While Sasuke and the others were battling Uchiha Itachi, Obito had already infiltrated Konoha.
But before he could search for long, he was intercepted by a man in a black cloak.
At first, Obito thought it was just someone who had discovered him by chance. He didn't take the person seriously.
But after exchanging just two moves, he was knocked to the ground.
If he hadn't immediately realized something was wrong and used Kamui, his body would have been split in two!
"Rat, still hiding behind a mask?"
Shisui's voice was filled with cold killing intent, and the long sword in his hand trembled slightly.
He had mixed emotions of hatred and guilt toward Itachi.
But toward the one behind the scenes—who stirred up chaos, caused the death of the Fourth Hokage, set off a chain of tragedies, and led to the slaughter of the entire Uchiha police force—Shisui had only pure hatred!
"Rat behind a mask?"
Obito chuckled without restraint. "Anbu, don't you wear masks in Root too? There are plenty of rats in Konoha."
"You disguised yourself as Anbu to lower my guard. I know this kind of tactic very well. Is this Danzō's work?"
"I'm just a nobody. Like you, I once dared to walk in the shinobi world under my real name…"
"But now things are different. Uchiha Itachi will die soon. So will you. I'll sever the last ties holding back my sins…"
As he spoke, Shisui had already removed his mask. His Mangekyō Sharingan locked firmly onto Obito's vortex mask.
At this moment, Shisui no longer had his usual warm demeanor. He looked more like the Uchiha Itachi from the night of the massacre.
Obito was slightly shocked and confused. Too much time had passed, and he had only met Shisui once when they were young.
He could only guess with uncertainty. "Uchiha… Shisui?"
A cold gleam flashed in Shisui's eyes. "So you do know me. Either you investigated my background, or… we've met before."
"It's you!"
Obito's reaction was nearly identical to Itachi's hundreds of kilometers away—utter shock, to the point of being speechless.
"Didn't you die at Danzō's hands?"
"The former Uchiha Shisui is dead. Now I'm just a hungry ghost clinging to life!"
With his Mangekyō activated, Obito fell into a momentary trance. Shisui used the fastest Body Flicker Technique of his life to close the distance.
The short sword stabbed toward Obito's heart!
The reason Shisui revealed his identity was to throw Obito off and trap him in an illusion, preventing him from using Kamui.
And it worked.
Puchi!
The blade pierced into the chest. Shisui's lips curled upward uncontrollably.
Hit!
But the next second, the short sword that had pierced the body passed through empty space again.
The intense pain snapped Obito out of the illusion. He phased out once more.
"You should've aimed for my head, Uchiha Shisui. I've got no heart left."
The blurred figure drifted away in Shisui's increasingly cold gaze. "Good strategy, but it only works once. And now… you've exposed yourself."
"Don't worry. I'll be back soon and destroy everything here."
With that, Obito vanished completely in front of Shisui.
"Tch…"
Even though he had pierced the heart, the masked man wasn't the least bit worried about his safety.
"Izanagi? Or is his body structure really different from an ordinary human's?"
Shisui couldn't figure out what Obito was relying on, but he knew the odds of killing him just now were slim.
He sheathed his short sword and no longer lingered.
The ambush had failed, and now he needed to hurry to the battlefield—to see Itachi one last time.
As for the village's safety, Shisui wasn't concerned. With the ancestors around, that masked man would be lucky to escape unharmed, let alone cause any real damage.
What Shisui didn't know was that after being stabbed, Obito had already retreated and soon encountered White Zetsu, who had come looking for him.
"Why are you here?"
Obito scowled. "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on those two brothers? Can't you follow basic orders?"
"It's bad! Something huge happened!"
White Zetsu hurriedly relayed everything he had seen and heard.
Obito's face grew darker and darker, until it was as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Three double… no, four pairs of Mangekyō?!"
"What the hell is Shimura Yami thinking?!"
"And Danzō… that old snake! Doesn't he hate the Uchiha the most? Why hasn't he shown up to cause any trouble?!"
Obito was breaking down.
Anything related to Konoha or Yami never went smoothly.
The Tailed Beasts, the Uchiha, every single thing felt like a thorn in his throat.
"Shimura Yami, why won't you just die already!"
No matter how Obito screamed, he couldn't change reality. After venting, he couldn't stay angry anymore and rushed toward the battlefield.
At the old Uchiha base—
The dilapidated building had turned into rubble. After Sasuke and the others arrived, and Itachi activated Susanoo, the scale of the battle escalated dramatically.
Four Uchiha formed hand seals and shouted.
"Uchiha Fire Barrier!"
A barrier of crimson flames surged up, forming four solid walls that trapped Itachi and his Susanoo within a confined space.
Compared to the Four Red Yang Formation, the Fire Barrier had slightly weaker defense, but its burning intensity was much higher.
The Totsuka Blade clashed against the barrier, crackling loudly. The barrier twisted unnaturally, but the casters gritted their teeth and held it firm.
"Sasuke, as a shinobi, you should understand the principle of elemental strengths and weaknesses."
With nothing to hide, Itachi spoke freely. "Every ninjutsu has counters. There are always things it's weak against."
"The Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror are natural counters to energy attacks. Don't waste your chakra. Change tactics."
As he spoke, Itachi pulled out a vial of medicine and injected it into himself. His pale face quickly flushed with color.
This was a drug that drew out a person's potential. He burned up the last of his life force, pushing his strength to an all-time peak.
The sharpest whetstone... could only sharpen the deadliest blade!
Sasuke didn't respond. He simply raised his sword high.
