The Uchiha compound.
The streets were swarming with people as the idle members of the Uchiha clan gathered.
Most Uchiha were men of few words, disliking loud clamor; only a low, constant hum of murmurs filled the air.
Dressed in dark Uchiha attire, they looked like a tide from afar, blanketing the entire street.
Every face was grim, their gazes fixed on the execution platform. Behind the gallows, three figures were bound, their faces covered by deep blue cloth bags, kneeling before the surging crowd.
On the second floor of a wooden house by the street, Amanai Riko leaned against the railing. She scanned the crowd below before her eyes finally settled on the three figures on the platform.
"Those are the culprits who slaughtered the Uchiha clan... One of them was even Izumi's beloved..."
Beside Riko, along with the maid who always looked after her, Ubuyashiki and several members of the Demon Slayer Corps were also present.
"So those three are the masterminds behind the massacre of the entire clan."
"I heard two of them were actually Uchiha themselves. I truly cannot understand it."
"No matter the reason, killing off the whole clan... it's just too much."
"Namu..."
Everyone looked at the execution platform with varying expressions.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's ears twitched. Listening to the resentful words from the crowd below, a flicker of conflict crossed his face beneath the bandages.
"Lady Riko, I have heard of the Uchiha clan's annihilation..."
"Even with the pressure from the Hidden Leaf and the hostile political climate, there must have been many other paths to take. Why choose such an extreme method?"
Had he been there, whether on the side of the Leaf or the Uchiha, he wouldn't have let it end in total extinction.
Even if it wasn't him, any rational person wouldn't have pushed things to such a desperate end!
It was truly beyond his imagination.
A look of pity crossed Amanai Riko's face. She glanced around the room and, seeing no Uchiha present, sighed softly.
"I heard My Lord mention it. He said the Uchiha are all lunatics, not normal people. They only know how to use the most extreme measures when facing problems."
"Looking at it now, he was right. If they weren't crazy, how could the clan end up like this!"
Hearing this unexpected explanation from Riko, Ubuyashiki wasn't overly surprised.
Judging by the Uchiha's history... calling them mentally unstable wasn't an exaggeration.
Still... for an entire clan of thousands to die at the hands of their own was truly tragic.
Just then, a commotion broke out in the crowd below.
"The execution is beginning."
Behind the platform, a row of wooden houses stood at the end of the street.
On the wooden porch, Setsuna and Kakkaku knelt on either side. The person between them was not the clan leader Fugaku, but a cold-looking young man.
He looked remarkably like Sasuke and wore the Uchiha uniform. His crimson Sharingan was active, but the pattern was not the usual tomoe; it was a far more complex design.
The Mangekyo Sharingan!
Kakkaku whispered, "Fugaku's child is among the condemned, so he did not come. Lord Izuna, please give the order."
This young man was indeed Uchiha Madara's younger brother, Uchiha Izuna.
Previously, Orochimaru had summoned Izuna's soul, which was then taken by the Uchiha and brought to the Soul Society.
After learning about the situation over the past few days, Izuna had gradually adapted and understood the history of the Uchiha clan.
He looked toward the platform, his brow furrowed. In life, he and his brother had fought fiercely for their kin, never imagining the clan would face total destruction!
Those hateful Hidden Leaf and Senju!
Those damned Uchiha traitors!
They possessed the power of the Mangekyo, yet instead of protecting their kin, they turned their blades upon them!
Only a public execution, showing the clan the fate of traitors, could quell the clan's fury.
Suppressing his inner turmoil, Izuna maintained a calm expression and nodded slightly.
"Begin."
Following his words, Uchiha clansmen stepped forward on the platform and removed the bags from the three prisoners' heads, revealing their faces.
Danzo, Obito, and Uchiha Itachi!
The three were bound, their Sharingan gouged out, dried blood staining their faces.
Their mouths were sealed with Kido restraints, making it impossible to speak; only muffled groans could be heard from their throats.
They looked utterly miserable.
