A blood-red moon hung high in the sky, casting an eerie and almost seductive glow over the night.
As darkness fell, an enormous barrier unknowingly enveloped the entire Uchiha clan's district.
This barrier had no offensive or defensive capabilities, making it difficult to detect.
Its purpose was simple: to isolate the Uchiha district, ensuring that whatever happened within would have no impact on the rest of Konoha.
In other words, it had excellent soundproofing—no matter how chaotic things got here, the rest of Konoha wouldn't feel a thing.
Under the cover of night, Uchiha Itachi walked steadily toward the clan district, his face devoid of any expression, his entire being exuding a cold, chilling aura.
As a member of the Uchiha clan and the son of the clan leader, Uchiha Itachi bore an immense burden in making the decision to raise his sword against his own kin for the sake of Konoha's peace. It was a decision that had caused him indescribable anguish.
However, for the sake of peace, Uchiha Itachi did not regret his choice.
He had made an agreement with the Third Hokage regarding the Night of the Massacre: Sasuke would be the sole survivor of the Uchiha tragedy.
This was a promise the Third Hokage had personally made to him.
But Uchiha Itachi had another thought in mind—Uchiha Akira.
As the greatest genius in the history of the Uchiha clan, and having been entrusted with dual responsibilities by Shisui, Uchiha Itachi also wished to let him live.
He wanted to see what heights Akira could reach in the future.
However, Itachi knew that while the Third Hokage would agree to let Sasuke live, he would never agree to let Akira survive.
Therefore, finding a way to secretly save Akira was an incredibly difficult task.
"Hey, Itachi, you're back!"
A fellow Uchiha clansman, noticing Itachi's return, greeted him with a smile.
Itachi did not respond to the friendly greeting.
"???"
The clansman, noticing Itachi's cold demeanor, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Itachi was usually quite amiable within the clan. He would normally respond to greetings like this, so why was there no reply today?
At that moment, a cold flash of steel sliced through the night.
The Uchiha clansman's eyes widened in disbelief as he slowly collapsed.
Uchiha Itachi's three-tomoe Sharingan glowed in the night, and a splash of blood stained his face.
The crimson blood, combined with the scarlet Sharingan and illuminated by the blood-red moon, made him appear like a demonic entity.
After striking, Uchiha Itachi wasted no time and used the Body Flicker Technique, entering full slaughter mode.
"Clan Leader!"
In Uchiha Fugaku's house, a loud shout rang out.
Several elite Uchiha members barged in without waiting for Fugaku's response. "Itachi... Itachi has begun massacring the clan! No one can stop him!"
Yes, the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan had initially filled the Uchiha clan with pride.
But when that power turned against them, it only inspired fear.
"So, it's happening after all? Just as Akira predicted..." Uchiha Fugaku's face showed a sorrowful expression as he heard the news.
Although Uchiha Akira had warned him and Fugaku had made preparations, deep down, he had hoped this moment would never come. He had hoped Akira's prediction was wrong.
But as the clan leader, Fugaku knew now wasn't the time for despair.
He quickly steeled himself and prepared to confront the situation.
The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan could only be countered by another Mangekyō.
Because Uchiha Fugaku had prepared for this, Itachi's plan to quietly eliminate the guards one by one had failed.
At this moment, five or six elite Uchiha members with three-tomoe Sharingan were surrounding Uchiha Itachi.
But despite being outnumbered, Itachi seemed to have the upper hand.
In battle experience, timing, mastery of genjutsu, ninjutsu, and hand seals—Itachi had no weaknesses.
Even without activating his Mangekyō, he was overwhelming the elite Uchiha with just his three-tomoe Sharingan.
As more and more clansmen gathered, Uchiha Itachi sighed inwardly. The tomoe in his eyes spun, merging into the form of a triangular pinwheel—the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Be careful, it's the Mangekyō!" the elite Uchiha members shouted in alarm as they noticed the change in Itachi's eyes.
