Sasuke kept his eyes squeezed shut as the slaps echoed in the room.
Yeah… I should probably behave from now on.
Growing up, he'd heard the same thing more times than he could count:
Itachi is a genius.
Itachi is Mom and Dad's pride.
If even Itachi could get "disciplined" like that…
Sasuke's resolve formed—then he drifted off, half-asleep.
Mikoto cast a simple genjutsu to keep him out cold. Then she gave Fugaku a brief nod.
He's out. Completely.
"Take Sasuke to the shelter," Fugaku said, drawing a slow breath. "I haven't been a good clan head… or a good father."
His eyes hardened.
"But tonight, I'll carry what I'm supposed to carry."
"If the Uchiha are going to be wiped out… then Konoha will pay a heavy price."
Mikoto glanced at Itachi. A flicker of pain crossed her eyes.
But she still turned—and left, Sasuke in her arms.
Itachi's expression twisted.
"I understand now," he said urgently. "Father… Mother… you've been hit with the strongest genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami."
"There's no other explanation for such a sudden change."
He stepped forward, voice rising toward hysteria.
"Father—don't move. Let me kill you. Once you die, the genjutsu will break, and the Uchiha won't exist anymore!"
Fugaku's face went dark.
"You're sick."
As clan head, he'd seen every kind of illusion.
No genjutsu was slipping past him quietly—not with his eyes.
And Kotoamatsukami?
Don't make me laugh.
Shisui was dead.
And his eyes—if anyone had them—would be in the hands of Konoha's upper ranks.
Itachi's gaze fell into a freezing pit.
Mikoto was already far enough away with Sasuke.
And his father wouldn't "wake up."
Everyone's abandoning me.
Something inside him snapped.
"Fine."
His Mangekyō spun, pupils burning.
"Then die."
His hands flew through seals.
Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
Heat exploded outward.
A massive fire-dragon roared from Itachi's mouth, surging toward Mikoto's retreating back—
"Your opponent is me."
Fugaku blurred in, cutting the line of fire.
His hands mirrored the same seals.
Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
BOOOOM—!!
Two fire-dragons collided midair, detonating into a scorching shockwave that tore through the living room and shattered what was left of the interior.
In the instant the house broke apart, father and son locked eyes—
then both launched out into the night.
Meanwhile — The Uchiha District
The streets reeked of blood.
Root shinobi kept dying—one after another—bursting into red mist as those unnatural "cracks" in the air snapped at them like invisible jaws.
The Uchiha, meanwhile, realized something crucial:
Those cracks… only targeted Root.
So instead of panicking, Uchiha forces began moving with purpose—converging on the central plaza.
Because numbers mattered.
A gathered Uchiha force was terrifying.
"Damn it… what is this?!"
On a rooftop, Aburame Ryōma dodged another tearing ripple and watched yet another Root operative explode.
His heart sank.
These were handpicked men—Danzō's best.
And they were being erased before they could even properly engage.
Root had already lost over a third of its force.
A blur landed beside him.
Danzō.
His expression was ugly—tight with fury.
In his mind, tonight had been perfect:
A sealed district.
ANBU cooperating.
Itachi as the knife from within.
He hadn't even planned to enter until the slaughter was done—then he'd stroll in and harvest eyes.
Now?
From that earlier voice—and these impossible cracks—
there was clearly a hidden monster behind the Uchiha.
"Lord Danzō," Ryōma said tensely, "what do we do?"
"Our jōnin are fewer than theirs. If this continues… Root will be wiped out."
"Rally them," Danzō growled. "No more scattered fighting."
He stared toward the plaza.
"The Uchiha are assembling there, aren't they?"
His mouth curled.
"Good. We'll go too—and wipe them out in one sweep."
Ryōma immediately signaled the nearby Root operatives.
Orders spread.
Across the district, Root units began converging on the central plaza.
And as they moved—
the cracks in the air… suddenly vanished.
Root shinobi froze, then exhaled in relief.
"The cracks disappeared!"
"Move—rally up. We'll have to take the Uchiha head-on."
"Finally… we can move freely again."
Under the night sky, Root accelerated—closing in on the plaza.
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