At this very moment, Yakushi Kabuto was also present.
Just as Lord Aizen had said, they indeed secured the best seats in the house—right by the road, about thirty meters from the father and son.
It was practically open viewing.
However, after this period of miraculous 'Light Release' baptism from that esteemed individual, Yakushi Kabuto had gradually grown accustomed to this subtle feeling of exposure.
Having never experienced the love of a complete family since childhood, he was initially somewhat curious about this reunion between father and son.
But, upon noticing the scene of them glaring at each other like enemies, that small flicker of curiosity gradually died out.
He turned his head to look at Aizen, who was busy with monitoring equipment and sealing arrays, and deliberately put on a childlike, puzzled expression, probing:
"Lord Aizen."
"Is the Uchiha Clan's Bloodline Limit really that important?"
"If it's just those few guys on the ground, even I have ways to deal with them."
He was referring to the Uchiha clansmen who had just been eliminated by Itachi.
Aizen's voice remained unhurried, completely lacking the focus a spectator should have on the unfolding drama:
"Rain falls from the sky to the ground, and then evaporates from the ground to the sky. What's so remarkable about that?"
"If one doesn't peel back their rough exterior, who can discover the infinite power contained within natural phenomena?"
"Kabuto-kun."
"Seeing the essence through phenomena is a fundamental quality for a researcher."
"As for now, please be more patient."
Although his voice was calm and gentle, Yakushi Kabuto dared not continue his earlier pretense and instead fell silent.
The confrontation between the Uchiha father and son gradually reached a turning point.
"Father, please repent!"
Uchiha Itachi looked at the man opposite him with a calm expression, but his tone was more serious than ever, his hand constantly on the hilt of his sword, fully embodying his stance towards Konoha's enemies:
"You've seen it, haven't you?"
"This farcical coup was doomed to fail from the start!"
"Shisui knew about your actions long ago, and the Root even came to intercept you. Even behind us, there are still layers of impenetrable defenses!"
"Right now, beyond this forest surrounding us, there are Ninja squads drawn from all of Konoha's major Ninja Clans!"
"Do you truly intend to see the Uchiha Clan utterly destroyed before you'll give up?"
At this moment, the young man's heart no longer harbored much intense emotion.
After accepting the reality that the Uchiha had become enemies, he had completely calmed down.
In fact, if he hadn't read Sakumo Hatake's file and vaguely understood his father's true intentions, he wouldn't have spoken with such earnestness—they were, after all, still under Kakashi Hatake's watchful eye.
Even though both sides were now in an adversarial position, he still held onto a last shred of hope, not wanting to watch his father walk towards his demise.
However, Uchiha Fugaku merely listened to him finish, then shook his head slightly:
"Itachi, you still don't understand."
"From the moment the coup began, the Uchiha's survival has been staked on this action."
"The one who truly hasn't understood their position is you, Itachi."
"Itachi."
"If even this last struggle fails, then your mother, Sasuke, your friends, and the lives of all Uchiha will be entrusted to Hiruzen Sarutobi alone."
"Even after the Nine-Tailed incident, when everyone knew it had little to do with the Uchiha Clan, our clan still ended up in its current predicament."
"Do you, who were so young then, truly remember the sense of disparity after that event?"
Uchiha Fugaku's voice showed no fluctuation as he spoke, yet everyone around could clearly discern the deep-seated anger hidden within his words.
Kakashi Hatake's expression was tense, his gaze constantly sweeping over the father and son.
Fugaku of the Wicked Eye was a long-renowned Uchiha Jonin; even he wasn't confident in stopping him one-on-one, let alone with the added unpredictable factor of Uchiha Itachi.
At this moment, the three parties stood at opposing corners, and the air in this narrow forest clearing seemed to become incredibly oppressive.
Uchiha Itachi listened to his father's words, shaking his head expressionlessly:
"I don't remember."
"Whether it was the glory of yesteryear or the Uchiha's former power, I don't understand it."
"My only hope now is that our clan will not be exterminated by your hands."
"For that, I can do anything."
As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly drew his short sword an inch at a time.
Both father and son had their own reasons and positions, but the chasm of time and experience had separated them to opposite ends of the chessboard.
Uchiha Fugaku merely looked at him, shaking his head indifferently:
"Can do anything... is that so?"
"Naive."
"To say you've 'grown up' seems to have been premature."
"Truly casting aside everything refers to more than just this extent."
As his words fell, his slightly closed eyes reopened, and when they appeared before Uchiha Itachi once more, they had transformed into an even deeper, more vibrant crimson than before.
Mottled tomoe spun in his eye sockets, with a single dot interspersed among the connected tomoe.
Just the simple act of raising his eyelids, the Dōjutsu power that erupted from his eyes, made everyone present tremble with fear.
