Chapter 104: Shisui’s Collapse

Yami brought Uchiha Shisui back to Konoha with Flying Thunder God.

Night had fallen, and a full moon hung in the sky. If one looked closely, they'd notice the moon seemed unusually alluring tonight.

Ninja Academy.

The principal suddenly received an order—every student had to participate in a practical exercise, and classes would be delayed.

Though confused, the messenger was from the Hokage's personal Anbu division. The principal dared not object and quickly organized the teachers to carry out the exercise.

The students were thrilled by the sudden activity, buzzing with excitement as they speculated about what kind of enemies they would face. Only Uchiha Sasuke sat with a gloomy expression.

"Tch… what's going on? I wanted to go home and train with Nii-san…"

"Sasuke! Come here!"

Just as he muttered, Naruto suddenly rushed over and pointed at him. "I'm definitely going to beat you in today's practical!"

Since entering the academy, the two had been sworn rivals, often paired in combat practice. They had fought countless times.

"Tsk, dead last."

"Damn it! Who are you calling dead last?!"

"So annoying."

Karin, who was chatting with Ino and Hinata nearby, was irritated by the shouting. She yelled, "Naruto! Shut up already! Or I'll beat you down later!"

Naruto shrank his neck, glared at Sasuke, then ran off.

There was no one in the school he feared, except for Karin. If she beat him, she'd even report him to Yami and get him scolded again for "bullying girls."

Naruto really wished Yami-nii could come to school just once. Then he'd see what Karin was really like. She practically ran the place.

"Karin, you're amazing."

Ino looked at her with admiration. "Naruto's such a pain, and only you can keep him in line."

"That's just because he's scared of Yami-sama," Karin said modestly.

"Yami-nii…" Ino's eyes sparkled. She clearly remembered the handsome older brother. She used to greet him whenever he picked up Karin. But lately, she hadn't seen him.

"Karin, is Yami-nii super busy?"

"Of course. Yami-sama manages Anbu. He's busy every day."

"Will he come pick you up today?"

"Probably not," Karin said, uncertain.

Ino's eyes lit up with a mischievous idea. "Karin, since Yami-nii works so hard every day, why don't we treat him to a meal sometime? Show our appreciation."

Even Hinata, the quietest among them, couldn't help but softly agree. "I… I think that's a good idea…"

—

Night had completely fallen, and the red hue in the sky had grown more intense.

Uchiha Itachi crouched atop a telephone pole at the edge of the Uchiha compound. Like a panther ready to pounce, he locked eyes on his prey.

Swish.

Yami suddenly appeared on a nearby telephone pole. Behind him stood a Root member wearing a mask.

"You came," Itachi said calmly.

"Was I not supposed to?" Yami replied.

"No… but this seems different from what Danzō told me," Itachi answered, still not turning around.

Yami glanced at Shisui. "He's my subordinate. Just here to run errands. The tenth man won't affect anything, will it?"

Itachi didn't respond. Silence was agreement.

But Shisui's unease only grew stronger. The cold air, the tension, Itachi's unfamiliar aura—everything felt wrong.

What was Itachi planning?

Wasn't he supposed to use the eye Shisui entrusted to him?

He wanted to speak, but his chakra and even his tongue were under Yami's control. He couldn't even twitch a finger.

He could only stand there like a lifeless background prop.

At that moment, Obito appeared below and looked up at Itachi on the pole, nodding slightly.

He glanced at Yami, hesitated for a moment, then walked into the Uchiha Guard headquarters without another word.

"Who are you?!"

Slash!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Screams erupted from the building.

Itachi sprang into action, leaping off the pole like a hawk and diving into the Uchiha district.

Several familiar faces greeted him warmly, only to be met with a blade to the head.

Yami smiled and brought Shisui to a higher vantage point.

It was just a simple Light-Weight Boulder Technique. He'd mastered it casually.

Shisui stared in disbelief, his body trembling.

Every scream signified the death of a clansman.

Itachi and the masked man were slaughtering the Uchiha, indiscriminately killing men, women, and children.

This was Itachi's plan?

If all Uchiha were dead, then no one would rebel?

No… this wasn't right!

Shisui's eyes burned red, darker than any Sharingan.

"Yes. This is the solution Uchiha Itachi chose," Yami said softly beside him. "A road to death, called salvation."

"All Uchiha will meet their end at the hands of these two."

"Oh, except for one."

Yami turned to Shisui. "Uchiha Sasuke. Itachi's beloved younger brother. He'll live, at the cost of the entire clan's blood."

"That was his only condition to the village."

"Stop… stop talking…"

The seal on Shisui's body had weakened at some point. He managed to speak.

He dropped to his knees, sobbing. "Yami… please… save them. Those kids, the women… they're innocent! They're not even shinobi! Why is Itachi killing them?!"

His spirit was shattered. Shisui nearly bit off his tongue.

Blood and tears flowed together, impossible to tell apart.

If he could return to the night he jumped from that cliff, Shisui would have used his last Kotoamatsukami on Itachi—and pulled him down with him.

Even if it meant rebellion—so what?

Even if the village triumphed, other clans would never approve the slaughter of innocent Uchiha civilians!

"Enough, Shisui-senpai. You're already dead."

