In a dark corner of Konoha's desolate district, he began to weave a complex pattern of hand signs with an eerie calm. His eyes, like two crimson rubies, glittered in the gloom, completely devoid of doubt.
His chakra spun with unnatural speed through his hands, casting the heavy shadow of a forbidden technique onto the ground.
Then, he slammed his hand down hard, as if to shatter the pavement: "Edo Tensei!"
At his command, the earth trembled. A wooden coffin slowly rose from the soil, coming to a silent halt before him. The lid groaned open, rough but sluggishly.
A man, wearing a Konoha forehead protector, dark clothes, and the distinct brown chest armor of the ANBU, slowly emerged from the coffin. His skin was a dull, cracked gray, bearing the fine lines that marked his bond to the realm of the dead. His eyelids twitched and slowly lifted.
Faint, dark eyes fixed on Mitsuro.
The dead man spoke, his voice sounding as if muffled underwater: "You... you summoned me again! What purpose does this serve?"
Mitsuro, maintaining his deadly calm, stood up: "My purpose is a duty you, as a blood heir, should have fulfilled but chose to betray!"
The deceased ninja looked around, his eyes settling on the Hokage Rock: "This is... Konoha... You summoned me here, in Konoha." His voice was heavy with deep sorrow. "What are you planning to do?"
The dead ninja's gaze returned to him.
Mitsuro offered no reply.
The silence was enough for the dead ninja to guess what was coming. Suddenly, fury and resolve seemed to boil on his face. He spoke with a tone laden with distress and opposition: "You intend to harm Konoha! I cannot allow you to attack the village! You want to destroy Konoha's peace!"
He instantly raised his hand, and his eyes began to glow red, transforming into the Sharingan.
Mitsuro let out a dry, harsh laugh—a sound more like cracking bone. He tightened his grip on the Edo Tensei seal and compressed his chakra even further: "I forbid it! You are under my command! You cannot simply turn your power against me!"
The pressure of Mitsuro's chakra intensified on the summoned body, making the dead ninja writhe in pain. He desperately tried to vanish with a Shunshin move, but his body, heavy as earth, refused to move. His chakra was blocked, and his ability to resist was stripped away.
The dead ninja struggled to speak: "You! Why would you hurt Konoha? The innocent people..."
Mitsuro took a step closer, the shadow of his crow mask falling over the dead ninja's face. He pulled a talisman dagger from his pocket—not for injury, but to stabilize his control.
"You talk too much!"
With a precise and ruthless movement, he plunged the dagger into the back of the dead ninja's head, right into the Jutsu's control point.
A cold, contemptuous voice emerged from behind the mask:
"A traitor to the clan must only obey orders to atone for his mistakes! You scum, you were only a puppet in life; you will remain a puppet after death! The only difference is that old fools pulled your strings before, and now someone from the clan that gave you your talent will take over your puppeteering. Now, fulfill your duty... Go and clear the path."
..
It was late, and the air was completely dark.
A heavy silence lay over the deserted streets of Konoha. Homura Mitokado, his hands clasped behind his back, walked, his mind preoccupied with the meeting he'd had with Hiruzen and Koharu. After the preliminary rounds of the Third Chunin Exams, Hiruzen had summoned them. The session brought two pieces of shocking news: first, Orochimaru had returned to Konoha and was likely planning something; second, a living Uchiha—an eleven-year-old boy—had been found among the Takigakure ninja.
Homura was profoundly worried.
Hiruzen had ordered a secret operation to track and capture Orochimaru, but he couldn't cancel the Chunin Exam halfway—that would ruin Konoha's reputation. He also commanded Danzo to immediately scrutinize all Uchiha clan records for any missing ninja.
Hiruzen had even assigned a large number of ANBU to monitor the hospital and prevent anyone from easily approaching the unknown Uchiha.
The scent of conspiracy hung in the air. This uneasy feeling threatened to destroy the peace of Konoha's secure streets.
As always, two ANBU escorted him; silent shadows moving around him.
Suddenly, a brief rustle was heard from the right.
From behind, the attacker approached the fox-masked ANBU, bringing their blade down towards his head. Just as the blade was about to strike, another blade intercepted it.
"Ah... what!"
The attacked ANBU quickly tilted his head and pulled back.
The second ANBU stepped forward, twisted, and spun his blade to block the second strike.
Homura's voice trembled as he asked: "Who is there?"
The first ANBU quickly darted in front of Homura, shielding him with his body and raising his sword.
