CHAPTER 31

"Itachi, leave it to me to solve it!"

He was once regarded by Sasuke as his most precious and closest family member, a brother he admired above all others.

Now, Itachi was nothing more than an obstacle in Sasuke's path to revenge, a reminder of the night when the Uchiha clan was annihilated under the guise of the "Eye of the Moon Plan."

…

On the other side, in the Uchiha clan's ancestral hall,

"Itachi Uchiha, do you know what you are doing?!"

The chief elder of the Uchiha clan, flanked by several elite clan members, glared at Itachi in rage, his voice filled with disbelief and fury.

Facing the accusations of the clan and the very elders who had watched him grow up, Itachi remained eerily calm.

"I have not betrayed the Uchiha clan," he said.

"I am merely saving it in my own way."

"The strength of the Uchiha alone is not enough to overthrow Konoha. A coup will only lead to our destruction."

"If you insist on rebellion, history will remember the Uchiha as traitors, our name forever stained."

"And so, I am carving out a future where at least one Uchiha will survive. I am sorry, but this is the only way."

As his words fell, Itachi's presence shifted—his aura turning cold and terrifying.

With a mere flicker of his Mangekyō Sharingan, the air in the hall grew oppressive.

"That... that's a Mangekyō Sharingan?!"

"What overwhelming power!"

Even the clan's strongest warriors could not match Itachi's speed and precision.

After exchanging a mere ten blows, the chief elder's throat was slashed open, his body collapsing lifelessly onto the floor.

The others fared no better.

Blood painted the walls as Itachi continued his silent massacre, illusions warping his enemies' senses while his kunai reaped their lives.

Step by step, he moved toward the heart of the Uchiha compound—his own home.

There, Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto waited, knowing their fate was sealed.

Itachi stood before them, his hands trembling, his Mangekyō bleeding crimson tears.

"Mother. Father. I am sorry."

With a quiet finality, his kunai pierced their hearts.

A small voice interrupted the silence.

"Dad? Mom? Brother, what's happening?"

It was Sasuke, returning home from the Academy.

He stood frozen at the entrance, eyes wide as he took in the horror—the lifeless bodies of his parents and the bloodstained figure of his beloved older brother.

"Itachi... You... why?"

Itachi's Sharingan spun, his expression unreadable.

"Sasuke," he murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

"Hate me."

A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, but it disappeared as the Mangekyō turned once more.

"Tsukuyomi."

Sasuke screamed as the illusion engulfed him, forcing him to relive the massacre over and over until his consciousness shattered.

A single tear slipped from Itachi's eye.

It was over.

…

Outside the Uchiha compound, a figure lurked in the shadows.

Danzo Shimura, accompanied by his loyal Root operative, observed the carnage with a calculating gaze.

Among the hidden spectators was another ninja—Kazuki—who silently witnessed the slaughter.

He couldn't help but feel a mix of admiration and revulsion.

Itachi Uchiha, a man willing to sacrifice everything for an ideal, was truly terrifying.

Even for the sake of peace, murdering his own parents and kin was a burden too heavy for most to bear.

Kazuki did not agree with his methods.

But this was not his battle.

Tonight, the Uchiha clan was no more.

And from its ashes, a new story would begin.

The massacre that had just unfolded was nothing more than a bloodstained performance to him, and he had already taken in the spectacle with detached amusement.

And the next thing,

This was the key moment—he needed to remain vigilant, advancing carefully step by step.

At this time,

Not far from the Uchiha district, Shimura Danzo observed the scene as Uchiha Itachi and the masked man, Tobi, annihilated the Uchiha clan with merciless efficiency.

At this moment, he was deeply shaken.

Was this the true power of the Uchiha's Sharingan?

It was utterly terrifying!

Danzo's eyes briefly flashed with satisfaction at the slaughter of the Uchiha, but fear quickly took root in his heart.

His satisfaction came from finally fulfilling the Third Hokage's reluctance—eradicating the so-called "cancer" of Konoha before their planned coup could take place.

But the fear… that came from the power displayed by Itachi and Tobi. Their abilities were beyond anything he had anticipated.

He had already dealt with Uchiha Shisui by stealing his right eye, yet even now, other Uchihas possessed overwhelming strength.

The Sharingan's power was truly unfathomable.

And such power… must belong to him!

"Fortunately, Itachi understands Konoha's interests. Otherwise, the Uchiha clan's strength would have posed an enormous threat to the village," Danzo mused.

"And once the Sharingan from these corpses falls into my hands, their power will become mine. With the Sharingan at my disposal, I will eliminate all remaining threats in the shadows of Konoha!"

Shimura Danzo thought to himself,

Seeing that Itachi and the masked man had already slaughtered the Uchiha's main combat forces, he began issuing silent commands.

With his hand signals, the Root ANBU operatives lifted their concealment barriers.

Activating the Body Flicker Technique, they vanished in an instant,

Moving at high speed, they rushed toward the Uchiha compound.

Their execution was flawless—no hesitation, no wasted movement.

They were not individuals but weapons, trained to follow Danzo's will without question.

As they infiltrated the Uchiha district alongside the Root forces,

Only four elite guards remained by Danzo's side.

Kazuki had already recognized his opportunity.

Danzo's entire focus was fixed on the Uchiha district below.

This was Konoha, and his operation was supposed to be secret—only a handful of people even knew he was here. He believed his presence was secure.

But what he didn't know was…

At this moment, someone was already closing in on him from the shadows.

The Uchiha had just been exterminated,

Danzo had yet to collect a large number of Sharingan,

And he had not yet implanted Hashirama Senju's cells into his body.

Right now, he was merely a skilled Wind Release user, with some sealing techniques—far from the monstrous strength he would later display against Sasuke during the Five Kage Summit.

Then,

A moment of stillness in the air.

Inuzuka Yu, one of Danzo's two bodyguards, suddenly sensed something amiss.

A presence had emerged—sudden and unnatural.

His instincts flared.

"Lord Danzo, be careful—" he shouted, voice laced with urgency.

But it was too late.

Kazuki struck with precision.

A true assassination—silent, swift, and deadly.

Even a highly trained Root ninja, a jōnin-level operative,

Had no time to react.

Shhk!

A kunai, perfectly aimed, pierced the throat of the Inuzuka-nin.

It happened in an instant.

In the blink of an eye,

A Root ninja collapsed lifelessly before them.

"Protect Lord Danzo!"

Another guard shouted in alarm.

The remaining three instantly assumed a triangular defensive formation around Danzo,

Their gazes scanning the surroundings with full sensory awareness.

But soon, their brows furrowed.

Even with their high-level perception,

They couldn't detect the presence of the assassin.

That was impossible.

"Lord Danzo, the enemy is an expert in stealth techniques. Please remain cautious!" one of the guards warned.

Danzo's expression darkened.

"Who dares—?!"

His voice was filled with both fury and disbelief.

Someone had dared to strike at him, within Konoha itself?

But the only response was silence.

Seconds ticked by.

The guards' foreheads were slick with cold sweat.

The tension in the air was suffocating

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