'Mangekyo Sharingan?!'
'Uchiha Fugaku?'
Kakashi Hatake looked at the man before him with disbelief, his hand, gripping the kunai in a reverse grip, trembling slightly.
Not only him, but even Uchiha Itachi, who had maintained a tense expression, instinctively widened his eyes.
So, Father was the Mangekyo hidden in the shadows!
"Itachi."
"With just your Sharingan, how far can you see?"
Uchiha Fugaku's tone was faint as he took a step forward.
Uchiha Itachi held his sword horizontally in front, his expression tense, his mind highly focused.
In an instant, a fierce gale swept by.
Even under the gaze of a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Fugaku's figure was still incredibly fast; he seemed to transform into a streak of light, crashing forward with a piercing sonic boom.
"Clang!"
Kunai and short sword clashed and scraped, emitting a dazzling line of sparks.
Uchiha Itachi's feet scraped the ground, leaving indentations as he retreated half a step. His blade was knocked aside, immediately followed by his father's downward kick.
He broke out in a cold sweat, as the powerfully descending foot exploded into a crater in the soft earth. Amidst the flying dirt, a kunai whistled past, aimed directly at his face.
In the brief moment it took to dodge with a tilt of his head, a large hand, almost simultaneously extended with the kunai, grabbed his collar and yanked him upwards.
For a moment, Uchiha Itachi felt the world spin, and he was flung into the air, falling sideways.
"Thud!"
He hit the ground hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Accompanying it was Uchiha Fugaku's cold voice:
"In the face of the clan's life and death, even if you are my son, I will crush you without mercy."
"Itachi!"
Kakashi Hatake and the others nearby immediately grew anxious, their combined squad moving forward in their usual formation to surround him.
However, Uchiha Fugaku merely raised his eyes, his expression disdainful.
The next moment, one of the Anbu, despite maintaining a bowed head, paused for a split second, then abruptly drew his sword and swung it at his nearby teammate.
Even Kakashi, with his Sharingan, experienced a momentary dizziness when he met those abnormal eyes.
However, his hand signs, almost instinctual, remained steady.
"Lightning Release: Raikiri!"
"Too slow."
A suddenly extended large hand, amidst the flashing lightning, tightly gripped Kakashi's wrist, stopping the Raikiri an inch from his chest.
Kakashi Hatake's gaze froze.
At the same time, he saw Fugaku raise his knee, hitting Kakashi's elbow with a 'snap', causing Kakashi's expression to immediately contort.
Dodging the attack by a hair's breadth, Fugaku's large foot, stepping in and spinning horizontally, delivered a powerful kick to Kakashi's body with a dull thud.
This caused him to vomit a large mouthful of blood in mid-air, and he spun like a top, rolling to the ground, kicking up dirt as he flew a dozen meters away, instantly becoming still.
In the blink of an eye, the entire Anbu squad was cleanly dealt with by him.
"Kakashi-senpai!"
Uchiha Itachi got up from the ground, gritting his teeth and shouting.
The killing intent in his eyes towards his father grew even stronger.
Only a last shred of rationality still reminded him, making him recall Sakumo Hatake's story, allowing him to cling to a sliver of hope that his father was forcing him to kill.
However, Uchiha Fugaku's voice shattered his last illusion:
"Do you see, Itachi?"
"That is Sakumo's son."
"Sakumo sacrificed everything for the Village, but the Village only treats his son as a useful tool."
"What good is being a Hokage's disciple?"
"Sarutobi Shinnosuke is the current Anbu captain, and Asuma Sarutobi is one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire's Daimyo."
"Unless the Sarutobi Clan is wiped out, he will be nothing more than a useful tool his entire life."
Uchiha Fugaku looked down at his son:
"Only by overthrowing them can we hope to control this Village."
"Don't you want to become Hokage?"
Uchiha Itachi struggled to his feet, meeting his father's gaze without hesitation, and as if insulted, his voice suddenly rose:
"Hokage is not something like that!"
"Foolish!"
Uchiha Fugaku looked at him with a mixture of anger and disappointment.
During this brief pause, Uchiha Itachi suddenly lifted his hand.
The Ninja blade, which he had released and let fall some distance away, followed his movement, swiftly spinning back along the steel wire attached to its hilt.
Fugaku's feet suddenly found no purchase; he used his waist to flip in mid-air and land.
Yet, he had already glimpsed Itachi forming hand signs, and he synchronized his own hand signs.
The next moment, both their voices rang out simultaneously.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A violent tide of fire roared in the center of the narrow dense forest, and the aftershocks of their collision engulfed an area of several dozen meters in a raging inferno, clearing the entire dense forest in one fell swoop.
