"Huh?"
"What the hell is Itachi doing? I've seen people cave under pressure, but this is a whole new level of groveling. He's completely confused the Old Man Third."
"Volunteering to massacre his own clan? What kind of galaxy-brain logic is this?!"
"Third Hokage: My CPU is fried."
"It doesn't feel like he's faking it. He might actually believe this is the only way. Unbelievable!"
The bullet comments exploded in shock.
Although the audience had long guessed from future plot points that Itachi was likely the one who annihilated the Uchiha clan, hearing him say those words in this specific context...
It was frankly hard to stomach.
Back in the Real World, seated before his computer, Masashi Kishimoto stared at the screen with a glazed expression. He dragged the progress bar back and forth, trying to process the deluge of information.
The Masked Man is Uchiha Madara.
Madara wants to launch the so-called 'Eye of the Moon' plan to achieve ninja world peace and preserve the Uchiha name.
Itachi has defected to Konoha's side, but he's offering to wipe out his own clan just to infiltrate Madara's organization?
F*ck!
How did the plot turn out like this?
His original intention had been for Itachi to simply massacre the clan under orders, without any of this "Madara" drama interwoven so early...
Kishimoto pondered for a long while, staring at the screen, then back at his half-finished manga draft. He grabbed his hair, overcome with irritability.
I quit! I'm not drawing this anymore!
He stood up, fuming.
But after a moment, he silently sat back down and continued watching the show.
Who asked them to pay so much money, anyway?
The scene shifted. Itachi had returned from the Hokage's office to his home, where he now knelt before Fugaku.
"Father, this is the best solution I could come up with."
"Itachi..."
Fugaku opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn't know how to evaluate the son he was so proud of. After a long silence, he sighed softly. "You say it is the best solution... but best for whom?"
"For Konoha. For the Uchiha. And for Sasuke," Itachi answered.
Fugaku let out a long sigh, his expression complicated. "I know you are intelligent, Itachi. But perhaps you are too intelligent... These are your kinsmen. Your uncles, your cousins, your brothers!"
"For the greater picture, this is a necessary sacrifice. Furthermore..." Itachi lowered his head. "Isn't the current situation entirely caused by them?"
Fugaku fell silent.
That statement applied to him as well. It was his negligence in guiding Itachi's character that had allowed his son to become what he was today.
Rendered speechless, he finally sighed. " judging by what you've said, the situation hasn't deteriorated to that extent yet." He paused, then added, "And if you wish to join that man, I fear it won't be so easy. By your own admission, he already has a better candidate."
"I understand," Itachi replied. "But he and his organization are too dangerous. Even Shisui was... The threat remains."
Fugaku looked at Itachi and sighed again. "So, you are doing this for Shisui?"
Itachi went mute, offering no immediate answer.
After several seconds of silence, Fugaku spoke. "Shisui had his own circumstances and philosophy. You cannot change what happened. To gamble the lives of the entire clan for that... it is not worth it."
Of course, Fugaku understood that revenge for Shisui was likely secondary; Itachi's primary motivation was solving the village's dilemma. He couldn't fathom what Itachi had experienced recently to drive him to this extreme. He stood up and gazed down at his son.
Seeing his father's shadow loom over him, blocking out the light, Itachi instinctively looked up, then lowered his head again, awaiting the inevitable scolding.
But what came instead was—
"I am sorry, Itachi. It is my incompetence that has forced you to this point. If anyone must do the killing, it should be me."
Itachi looked up, his expression blank.
The audience was equally confused. The bullet comments were flooded with debates asking, "Wait, so who actually kills them?"
When Sasuke mentioned "That Man," was he talking about his dad?
However, the very next second, their speculations were corrected.
Itachi looked up and insisted, "Father, it must be me. Between me and that man..."
"No... Itachi, what I mean is, the situation has not yet reached the point where the entire clan must die."
Fugaku was speechless. His son was a little too stubborn.
Patiently, he asked, "You have spoken with the Hokage, have you not?"
Itachi didn't know how to answer.
Fugaku continued, "The Hokage's intention is that we can proceed as we did during the era of Setsuna: protect one faction, and eliminate the other."
"Then... it should still be me," Itachi replied with unshakable persistence after a moment of thought.
Instantly, the bullet comments couldn't hold back.
"Does he want to kill them that badly?"
"Seriously, does he have a personal beef with his own family?"
"Maybe he thinks if Fugaku survives, he might rally the survivors?"