"Why the grief? Isn't your life already absurd enough? You placed your hope in a lunatic."

Shisui sobbed silently. His hoarse voice trembled, "Yami… let me save them. Just the children and elders…"

"I was wrong. I see that now… please…"

Uchiha Itachi was terrifying in this way. He had driven a Kage-level shinobi to collapse… no, beyond collapse.

Even Yami couldn't help but respect him.

"How will you save them?"

Yami lowered their altitude, letting Shisui hear the screams and pleas more clearly.

"Everything happening tonight was set in motion years ago. It's not something I can stop alone."

"Senju Hashirama brought the clans together, but never cared about the aftermath.

The Uchiha betrayed Madara and refused to leave with him.

The Second Hokage distrusted them and forced them into the Police Force.

The Third Hokage continued the policy.

My old man followed the Second Hokage's example to the letter."

"Everyone wanted the Uchiha dead. Every one of them is a killer. What can I do?"

Yami's voice was soft, but every word pierced Shisui's heart like a dagger.

Shisui continued to kowtow, his forehead bleeding. "Yami-sama, you must have a plan. You knew Itachi would do this. That's why you saved me and brought me here, right?"

"I'll agree to anything. I'll follow any order."

Despite everything, Shisui was still more stable than most. His mind quickly recalibrated, analyzing the situation with renewed clarity.

"What if I asked you to kill Uchiha Itachi?"

"I'd tear him apart right now!"

"What if I wanted to be Hokage?"

"That position should've always been yours!"

"…What a clever man."

Yami slowly raised his sword. "Don't expose your identity. I'll only allow you to save children and elders—those uninvolved in the rebellion."

"If I find out you've revealed yourself, I'll kill you and all those you saved. I'll pin it all on the Uchiha."

Yami had already decided to spare some of the Uchiha. They would be useful later, both as helpers and pawns.

But this was only a trial selection. If any bore resentment, he'd have them eliminated and reunited with their clan.

The seal activated again. Shisui felt as if his heart were being crushed. His body convulsed, his face pale.

Still, the moment the seal lifted, he charged off unhesitatingly.

Every second lost meant another life gone to Itachi's blade.

As Shisui vanished into the shadows, Yami began his own operation.

He openly appeared before Itachi.

At that moment, Itachi was killing an elder's family. The elder had awakened the three tomoe, and had wounded him slightly.

"Uchiha Itachi, my companion worried you wouldn't be able to kill women and children. So he kindly lent a hand."

Itachi paused briefly, then carried on.

"Shimura Yami! Uchiha Itachi! You'll die horribly!"

The elder cursed with his dying breath, though he was slain by Itachi's hand. Still, Yami gained the bond rewards he sought.

He then continued following Itachi closely, collecting Sharingan for Danzō.

Of course, he killed some himself.

Like the elders who had pressured Izumi to return to the clan, and those who had insulted him in Root reports.

Meanwhile, with Yami's help, Shisui managed to rescue many women and children who met the criteria.

Before long, Itachi noticed something was wrong.

The numbers didn't add up.

He knew the exact count of Uchiha families, the number of people in each household, their ranks, everything.

Thanks to him, the higher-ups also had detailed information.

Some elite fighters were assigned to the Guard, which made sense. But the missing ones were women and children.

Something wasn't right.

His expression darkened.

If there were survivors, how would he emphasize Sasuke's uniqueness? What leverage would he have to protect him?

"Shimura Yami. Did your people take them?"

"I wouldn't know," Yami shrugged. "Root has many talents. Maybe someone's just good at hiding corpses."

Itachi clenched his fists, his attacks growing more ruthless. With each kill, he made a point to toss the corpse near Yami, a twisted way to reaffirm his loyalty.

Yami, of course, didn't mind. He'd collected many different types of Uchiha bloodlines tonight, and planned to fuse them later.

The moon above grew more radiant. The blood-red hue spread across the sky, strange and chilling.

Outside the Uchiha compound, Root had already erected barriers. No sounds could escape.

The villagers had no idea that, on this seemingly ordinary night, a world-shaking event was unfolding.

The remaining Uchiha fled in panic, instinctively heading to the clan head's house in hopes of aid from Fugaku.

As Itachi neared his home, his heart wavered—but only for a moment.

There was no turning back now.

Meanwhile, Obito had finished clearing the Uchiha Guard headquarters.

Though fewer in number, it housed the strongest Uchiha fighters.

Most of the elite had joined the Guard, many awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

This was the foundation of the clan's confidence in launching a coup.

Every pair of Three Tomoe eyes represented Jōnin-level power.

If they could strike first, they had a real chance.

But Obito's sudden attack and unknown ability left them helpless. All were slain.

Now, he happily collected Sharingan. But his fear of Itachi deepened.

Other killers couldn't compare. Uchiha Itachi was a wolf.

No tricks, no traps. He'd simply invited Obito to wipe out the Uchiha together.

Even White Zetsu murmured, "Madara… Uchiha Itachi might be darker than you…"

"So what? He's just another piece on the board." Obito said, but his tone lacked conviction.

He no longer dared underestimate Itachi because of his age.

"Let's go. There's still plenty of Sharingan in the compound."

Obito entered Kamui space and warped to the Uchiha district.

But when he arrived, his face darkened.

(To be continued.)

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