#68

Sasuke hadn't expected Itachi to strike with such ruthless precision.

He was just about to summon the full power of the storm and bring down his brother with lightning when he felt the creeping heat of Amaterasu—black flames that clung to him like a curse.

They spread fast.

Sasuke reacted instantly.

A flicker of movement—

Body flicker.

Shadow clone.

Leap into the air.

Fall.

But the flames followed like a vengeful specter, consuming everything they touched. The fire roared, growing larger, devouring his lightning armor. It wouldn't hold much longer.

Then, a voice cut through the chaos.

"Take off your shirt. Throw it away. Now."

Sasuke didn't hesitate. He tore off the burning fabric and flung it aside. The flames left his body, hungrily devouring the discarded cloth before reducing it to ash.

Itachi's eyes flickered with a rare moment of surprise. His ultimate technique, countered so easily?

His gaze snapped upward to the source of the voice.

Hovering in the sky, arms crossed, was Mufasa. He had clearly been watching for a while, his face painted with mild irritation.

"Damn," Mufasa muttered. "You two really know how to put on a tragic family drama."

All three men turned their heads to look at Mufasa.

Mufasa smirked. "Perfect timing. Since you're both here, let's settle this Uchiha business once and for all."

The brothers narrowed their eyes, uncertain of his intentions.

Then Mufasa raised his hand.

Crackle.

Lightning danced across his fingertips, surging into the clouds above. The sky rumbled in response.

Sasuke had already created half a storm. Mufasa would finish the job.

The thunderclouds above twisted and churned. Every bolt of electricity within them bent to his will.

With a single downward motion of his hand, he unleashed chaos.

"Raijin's Domain—Descend."

A storm of lightning crashed down like divine punishment. Bolts as thick as tree trunks struck the battlefield. The air vibrated with raw energy, and for an instant, the world became nothing but blinding light and deafening roars.

Within moments, the entire area had transformed into a forest of crackling electricity.

The earth trembled. The very atmosphere hummed with power.

Itachi, Kisame, and Sasuke stood frozen, their faces pale. Even they had to acknowledge it—this level of jutsu was beyond terrifying.

Mufasa exhaled in satisfaction, admiring his handiwork. "Damn, that felt good."

He turned his gaze to the trio. "Alright, you three, follow me."

Sasuke and Kisame exchanged glances before silently obeying. Itachi followed suit, his expression unreadable.

They stepped into Mufasa's tent, where he casually settled into his chair and checked a nearby screen, retrieving information.

Then, with a smirk, he turned toward Kisame and Itachi. "So, you two are the infamous Yure and Gan of the Hidden Rain, huh? Not bad."

Kisame scowled. "Kazekage, return my Samehada."

Mufasa leaned back. "Oh? And what if I don't?"

Kisame bared his shark-like teeth. "Then I'll take it back."

Mufasa chuckled. "Shark-face, do you really think you stand a chance?"

Kisame snorted but said nothing.

Mufasa grinned. "You're honest. I like that. Tell you what—I cloned Samehada. Once the new one grows strong enough, I might let you have it."

Kisame's gills flared as he stared in shock. "You… cloned Samehada?!"

For a second, he could only gape. Then—

(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

"What kind of nonsense—?!"

ZAP.

Mufasa whipped him with a jolt of electricity. "Calm down. It's called cloning. Not pregnancy, you idiot."

Kisame rubbed his arm, muttering, "You could've just said that…"

Mufasa ignored him and turned his attention back to the Uchiha brothers.

His gaze flickered to the blood trickling from Itachi's right eye. He sighed. "Damn. You're practically blind, and you still insist on using Amaterasu?"

Itachi remained silent.

Mufasa leaned forward. "You're doing all this just to push Sasuke to grow, right? To make him strong enough?"

Sasuke flinched. His mind reeled.

What did he just say?

Even Itachi looked slightly shaken.

Mufasa sighed. "I know everything. You sacrificed your clan to protect Sasuke. But honestly? Forcing him to grow through pain—it's a dumb plan."

Neither brother spoke.

Mufasa leaned back, crossing his arms. "Listen, Itachi. You didn't have a choice before. But I'm giving you one now."

He fixed Itachi with a steady look. "Do you want to be the villain, or do you want to be the brother he needs?"

A storm raged within Itachi's mind. His hands trembled slightly.

His voice came out rough. "You don't understand… Danzo—"

Mufasa snorted. "Danzo? Pfft. I already took him out twice. Don't worry about that bastard."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Itachi stared in disbelief.

Mufasa smirked. "Sasuke belongs to the Sand now. Under my protection. No one's touching him."

Something flickered in Itachi's eyes—something that had been buried for years. Hope.

Itachi exhaled slowly, his fingers trembling. He turned toward Sasuke and finally revealed the truth. The Uchiha clan had planned a coup against Konoha, and the higher-ups, including Danzo and the Elders, saw their extermination as the only solution.

The Third Hokage sought a peaceful resolution, but Danzo manipulated events from the shadows, forcing Itachi into an impossible choice.

Shisui, the only one who could have changed the clan's fate, had taken his own life after Danzo stole his eye, leaving Itachi without an alternative.

To protect Konoha and, more importantly, Sasuke, Itachi carried out the massacre, sparing only his brother.

But it had never been out of hatred—it had been a desperate attempt to shield him from the cruel reality of their world.

