A sense of panic and loss of control...
It spread in Uchiha Itachi's mind.
Everything he had done so far was centered around the fact that Uchiha Sasuke had been placed under the Kotoamatsukami by Shimura Danzo. But what if Sasuke had not been controlled by the Kotoamatsukami?
"..."
Uchiha Itachi looked anxiously at Uchiha Sasuke.
"Itachi, what's wrong?"
Shimura Danzo asked with a frown.
"I'm fine."
Uchiha Itachi unconsciously shook his head.
No...
Something is wrong...
None of this matters.
Even if the starting point is flawed, as long as the destination remains what I want, the final outcome shouldn't be problematic...
"Let's continue with the main issue."
Shimura Danzo glanced at him and spoke coldly, "Your brother's will has been corrected by you, and I have agreed to all your requests..."
Rustle, rustle…
The leaves in the forest swayed gently.
"Someone's coming."
Uchiha Itachi interrupted Shimura Danzo, his gaze turning toward the depths of the forest, where an Anbu ninja in gray uniform quickly emerged.
As Uchiha Itachi was about to retreat, Shimura Danzo waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, he's one of my subordinates..."
"Danzo-sama!"
The Root ninja didn't pay much attention to the situation and quickly landed beside Shimura Danzo, hurriedly reporting something extremely urgent: "Koharu-sama and Homura-sama have rescinded the announcement of Danzo-sama's succession to Hokage. Anbu forces from the village are on their way to the Daimyo's castle with orders to arrest the criminal Shimura Danzo at all costs..."
"!!!"
Shimura Danzo's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What the hell happened!"
Shimura Danzo's heart sank as if it had fallen into an abyss, his face turning grim as he urgently demanded, "Quickly explain what happened in the village!"
What a joke!
I had just accepted the Daimyo's appointment, and now suddenly I'm being dismissed by the village, with Anbu even being sent to arrest me for trial!
What on earth is going on!
Just when I was reaching the pinnacle of my life, I suddenly fell into the depths of despair—who could accept such a thing!
"Yes."
The Root ninja had plenty of information.
He was one of the ninjas on duty at the Hokage's office that day.
"Nara Shikaku, the head of the village's Jōnin, reported to the two Hokage advisors, collectively opposing Danzo-sama's succession as Hokage, and revealed that Danzo-sama had colluded with the Akatsuki organization to attack Konoha, as well as secretly hiring Akatsuki's rogue ninjas to kill dissenters in the village..."
"Bastards!"
Shimura Danzo couldn't help but shout in anger, his chest tightening with frustration to the point where he almost wanted to spit blood: "When did I ever do such a thing!"
Who is framing me!
How could I have done such things!
I'm mortal enemies with the Akatsuki organization, so how could I collude with them to attack Konoha, or hire Akatsuki's members to kill the village's ninjas?
If I wanted to kill the village's ninjas…
Couldn't I just send my own people to do it?
"But, Danzo-sama..."
The Root ninja, not daring to anger Danzo, cautiously continued to explain, "The village's Jōnin seem to have obtained some evidence, claiming that Akatsuki's S-rank rogue ninjas, Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi, infiltrated Konoha under Danzo-sama's orders..."
After saying this, the Root ninja's expression became subtle, his gaze slowly shifting to Uchiha Itachi, who was standing not far from Danzo, wearing the black robe with red clouds.
Moreover…
Danzo-sama…
We're all on the same side…
Now is not the time to deceive yourself, is it?
"I never did such a thing!"
Shimura Danzo angrily gripped his cane.
The old man was trembling with rage, never imagining that such false accusations would be placed upon him, even leading to the imminent loss of his position as Hokage!
No...
I must return to Konoha immediately!
Shimura Danzo could no longer continue the conversation with Uchiha Itachi. He had to return to Konoha at once to clear his name with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. As long as he could meet them, he could prove his innocence!
"Return to Konoha with me immediately!"
Shimura Danzo glanced at Uchiha Sasuke, who was suddenly walking towards them, and then looked back at Uchiha Itachi: "Sasuke… Are you sure there won't be any problems?"
"..."
Uchiha Itachi's expression was somewhat obscure.
Of course, there are problems...
In fact, Sasuke is the biggest problem right now!
"Danzo-sama."
Uchiha Sasuke walked toward them step by step, speaking casually, "At this point, why rush back?"
"..."
Shimura Danzo felt a chill in his heart.
"..."
Uchiha Itachi's heart tightened.
