Under the full moon hanging high in the sky, the war between Konoha and the Uchiha clan was about to officially begin.
On the rooftop of the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi said helplessly,
"Begin, Danzō."
Danzō's single visible eye gleamed coldly as he replied,
"Don't worry, Hiruzen. By the end of tonight, the Uchiha clan will be nothing more than history."
Hiruzen cast a sorrowful glance toward the distant Uchiha district, then clasped his hands behind his back, sighed, and turned away from the rooftop.
Behind Danzō, ninjas wearing various masks appeared—Root operatives under his direct command.
"For this operation, the Anbu will serve as the vanguard," Danzō said coldly. "Your most important task is to collect as many Sharingan as possible. Understood?!"
"Yes!" the Root ninjas replied in unison.
Within the Uchiha clan compound, Fugaku Uchiha was also gathering his people to initiate the coup.
Suddenly, Uchiha Yashiro appeared and urgently reported,
"Some of our clan members have already been assassinated—and their Sharingan were taken."
"So Konoha has already noticed…" Fugaku murmured.
He immediately announced loudly,
"Today is the day of transformation for the Uchiha clan! Our objective is to overthrow the Hokage's rule! Are you all prepared?!"
The clan members' expressions were filled with killing intent. This was a day they had waited for far too long.
"We're ready!"
"To battle!"
As Fugaku finished speaking, countless Anbu ninjas appeared atop the rooftops surrounding the compound.
Below them, the Uchiha clan members moved in unison, rapidly forming hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Numerous massive fireballs merged into an enormous inferno, roaring toward the Anbu above.
"Earth Style: Earth Formation Wall!"
Anbu specialists stepped forward, slammed their hands onto the ground, and a towering earthen wall erupted upward, completely blocking the flames.
With the clash of jutsu, the war officially began.
At that moment, Itachi—stationed at the Naka Shrine—sensed that open warfare had broken out between the Uchiha and Konoha.
He turned to the seventeen clan members behind him and said calmly,
"We move now."
Sasuke, whose hand was being held by Mikoto Uchiha, looked up fearfully and asked,
"Brother… isn't Father coming with us?"
A trace of pain flickered across Itachi's face.
"Father has his own responsibilities. Once the battle is over, he'll come find us."
Mikoto knew very well that her husband's chances of survival were slim, but as a mother, she had to stay strong.
"Sasuke," she said gently, "from now on, you must listen to your brother. Your father will definitely reunite with us."
"We're out of time. Let's go," Itachi said.
Itachi led the group toward the exit.
Because Fugaku and the Konoha forces were fighting near the front gates of the Uchiha district, Itachi had planned to escape through the rear gate, using genjutsu to silently deal with any guards along the way before leaving Konoha.
However, when they left the Naka Shrine, they were shocked to see bodies strewn across the streets—Uchiha clan members, lifeless, their eyes gouged out.
Mikoto cried out in horror,
"Itachi, shouldn't our people be fighting on the front lines? Why are they dead here?!"
Even Itachi was stunned. He had no answer.
But as the leader, he had to remain calm.
"Our mission is to leave Konoha. Everyone, stay close."
They continued forward until the rear gate finally came into view.
Suddenly, a masked man—Obito—appeared, blocking their path.
Mocking them, he said,
"Your clan is fighting on the front lines. Running away makes you deserters. How shameful."
Itachi stared grimly at him, instantly realizing that the corpses they'd seen were this masked man's doing.
"Mother, take the others and hide," Itachi said firmly.
Among the group, Mikoto was the only one with jōnin-level strength. Understanding the urgency, she led the others into a nearby building to take shelter.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A massive fire dragon erupted from Itachi's mouth, surging toward Obito.
Obito responded by forming hand seals of his own, unleashing the same technique.
The two colossal fire dragons collided, triggering a violent explosion.
Obito burst through the scattering flames, charging straight at Itachi, extending two fingers toward his eyes.
"Your eyes are mine!"
But the instant he made contact, Itachi's body dissolved into a swarm of crows.
"A clone…?" Obito muttered in surprise.
Before he could react, several shuriken appeared around him, sealing off every escape route.
Itachi emerged above him.
"Sun Breathing, Second Form: Blue Spider Lily Sky!"
From above, Itachi unleashed a circular, flame-wreathed slash.
Yet the attack—and even the shuriken—passed straight through Obito's body, striking nothing.
"Wow, that was dangerous," Obito laughed. "A ninja who studies samurai swordsmanship? You're quite an impure shinobi. But no matter how strong your attacks are, they're useless against me."
Ignoring the taunt, Itachi attacked again.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Flame projectiles scattered like seeds in all directions, racing toward Obito, while Itachi drew his blade and charged in behind them.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Circular Dance!"
Obito neither dodged nor retreated. Using intangibility, he phased through every attack. From his sleeve, a chain dropped and lashed toward Itachi.
Itachi deflected it with his blade and leapt back, creating distance.
"So… the intangibility has no cooldown," Itachi analyzed calmly. "But it deactivates at the instant of attack."
Closing his eyes briefly, Itachi reopened them—his three-tomoe Sharingan transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Having identified Obito's weakness, Itachi decided to end the fight immediately.
Obito looked surprised.
"Well, this is unexpected. I didn't think the decaying Uchiha clan still had anyone besides Shisui capable of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan. What a pleasant surprise."
Itachi hurled more shuriken while charging forward with Sun Breathing sword forms once again.
As expected, Obito phased through everything.
But at the moment Obito solidified to counterattack—
Clang!
Metal collided in midair.
The previously missed shuriken had ricocheted off one another, altering their trajectory.
One shuriken shot straight toward Obito's head.
Forced to cancel his materialization, Obito waited for the shuriken to pass through his skull before instantly becoming solid again.
At that moment, his chain snapped out, binding Itachi's body tightly.
Feeling the restraints tighten, Itachi's right eye widened sharply.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames ignited out of thin air on Obito's left arm, burning relentlessly as they consumed his body.
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