Two Uchiha with Water Release Nature Transformation cast Water Barrier against the Fire Barrier. Steam rose rapidly into the sky, and in an instant, black clouds gathered overhead.
"You still haven't changed your arrogant habits… Then let me show you my power!"
"Sage Art: Lightning Release—Kirin!"
A thunder beast poked its head from the clouds and let out a roar that shook the world. It fell in a flash—too fast for Itachi to react.
Yumi shouted. The Uchiha Fire Barrier dissipated, and her right eye's Mangekyō began to spin rapidly.
The Mangekyō was a reflection of the soul. At the moment of awakening, Yumi had only one thought—tear Uchiha Itachi apart. As a result, her pupil technique was related to space manipulation.
Kakashi's Kamui twists targets in a separate dimension to destroy them. Yumi's Mangekyō, twists or compresses real space itself, directly inflicting damage.
At this moment, the Yata Mirror was raised to block the descending thunder. Susanoo's defense was pushed to its limit, and the distortion in space finally created a crack.
"Sasuke!"
Yuichi, closest to Itachi, threw several kunai marked with Flying Thunder God seals through the twisted gap and into Susanoo.
Sasuke activated Flying Thunder God without hesitation. In a flash, he appeared behind Itachi, hands raised.
Rip!
With the sound of tearing cloth, Itachi's cloak and right arm flew into the air. Blood splattered everywhere!
"Amaterasu!"
Blood and tears flowed from Yushi's eye. The pitch-black flames ignited the severed arm. Sasuke's blade turned into a streak of light and pierced straight through Itachi's chest.
"It's over."
Sasuke pressed the sword's hilt to the ground and launched Itachi out of Susanoo, nailing him to the ruins.
No illusions, no crows—Itachi's remaining pupil power was all used to sustain Susanoo. This time, the damage was real.
Even so, Sasuke didn't let down his guard. After pinning Itachi down, he quickly jumped back to maintain distance.
He had heard of Forbidden Techniques too.
But in order to leave Sasuke with a complete pair of Mangekyō, Itachi didn't intend to use any of those techniques. He simply kept coughing blood.
His body collapsed weakly, but was caught by a figure that suddenly appeared.
Despite his blurred vision, Itachi recognized the person. "Shisui…"
"Tch…"
A sigh filled with countless emotions escaped Shisui's lips. He drew out the blade from Itachi's chest and fed him a pill.
He had once dreamed of killing Itachi with his own hands. But now, Shisui's heart was calm.
The heart had been pierced. Even with healing medicine, he only had a few minutes left.
"Shisui… I finally get to see you again." Itachi smiled faintly.
"In your next life… be an ordinary person."
Shisui looked at him with compassion. "You completely misunderstood what I taught. I said to sacrifice myself to ease conflict. But you… chose to sacrifice everyone else."
"But what choice did I have?"
Itachi smiled weakly. "If the clan died, could Sasuke have lived? Could he resist? They'd all be dead."
"I'm sorry to my clan, to my parents, and to Sasuke. But… maybe this was the best ending I could hope for."
Cough!
He spat out two more mouthfuls of blood and turned his gaze to Sasuke. He slowly raised a trembling finger.
"Forgive me… Sasuke, one last time."
Sasuke's face twitched, but he remained silent for a moment, then replied:
"Sorry. This time… I can't forgive you. Carry that guilt with you to the Pure Land… and apologize to the clan."
Itachi said no more. His eyes never closed. His finger fell to the ground, and no sound followed.
"He's dead?"
Yuji stood still, staring blankly at Itachi's corpse.
Yushi, Yumi, and the others rushed over. Seeing Itachi lying motionless in Shisui's arms, their lips curled upward involuntarily… and then they erupted into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Uchiha Itachi is dead! He's finally dead!"
"He died—died by our hands!"
"Dad, Mom, Grandma Sumi, did you see that?! We avenged you! Hahahaha!"
The scene turned chaotic.
The demon's dance. The Uchiha survivors wept and laughed like lunatics. Even Sasuke joined, laughing wildly and crying at once.
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
When Yami arrived, he heard their crazed laughter and couldn't help curling his own lips into a smile.
Stimulated by waves of complex emotions, Sasuke's Sharingan finally took the next step. The three tomoe transformed into a six-pointed star. Yushi's Sharingan evolved in the same way.
As for the others… While emotional resonance matters, bloodline concentration and personal nature also affect an Uchiha's limits.
Some of them may never awaken Mangekyō.
But no one cared.
As long as they had helped kill Uchiha Itachi, they could die without regret.
Yami didn't interrupt the laughing Uchiha. What they needed now was release. He brought the other survivors over so they could witness Itachi's death with their own eyes.
From the village's perspective, Yami should thank Uchiha Itachi. And he had.
Letting Sasuke live with friends and family—this was the best reward he could give.
Time passed. As the sun set and golden light bathed the ruins, everyone's emotions finally settled.
As for Obito, he had fled long before Yami arrived.
Even when facing Shisui and several Mangekyō Sharingan, he felt numb with fear. He could only retreat and think of another way to weaken Konoha's strength.
Too shady. This was way too shady.
Was it possible to play this game without cheating?
"Let's head back."
Yami finally spoke. Everyone stood and looked toward him.
"The grudge has been settled. There's no need for the Uchiha to keep hiding. You can return to Konoha openly now. Follow me… to build peace."
"Yes!"
Everyone responded in unison. Sasuke sealed Itachi's body into a scroll and followed the others.
When they returned to Konoha…
A fierce battle was already underway in the Land of Rain.
Jiraiya had finally gotten what he wanted—a meeting with the leader of the Akatsuki organization.
(To be continued.)
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