Clang—
The Mangekyō Yin Release chakra unleashed by Yin Yue instantly invaded the neural pathways of the nine men's minds, severing their brains' control over their bodies.
"What's going on? I can't move my body!"
"That is… the Mangekyō!"
On the tree branches, as the nine cried out in alarm, their pupils turned crimson, branded with blade-shaped Mangekyō patterns.
This was Eight Thousand Spears!
Mental Domination!
"As long as the amount of Yin Release chakra contained in my mind surpasses the opponent's, I can brand them and complete mental domination. I can even control their chakra. Such a simple and brutal ability!
For ninjas, it's a first-encounter kill.
As for ordinary people, they have no way to resist at all."
Yin Yue's expression remained calm as he reflected.
He easily obtained permanent mental control over the nine men. The price was consuming one-tenth of the Yin Release chakra contained in his brain, leaving his eyes slightly sore and swollen.
The nine stood dumbfounded on the branches, chills running down their spines.
They had done nothing.
In a single exchange, all of them were controlled!
So this was Yin Yue's Mangekyō ability?
It was simply unfathomable!
"Everyone, I know that right now some of you are confused, some are angry, and some wish you could cut me down on the spot. The reason things have come to this—you'll soon know."
Without wasting words, Yin Yue used Eight Thousand Spears to control the nine, flashing together with them toward the edge of the village.
Along the way, he created a shadow clone and sent it back to the clan compound to wait for an opportunity.
Passing through the forest, the end of this road led to the outskirts of Konoha—a cliff with an open view.
From here, one could overlook the entire street layout of the Uchiha clan compound.
"Everyone, don't blink."
Yin Yue controlled the nine to line up behind him, facing the clan grounds.
He planted his ninja blade into the ground and sat down at the edge of the cliff.
The nine were confused by his intentions.
Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Nanpu were still immersed in thoughts of why Yin Yue had killed so many clan members—was it to awaken the Mangekyō?
At this moment, could there be anything more important than such an extremely vile internal massacre?
Uchiha Nanpu swallowed and tentatively spoke, "Yin Yue, even if you possess the Mangekyō, if you do this, Clan Head Fugaku… and Itachi won't let you go!"
"Itachi and Fugaku?"
Yin Yue shook his head and said nothing.
…
Uchiha Clan Compound.
At the entrance of the main street.
The masked man looked toward the eastern mountains of Konoha. A sharp gaze shot out from the single eyehole of his mask as he spoke calmly:
"A mouse has slipped away. Our plan has been discovered in advance by other Uchiha."
"The plan is known only to Konoha's upper echelon. It's probably just a few small fry with sharp noses. After the extermination, I'll handle it."
Itachi showed no expression as he drew his ninja blade from behind his back.
From this moment on, for the sake of peace, for the sake of the village, he willingly fell into hell, offering his soul to the devil.
"Let's begin."
The masked man spoke indifferently, his figure vanishing like a ghost into the streets of the Uchiha clan. According to the agreed plan, his target was the Uchiha Police Force headquarters.
That was where the most Sharingan were located!
Whoosh—
The late-autumn night wind swept through the streets, causing the fan-shaped banners outside the shops to flap loudly.
Tonight, the Uchiha compound was unusually quiet.
Bang—
A shop door opened, and a well-behaved, adorable Uchiha boy stepped out. When he saw Itachi, his face lit up with joy.
Itachi was the genius of their clan!
The idol of the younger generation!
"Brother Itachi, it's you outside! You're still on a mission this late? Why don't you come in and have some dessert? My mom went to the market this morning and bought some!"
"Even if the mission is urgent, taking a few minutes to rest should be fine, right?"
The boy spoke excitedly, taking Itachi's hand and pulling him toward the house.
"Sorry…"
Itachi removed his ANBU mask from his waist and put it on his face. Reflected on the surface of his ninja blade were the final expressions of a family of three—smiles of welcome and looks of confused shock.
"Ahhh…!!"
A shrill scream echoed through the Uchiha compound.
A splash of crimson stained the paper windows of the shop, the lights flickering violently. Inside, there was no more movement.
Uchiha Itachi stepped out through the doorway, removed the mask stained with warm blood, held his blade, and rushed toward the next house.
Flap—
At this moment, countless crows flapped their wings and circled overhead. As if drawn by the scent of death—or as if long prepared—they landed on walls along the street, watching the entire Uchiha compound.
…
The Mountain Peak.
The nine members of the Uchiha Police Force were jolted awake by the screams coming from afar. They raised their heads sharply toward the clan compound.
They saw a black figure flashing back and forth among the houses. With every entrance and exit, desperate wails echoed through the clan grounds.
They instantly realized that the clan was under attack—someone was slaughtering the Uchiha!
"Yin Yue, you have accomplices!!!"
Uchiha Nanpu's face turned deathly pale, his expression ashen. Unable to control his emotions, his voice became shrill.
Izumi's beautiful eyes trembled uncontrollably, unwilling to believe what she was seeing.
That silhouette slaughtering civilians—
She knew it well.
"No, that is not my companion. The one massacring Uchiha civilians right now is the person you just mentioned—Uchiha Itachi."
Yin Yue said calmly.
The words struck like thunder in the minds of the nine. Every pupil shrank violently.
Uchiha Nanpu cried out, "How could it be him! Impossible! This is impossible!"
"Why is it impossible?" Uchiha Tamayoshi shouted angrily. "That Uchiha Itachi has been aloof and solitary lately, barely speaking—he never looked like a good person! If Big Brother Yin Yue says it's him, then it must be him!"
"It… it's Itachi."
Izumi choked out the words. Tears streamed from her clear eyes as she stood there, petrified.
Even from this distance,
She could tell from the body flicker technique of that shadow in the clan compound—it really was Itachi's movement style.
The remaining Uchiha Police members were stunned beyond belief. If there was anything more horrifying tonight than Yin Yue slaughtering the ninja in the police dungeon, it was this: Uchiha Itachi, the hope they had placed their faith in, raising his blade against the clan's civilians!
"Why would Itachi do such a thing?"
"Genjutsu—it must be genjutsu!"
"My family… my family lives in that area of the compound… why would he… do this…"
Some of the police members had already collapsed emotionally, sobbing softly and muttering to themselves.
Suddenly, several lines of text appeared in Yin Yue's mind.
[Main Quest]: The Night of Clan Extermination
[Options]:
Kill all remaining Uchiha.
Successfully escape from Konoha Village.
[Reward]: (Plunder) Seize another's Mangekyō, absorb its ocular power, and obtain that Mangekyō's abilities.
Yin Yue's expression turned grave as he analyzed the mission.
At this stage, killing all the Uchiha—both civilians and ordinary ninjas—wouldn't be difficult.
But Fugaku, Itachi, and Obito together possessed two and a half Mangekyō. They were not opponents he could deal with right now.
This main quest could only choose the second option.
Successfully escape from Konoha Village.
Yin Yue glanced toward the barrier edge of the forest behind him. It seemed that even leaving the barrier would not count as successfully escaping Konoha.
He would also need to evade the subsequent pursuit from Konoha's forces, as well as from Uchiha Itachi and others.
Judging from the reward,
This was encouraging him to later plunder the Mangekyō Sharingan of Itachi, Obito, and others.
"Yin Yue… Captain…"
Izumi spoke woodenly.
Yin Yue turned back, signaling that he was listening.
"Why did you do this?"
"And why did Itachi do this as well?"
(End of Chapter)