"Don't be afraid."
Uchiha Sasuke noticed the change in his brother's expression. He turned his gaze slightly towards Uchiha Itachi, a strange smile curling at the corners of his mouth: "Didn't both of you use Kotoamatsukami to alter my will?"
"Could it be…"
"That I would harm you?"
Uchiha Sasuke lightly laughed as he reached for his sword, his smile suddenly becoming dangerously sharp, causing Shimura Danzo to immediately heighten his guard!
"Protect me!"
Shimura Danzo ordered the ninja who had come to deliver the message. He quickly reached for the sealing vessel on his arm; only Izanagi could provide him with some security!
"Yes!"
The messenger ninja immediately drew his sword!
However, Uchiha Sasuke's figure instantly vanished from his sight, and before he could react, the blade had already sliced across his throat!
Blood gushed out in torrents!
Uchiha Sasuke raised his hand and pushed the ninja's corpse to the ground, smiling as he looked at the visibly tense Shimura Danzo, shaking off the blood from his blade…
"Uchiha Itachi…"
Shimura Danzo quickly removed the sealing vessel on his arm, harshly questioning Uchiha Itachi: "What exactly did you alter in his will with Kotoamatsukami…"
"..."
Uchiha Itachi silently watched his brother, slowly closing his eyes, only to open them suddenly, speaking each word clearly: "Sasuke, if I'm not mistaken, you've never been affected by Kotoamatsukami's genjutsu, right?"
"..."
Shimura Danzo's face showed shock.
What does that mean?
What do you mean Uchiha Sasuke was never under Kotoamatsukami's genjutsu?
"That's right…"
A bright smile spread across Uchiha Sasuke's face, though his eyes were as cold as his smile: "You've finally realized, Nii-san…"
Uchiha Sasuke gripped his sword, mocking Shimura Danzo and Uchiha Itachi: "From the beginning, I was never influenced by Kotoamatsukami's genjutsu..."
"So…"
Uchiha Itachi's expression became serious as he exposed his brother's intentions: "You pretended to be affected by Danzo's Kotoamatsukami, disguising yourself as loyal to him, and joined his side..."
"Exactly."
Uchiha Sasuke nodded in satisfaction.
"!!!"
A look of shock appeared on Shimura Danzo's face.
No…
Is the power of Kotoamatsukami (Shisui's illusion technique) fake?
What does it mean to pretend to be utterly loyal to someone?
Has Uchiha Sasuke never truly fallen under the influence of the Kotoamatsukami I cast on him, and only pretended to be loyal to me all along? How is that possible!
Is the power of Kotoamatsukami really fake?
If Uchiha Sasuke has been pretending all this time, why would he bother to feign loyalty and even help me with various tasks...
No...
No, wait...
Something seems off!
Shimura Danzo finally realized the truth. He carefully recalled everything Uchiha Sasuke had done since joining the Root. That kid never actually did anything to help him. The only task given to Sasuke was to kill Uchiha Itachi, which he failed to accomplish. Instead, Sasuke used Danzo's name to kill many of his own Root members!
This kid...
He dared to deceive me!
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
"You dare to deceive this old man..."
Shimura Danzo's fury surged, and his arm began to tremble. He could hardly believe that a twelve-year-old kid had deceived him!
However, neither Uchiha Sasuke nor Uchiha Itachi had time to pay attention to Danzo. Sasuke had a smile on his face that didn't belong to a boy his age, while Itachi's expression was serious, his face unusually pale.
"After our last meeting, you reported false intelligence to Danzo in my name, making him think that the Akatsuki organization was planning to attack Konoha..."
"That's right."
Sasuke nodded with satisfaction, even praising Itachi, "As expected of you, Nii-san, you figured it out so quickly..."
"!!!"
Shimura Danzo's face grew even darker, his eyes widening in anger: "The news about the Akatsuki attacking Konoha was also false?"
"I can hardly believe it myself."
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, his eyes still fixed on Sasuke: "If my guess is correct, the matter of Danzo colluding with the Akatsuki..."
"That was also my doing."
Sasuke shrugged, feeling an unparalleled sense of delight, and chuckled, "Since you've guessed it, there's no need to hide it anymore..."
"..."
Uchiha Itachi's heart sank to the bottom.
This younger brother...
How did he become so terrifyingly cunning!
"Let me think..."
Sasuke raised a finger to rub his forehead, imitating Akihara Kagura's thoughtful expression: "Where should I start?"
To be honest...
