"Come out."
Uchiha Itachi spoke aloud, standing in an isolated forest.
The Itachi who had been following him felt a moment of panic, almost wanting to turn and leave.
'Wait, even Shisui couldn't see through the Crow Illusion Mist. Father said only those with strong mental power can detect it…'
He quickly realized that his counterpart in this timeline shouldn't be able to pierce through his Crow Illusion Mist.
Suddenly, the space before Uchiha Itachi distorted, and a man with long hair wearing a mask stepped out.
Recognizing the spatial distortion, Itachi immediately realized it was Kamui, his father's clone ability. This person had to be Uchiha Obito!
"Tonight's the night. I trust you'll uphold your end of the deal," Uchiha Itachi said.
"Of course. I'll lend you a hand," Obito replied.
Uchiha Itachi looked around, then turned to leave, but before doing so, he added, "Act as planned. I'll leave the Police Force to you."
"No problem. Eliminating the Uchiha clan serves my purposes beyond revenge. You'll be able to watch it all with your Sharingan."
Obito continued, "But remember our deal. After the Uchiha clan is eliminated, you'll join my organization and work for us."
"I understand."
After a few more words, Obito left using his space-time jutsu.
The eavesdropping Itachi was stunned, shocked to hear that his alternate self would ally with an outsider to annihilate the Uchiha clan.
Once Obito left, Itachi followed his other self as he walked out of the forest, letting the Crow Illusion Mist dissipate.
"Who's there?"
Noticing chakra behind him, Uchiha Itachi instinctively threw a kunai. Turning, he saw his kunai caught by another person.
"So it's you. Looks like you're no ordinary person—first asking about the Uchiha, and now following me. What are you planning?"
Uchiha Itachi said coldly, his Sharingan activating with three tomoe, locking onto the other Itachi.
"The shadow clone trick you used to deceive Sasuke… that was you, wasn't it? Gathering all this information from him… I can only assume you intend to harm Konoha!" Itachi replied, his voice growing intense.
"If I'm a threat to Konoha, why are you conspiring with an outsider to slaughter the Uchiha clan? I heard your entire conversation. You plan to take out the Police Force and massacre the rest of the clan. Why would you turn against your own people?"
Itachi's tone grew harsher, unable to believe that his alternate self could plan to kill not only the clan's adults but even the elderly, women, and children.
"Explain yourself… you!" Uchiha Itachi started, about to subdue the man in front of him. But then he saw the other person's appearance change, becoming identical to his own.
And not only his appearance—this person's eyes also transformed into the Sharingan with three tomoe.
"A Sharingan? Who are you?" Uchiha Itachi demanded.
"I am Uchiha Itachi. Whether you believe me or not, Father said my choices are my own. I only planned to learn this world's history, but with this at stake, even if the clan here is corrupt, I can't ignore it."
With that, Itachi extended his hand, and a dense black mist appeared, which he crushed in his palm.
The mist spread so quickly that Uchiha Itachi had no time to react before it engulfed him.
When Uchiha Itachi raised his arm, he found himself in a different world—a desolate landscape under a blood-red sun and moon. The once dense forest had transformed into barren, withered cliffs.
Caw! Caw!
In the distance, he could hear the cries of crows, sounding ominous in his ears.
"Space-time jutsu? No, this is genjutsu…"
Calming himself, Uchiha Itachi analyzed the situation, then activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, using his enhanced ocular power to dispel the genjutsu.
But as he did so, darkness overtook him, and he fell unconscious.
In the forest, Itachi looked down at his alternate self, unconscious, and shook his head.
"So, I opened the Mangekyō Sharingan in this world… Shisui's death must be involved," he thought, recalling Yōichi's teaching that unlocking the Mangekyō required intense emotional turmoil to generate a unique chakra for the evolution.
For him, though, that kind of emotional shift was difficult to attain, and the Mangekyō wasn't as strong as his Hell Crow ability.
"Best to stay calm," Itachi murmured, removing his counterpart's Konoha forehead protector and placing it on his own head. Then, using a rope, he bound his other self.
After ensnaring him in the Hell Mist, he had extracted some of his counterpart's memories, learning more about the situation.
But now, another problem weighed on Itachi's mind. Stopping Obito and his alternate self from destroying the clan would be easy enough, but what next? The memories he gathered revealed a deep rift between the Uchiha and the village—a headache indeed.
"What's this? Fighting yourself, Itachi?"
A familiar voice came from behind him, and Itachi turned, delighted. "Father, you're back!"
Yōichi glanced at the unconscious Uchiha Itachi. "Hm. I was out for a bit, and it looks like you couldn't resist taking action. So, what's your plan?"
"I'm not sure. I haven't spoken much with… this world's me, but he seems… obsessed. If Shisui-senpai were here, things might be different."
"You want to use Kotoamatsukami to change his perspective?"
"It's not just that. Shisui-senpai was his shelter from the storm. Without him, he doesn't know how to protect both the village and the Uchiha's reputation, so he's chosen this extreme route." Itachi paused, then added bitterly, "And the village elders are no help. This fool knows Danzo took Shisui's eye, but he did nothing to stop him… Summoning Jutsu!"
