Click-clack...
Click-clack click-clack...
The sound of wooden clogs walking on the stone pavement was rhythmic.
Uchiha Itachi walked along the stone path amid the ruins, his gaze unwavering, seemingly ignoring the Root ninjas standing in the corners of the ruins, as he steadily approached the door of the inner warehouse.
These Root ninjas noticed Uchiha Itachi's disregard for them, and the murderous intent in their eyes burst forth with anger. One of the Root ninjas even slowly drew his ninja blade!
"Don't be hasty."
A Root squad leader coldly stopped his subordinate from attacking Uchiha Itachi and continued, "His life should have ended today anyway..."
"Such intense killing intent..."
As Uchiha Itachi walked slowly, he secretly formed a hand seal inside his sleeve, his eyes slightly lowered: "There are forty-one people outside..."
This number...
Is double the number of people that were in the Root when he was there.
Uchiha Itachi began to ponder. These people must have been arranged by Akihara Kagura, fearing that he might escape after killing Sasuke. However...
All these worries were unnecessary.
Because he had never intended to leave here alive.
Uchiha Itachi stood at the door of the warehouse, pushed it open, and stepped into the somewhat dim house.
"Inside are..."
"Forty-three people."
Uchiha Itachi immediately noticed that there was also a group of Root ninjas standing inside the house, and even the corners of his eyes could see people standing on the beams of the roof.
The number of Root members...
Is it almost the same as the number of Anbu members?
It seems this time Akihara Kagura really doesn't want him to leave here alive.
However...
These people are not important.
Uchiha Itachi's gaze lifted and saw Uchiha Sasuke sitting on the stone chair in the middle. He looked at his once timid and cowardly younger brother.
Uchiha Sasuke rested his chin on his hand, surrounded by a group of Root ninjas, looking like the leader of these Root ninjas, his face full of arrogance and indifference.
"Finally, you've come..."
A cold smile appeared on Uchiha Sasuke's lips as he looked at his brother, the murderer of their parents, with disdain in his eyes: "Itachi, I thought after I killed your clone last time, you wouldn't dare to come see me..."
The last time they fought was during the Kazekage Retrieval Mission.
During their last encounter, Uchiha Sasuke had almost effortlessly killed Uchiha Itachi's clone, even though that clone only had thirty percent of Itachi's power.
"Sasuke."
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, his lips pressed together: "Can your Sharingan only see the past? You are still afraid, afraid that you might not be a match for the Mangekyo Sharingan, which is why you brought these useless people..."
"What did you say!"
A masked Root ninja roared in anger!
"Calm down."
Uchiha Sasuke soothed the group of Root ninjas who wanted to explode in rage, his eyes unchanged, as if he didn't feel that Uchiha Itachi was insulting him.
"This is not fear."
Uchiha Sasuke stared at Uchiha Itachi, and the killing intent in his eyes began to brew: "Although I want to kill you, every clan member here also has the right to watch you die in front of them. Their relatives, just like our parents, were slaughtered by you on the night of the massacre..."
"Clan members..."
Uchiha Itachi frowned.
"Take off your masks."
Uchiha Sasuke slowly straightened up and said coldly: "Let this traitor know that the Uchiha clan will not be exterminated!"
A Root ninja removed his mask.
Other Root ninjas followed and removed their masks.
Everyone present revealed their scarlet Sharingan.
Each person's face was filled with hatred, and the killing intent in their eyes was like tangible knives, fixed on Uchiha Itachi.
"Uchiha Itachi..."
"You probably don't remember many of these people, do you?"
Uchiha Sasuke gripped his ninja blade, drawing it out with a flip of his hand, staring at the sharp edge of his blade as if contemplating when it could drink Uchiha Itachi's blood: "That's understandable. To hide, all Uchiha, except me, had to change their names and live in hiding. Everyone has almost forgotten their own names…"
Uchiha Itachi's pupils trembled violently, and his fingers began to shake involuntarily.
How is this possible?
Uchiha Itachi's vision had deteriorated somewhat, and he could barely recognize some of the people, discerning their youthful features.
The most important evidence was that these people could freely switch between the clan's Sharingan and their normal eyes, which meant they undoubtedly possessed Uchiha blood!
These were all members of the Uchiha clan!
This kind of thing...
How is this possible?
On the night of the clan's massacre, how could so many people have survived!
Uchiha Sasuke swung his sword and continued coldly, "Since that day, I had only one goal for the rest of my life, which was to kill you at all costs to avenge..."
"Fortunately..."
"There are still many Uchihas alive in this world."
"There are still many people with the same goal as me. I am no longer alone."
Uchiha Sasuke raised his sword towards Uchiha Itachi and said coldly, "Now tell us the truth about that night of the massacre, why you killed the others, why you killed father and mother!"
Uchiha Sasuke had always wanted to know this.
Because he could not believe that his brother would do such a thing.
There were some discussions in the village about the Uchiha massacre, mentioned by Shimura Danzo and the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzeni, during the Chunin Exam, suggesting there was more to the story, but these words soon disappeared.
Only Uchiha Sasuke remembered them.
The other Uchihas didn't care about these things; they only cared that Uchiha Itachi killed their relatives. Uchiha Sasuke never asked them...
"Is that so..."
Uchiha Itachi closed his eyes.
Now Uchiha Itachi's mind was focused on one question...
The fact that some clan members survived the massacre night was beneficial to his brother, giving Uchiha Sasuke a sense of belonging and relieving Itachi of worries about Sasuke's future...