The eyes of the crowd were filled with nothing but hatred as they watched the three pathetic figures.
A denunciation more intense than before erupted from the crowd!
"The evil Danzo! Kill him!"
"And Obito and Itachi! Unforgivable!"
"The clan did nothing wrong to you, yet you could be so heartless! Die!"
"My poor child... dead before they could even grow up!"
"Kill them!"
The voices were full of resentment, rising and falling in waves.
Around the corner of the road, Minato Namikaze arrived with his wife.
Looking up at Obito, Kushina Uzumaki covered her mouth, her expression bitter and tears shimmering in her eyes.
"It really is Obito... That masked man was Obito all along!"
"That cheerful, kind child... how could he become like this!"
When Kushina first heard this from her husband, she was filled with disbelief, but Minato wouldn't lie to her.
Knowing today was the Uchiha's execution day, she had begged Minato to bring her to see Obito one last time.
"Kushina..."
Minato Namikaze bit his lower lip, his expression darkening as he pulled his wife into his arms.
Beside them, Kakashi Hatake stood in a daze, his eyes lost.
His vision blurred, the noise of the crowd fading away; he could only see Obito's wretched figure on the platform.
'Obito, why you!'
'Weren't you a hero... Why did you commit such atrocities...'
On the other side of the street, Hiruzen Sarutobi held his grandson Konohamaru's hand. Looking at the figures on the platform, his face was ashen, drained of all spirit.
"Danzo, Itachi..."
One was his childhood friend and partner, the other a junior he had placed high hopes in. Yet now he could do nothing but watch them be executed by the furious Uchiha.
*Snap!*
A flame flickered as Asuma Sarutobi lit a cigarette. After taking a deep drag, he slowly exhaled a cloud of white smoke.
"Old man, you were the one who was wrong!"
"Letting Danzo run rampant and killing the Uchiha who were supposed to be our allies... All of this is your fault as the Hokage!"
"Danzo and Itachi are only getting what they deserve. If the other Hokage hadn't pleaded for you, you'd be hanging up there too!"
Asuma's voice was heavy, his words filled with dissatisfaction toward his father.
Hiruzen's eyes were cloudy as tears streamed down his face. His already aged features looked even older in this moment.
"Yes... you're right."
"This is my fault. I failed everyone..."
On the platform, the executioners confirmed the identities of the three and nodded to Kakkaku and the others.
They placed the nooses around their necks.
"Prisoner identities confirmed."
"Shimura Danzo, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Itachi. Identities verified!"
On the porch, Uchiha Izuna's face was cold, his voice sharp.
"Execute them!"
At the command, the trapdoors beneath the three collapsed.
With no support, their bodies dropped instantly, dangling in mid-air and twisting like maggots.
The spectating crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.
Hearing the sudden roar from outside, Fugaku sat on the tatami mat with his head bowed. His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails pierced his palms, blood seeping through his fingers.
"Itachi, this is the end you deserve!"
Even if Itachi was the sinner who destroyed the clan, he was still his child. Now that the execution was happening, how could he, as a father, remain indifferent?
But Itachi's sins were too deep. Even if it was hard to accept, what choice was there?
If justice wasn't served, how could the clan's fury and grievances be settled!
Beside him, Mikoto was already in tears, nearly fainting.
"My... child..."
Wailing softly, Mikoto went limp and fell into Fugaku's arms, unable to bear it.
Looking at his devastated wife, Fugaku's Mangekyo flared, his eyes bloodshot, but he forced himself to endure the sorrow.
"Itachi..."
Uchiha Izumi stood by the window and threw it open. The noise from outside flooded in, suddenly becoming more intense.
Seeing the surging crowd, Izumi gritted her teeth. She wanted to leap out the window but forced herself to stop.
As the cheers from the crowd rose and fell, she unconsciously gripped the windowsill, veins popping on her hands.
The wooden sill couldn't withstand the force; it groaned and cracked, splintering under her grip.
Izumi bit her lip hard. Tears rolled past the mole near her eye, tracing down her cheeks and dripping onto the floor.
