Uchiha Housecleaning
"This blade is troublesome." Uchiha Ying frowned slightly, watching Kisame, who clutched Samehada's hilt and recovered quickly. It not only absorbed chakra but also channeled the absorbed chakra back to its wielder, healing injuries.
"You were careless, Kisame." Uchiha Itachi glanced at the revived Kisame, then activated his Sharingan, his gaze fixed with growing curiosity on the young man before him. Memorizing his opponent's face before killing them was Itachi's standard practice. Yet, the name Uchiha Ying, and even his appearance, were absent from the Uchiha clan records. Itachi had been perplexed when Danzo later informed him he'd overlooked a child. *Could he be a pawn, deliberately placed in Konoha by that masked man from that night?* The thought strengthened Itachi's resolve to eliminate the boy here and now.
"Damn it, that jutsu…" Kisame muttered, still reeling from the attack despite Samehada absorbing some of its power.
"The Uchiha clan truly produces geniuses."
"Yes, but the greatest genius has to be the guy next to you who slaughtered his entire clan." While the Uchiha clan's fate was of no consequence to Ying, the memory of Itachi's actions made it hard to feel anything but contempt for the kinslayer, even as an outsider.
"Uchiha Itachi." Ying met Itachi's Sharingan gaze unflinchingly.
---
"Shino, are you all right?" Hinata found Shino, covered in blood, amidst the ruins.
"I'm… all right. Just superficial wounds." Shino forced himself to his feet, accepting Hinata's help as he bandaged his bleeding wounds. Looking at the devastated street, he felt a profound sense of helplessness. Against ordinary bandits, he could easily defeat a group using only taijutsu. But against elite ninja, he could barely withstand the aftershocks of their jutsu. Sometimes the gap between ninja was even greater than the gap between ninja and civilians.
"You two, stay here. I'll find a way to defeat them." Kurenai emerged from another pile of rubble, relieved to see her students relatively unharmed. Though dusty and disheveled, she was otherwise uninjured. She had initially felt victory was impossible, unable to find an opening for her signature genjutsu against two S-rank missing-nin. But now, with Uchiha Ying holding the line, she saw a glimmer of hope. *Hmph, that brat aside, even this shark dares to underestimate a Konoha Jonin like me?*
"Sensei, I can still…" Thanks to Ying's protection, Hinata was even less injured than Kurenai.
"Hinata! We'll only hold them back. Listen to me!" Shino stopped Hinata from moving forward. They were no match for that level of combat. It was better to wait for the outcome before acting.
"Okay…" Hinata stopped, but her gaze remained fixed on the battle. If Ying was in danger, she wouldn't hesitate. But Shino was right; she would only be a burden now…
---
The world worked in mysterious ways. To avoid Konoha ninja potentially on missions outside the Fire Country, Itachi had deliberately led Kisame directly towards Konoha Village, believing it the least likely place for an encounter. At the same time, to avoid ninja conflict, Kurenai's team had abandoned their mission and returned to the village. Both groups, intending to avoid trouble, had ended up on the same path. Neither Ying nor Itachi wanted this confrontation. But now, a swift resolution was Itachi's priority. And this boy… He gave Itachi a strange feeling. *It's best to eliminate any potential threats to Sasuke as soon as possible.*
"Trash without even a Sharingan isn't qualified to judge me." Itachi activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, his killing intent intensifying. "Today, I'll correct the mistake I made that night."
"The mistake is you, the traitor. And since we've met, I'll clean house for the Uchiha." A mere Mangekyo Sharingan didn't faze Ying. He discreetly retrieved a ninja shard from where he had sent Kisame flying. Though outnumbered, if he could dislodge their ninja shards during the fight and absorb them, victory might be within his grasp.
"Wait, Itachi-san. Let me handle this brat." Kisame unwrapped all the bandages from Samehada, his round eyes locking onto Ying.
*Sasaa…* The living blade, Samehada, opened its maw filled with sharp teeth, seemingly snarling at the boy.
"Sorry, Uchiha survivor, but you'll be Samehada's next meal. You hit it earlier, and now it's angry." Kisame grinned cruelly, holding the writhing blade.
"Don't you dare hurt my students!"
Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death! Focusing all her chakra, Kurenai's black hair flowed around her. As her hand seals completed, her body transformed into a wisp of smoke, vanishing from sight.
"Genjutsu?" Both Kisame and Itachi heightened their vigilance, sensing the chakra fluctuation. Despite this, Kisame found his legs and body entangled by tree branches that suddenly erupted from the ground.
"Interesting. Even knowing it's genjutsu and taking precautions, I still fell for it. A remarkable technique." Kisame struggled, but the rapidly growing branches soon engulfed him entirely.
Itachi suffered the same fate. However…
"As expected of Kurenai-senpai. But using genjutsu against the Sharingan is unwise."
Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change! Just as Kurenai thought she had succeeded, Itachi reversed the genjutsu, reflecting its effects back onto her.
"What?!" Kurenai felt herself trapped by her own Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, her mind reeling in shock.
In reality, Itachi seized the opportunity, thrusting a kunai towards the genjutsu-bound kunoichi's neck.
"It's over, Kurenai-senpai."
*Thud!* The kunai's blade pierced skin, drawing blood.
"Ying?!" Kurenai, having broken free of the genjutsu by biting her lip, saw the boy standing before her, his hand gripping Itachi's kunai.