Under the night sky, Uchiha Itachi walked along the forest path beside the Naka River.
Between the rustling tree shadows, fireflies flitted among the leaves, moonlight filtered through the ferns like shattered silver, and the rustling of insects echoed in his ears, yet his heart could not find a moment of peace.
His mind was in a chaotic mess.
In just a few short days, the relationship between the Village and the Clan, which had appeared to be barely stable on the surface, had taken a sharp turn for the worse. The Clan members, already suppressing their anger, became like a powder keg on the verge of ignition after the Shisui incident, and no one knew when it would explode.
Despite being the Clan Head's eldest son, his opinions were insignificant to his father, ignored in Clan meetings, and held no weight with Shisui.
What frightened him even more was that Uchiha Itachi himself didn't know what he should do now.
He knew who the enemy was, yet he didn't dare to act.
Uchiha Itachi suddenly realized at this moment that everything he had done before was a complete joke.
In this state of despondency and self-abandonment, he received a letter from Aizen-senpai, saying that he needed his help with some research.
Uchiha Itachi himself didn't know how he could still have the mood to do such trivial things at a time like this.
Perhaps he just wanted to escape.
To escape this oppressive and difficult environment, to find someone who knew nothing, and to confide his troubles to him.
Moreover, that person was Aizen-senpai.
As if remembering something, a faint glimmer of light appeared in Uchiha Itachi's eyes.
'If it's that senpai, maybe he can tell me what to do now.'
But then, as if recalling Aizen-senpai's straightforward, open, and pure demeanor, Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but shake his head.
'What a cowardly thought.'
To try and involve a friend who knew nothing of the current situation in such a major affair would be too despicable.
Just as he was thinking this.
Uchiha Itachi's steps suddenly halted, and he looked up towards the surrounding forest, his gaze alert.
The sounds of birds and insects gradually died down.
In their place was the deep, silent tranquility unique to the depths of the dense forest.
The tree shadows around him were eerie, and the rustling wind brought with it a sense of danger.
Uchiha Itachi gripped the short blade at his waist, his pitch-black pupils, at some unknown point, had transformed into a crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and he spoke coldly:
"Come out."
As his voice fell, figures gradually stepped out from the depths of the dense forest.
Twelve figures, three entire squads, surrounded him completely.
As a current Anbu Ninja who had undergone long-term training in the training department, Uchiha Itachi naturally recognized at a glance that these were all Root members, and the killing intent in his eyes intensified.
Was Danzo up to his tricks again?
"Uchiha Itachi."
"Lord Danzo requests your presence; please come with us."
The Root Squad Leader at the front spoke first.
Uchiha Itachi sneered: "Without a Hokage's direct order, I'm not going anywhere."
Even Uchiha Shisui could lose an eye; there was no longer any trust between the Uchiha Clan and Root.
"Then there's nothing more to say."
The Root Squad Leader had already anticipated this outcome.
Almost the instant his words fell, two Root Ninja behind him immediately formed hand signs, and a dense swarm of insects, hidden by the night, suddenly surged like a tide towards Uchiha Itachi.
Following behind the swarm of insects was a shower of shuriken, falling like flower petals.
The two Anbu squads in front, one left and one right, formed a pincer movement, rushing towards him in formation with astonishing speed.
Thump—
The insect swarm collided, raising a heavy buzzing sound in the depths of the dense forest.
However, Uchiha Itachi, caught in the center, suddenly transformed into a flock of black crows scattering in all directions.
When he reappeared, he had already broken out of the encirclement, his hands having completed hand signs, and his chest swelled.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
With a roar, a storm-like wave of flames suddenly erupted from his mouth. The high-temperature sea of fire, formed by super-dense Chakra, carried an unimaginable Impact, crushing the soft humus beneath his feet and advancing towards everyone present.
Tree Roots were torn up, steam rose, air currents surged, and the soil beneath emitted a pungent, burnt smell mixed with a faint aroma of meat.
Facing this super-wide-range Fire Release attack, the battle-hardened Root members immediately scattered into their respective squads.
Almost the instant the team dispersed, the Root Squad Leader realized something was wrong and shouted a warning:
"Be careful—"
Before he could finish speaking, his lifeless eyes beneath his mask met a pair of crimson pupils.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan."