From atop the stone wall overlooking them, a shadow looked down. The moonlight made the person's red eyes gleam like two drops of blood. Homura swallowed hard. Only a living Uchiha had such ominous eyes.
Itachi...
The assailant vanished instantly, silently reappearing in front of the ANBU. Their speed was unbelievable—something beyond anything the ANBU had ever witnessed.
Strike!
A small thud followed, and a beautiful arc was drawn in the air as blood sprayed. The ANBU forcefully spun his kunai to push the attacker away.
He grumbled under his breath while pressing his free hand against his side to staunch the bleeding.
After deflecting two more attacks, the ANBU felt his arm going numb.
The attacker's aggressive posture momentarily changed, and then the ANBU felt a chill. He looked down in surprise at his chest—a blade had pierced his heart.
The ANBU slowly collapsed to the ground and died.
The attacker simply turned toward the second ANBU and attacked him with their short sword. The ANBU tried to dodge, but the assailant created several illusory images. These illusions appeared not just in the ANBU's eyes but in his mind, making him doubt which one was real. In the moment of the ANBU's confusion, the attacker's face was revealed for a second in the moonlight.
Homura's breath caught in his chest at the sight. He couldn't believe it. This was the face of someone who had died years ago. Before he could utter the name, he saw something strange and terrifying on the attacker's face and body: fine, gray cracks, as if the body were made of earth and might crumble at any moment. The sight sent a deep chill through Homura.
He whispered in horror: "Edo Tensei?!"
Ignoring Homura's shock, the attacker took down the remaining ANBU with one swift, precise strike and mercilessly charged at Homura. Homura gritted his teeth and tried to defend himself. But years of ease behind Konoha's walls had atrophied his muscles, and his skills were severely rusted. His body was covered in wounds inflicted by the attacker's repeated disappearing and reappearing. He trembled with fury.
In a voice that was barely a scream, Homura roared: "Show yourself! Orochimaru! Don't you have any shame, using the dead to attack the village?"
Suddenly, a terrifying voice echoed in his ear.
"How do you know that Orochimaru is the only one who can use Edo Tensei?"
Homura quickly spun and looked behind him.
A shadowy figure emerged from beside him, an entity wrapped in a black cloak, as if born from the depths of shadow. Beneath the dark cloak, he wore black clothing, stepping slowly and calmly into the moonlight. "Besides, why should he be the only one?"
The figure wore a mask that resembled a sharp, demonic beak, instantly bringing to mind ominous crows. From beneath the mask's two eye-lenses, a pair of crimson Sharingan stared out with a cold glow. A raspy, frightening voice came from behind the mask: "What's the news, Homura Mitokado?"
Homura collapsed to one knee, overwhelmed by terror and disbelief. "Who are you? Why did you attack Konoha?"
Mitsuro let out a dry laugh from behind the mask: "Konoha? Homura Mitokado, you flatter yourself. You are not Konoha. You are just an old jackal who should have died long ago; an old man whose rotting claws drain Konoha's roots and suck its fresh blood."
And he lunged at Homura.
Homura recoiled but couldn't prevent the blade from slashing his arm. He was old, and frankly, he never truly possessed significant combat abilities, at least not without his scrolls and battle gear.
Homura whispered to himself: "Damn it."
Clenching his fist, he screamed in anger: "This will not go unanswered! Do you really dare to infiltrate Konoha's territory and target one of the village's Senior Advisors, and then claim, 'I am not Konoha'?"
Mitsuro walked calmly toward Homura, his eyes gleaming as he stared at him. "You are an elder, but you are not 'Konoha,' and frankly, it wouldn't matter if you were..."
He appeared in front of him in an instant. The blade in his hand plunged into Homura's heart with a precise and ruthless move. "And why did I attack you? To seek retribution... You must be punished!"
Homura stared into the attacker's blood-red eyes, struggling through the pain. He spoke in broken gasps: "Retribution... for... what?"
"Retribution for spilling Uchiha blood... You and your accomplices will meet soon in the afterlife... But know that there will be no peace... I won't allow death to be your end."
Homura tried to scream out of rage, but Mitsuro pulled his sword from his chest and then, with a swift move, slit his throat.
Mitsuro stared blankly at Homura's corpse for a few moments, utterly numb. Then, with a cold voice, he commanded: "Good. Now it's time to inform the others." He spoke to the Edo Tensei corpse: "Burn the two ANBU with the flashiest Jutsu you have. Let the light reach the Hokage himself, so they know who has returned."
And then, with great speed, he vanished into the ground again.