plausible was the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Itachi smiled faintly.

The next instant, all the Root shinobi around them froze in place, standing completely still without any movement.

"What's wrong with them? Why aren't they moving?"

"Look at their eyes – they've all gone blank!" The newer generation of shinobi had never witnessed such a scene and had no idea what was happening.

Kakashi chuckled softly. "This is the effect of genjutsu. If a genjutsu is powerful enough, it can immobilize targets like this."

"And Itachi is Konoha's master of genjutsu. Not only does he possess the Sharingan, which naturally allows for visual genjutsu, but his ocular power is also incredibly strong."

"His innate talent for genjutsu is astonishing!"

Genjutsu? It could do this?! The young shinobi exchanged wide-eyed glances. In their understanding, genjutsu was mostly useless; even if it succeeded, its lethality was limited, and it required complicated hand seals. Yet, in Itachi's hands, genjutsu had reached such a terrifying level. With just one glance, he had immobilized all the shinobi.

Genjutsu is so cool! If only we had studied it harder!

"The Sharingan can naturally cast genjutsu? It can use genjutsu?" Sarada asked innocently.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. It can also enhance genjutsu to some extent. In battle, it's best not to look directly into a Sharingan user's eyes."

"Otherwise, if you're caught in a genjutsu at a critical moment and deceived by it, the consequences can be disastrous."

Sarada blinked, her eyes sparkling with admiration as she stared at Itachi on the screen. "Speaking of genjutsu, the most terrifying user is probably your uncle, Uchiha Sasuke."

"That guy's genjutsu is so strong that those with weak willpower might instantly lose consciousness with just one look and be defeated outright."

Sasuke? Sarada was stunned. He's skilled in genjutsu too? And from the sound of it, his genjutsu was even more overpowered than her father's. Her father and uncle both seemed to have absurdly strong talents. So why did she feel like her talent wasn't even one percent of theirs? Had she not inherited their gifts?

"Fire Style!"

"Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Suddenly, Itachi formed hand seals. His speed was so fast it was dizzying to watch. In the next instant, the seals were complete. The massive fireball that erupted was so enormous it left countless Konoha shinobi in disbelief. In less than a second, he had conjured a fireball even larger than the Hokage Building's rooftop.

Is this something a human can even do?! Many shinobi's lips twitched involuntarily. From now on, when accepting missions, we'd better be extra polite around him. With this kind of speed and power, a single move from him could probably reduce them to ashes.

Facing this attack, Danzo swiftly dodged. "What an incredible Fire Style! This old man has never seen such a powerful Great Fireball Jutsu!"

"Uchiha Itachi, you truly live up to being the Uchiha's genius!"

Genius? Itachi smiled faintly. "That's only because you haven't seen my younger brother Sasuke. Compared to him, my Great Fireball Jutsu is nothing..."

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