Itachi shook his head and said, "It was because of you. Hiromi only forgave me and gave me a choice to return."
"Because of me?" Sasuke's pupils trembled slightly.
Faintly sensing his brother's love, images of Itachi's smiles while they were together kept surfacing in his mind, leaving his heart deeply shaken.
Before he could calm down, Itachi helped him firm his resolve. "The intervention of a third-party force has made the current situation unclear to me, so I intend to temporarily leave the Uchiha clan and act together with you."
Itachi added, "Of course, your actions must be effective. Otherwise, I will act independently or take the lead."
Sasuke's heart trembled, and a warm current welled up within his heart, which had been filled with extreme negative emotions.
"Nii-san..."
Itachi walked over, rubbed Sasuke's head, and smiled. "Alright, tell me what you want to do."
"I'm not a child anymore!"
Sasuke brushed off Itachi's hand, then stole a glance at him. Seeing that he wasn't angry, he felt a strange sense of relief and excitement.
Because he was going to go on a secret mission with nii-san!
On the surface, however, he still wore a sour expression and said, "I originally intended to end the Fifth Great Ninja War."
Itachi asked, "And the reason?"
Sasuke certainly wouldn't admit that he just wanted to annoy Hiromi and Shisui. Instead, he looked at the emerging White Zetsu and the new Edo Tensei army and said, "Hiromi is planning something with someone. I don't know who that person is, but as long as we disrupt Hiromi's plan, everything will become clear."
Itachi gave a doting smile and rubbed Sasuke's head, ignoring his willful struggling. "And now?"
"Now that the Uchiha clan has begun to end the Fifth Great Ninja War, it's clearly too late for me to step in." Sasuke looked grumpy.
Having only thought of this one option, he didn't know what to do for a moment.
"Orochimaru is making Naruto a Perfect Jinchuriki and has resurrected the Fourth Hokage." Itachi reminded him.
"Orochimaru? Making Naruto a Perfect Jinchuriki?" Sasuke looked fierce. "Hiromi is just watching this happen?"
"Just as he lets you choose, he also lets Naruto choose, lets Orochimaru choose, and lets me choose." Itachi said.
"Letting me... choose..." Sasuke's pupils shrank.
At this moment, he deeply felt Hiromi's immense confidence in his own strength, as if an insurmountable mountain had appeared before him. The mere sight of that massive shadow filled his heart with fear and Sasuke fell into somber thought.
Itachi waited for a few minutes before speaking, "Now then, what do you want to do?"
"Orochimaru definitely knows something. Catch him and interrogate him."
"What about Naruto?" Itachi asked, already knowing the answer.
"He's too weak. If he dies there, it just means he's not worth remembering." Sasuke said heartlessly.
Itachi's eyes flickered, and he said calmly, "Then let's go."
With that, the two of them quickly departed.
—
The forest.
Five figures were advancing—one leading and four following in parallel.
"Orochimaru! What exactly are you trying to do?!" Hiruzen's expression was fierce.
"Hehehe, don't be in a hurry, Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru said.
"Monkey, who is he to you?" Tobirama asked sharply.
Hiruzen said with a gloomy expression, "He was once my student."
Hashirama laughed loudly. "A student? He's quite impressive, being able to control us."
"Big brother! Now is not the time for jokes!" Tobirama scolded.
"We can't resist anyway, so let's see what he wants to do first." Hashirama laughed carelessly.
Immediately after, he noticed someone in the far corner.
"Who are you?" Hashirama asked curiously.
Minato hurriedly replied, "Greetings, First Hokage-sama. I am the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato."
"Oh. There's even a Fourth already."
Hashirama looked at Orochimaru. "Which generation of Hokage is it now?"
Orochimaru laughed and said hoarsely, "Konoha has been destroyed."
"Konoha? Destroyed?" Hashirama's controlled body suddenly became uncontrollable.
Hashirama stood there with a terrifying expression, his entire body filled with massive Chakra, as if he were in a non-attributed Chakra Mode.
"What on earth is going on!" Tobirama also erupted.
"Orochimaru!!!"
Hiruzen believed it was Orochimaru who had destroyed the village, his killing intent fierce.
Only Minato was somewhat dazed. He thought about it and decided it was better to erupt as well to fit in.
Thus, the four Hokage pressured Orochimaru with their presence.
Orochimaru clicked his tongue in wonder and said, "As expected of the Hokage, to be able to temporarily break free from my control is impressive. However, I am afraid of death, so I have made some preparations."
The next moment, they felt the Chakra in their bodies being restricted, and they lost control of their bodies once again.
Just as Hashirama was about to truly lose his temper, Orochimaru laughed hoarsely. "Shall we talk while we walk?"
"Big brother?" Tobirama looked at Hashirama.
Hashirama pondered for a moment and said, "Fine."
"Hehehe, the story begins with the Third Hokage wanting to exterminate the Uchiha clan."
Hiruzen: "!!!"
Hashirama: "??!"
Tobirama: "???"
Minato: "..."
Amidst Orochimaru's gentle yet hoarse voice, the story unfolded.