The three tomoe in her eyes spun rapidly, connecting to form a pinwheel-like pattern.
Just then, the cheers of the crowd suddenly changed to shock.
The air above the execution platform suddenly trembled.
*Boom!*
A massive set of gates appeared out of thin air with a loud rumble. Suddenly, a red light burst forth, staining the entire street.
Two skeletons adorned the gate's surface, their bony arms resting in the central gap. Above the skeletons, golden chains bound the two doors together.
With the appearance of these gates, an indescribable atmosphere filled the area, and the crowd burst into successive cries of astonishment.
"Wh-wh-what is this?"
"Why did it suddenly appear here?"
"Could someone be coming to rescue these criminals!"
On the porch, Uchiha Izuna stood up abruptly, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at the gates in disbelief.
"What is this now?"
Seeing this, Setsuna recalled information about these gates and blurted out.
"Lord Izuna, I fear those are the Gates of Hell!"
"The Gates of... Hell?"
Kakkaku explained, "When souls commit great sins in life, the Gates of Hell open to drag those evil souls inside to face punishment!"
"The existence of Hell... is a realm that even Soul Reapers are forbidden from interfering with!"
*Rumble!*
While everyone scrambled to get away, the Gates of Hell slowly creaked open. The chains snapped, revealing a hellish red light within as miasma billowed out from the doors.
A massive suction force erupted from within. The executioners on the platform had already fled, leaving behind only the three hanged corpses.
Pulled by the suction, the three corpses were drawn toward the gates, but the ropes kept them swinging in mid-air.
The suction from the Gates of Hell intensified. Under the strain of this power, the three corpses shattered into fragments and were sucked inside.
*Boom!*
Having claimed its targets, the Gates of Hell slammed shut with a deafening thud and then slowly faded from the air.
Without the hellish light, the street returned to its previous state.
The platform, unable to withstand the suction, completely collapsed into a pile of rubble.
"The... the gates are gone?"
"The Gates of Hell... they actually exist!"
"Good riddance! Those three beasts, Danzo and the others, belong in Hell!"
The crowd fell into a state of chaos.
On the second floor of the house by the street, Amanai Riko snapped back to her senses just in time to hear Ubuyashiki's confused voice.
"Lady Riko, what exactly just happened?"
Fear still lingered on Riko's face as she repeatedly patted her chest to calm down.
"It was Hell. The Gates of Hell appeared and sucked the souls of those three sinners inside."
"I heard My Lord mention it... I didn't expect it to be real, or that I'd see it with my own eyes."
"No, I have to let him know."
Ubuyashiki faced the outside, looking thoughtful beneath his bandages.
'Hell...'
Meanwhile, Ren felt a tug on his mental connection. After receiving Riko's report, his footsteps faltered.
"The Gates of Hell appeared during the Uchiha execution?"
"It seems dealing with Hell... should be put on my agenda as well."
Behind him, Walter heard Ren's quiet murmur and looked puzzled.
"Lord Ren, did something happen?"
"It's nothing."
Ren withdrew his thoughts and continued walking forward.
Seeing Ren's reluctance to elaborate, Walter stopped asking. He looked at the surrounding buildings; though they were in the Seireitei style, it was a place he had never visited.
The two walked along the road for a while before Ren suddenly stopped.
Walter asked, "My Lord, we've left the Stealth Force headquarters. Where are we headed?"
"We're here. This is the place."
Hearing Ren's words, Walter looked ahead. A building appeared before them, with the number '12' written on the wall.
"Squad 12?"
Ren nodded and said in a heavy voice, "We've come to Squad 12 to see someone."
Rubbing his chin, an image of a slightly gloomy blonde man popped into his head, accompanied by a faint suspicion.
'He should help me this time too, right?'
The two entered the Squad 12 barracks. Upon seeing Ren, the members immediately invited him to the reception room and served tea.
"Please call for Third Seat Urahara Kisuke. I need to see him."
"Understood. Please wait a moment, Lord Ren."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]