Sasuke was starting to understand Akihara Kagura more and more.
Because the feeling of pushing someone into a desperate situation with a conspiracy, and then revealing the entire plot at the last moment, was just too delightful. Even he couldn't help but feel pleased...
No wonder...
That guy Akihara Kagura always enjoyed doing such things.
"If I have to say..."
"I should probably start from the day I became a ninja, right?"
Sasuke spread his hands, speaking with a smile, "A Uchiha Ghost noticed that I had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, favored me, and secretly revealed to me some of the truth about the Uchiha massacre..."
Yes.
This was also something he learned from Akihara Kagura.
When people think they've uncovered a dark past and believe they understand the entire truth, that's when the second act of the conspiracy begins.
Besides...
It's not exactly a lie.
Because in a way, it was Uchiha Obito in the real world who exposed the truth behind the Uchiha massacre, leading him to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan...
"..."
Upon hearing about the Uchiha Ghost, Uchiha Itachi immediately thought of the mysterious masked man!
Because in the entire ninja world, only that mysterious masked man could be considered the Ghost of the Uchiha clan, and he had always claimed to be Uchiha Madara!
To think...
That person had his eyes on Uchiha Sasuke!
"Madara?"
Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath and asked about the most pressing concern: "When? When exactly did you awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan..."
At that time...
Sasuke must have been in great pain, right?
Itachi didn't think Sasuke had awakened it on the night of the massacre, because he had personally checked on his younger brother. The emotional pain was only enough to awaken the regular Sharingan, which made Itachi believe that Sasuke had more potential than himself.
"Thanks to you, Itachi..."
Sasuke's smile was tinged with mockery, but beneath that smile was an unmistakable pain, the two emotions mingling indistinguishably: "You've given me so much, but you've taken away even more. You've always thought my potential was greater than yours, right? So it shouldn't be surprising that I awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan so early..."
These words...
Were from the heart.
If it weren't for his brother, he might never have awakened the Sharingan, or perhaps he would never have wanted to awaken it.
Gain, loss.
Then gain, then loss.
It was as if he had never truly owned anything.
"..."
Uchiha Itachi quickly shook his head, murmuring softly: "So, after that Uchiha Ghost approached you, you began to plan for today?"
"Yes..."
"On that day..."
Sasuke chuckled, his voice cold as ever: "I already knew the truth about how you and Danzo-sama conspired to destroy the Uchiha clan. Since I wanted revenge on both you and Danzo, of course, I needed a comprehensive plan."
"So..."
"I just had to reveal a little bit of my power..."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows, explaining his plan: "As long as I showed a little uncontrollable power in the village, the higher-ups would definitely try to deal with me. And the person most skilled at handling the Uchiha..."
A sneer of contempt appeared on Sasuke's face as he slowly turned to look at Danzo: "Naturally, that would be Danzo-sama."
"You!"
Shimura Danzo felt the hidden insult in that statement!
He was skilled at dealing with the Uchiha...
Yet he had been toyed with by a young Uchiha kid!
"To lure Danzo-sama into taking the bait, I had to make myself seem valuable in his eyes, and the Chunin Exams were the perfect stage for that."
Sasuke's lips curled into a cold smile as he continued, "During the Chunin Exams, I used a bit of the Mangekyo Sharingan's power, which made the village higher-ups extremely uneasy. Everything went exactly as I predicted..."
"Danzo-sama..."
"Was the one who sought me out."
Sasuke looked at Danzo, who was dismantling the sealing vessel, and his mocking smile grew wider: "Unfortunately, convincing Danzo-sama that I was loyal to him wasn't easy. Even when he tried to use Kotoamatsukami on me, I had to pretend that I wasn't too easily influenced, so as not to make him suspicious..."
"So..."
Danzo gritted his teeth, glancing at one of the Sharingan on his arm that had already closed: "That day, you did it on purpose?"
"Yes..."
Sasuke spread his hands and closed his eyes, as if he couldn't be bothered to look at Danzo. His face was filled with arrogant mockery as he taunted Danzo: "After all, your power is so weak that it was difficult for me to act convincingly. I had to make it seem like Kotoamatsukami affected me, but I also needed you to use Izanagi, just to make sure you wouldn't suspect my intentions..."
"But still..."
"I didn't think you'd be so foolish..."
Sasuke opened his eyes and sneered at Danzo: "You, who have always hated the Uchiha, actually believed in the power of the Uchiha, thinking Kotoamatsukami could control my will…"