Sasuke staggered back, his mind reeling. His Sharingan spinning chaotically,

'Everything I thought I knew was a lie.'

Mufasa crossed his arms. "Now you get it, kid. Your brother isn't your enemy. He never was."

Silence filled the room, thick with unspoken emotion.

Then he coughed violently, blood splattering the floor.

Mufasa frowned. "Shit, you're worse off than I thought. Sasuke, go get Karin."

Sasuke hesitated before leaving to find her.

When Karin arrived, Mufasa didn't waste time. "Karin, he needs your help. Let him bite you."

Karin blushed. "O-okay…"

Sasuke scowled. "Tch."

Itachi stared at Mufasa, his expression unreadable.

Mufasa rolled his eyes. "Don't get any weird ideas. She's your sister-in-law."

Karin: (////○////)

Sasuke: (｀ˇ︿ˇ)

Itachi: (¬_¬)

Mufasa looked at the three men before him, each displaying a different expression. With a smirk, he spoke casually.

"There's no need to be embarrassed."

He gestured between Sasuke and Itachi. "You two are the last of the Uchiha clan. If neither of you has children, the bloodline will die out."

As for Obito, well, Mufasa doubted he was capable of continuing the lineage in his current state.

And if the Uchiha truly vanished, what would happen to Indra's reincarnation cycle?

What did chakra reincarnation even mean, anyway?

Was it different from soul reincarnation? Maybe that was something to look into later.

Itachi's gaze shifted toward Sasuke.

His heart had already belonged to Izumi Uchiha. There was no place for another in his life.

"The responsibility of continuing the clan falls on you, Sasuke."

Sasuke remained expressionless. He didn't care about carrying on the bloodline. What mattered now was—

"I want revenge on Konoha. I want to destroy it."

Mufasa sighed, rubbing his temple. "Tsunade is the Hokage now. I'm planning to develop Konoha as a business partner. Do you really think wiping it out is the best option?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Konoha is the one that wronged the Uchiha."

"There's a difference between justice and revenge," Mufasa said. "Your true target should be Danzo. He's the one who orchestrated everything."

Sasuke exhaled sharply, his rage barely contained. "Then let's kill Danzo."

Itachi nodded in agreement but remained cautious. "Danzo is deep within the Root base in Konoha, surrounded by elite operatives. We should wait for him to step out before making a move."

Sasuke clenched his fists but didn't argue.

Meanwhile, Itachi turned to Karin, who had been waiting nervously. She hesitated before offering her arm to him. Itachi, weakened from his illness, bit down and absorbed her chakra. Some of his strength returned, but the deeper damage—his blindness, his lingering wounds—remained.

Still, he could feel it. Mufasa's intent wasn't hostile. He wasn't manipulating them. He was genuinely trying to help the Uchiha survive.

Itachi met Mufasa's gaze. "Thank you, Lord Kazekage. What do you need from us in return?"

Kisame crossed his arms, nodding. "Yeah. Nothing in this world comes for free."

Mufasa grinned. "Smart. I do have a favor to ask—but not yet. For now, I need you both to remain in the Akatsuki."

Itachi and Kisame exchanged glances. "You want us to be spies?" Itachi asked.

Kisame scowled. Was he really supposed to betray his comrades just for Samehada?

Mufasa waved a hand. "No need. I already know everything there is to know about the Akatsuki. Your job is simple—when you report back, just say that Sasori and Deidara were killed in battle."

Itachi studied him for a moment. "And when the time comes, you'll call on us?"

Mufasa nodded. "Exactly. Until then, keep doing what you've been doing—including going after the Tailed Beasts."

Kisame shook his head quickly. "We'll hunt the Nine-Tails, but we're not touching the One-Tail."

Mufasa chuckled. "Fair enough."

Kisame hesitated before speaking again. "I still need Samehada."

Mufasa laughed. "Don't worry. Sand Village already has a copy of it. You'll get yours."

Kisame groaned. "Great. More clones. Just what I needed."

Mufasa's grin widened. "From now on, you two—also known as the 'Yure and Gan Duo'—are officially mercenaries under Sand Village's Fourth Division. You follow their orders now."

Kisame groaned louder. Itachi simply nodded.

Karin, meanwhile, looked ecstatic. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama!"

Sasuke's brow twitched. Karin beamed. Now she had an excuse to stick to him without anyone questioning it.

Sometime later, Gaara arrived.

"Sensei, the transformation units from Team One and Team Two have arrived for inspection."

Mufasa stood, stretching. "Finally. Let's go."

In the barracks square, four hundred shinobi stood at attention. When Mufasa approached, they shouted in unison:

"Lord Kazekage!"

Mufasa smiled as he surveyed the elite forces of Sand Village. Gaara stepped forward.

"Formation display—commence."

Immediately, the forces divided into twenty-man squads. Each ninja unsealed a combat puppet from their scrolls—puppets that looked identical to them.

From a command center, Orochimaru's shadow clones monitored the operation. The first-generation control cores within the puppets were bound to their users, allowing them to move seamlessly without chakra threads.

Mufasa watched as the reconnaissance team took position. Sensory ninjas placed their hands on the ground, and their puppets mirrored their actions perfectly, running forward in unison. The metal boxes on their backs opened, deploying drones for aerial surveillance.

Mufasa smirked. "No more clunky chakra strings. Not bad."

Sand Village was evolving. And soon, the world would see just how powerful they had become.

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Word count: 1785

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