He summoned a crow implanted with Kotoamatsukami. Surprised, he said, "Father, I was able to summon it. I thought it would fail…"
"It worked because your chakra is similar enough. After all, you're still Uchiha Itachi."
Yōichi continued, "If you want to solve this, go to Konoha's entrance and wait for an unexpected visitor. You'll know what to do when you see her."
"A visitor? Father, who is it?"
"You'll know when you see her. If she hesitates, just say it's a favor from Yōichi."
"…Understood!" Itachi nodded. Originally, he planned to confront Danzo and reclaim Shisui's eye, but for now, he would wait at the village gate. The massacre was scheduled for tonight; whoever his father mentioned should be arriving soon.
"I'll take my leave, Father," Itachi said, slinging the unconscious Uchiha Itachi onto his back and heading out.
"Phew, I made it back before nightfall," Tsunade muttered as she approached Konoha's gate. It had been so long since she returned that she almost lost her way.
She'd vowed never to return to this painful place, but with Nawaki revived, she couldn't leave him wandering outside the village. He had dreams to fulfill.
Nawaki looked at his sister, who, despite appearing youthful, was nearly fifty. "Sis, you've been through so much…"
"Nawaki…" Tsunade felt warmth in her heart, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder. "None of that sappy talk. You're going to go through my training, and I won't be easy on you!"
"Yes! I'll train twice as hard as you set for me!"
The three of them, plus Tonton, headed toward the village.
"Tsunade-sama?"
The two shinobi guarding the gate were visibly excited, one quickly saying, "Tsunade-sama, it's good to have you back! I'll go inform—"
"No need. I'll go see the old man myself," Tsunade said, stopping them.
But as they walked into the village, someone suddenly appeared before them.
"Tsunade-sama," Itachi greeted her, nearly slipping into a familiar nickname.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, seeing the Uchiha fan symbol on his clothing. "Which Uchiha are you? Do you need something?"
"There's something important to discuss with you. It concerns the Uchiha clan and the village," Itachi replied.
"That sounds like a headache. Let's talk tomorrow—I just got back and need to settle in," Tsunade dismissed him, considering sending this Uchiha kid to the Hokage tomorrow.
"No, Tsunade-sama, this must be discussed now. Only you can handle it."
"Look, kid, can't you see we just got back?"
"It was Yōichi who said I could come to you."
"What?"
Tsunade had been about to refuse but froze at the mention of Yōichi, her expression changing. She quickly asked, "Did he look like…?"
"…Yes, that's him," Itachi confirmed, thinking to himself, I hope Father didn't do anything too extreme with her.
"Can you find him?" Tsunade asked eagerly.
Itachi stepped back. "Well… probably not. He appeared, said a few words, and left. I don't know where he went."
"Tch, that man is so mysterious…" Tsunade bit her lip, then turned to Itachi. "Fine. For his sake, I'll hear you out. What is it?"
"Not here," Itachi said, "Please come with me to a quieter place."
"Fine. Shizune, take Nawaki to the Senju compound and start tidying up," Tsunade instructed.
Once they reached a secluded spot, Tsunade asked, "Alright, kid, what's this about?"
"It starts with the Nine-Tails' rampage eight years ago," Itachi began, though he altered parts of the story to credit Yōichi for uncovering much of this information. He recounted Danzo's theft of Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, the threats to "himself" to annihilate the Uchiha, and the clan's brewing rebellion.
"What a mess… I get back, and it's already this bad…" Tsunade massaged her temples, wondering if her position of power might be able to restrain the Hokage, but the rift with the Uchiha clan…
"I'll handle the Uchiha side, but there are two people I can't let go unpunished, Tsunade-sama," Itachi said.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "You mean the masked Uchiha who controlled the Nine-Tails and… Danzo?"
Itachi nodded. "He ambushed Shisui-senpai, took his Mangekyō Sharingan, and then used it to threaten 'me' into annihilating the Uchiha. That alone is reason enough not to let him go."
"But he's a high-ranking figure in Konoha," Tsunade sighed, blaming Yōichi for dragging her into such a mess.
"I'll deal with the masked Uchiha. As for the rest, I'll speak to the Hokage tomorrow. But know this: if you do this, even if the Uchiha are spared, you'll face trouble."
Itachi thought for a moment. "When the time comes, I'll leave with Father. As for this world's me… I'll help him adjust that obsessive personality. Tsunade-sama, after this, I'll become your permanent Anbu."
"My Anbu? Listen, kid, I'm not planning on becoming Hokage." But as she spoke, Tsunade realized that with Konoha's lack of leadership, she was likely the best candidate. Had there been a better choice, the village wouldn't have gone eight years without a Hokage.
Tsunade scratched her head, sighing. "Fine. Do you have information on this masked Uchiha?"
"I do. His main strength is space-time ninjutsu, a troublesome ability, but it has a weakness," Itachi replied, sharing the details he had learned about Obito's Kamui, which he'd encountered several times.
(End of Chapter)
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