A figure leapt and moved across the rooftops.
Uchiha Itachi, who had just left the Hokage's office, felt the weight of something called "fate," a weight heavy enough to crush anyone.
Itachi leapt to the top of a tower at the edge of Uchiha territory and looked out over the clan grounds below.
Many familiar faces walked the streets with smiles on their faces, something the new clan head had brought to the Uchiha Clan.
Itachi's heart was deeply conflicted, for perhaps before long, this place would be reduced to desolation.
At that moment, without any warning, a strange distortion appeared in the space beside Itachi.
A man wearing an orange swirl mask appeared silently at Itachi's side.
"What a moving scene."
The masked man spoke with a mocking tone, as though he were savoring a tragedy whose ending he had already known all along.
"For the peace of the village, to protect a foolish little brother, willing even to become the demon who slaughters his entire clan."
"Uchiha Itachi, you truly live up to your name as a faithful hound who inherited the Will of Fire."
Itachi's body tensed instantly.
The Mangekyō Sharingan in both eyes activated at once, snapping toward the man beside him as the tomoe spun furiously, carrying a killing intent that cut to the bone.
"Who are you."
The masked man did not answer and instead spoke on his own terms.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō gave you a reason you could not refuse."
"And I can give you the means to actually complete the mission."
Itachi's heart sank hard.
This man knew every detail of the top-secret conversation inside the Hokage's office.
"Why should I trust you."
Itachi's voice was cold, and a short blade had already slipped into his hand, its edge gleaming with a chilling light under the moon.
"Because of this."
The masked man let out a quiet laugh.
His body began to rotate and warp in a bizarre manner, centered on that single eye, as though being drawn into an invisible vortex.
A space-time technique.
And one of an extraordinarily advanced level that Itachi had never seen before.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"You may call me... Uchiha Madara."
That name struck like thunder.
Uchiha Madara.
The legendary progenitor of the Uchiha, called the Demon of the Shinobi World, a figure spoken of in the same breath as the First Hokage.
Had he not already died at the Valley of the End?
"Surprised, are you."
The man who called himself Madara spoke with a tone full of contempt for the way the world had turned.
"I am nothing more than a wandering soul who has grown weary of this hypocritical world."
The masked man spread both arms wide, as though embracing the entire night.
"I have seen through it all long ago; what people call peace is nothing but the opening act of the next war."
"What people call the Will of Fire is nothing but a joke that turns human beings into tools."
"Itachi, now that you stand where you do, have you seen it clearly?"
Itachi said nothing, only tightened his grip on the blade in his hand.
"I can help you."
"Help you complete this slaughter that you alone could never carry out."
A light of all-knowing certainty shone from Madara's single eye.
"I know what you are afraid of."
"That brat called Uchiha Shinsuke is indeed a monster."
"His power has already exceeded the bounds of what is ordinary, and even your father, Uchiha Fugaku, has awakened the Mangekyō."
"Relying on just you and those rats of Danzō's who cannot stand the light of day to go up against two Mangekyō users is nothing short of overestimating yourselves."
Madara let out a scornful laugh.
"You are not carrying out a mission; you are walking into your own deaths."
Itachi could not deny it.
The man was right.
Itachi had experienced firsthand just how powerful the new clan head, Uchiha Shinsuke, truly was.
On his own, or even with whatever help Danzō brought in, defeating Shinsuke was far from guaranteed.
"What is your purpose."
Itachi finally spoke; he had to know what this man was scheming.
"Purpose?"
Madara leaned his body slightly forward, bringing that single eye close to Itachi's face, his voice full of a beguiling pull.
"My purpose is true peace."
"A perfect world without war, without sacrifice, without suffering."
"I call it the Eye of the Moon Plan."
The masked man painted for Itachi a vision so grand it bordered on madness.
Using the power of all the Tailed Beasts to cast the most powerful genjutsu in existence, plunging every person in the world into an eternal dream.
In that dream, the dead could be revived and regrets could be mended.
Everything that had been lost would be possessed once more.
"Your sacrifice and your suffering will become the cornerstone of this great plan."
"And the sins you carry will find their ultimate redemption in that world."
Itachi looked at the mysterious man before him as a fierce battle raged within his heart.
His reason told him the man was utterly and completely insane.
Perhaps...
"Amaterasu!"
Tears of blood welled from Itachi's eyes as black flames materialized out of nothing upon Madara's body and engulfed him in an instant.
Yet the very next moment.
Those black flames burned as though they had struck empty air, passing straight through Madara's body and leaving a permanently scorched mark on the wall behind him.
Madara himself was entirely unharmed.
"It is useless."
"Before my Kamui, every attack you can muster is meaningless."
Itachi's pupils contracted to their limits.
So this was the power of Uchiha Madara.
This ability to render all attacks void was nothing short of invincible.
"Do you believe now that I have the power to help you?"
Madara's voice was filled with absolute confidence.
Itachi fell silent.
He had to admit that this man's strength was beyond fathoming.
With him, plus whoever Danzō brought as backup.
Perhaps they truly could defeat Uchiha Shinsuke.
And complete this mission that was all but impossible to complete.
For Sasuke.
A flash of cold resolve crossed Itachi's eyes.
"Your terms."
Madara seemed quite satisfied with his willingness to cooperate.
"Simple."
"After the clan is exterminated, join my organization, the Akatsuki."
"And gather intelligence on the Tailed Beasts for me."
"In return, I will keep your secret, and I will also... keep watch over your little brother."
That final line was the true killing blow.
It struck with precision at Itachi's one weakness.
Itachi slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, every trace of struggle and pain had been buried in the deepest part of him.
"I agree."
"Very good."
Madara smiled.
"Then let us settle the details."
"Three nights from now, when the moon is at its fullest, that night will be the end of the Uchiha."
"I will take care of the minor obstacles and create an opening for you."
"I will also hold Shinsuke at bay."
"And you..."
Madara's gaze moved toward the brightly lit Uchiha territory in the distance.
"Go and sever your bonds with your own hands."
The agreement was reached.
Itachi's figure vanished into the darkness.
Obito, wearing his swirl mask, stood alone atop the tower and watched Itachi's retreating form, the gleam of a scheme fulfilled shining in his single eye.
Uchiha Itachi, the most useful piece on the board, had at last fallen into place.
Everything was within his control.