Using the cover of this furious blaze, Uchiha Itachi's figure suddenly burst forth, enveloped in burning waves, slashing his sword at the man before him.
"Uchiha Style: Halo Dance!"
The rapidly turning blades were like streams of light, dotting their surroundings with dancing fireflies.
Completely 貫徹 in this clash of blades and shadows was the deepest resolve within Uchiha Itachi's heart.
Father is an enemy of Konoha.
For Konoha, he must die here.
Under the burning flame of this rationality, every cell in his body was constantly being squeezed, his mind stretched to its limit, all his Chakra was channeled into his limbs, and every strike was made with full force.
The Mangekyo Sharingan is not truly invincible.
As time passes, their eyesight will, like Shisui's, gradually decline.
Since that's the case.
"Clang!"
Another crisp collision sound.
Using the immense force of the interaction, Uchiha Itachi flipped backward, both hands simultaneously reaching for his Ninja tool pouch.
In an instant, black shuriken, like a swarm of locusts, were all scattered forward.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu."
One became ten, ten became a hundred.
In the blink of an eye, those dozens of shuriken had transformed into an overwhelming metal storm.
Uchiha Fugaku stood calmly in place, using just a single kunai to easily block all shuriken that could have reached his body.
Black metal lay scattered across the ground.
"Is that all?"
Uchiha Fugaku looked at him, his expression seemingly carrying a hint of disappointment.
Itachi stood quietly in place, raising his left hand.
Between his five fingers, several barely visible steel wires were connected.
Fugaku's expression suddenly tightened.
But before he could flash away to dodge, Itachi's palm had already closed, pulling backward.
"Chii Chii Chii—"
Suddenly, steel wires connected to the shuriken on the ground shot up, coiling around Fugaku, who was trying to retreat, and with this force, they intertwined, wrapping around his body and slamming him against the tree trunk behind him.
"Bang."
Uchiha Fugaku, tightly bound, looked on in astonishment.
Itachi, however, formed hand signs again.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Amidst the roaring flames, countless streams of fire, following the steel wires in his hands, all ignited.
The target was Uchiha Fugaku.
Under the rapidly rising high temperature, everything in the path between them was completely covered by the sweeping flames, relentlessly striking the tree trunk that bound Uchiha Fugaku.
"Boom!"
Explosive flames billowed.
However, Uchiha Itachi showed no sign of relaxing, his expression focused as he gazed at the sea of fire.
The most important abilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan are not just Dōjutsu.
Above them, there exists a true secret art that makes the Uchiha Clan invincible.
"Susanoo!"
Under the rising dazzling dark red light, a skeletal giant, its upper body completely covered in armor, expanded, and faint sparks burned on its body, which was entirely constructed from Chakra.
Uchiha Fugaku, with some slight charring on his body, walked towards him step by step.
In the hand of the armored giant, a similarly burning sword was tightly clutched.
The Totsuka Blade.
In this life-or-death crisis, Uchiha Fugaku's gaze towards Itachi also grew increasingly cold.
"It seems there's no need for us to talk anymore."
Compared to the giant before him, Uchiha Itachi's figure was as tiny as an ant.
However, he showed no intention of backing down, instead gazing at the opponent with a steady look.
And he raised his blade.
"Very well."
Looking at Itachi's resolute attitude, Uchiha Fugaku's expression suddenly became a bit ferocious, and he raised his voice:
"Then die."
The extraordinarily massive size, even with a slight movement, would erupt with an abnormally heavy sound.
Under his suddenly forward-thrusting footsteps, the giant formed by Susanoo charged forward like a landslide, and the Totsuka Blade in his hand swept horizontally with a humming vibration.
"Boom—!"
Where Uchiha Itachi had just stood, a sword mark extending for dozens of meters suddenly exploded.
His figure, meanwhile, had already shot to the side, leaping to avoid the splashing earth.
Thoughts raced through his mind.
Just as the Mangekyo Sharingan is not invincible, Susanoo also has its weaknesses.
The Susanoo giant chased after Itachi, and amidst the rumbling sounds, large areas of the surrounding ground showed countless craters.
Until a certain moment, Itachi suddenly stopped.
Now is the time.
His foot ground into the dirt, his body froze, and the blade in his hand was raised horizontally to his ear.
The tip of the blade pointed straight ahead.
"Chii!"
He was like a moth flying into a flame, breaking through the wind and dust before him, and stabbing straight forward.
In a flash of lightning, the Totsuka Blade in Susanoo's hand suddenly reversed grip, and amidst the vibrating air, it thrust forward.
"Boom—!"
Earth and rocks flew, dust scattered.
Uchiha Fugaku looked at the figure pierced by the sword's edge, his expression cold:
"Did you think Susanoo's large size made it inflexible?"