"The Setsuna Era... Is that referring to the confinement of the radical faction that Shisui mentioned to Danzō?"
A few comments tried to rationalize Itachi's behavior or analyze the plot. But without exception, everyone was thoroughly shocked by Itachi's 'World-Shocking Wisdom.'
Yagyu Masahiko felt the same.
The plot had reached a point vastly different from the original massacre. Sarutobi Hiruzen clearly didn't approve of a total genocide. Yet, even with alternatives on the table, Itachi remained fixated on killing his clansmen, never considering another path.
Masahiko could only marvel at it.
With a storyline like this, it was no wonder his screen time in this episode was microscopic—and even that was barely scraped together.
'The Uchiha are all absolute nutjobs,' Masahiko thought as he continued watching.
Naturally, Fugaku did not agree to Itachi's request. However, he also failed to take a firm stance on what should be done. Even at this critical juncture, he remained indecisive—clearly another 'genius' of the clan.
In comparison, Shisui seemed to have the mildest symptoms; there was still hope for him.
The most normal person in that family was undoubtedly the one getting screwed over the hardest: Sasuke.
Masahiko felt a pang of pity for the boy. Born into such a family, it would be a miracle if he didn't turn out twisted. The fact that Sasuke could maintain a relatively normal worldview was an achievement in itself.
After a brief sigh, the episode reached its conclusion.
The final scene depicted Shisui meeting the Masked Man at the Valley of the End. There was little dialogue; just the two of them standing beneath the two great statues on opposite sides.
Then, they shook hands.
Above them, two crows perched on a tree branch, staring down at Shisui and the Masked Man.
As the episode ended, Masahiko sat in contemplation, mulling over the potential developments. This directly concerned his future actions and choices.
Several seconds later, his gaze shifted to the subtitles floating in front of him.
[Popularity Rating: A]
[Comprehensive Evaluation...]
[Reward Received: Random Genjutsu Card.]
To still achieve an 'A' rating was likely due to his accumulated popularity from previous episodes and the enthusiastic contributions of his dedicated haters.
As for the reward...
'A Random Genjutsu Card...'
He didn't really need orthodox Genjutsu. At this tier, he likely wouldn't draw anything practical enough to integrate into his current Nintaijutsu system.
'I'll swap it for a Customized Projection.'
Masahiko entered the training space.
Soon, the [Smart Projection] interface displayed three new options:
[Senju Tobirama], [Uchiha Shisui], [Maruboshi Kosuke], and [Yuhi Kurenai].
Perhaps because they weren't the perfect "match" for his specific needs, the prices were steep.
Among them, Senju Tobirama and Shisui were the most expensive, offering only half an hour of training time for the card's value.
Next was Maruboshi Kosuke—one hour.
Finally, Yuhi Kurenai, offering four hours.
Masahiko needed to integrate Genjutsu into Taijutsu. Yuhi Kurenai was obviously ill-suited for that specific fusion, so he ruled her out immediately.
'As for the first three...'
He pondered for a long time, deciding to hold off. He wanted to spend a few days deciphering Shisui's notes before making a decision.
Setting the system aside, Masahiko began to analyze the clues from the episode.
The fate of the Uchiha clan didn't need his immediate attention. Regardless of how the situation devolved, he intended to step in and grab a piece of the pie. The key right now was Shisui's attitude.
'Those two crows...'
Masahiko replayed that shot in his mind.
He felt the cinematography was incredibly subtle.
Shisui raised crows.
Those two crows looked unusual. Was it possible Shisui left them there intentionally?
But then he considered the alternative...
They could also belong to Obito or Zetsu.
If it was Shisui, were the crows left to test his capabilities, or to pass on intelligence?
Or perhaps... both?
After much thought, Masahiko decided to send a Shadow Clone to verify. Regardless of their origin, the crows' presence likely had an expiration date.
'I need to avoid the Naka River.'
'The Valley of the End...'
'If I take the alternate route, I should be able to bypass the Anbu's search perimeter.'
'I'll use a Shadow Clone. Even if it encounters someone, I can dispel it instantly. As long as I dress it like one of Orochimaru's subordinates, Root and Anbu shouldn't suspect me.'
Plan solidified, Masahiko didn't rush out the door.
He waited until the next day.
In the morning, he went out for his usual physical training run. Only once he reached the wilderness on the outskirts of Konoha did he silently release a Shadow Clone, sending it over the mountains toward the Valley of the End.