Entering the Uchiha clan's district.
The sign-in system finally began counting down.
Uchiha Sasuke led the group at the front,
while the rest of the young genin followed behind,
chatting and laughing along the way.
Suddenly—
Hinata gasped.
"Y–Yoruha-kun… the houses up ahead…
I think the people inside… they're all dead!?"
Hinata's face turned pale.
Trembling, she shut her Byakugan and instinctively pressed herself into Yoruha's arms in fear.
They were still just children.
None of them had ever seen death before—let alone a massacre.
The group froze.
Their cheerful steps came to a halt.
Everyone looked around in shock and confusion.
Dead?
Everyone?
Shikamaru frowned deeply.
In truth,
he'd already felt something was off when they first entered the Uchiha district.
Sure, it was late.
But this kind of silence?
Too quiet.
Too still.
It didn't feel like a residential neighborhood anymore—
it felt like a graveyard.
And now…
Hinata had confirmed it.
The Uchiha—the clan responsible for village security—
had been slaughtered in large numbers?
Tch. And here I thought we were just going to have some barbecue…
How the hell did we get caught up in this?
Elsewhere,
Uchiha Itachi had just finished his bloody work.
The massacre was done.
His mission completed.
But he didn't leave immediately.
There was still one thing left he had to do:
See his younger brother one last time.
He wanted to tell him the truth—
or at least a version of it:
"This world is cruel.
Only by becoming stronger can you survive."
"The future of the Uchiha… is in your hands now."
But—
When Itachi saw Sasuke arriving…
surrounded by a whole group of happy-go-lucky brats…
He froze.
He had expected to find his little brother alone.
He hadn't expected this class field trip.
He narrowed his eyes.
He was still in his bloodstained cloak.
The Uchiha crest on his back dark with ash.
His Sharingan spun quietly.
Should I kill them all?
They're just kids… but witnesses are witnesses.
But then—
he sensed something else.
Powerful chakra. Hidden. Nearby. Watching.
The ANBU.
Not just any ANBU—two of the chakra signatures were heavy and ancient.
Familiar.
The Third Hokage… and Danzo.
He chuckled bitterly to himself.
When I killed my own clan, no one showed up to stop me.
No one protected me.
But when the children of other clans show up… suddenly the whole village's elite are here.
Itachi's eyes darkened.
For the first time in a long while…
he began to question his choice.
Was this really the right path?
But only for a moment.
He shook his head.
His resolve returned.
No. I must carry the burden. For the Uchiha. For Konoha.
As long as Sasuke lives, the clan's bloodline will continue—untainted by rebellion.
There will be no betrayal if there is no one left to betray.
In the future—
when Sasuke awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan,
Itachi would help him obtain the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
And then—
Sasuke could become Hokage.
A glorious Uchiha Hokage.
Respected. Celebrated. Safe.
That was Itachi's mission.
He took a breath—
and stepped out of the shadows.
Right in front of Sasuke.
"My foolish little brother…"
"You really thought tonight was the time for a class reunion?"
"You've disappointed me."
"So let me show you…
the pain of this world."
Uchiha Itachi—master of brotherly torment—
stood before his sibling for the seventh time.
This time, he restrained his inner hesitation,
and—using the cold tone of a stranger he'd met recently—
activated Tsukuyomi.
The illusion wrapped around Sasuke's consciousness.
Inside that hellish dreamscape,
Sasuke watched the Uchiha massacre unfold in horrifying clarity.
He saw his parents.
Saw them plead.
Saw his brother cut them down.
Again.
And again.
And again.
It was cruel.
Unforgivably so.
But Itachi believed in one thing:
One day, Sasuke will understand.
If he doesn't… then I'll beat it into him until he does.
Even if that meant killing him accidentally.
Well… if that happens, I'll just toss him into the ocean and hope for the best.