Chapter 102: Desecrating a Hero? Kakashi's Faith Collapses
The square was silent, dead silent. All Uchiha clan members looked at the former genius, now a traitor, with complex expressions.
Pity? No. The moment he raised his blade against his own father, the moment he chose to collude with external enemies and attempted to slaughter his entire clan, he had already lost the right to be pitied.
Uchiha Akira's cold gaze slowly moved from Itachi and swept over all the clansmen below.
"The farce is over."
"Now, it's time for judgment."
Akira raised his hand, pointing at the figure tied to the wooden stake, like a dead dog.
"Uchiha Itachi."
"Colluding with external enemies, invading clan territory. Betraying his bloodline, attempting to exterminate the clan."
"I, in the name of the current Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, hereby declare: Uchiha Itachi is stripped of the Uchiha surname!"
Being stripped of his surname meant that Itachi would no longer be recognized as a member of the Uchiha, his name would be completely erased from the clan register, becoming a wandering ghost. Even after death, he would have no right to be buried in the Uchiha cemetery.
"From this moment on, he is merely Itachi. A filthy, nameless traitor. He is stripped of all honor and achievements he once gained as an Uchiha genius. He is not worthy of being an Uchiha. His existence is the greatest disgrace to our Uchiha Clan!"
Below the platform, all the Uchiha clan members instinctively straightened their backs. They looked at Akira with fervent eyes. This was the Clan Head they wanted! To defend the clan's honor and wash away all stains!
"As for his punishment… Death is too easy for him. He, along with this wooden stake, shall be erected at Naka Shrine. Let him be exposed to the scorching sun and slowly die. I want all those with malicious intentions to see with their own eyes the fate of those who oppose the Uchiha!"
Hiss—
Some soft-hearted clansmen couldn't help but gasp. This method of death was too cruel.
Akira ignored everyone's reactions, he turned around and looked to the other side. There, a body covered with a white cloth was placed.
Danzo Shimura.
"Uncover it."
Two Jōnin stepped forward and ripped off the white cloth. Danzo's body was exposed to the sunlight. Especially that arm, embedded with Sharingan, still emitted a nauseating, evil aura.
"This old dog." Akira's voice was filled with disgust.
"He, and his Root, have harmed how many of our Uchiha clansmen and dug out how many of our eyes over the decades. This blood debt cannot be settled just like that. I will find the best craftsmen and use the hardest rock to cast him into a stone statue. Make him kneel. Erect him at the entrance of Naka Shrine. Let Danzo kneel and repent forever to all the Uchiha souls he has killed!"
"This arm will also be preserved, as a monument to our Uchiha victory!"
Kneel forever! Even more satisfying than desecrating a corpse!
All the Uchiha clan members felt a surge of hot blood.
"Long live the Clan Head!"
"Long live the Uchiha!"
The shouts, like a mountain tsunami, rose again, shaking the sky.
Akira pressed his hand down, quieting the fervent clansmen once more.
"Danzo is dead, and Itachi has received his deserved punishment. But the enemies from last night have not been completely eliminated. That masked man is still at large. However, I have already uncovered his true identity. He is not Uchiha Madara. He is merely a pathetic worm who stole Uchiha power and hides behind a mask. A Konoha hero who should have died but clung to life."
A Konoha hero? Everyone was stunned. What did this mean?
Akira's gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on a corner. There, a Konoha Jōnin with silver hair, wearing a mask, stood vigilantly.
Kakashi Hatake.
"Bring Kakashi Hatake up."
Kakashi's body suddenly stiffened. Bring him up? Why?
After being captured last night, Kakashi had been held captive by the Uchiha. Kakashi was a bit confused. Why would Akira suddenly call his name?
Two tall Uchiha Jōnin walked over, one on each side. Their eyes were cold, devoid of any emotion.
"Jōnin Kakashi, the Clan Head requests your presence." One of them spoke, his tone more like an "escort" than an "invitation."
Kakashi took a deep breath. He knew that here, he had no room for resistance. Around him were nearly a hundred Uchiha elites glaring at him. On the high platform was the new Clan Head, who had just suppressed the Third Hokage and judged Uchiha Itachi with lightning speed.
Kakashi could only take a step, and under the mixed gazes of curiosity, hostility, and confusion from all the Uchiha clan members, he slowly walked onto the high platform, step by step.
"Clan Head Akira." Kakashi stood before Akira and bowed deeply, trying to keep his voice steady.
"May I ask what you wish to see me about?"
"Kakashi." Akira finally spoke.
"The culprit who caused the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox incident last night, who killed your teacher Minato Namikaze, and your teacher's wife Kushina Uzumaki. That masked man. He called himself Uchiha Madara."
Kakashi listened to Akira's words, his heart turbulent.
"But he is not." Akira looked at Kakashi and continued.
"I fought him, and I could feel that his body was too young. His visual prowess was also far from possessing the world-destroying power of the legendary Uchiha Madara. So, I shattered his mask."
These words made Kakashi's heart tremble violently.
"Beneath the mask… was a face, its right half covered in hideous scars. That face, I believe, you will never forget in your lifetime."
Kakashi's breathing suddenly stopped. His mind went blank. A name he had buried deep in his memory, a name he silently uttered every day before the memorial stone.
No. Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
"He, indeed, is…"
"Uchiha Obito."
How could this name come out of the new Uchiha Clan Head's mouth?
Obito… wasn't he already dead?
He died in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, to save him, he was crushed by a giant boulder on half his body. His name was clearly carved on the memorial stone. The name he went to see every day.
"You…" Kakashi squeezed out a dry, hoarse syllable from his throat.
"…What nonsense are you spouting?!"
His voice carried an uncontrollable tremor, but more than that, it was a furious rage at having a taboo touched.
"Uchiha Akira!"
"Obito is a Konoha hero! He is my comrade! His name is carved on the memorial stone! What right do you have, here, to tarnish a hero's reputation in such a way?!"
Kakashi's emotions completely spiraled out of control.