Hashirama and Tobirama began to berate Hiruzen.
Minato's mood was still relatively lighthearted. After all, he had just seen his son. But when he heard that his son lived in a dilapidated rental room, was called a demon fox by the villagers, and could only survive on expired ramen and milk every day, his pupils constricted.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen lowered his head, not daring to meet Minato's gaze.
At this point, Orochimaru smiled and said, "Sorry, Sarutobi-sensei, but since your affairs have already been exposed among the villagers, there's no harm in saying it now."
Hiruzen kept his head down, looking quite defeated.
Tobirama stared at Hiruzen through gritted teeth.
I told you to be wary of the Uchiha clan, not to destroy the Uchiha clan!
And you actually dared to suck the village's blood to sustain your own clan!
"Hiruzen!!!" Tobirama was beyond furious.
Only Hashirama noticed one thing. "Villagers? Are the villagers still alive?"
"When Konoha was destroyed, ninety percent of the villagers left with the Uchiha clan."
"That's good then." Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief.
"But now they are all dead."
Hashirama: "???"
"Don't be in a hurry, the story must be told slowly." Orochimaru smiled.
The four Hokage were gradually drawn into the story, unknowingly following behind Orochimaru of their own accord.
However, what they didn't know was that the direction they were heading was toward Kabuto.
—
Twenty kilometers east of Uchiha Imperial City.
A man wearing red armor from the Sengoku era, his body covered in cracks and his pupils pitch black, stood there.
"To actually resurrect me in this form!" He was somewhat angry.
Suddenly, he looked to the left. There stood Fugaku, his expression so serious it was almost expressionless, giving a slight bow.
"It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Madara-sama."
Madara narrowed his eyes. He felt the strong ocular power of the man before him. "Mangekyo? The Uchiha clan?"
"Yes." Fugaku said with a stiff face, as if he were incapable of any other expression.
"You dare stand before me without even having the Eternal Mangekyo?" The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan appeared in Madara's eyes.
Compared to the ordinary Mangekyo, the patterns were more complex, more imposing, and far more powerful. Killing intent condensed around Madara, as if he would kill Fugaku in the next second.
The Mangekyo appeared in Fugaku's eyes. Although it was only an ordinary Mangekyo, the ability to peer into the future filled his eyes with a domineering ferocity. Even Madara could feel a sense of pressure.
"It seems the current Uchiha are not bad." Madara said, tilting his head slightly.
Fugaku thought back to the current Uchiha clan. Over a dozen Mangekyo users, and Hashirama cells. Most importantly, there was Hiromi, who fought using Lava Release Chakra Mode instead of the Rinnegan.
So he nodded and smiled. "Yes, the Uchiha clan is indeed very good now."
Madara snorted coldly and said, "So you want to stop me now?"
Fugaku nodded. "Yes."
Madara gave what seemed to be a disdainful smile. With that small expression, the pressure emanating from him soared tenfold.
"Just you?"
Fugaku said, "I will simply give it my all."
Madara's gaze was full of contempt. But in the next second, he saw an orange flame emerge on Fugaku's body. Instantly, the flames engulfed him, condensing into an orange figure that radiated a scorching aura.
Madara narrowed his eyes. "Chakra Mode?"
Fugaku's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Please guide me, Madara-sama."
The next second, the ground beneath his feet suddenly exploded.
Boom!
Fugaku shot forward.
As the scorching heat approached, Madara formed hand seals and his chest puffed out high.
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!
Clearly, he wanted to see whose flames were stronger, his or Fugaku's.
But Fugaku didn't bother competing with him. Relying on the high defense of his Chakra Mode and the explosive power brought by Fire Release, he quickly closed in on Madara and threw a punch.
Madara did not fear close combat either. Purple ribs appeared around him as he clenched his fist, preparing to withstand the blow while also delivering a punch to Fugaku.
At this moment, a speck of gold appeared on Fugaku's fist. This caused Madara's expression to change slightly, and his attacking fist shifted direction to collide with Fugaku's fist.
Bang!
Madara was knocked back, cracks spreading like a spiderweb across his initial form Susanoo.
Madara curled his lips into a smirk.
His Mangekyo was no newly awakened eye. Differences in ocular power meant that differences existed even between Susanoo. The Susanoo he had constructed with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan had actually been nearly shattered by a single punch.
Very impressive.
"It seems that before I go see Hashirama, you can entertain me for a little while." Madara was delighted.
"Madara-sama, please use your full strength." Fugaku said solemnly.
Madara laughed wildly.
In the next second, his killing intent turned ferocious. "Are you even worthy?"
Fugaku said no more as a black hue surged from his body. Soon, a fifty-meter-tall, half-bodied black Susanoo appeared. It had a longsword at its waist and wore an armor. It enveloped Fugaku, who was in Fire Release Chakra Mode.
In the next instant, the Fire Release Chakra on Fugaku's body spread out, transforming into scorching orange patterns that covered the entire black Susanoo. Radiating an intense heat, it looked like a dark giant born of flames.
Susanoo: Fire Release Chakra Mode!