"How naive, Itachi."
However, at the moment his words fell, Uchiha Itachi, pierced by the sword's edge, looked up at him.
Without any expression.
"Bang."
Amidst a faint puff of smoke, his figure exploded into a cloud of smoke.
Uchiha Fugaku's expression seemed to freeze for a moment.
During the brief interval.
A blade from the shadows silently pierced him from behind.
"Puff."
Piercing through his chest.
Uchiha Itachi stood still, leaning against his father's back.
Blood flowed drop by drop down the blade.
His expression was calm and indifferent.
Susanoo, as an absolute defense, cannot be breached from the outside.
To kill its controller, one must strike from within.
At Uchiha Fugaku's feet, shuriken that had been embedded in the ground lay quietly.
Itachi's true body, disguised by a Transformation Jutsu, had been among them since before.
This final strike was like a full stop to everything on the battlefield.
The Susanoo wrapped around Fugaku's body completely vanished at this moment.
In the center of the chaotic battlefield, only the father and son remained in place.
"Chila."
The blade was pulled from the wound, and Itachi's body was once again splattered with large drops of blood.
Fugaku's expression seemed to stiffen for a moment, his gradually weakening body staggered forward a few steps.
Uchiha Itachi's downcast gaze, however, remained fixed on the kunai reversed in his hand.
Sure enough.
The next moment, with a sudden burst of his last strength, Fugaku's body abruptly twisted, his arm using the force of the rotation to try and stab into his throat.
"Bang."
Uchiha Itachi kicked him hard in the chest, sending him spinning backward and crashing heavily against a large tree.
"Ugh—"
Blood spewed from his mouth, splattering all over him.
Uchiha Fugaku finally lost all his strength, leaning against the tree trunk.
Itachi walked up to him, his expression still that unchanging indifference:
"Father, you have failed."
"..."
Father and son met each other's gaze.
Uchiha Fugaku looked at him in silence.
After a long while, he heard him say in a low voice.
"Yes."
At this moment, Uchiha Fugaku, whose heart had been pierced, was still continuously gushing blood from his mouth, making his voice sound somewhat blurred and indistinct.
His body, completely devoid of strength, struggled to support his neck, raising his head in Itachi's direction.
"However."
He said, and on his face, which had been expressionless from the start, a look of relief suddenly appeared:
"I... also succeeded."
Uchiha Itachi was startled, silently watching him.
In Uchiha Fugaku's fierce eyes, what was revealed at this moment, after casting aside everything, was a father's profound tenderness, unique to him.
He quietly watched his eldest son standing opposite him, his voice intermittent:
"Itachi."
"This is the end."
"You..."
Listening to his blurred, intermittent voice, Uchiha Itachi's hand holding the blade seemed to tremble at this moment, his gaze fixed on his father's final smile.
"You are indeed my son."
At that instant, the surging emotions, under constant suppression, were like a torrent impacting a dam named rationality, heavily lingering on the brink of collapse.
His entire body seemed to freeze in place.
He silently watched his father's head slowly drop, until the last trace of life completely dissipated.
The cold moonlight seemed to freeze on him, casting a long, dark shadow behind the young man.
Aizen Sōsuke quietly watched this scene from the side.
The last heartbeat from a blood-related loved one is the most potent and cruel medicine for a self-isolated person.
But in fact, what ultimately caused him to completely break down was that last trace of softness before the heartbeat ceased.
However... "It's still not enough."
He murmured in a low voice.
As if in response to his voice.
On this scorching battlefield, a tender echo, not belonging here, suddenly rang out.
"Onii...san?"
This familiar voice suddenly made Uchiha Itachi freeze.
He slowly raised his head, looking at the small figure that had suddenly appeared beside him at some unknown point.
Sasuke stood blankly in place, staring at the scene in confusion.
Watching his brother, who had killed their father with his own hands.
This single sound was like igniting the last barrel of gunpowder before a crumbling dam.
This scene, not part of the 'prophecy' performance, completely shattered all his mental defenses, causing the dam of rationality to utterly collapse, completely submerged by the flood of emotions.
"Clang."
The Ninja blade in his hand fell to the ground.
Two lines of bloody tears flowed from his eyes, down the young man's deep tear troughs.
Uchiha Itachi met his younger brother's gaze, his entire body trembling violently, his tightly pursed lips trying to open but unable to.
Finally, he softly knelt to the ground, looking down at his blood-stained hands, his expression distorted like never before, his head slamming heavily onto the charred ground, emitting a beast-like wail, venting a sorrow so dark and profound it reached its extreme.
"Ah... Ah ah ah ah ah...!!!"
In his blood-filled eyes.
The three tomoe, at this moment, completely connected into one.