But...
Is there a conspiracy behind this?
If nothing went wrong, on the night of the massacre, when he and Tobi Uchiha conspired, all the clan members should have been eliminated by him. Those who hid should have been killed by him using the Tailed Beast Bomb with the Three-Tails...
Unless...
Someone saved them before he used the Tailed Beast Bomb.
In an instant, Uchiha Itachi deduced the truth and subconsciously identified the suspect. Only Akihara Kagura had the motive to do this.
That guy deliberately saved some people who had grudges against him to seek revenge; this was entirely plausible...
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzeni, should have been involved; otherwise, these people couldn't have hidden in Konoha, but the Third Hokage was already dead...
Shimura Danzo should...
Shimura Danzo wasn't that kind of person.
If Shimura Danzo wanted to save some Uchihas, there was no need to persuade him to massacre the whole clan; he could have directly said to spare some people...
Forget it.
Thinking about it is pointless.
The most important thing now is to ensure the plan goes smoothly!
As long as he achieves his goal today, awakening his brother's Mangekyo Sharingan and transplanting his own to achieve eternal vision, he could reach the height Uchiha Madara once stood at, able to resolve any conspiracy.
No matter what happens...
The original plan is most important!
Besides...
Sasuke has improved significantly...
He might no longer be a match for him!
But he must know the Uchiha clan's most crucial power!
Since Sasuke is asking now, he might as well take this opportunity to tell him about the Mangekyo Sharingan's flaws...
"Want to know?"
When Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes again, his Sharingan was revealed, and the shock in his eyes quietly disappeared, replaced by the usual coldness and arrogance.
"Very simple."
"Just for power."
Uchiha Itachi touched his eye sockets and said coldly, "This is a secret of the Uchiha clan, related to the Mangekyo Sharingan's flaw..."
"When one of our clan members awakens the Mangekyo Sharingan, they fall into its curse. Every use of the Mangekyo Sharingan consumes ocular power, leading to a decline in vision..."
Uchiha Itachi looked at Uchiha Sasuke, whose figure was vaguely blurry, and continued in an icy tone, "To restore the Mangekyo Sharingan's power, one must transplant another's Mangekyo Sharingan..."
"Of course, this method still has flaws."
"But..."
"In the Uchiha clan, there was another who discovered the secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan, truly finding a way to break its curse."
"Who?"
Uchiha Sasuke furrowed his brow.
"Uchiha Madara."
Uchiha Itachi mentioned the name of Uchiha Madara.
On the other side.
In the corner of the warehouse.
A black and white figure was hiding here.
Besides these Uchiha, there was another visitor, the Akatsuki's intelligence operative, Zetsu.
Of course.
This intelligence operative was somewhat unqualified.
Because even though the Akatsuki base had been destroyed, this operative was still here watching the brotherly duel between Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
However...
This time, Zetsu was somewhat glad they had come!
"There are still other Uchiha who survived..."
White Zetsu looked at the group of Uchiha inside the warehouse, incredulous: "We never discovered them..."
"Akihara Kagura!"
White Zetsu suddenly realized the severity of the problem and quickly asked Black Zetsu beside it: "These people are all under Akihara Kagura's command. He actually hid so much from us..."
"Minor issues."
Black Zetsu no longer cared about these trivial matters.
Now, the Eye of the Moon Plan is proceeding smoothly. There was no need to argue with Akihara Kagura over this, because Akihara Kagura held the most crucial piece of the Eye of the Moon Plan—Uchiha Madara's body.
"However..."
Black Zetsu was still a bit uneasy and spoke in a raspy voice: "We must have Kagura revive Madara soon, we can't let him hold all the control..."
Just at this moment, White Zetsu Awei appeared beside them and gently reminded: "Hey, hey, the boy wants to revive Madara with the Edo Tensei, but he needs a sacrifice..."
"Now?"
White Zetsu and Black Zetsu were both shocked.
At this time...
That guy wants to bring up reviving Uchiha Madara?
"Right..."
White Zetsu Awei cautiously spoke to White Zetsu and Black Zetsu: "The boy told me that to give Madara powerful combat abilities, the main body must be used as the sacrifice for the revival..."
"What!"
The main body of White Zetsu immediately wanted to object!
"..."
Black Zetsu silently took control of White Zetsu's body and spoke in a raspy voice: "Where is Kagura?"
This so-called main body of White Zetsu was completely insignificant.
As long as Uchiha Madara could be revived with the Edo Tensei, as long as their Eye of the Moon Plan continued on its predetermined path, they could have as many White Zetsu as they needed!
"Nearby."
White Zetsu Awei hurriedly led the way.
Clearly.
Everyone was quite anxious about this matter.
In the forest outside the ruins, Akihara Kagura stood under the shade of a tree, with Uchiha Madara's body placed beside him.
Black Zetsu, controlling White Zetsu's main body, emerged from the ground. Upon seeing the corpse next to Akihara Kagura, it immediately relaxed: "Kagura, why choose to revive Madara at this time?"
"It's about time."
Akihara Kagura leaned casually against the tree trunk, glancing down at the corpse on the ground: "Today's battle is a grand event for the Uchiha clan; it's no harm to have Lord Madara participate a little…"
~~~
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— Ending + Extra Chapters!
Read upto Chapter 348: End! + Extra Chapters of Sasuke's Rebirth where the world Akihara Kagura is not around.
Thank you!