Half a quarter of an hour passed in the genjutsu space, while in reality, not even an instant had gone by. Everyone only felt a blur before their eyes, and then they saw Fugaku kneel down on one knee.
"Well done, Uchiha Itachi, to strike your own father so hard."
Itachi remained silent, looking at his father with complex emotions. Before leaving the genjutsu space, Fugaku had said one last thing to him.
"Fortunately, the Fourth Hokage is in power now, otherwise, your father would truly have to die."
"I still want to live to see you and Sasuke marry and have children!"
Of course, Itachi chose to ignore the last sentence; he had no interest in romantic entanglements.
Itachi raised the tachi in his hand again and charged towards the group of Uchiha vermin.
All along, what had held Itachi back was not a lack of strength, but the familial bonds within his bloodline.
However, the actions of these people threatened the annihilation of the entire Uchiha clan, so he had to raise his blade, steel his heart, and bear it all.
What brought Itachi some solace, though, was that he no longer had to bear it all alone.
Swish!
Another black robe descended from the sky and landed beside Itachi. He said coldly, "Are you alright?"
Itachi nodded and replied, "It's just that this outfit might be ruined, it's covered in too much blood."
Shisui immediately chimed in, feigning schadenfreude, "You're done for. The boss is very stingy; he won't reimburse you."
"..."
Itachi turned his head away, no longer paying Shisui any mind. Was this really the time to be discussing such matters?
"Another one!"
"Clan Head, what should we do?"
"What should we do?"
Fugaku struggled to get up from the ground, the Sharingan in his eyes erupting with a powerful red glow. The Uchiha who had asked him collapsed onto the ground.
"I am no longer the Uchiha Clan Head. You ask me what to do, and I don't know either!"
"Fugaku! Why are you attacking your clansmen?" The radical faction surrounding Uchiha Setsuna turned their accusations towards Fugaku, though their eyes clearly betrayed fear.
Had even Fugaku betrayed them?
"As a father, one must believe in their child. Besides... you lot don't even have Mangekyo Sharingan. What right do you have to point fingers at me, Uchiha Fugaku!"
Fugaku moved to stand beside Itachi and Shisui. He turned his head to greet the masked man who had kept him bedridden for half a year, his eyes filled not with hatred, but with regret.
Alas, if only Sasuke were standing beside him, then the entire family would be complete.
"Fugaku, how dare you betray us, betray the Uchiha! You are unworthy to be the Uchiha Clan Head!"
Uchiha Setsuna declared, inciting the surrounding Uchiha ninja, "Whoever can eliminate this traitor, Fugaku, I, Uchiha Setsuna, will support him as the next Clan Head!"
The surrounding Uchiha showed signs of interest. In terms of numbers, their thirty-odd members easily overwhelmed the three of Fugaku. This was an opportunity!
Perhaps having finally shed his burdens, and feeling that he had successors, Fugaku let loose completely.
"Does anyone seriously want to be this damn Clan Head?"
Fugaku gave a thumbs-up, then pointed downwards, saying, "The Uchiha Clan Head? Even dogs wouldn't want that job!"
"..."
Itachi and Shisui exchanged a glance, then pulled Fugaku behind them. Itachi casually put on his mask, feeling somewhat ashamed to face anyone.
He used to think his father was a rather serious person. What was going on now?
"Attack! Kill them! I, Setsuna, will lead you to glory!"
"Itachi, and you, whoever you are, show mercy to those with families," Fugaku called out to Itachi and Shisui who had already charged forward. He then addressed the hesitant Uchiha on the other side,
"If you still recognize me as your Clan Head, then put down your weapons!"
"...!"
After a long while, one Uchiha finally managed to choke out with difficulty, "Clan Head, didn't you just say that even dogs wouldn't want to be the Uchiha Clan Head?"
Fugaku immediately put on a bitter expression (๑१д१)!
...
In a certain shadow, Danzo gritted his teeth, watching the scene unfold, his fists clenched so tight they creaked.
"These idiotic Uchiha! At a time like this, they're still fighting amongst themselves. What a bunch of trash!"
"I gave you an opportunity, and you were useless. It seems I have to add a bit more fuel to the fire."
Danzo was about to signal the ninja stationed outside the Uchiha compound when his signal failed. A transparent barrier had somehow enveloped the entire Uchiha compound.
"A barrier! When did that happen?!"
"Danzō, what are you doing in this place?" A voice, old yet strong, sounded from behind Danzō. Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in his pajamas, looked at his old friend with a pained expression.
"Hiruzen, are you here to deal with me?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said gravely, "Danzō, give it up. This is the era of the younger generation; we should be stepping down."
"Hiruzen, your passion has cooled, but I, Danzō, have not given up!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to Danzō's side and said softly, "Do you think you have a chance?"
Danzō looked down at the chaotic Uchiha and fell silent.
He had intended to use the Uchiha rebellion to bring down the Fourth Hokage, arguing that it was the Hokage's policies that had led to the Uchiha's betrayal.
This way, he could then use the popularity gained from suppressing the Uchiha uprising to ascend to power.
Unfortunately, everything was just a plan, and plans could never keep up with changes.
Had this Uchiha Itachi gone mad? Killing his own clansmen?
"You cannot succeed, Danzō."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked towards a distant hillside, where the most outstanding Hokage stood.
"The Fourth Hokage is doing much better than I did. Your subordinates have likely been controlled long ago."
"And this barrier was also set up by the ANBU in advance, so this is just an internal Uchiha conflict. Danzō, your plan has failed before it even began."
Danzō's face contorted in ferocity. He was unwilling. If the Uchiha were gone, they could find another clan. If a plan failed, they could make another. He would not give up the position of Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Danzō's unwillingness and chuckled softly, "Actually, the position of Hokage is not as good as you think. It's a position that makes you lose hair. Look at me; I'm almost bald in the middle."
"Hmph!" Danzō turned his face away, sneering inwardly. He, Danzō, had an excellent research team; how could he possibly lose hair!
The two fell silent for a while. Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, "If you still refuse to turn back, the Fourth Hokage will not let this provocation incident slide easily."
"Hmph!" Danzō snorted coldly. Just as he was about to say something, a black shadow suddenly appeared before him. To be precise, it was a black-robed figure wearing a spiral mask.
"Are you the 'Pot Hokage' of Konoha, Shimura Danzō?"
"Pot Hokage?"
Danzō's heart pounded. For a fleeting moment, he felt a sense of fear. Who was this person!
Tobi walked lazily to Danzō's side and said in a low voice, "Orochimaru misses you very much."
"Orochimaru! Are you Orochimaru's subordinate?"
Tobi sneered, "He's not qualified."
"So, are you free to meet him?"
Danzō remained silent for a while, then said, "Time, place."
"Wait! You mentioned Orochimaru, where is he now?!"
Hearing them discuss his former prized student, Hiruzen Sarutobi, unable to investigate the masked man's identity, asked anxiously.
"Then, at the time of the slaughter... goodbye!"
The space rippled, and a vortex swallowed Tobi, completely ignoring the barrier's influence.
"Space Ninjutsu?!"
Both men exclaimed in surprise, their wariness of the masked figure rising to another level.
"Danzō, you..."
"Don't worry about me, Hiruzen!"
"Besides me, who else would care about you!"
Danzō looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi for a long moment, then uttered a few words,
"I don't want to!"