The moment his gaze met those eyes, the Root Squad Leader's mental resistance was easily torn apart, and intense pain suddenly assaulted his mind.
"Guh!"
Before he could break free from the Genjutsu's grip, a sharp short blade had already mercilessly pierced his chest.
Uchiha Itachi's small figure stepped off the Root Squad Leader, pushing off him to flip and avoid a barrage of kunai coming from his rear-side, twisting his body in mid-air.
At the same time, shuriken and kunai drawn from his waist shot out, colliding in mid-air with a rapid clinking sound, curving to stab into the neck of a Root Ninja hidden behind a tree trunk.
"Restrict his movements!"
With just one command, a nearby Root Ninja immediately drew his sword and lunged, positioning himself at Uchiha Itachi's landing spot, attempting to engage him in close combat.
Another Root Ninja formed hand signs with both hands.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu."
A powerful mental fluctuation targeted the depths of Uchiha Itachi's mind, a force that ordinary physical means could not resist.
He only needed to buy a brief moment, and his teammates would be able to sever Itachi's limbs in one go.
Just as he was thinking this, the consciousness that had invaded Uchiha Itachi's mind suddenly saw a crimson full moon.
The Yamanaka Root Ninja's body immediately stiffened.
The next moment, he took an explosive tag from his ninja tool pouch and unhesitatingly stuck it to his forehead.
With a bang, his entire head exploded into a mess of tofu-like matter.
"Competing in Yin Release with the Uchiha Clan?"
Uchiha Itachi didn't even glance at him, instead drawing his blade again to block the Root Ninja who had gotten close, while his other hand gripped a kunai and thrust it directly into the opponent's chest.
However, almost the instant he plunged the kunai into the opponent's body, the Root Ninja's lips beneath his mask suddenly curled into a smirk, and he reached out to grasp Itachi's shoulder with a grip so strong it felt like it would embed itself in his flesh.
Immediately following, a faint sizzling sound suddenly came from inside him.
'Damn it.'
Uchiha Itachi's expression tightened, and he unhesitatingly drew his blade to sever the Root Ninja's arm, then used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat rapidly.
Boom!
Another explosion.
A massive amount of flame burned and spread, and the invisible shockwave caused a dull ache in one's lungs.
Although Uchiha Itachi's retreat speed was not slow, his skin was still scorched by the flames, acquiring mottled burn marks, and a severed arm, still gripping tightly in death, dragged on his shoulder.
Uchiha Itachi breathed heavily, rapidly extracting Chakra from his body, his gaze steady as he observed his surroundings.
From unleashing the Great Fire Annihilation to annihilating an entire Root squad, the total time taken was only a few seconds.
From a combat perspective, he, at only twelve years old, had already firmly established himself at the upper echelon of Jonin.
However, with just this brief delay, the other two Root squads, whose battlefield had been divided by the Great Fire Annihilation, had already converged on him from all directions.
Uchiha Itachi looked at the rapidly approaching Root Ninja, the crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eye sockets slowly revolving, his cold expression growing even more intense.
Just as expected...
Approximately three to five minutes later.
The once tranquil forest had been reduced to scorched earth.
Various corpses lay in the center of the forest, everywhere were severed limbs and scattered body parts, the air filled with the pungent smell of rust and an unsettling aroma of burning flesh.
Uchiha Itachi, bearing numerous scars, walked with an indifferent expression through the scorched earth, treading over insect corpses and pools of blood, his demeanor seemingly growing even colder.
However, he had certainly vented a great deal of his frustration.
He had wanted to strike at Danzo and those bastards from Root for a long time.
But had Root's surveillance of the Uchiha Clan Compound reached such a level?
Uchiha Itachi unconsciously thought, his brows slightly furrowed.
He hadn't told anyone about leaving this time, and it should have been impossible for ordinary Root Ninja to detect his movements.
However, very soon, he would no longer need to worry about this question.
Uchiha Itachi walked step by step out of the scorched forest.
At the end of the forest path, a tall figure stood silently.
The moonlight fell, casting the world behind him in a silvery glow, making his shadow appear exceptionally long in Itachi's eyes.
The person was quietly watching him, his face still bearing that pleasant, spring-like smile.
Uchiha Itachi's steps froze, his pupils gradually widened, becoming somewhat unfocused, and his voice, as if in disbelief, murmured the other's name:
"Aizen... senpai?"