But at that moment, Uchiha Fugaku, along with other elite members of the clan, arrived to confront Itachi.
Seeing the clan leader arrive, the surrounding Uchiha members breathed a sigh of relief.
The power of the Mangekyō could only be countered by another Mangekyō!
Thank goodness Fugaku wasn't on the same side as Itachi.
As the surrounding clansmen retreated, Uchiha Itachi paused his assault and turned to face his father.
"Itachi, don't you owe me an explanation?" Fugaku asked, though the truth was already clear before him. He still found it hard to accept.
"The Uchiha are planning a coup, which will lead to the destruction of Konoha. For the peace of the village, and even the peace of the entire ninja world, I have no choice but to do this," Itachi declared, making his stance clear.
Yes, the Uchiha had set their minds on a coup, and when that happened, the people of Konoha would suffer the horrors of civil war.
Konoha's vulnerability would inevitably attract attacks from other ninja villages, leading to another great ninja war.
For the sake of peace, Itachi believed he was doing the right thing.
Hearing that Itachi was willing to sacrifice his own clan for the sake of so-called peace, the surrounding Uchiha members erupted in anger, cursing him.
But Uchiha Fugaku did not join in the condemnation.
Although their beliefs differed—Fugaku fought for his clan, while Itachi fought for the village and the peace of the ninja world—Fugaku still felt a sense of pride in his son's noble ideals.
In essence, Itachi was choosing to sacrifice a few to save many.
But because Fugaku was among those being sacrificed, he had no choice but to oppose him.
Otherwise, from an outsider's perspective, Fugaku might have even helped Itachi.
As the saying goes, "Those who do not share the same path cannot work together."
There was no point in talking any further. Uchiha Fugaku raised his hand, ready to fight.
Uchiha Itachi, too, took a deep breath and raised his bloodstained sword, launching the first attack.
In an instant, the two top-tier Uchiha warriors clashed.
Their battle was so fast and intense that even the elite Uchiha members found it difficult to intervene...
Meanwhile, Uchiha Akira was no longer sitting in his wheelchair. He stood on a rooftop, watching Fugaku and Itachi's fight from a distance.
After observing for a moment, Akira shook his head silently.
Indeed, the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was immense.
Despite simulating life for so long and experiencing centuries' worth of life, Akira had yet to awaken the Mangekyō himself.
If it weren't for the Eight Gates, he'd likely be helpless against the Mangekyō.
However, now wasn't the time to watch this father-son battle. Akira had his own mission to carry out.
After taking a quick glance at the fight, Akira turned and prepared to leave the Uchiha district.
Tonight's plan had already been discussed with Fugaku: the Uchiha members would delay the enemies as much as possible, allowing Akira to carry out the decapitation strategy.
After all, it wasn't just Uchiha Itachi who would be responsible for the clan's destruction.
Konoha's Anbu, and even members of Root, would likely be involved, though they had yet to make their move.
However, just as Akira turned to leave, he suddenly noticed a figure blocking his path.
Under the moonlight, the figure was cloaked, with a large hood covering his head, making it difficult to see his face.
Of course, even without the hood, his face would have been obscured.
The figure wore a wooden mask with a spiral pattern, orange-red in color.
"This...?" Seeing the figure blocking his way, Uchiha Akira's heart sank.
Judging by the mask, Akira immediately recognized who it was.
Uchiha Obito!
In Akira's mind, Obito was the greatest genius in Uchiha history.
Why? Because he awakened the Mangekyō directly from the two-tomoe state!
In all of Uchiha history, who else could boast such a feat?
In terms of talent, not even Uchiha Madara, Shisui, Itachi, or Sasuke could compare!
In the original Naruto series, many tragedies were deeply moving, but none more so than Obito's love for Rin Nohara.
Of course, as a spectator, Akira was also moved by Obito's story.
But now, they stood on opposing sides.
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 120 at patreon.com/Emik01.