When Itachi turned back, Minato had already vanished, taking his parents' bodies with him, leaving only a fallen Sasuke behind.
Sasuke was still lost in thought, replaying Minato's earlier words.
What more can be done? Why should he care about their feelings?
Itachi bent down, gently touching Sasuke's forehead.
Forgive me, Sasuke.
"Let's go. We're running out of time," he urged.
But before he could linger on the moment, Minato's figure reappeared abruptly in the room, alone once again.
Understanding the urgency, Itachi wasted no more time. He scooped up the unconscious Sasuke and swiftly left with Minato.
They moved like shadows, silent and quick. Each survivor they encountered, whether trapped in a genjutsu or hiding away, was revealed under Itachi's Sharingan and Minato's keen perception.
Without hesitation, Itachi directly seized those clan members who were still conscious but trying to hide. Minato placed his hand on each one, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished together.
Itachi noticed that with every return from using the Flying Thunder God technique, Minato's exhaustion visibly increased.
The Fourth Hokage's chakra isn't depleted much, but why is he...
A tight feeling gripped Itachi's heart as he watched Minato grow increasingly weary, yet silently racing to save every survivor they found.
He finally recognized how foolish his past thoughts with Shisui had been.
The notions of possessing Hokage-like insights and forging his own path while confronting reality were nothing but illusions!
He, Itachi Uchiha, was merely a jester who believed he had understood the darkness but could do nothing!
He had never clearly defined what was right or wrong for himself; he merely reassured himself that he wasn't wrong to think this way.
And in truth? They had no understanding of how to create the future they desired; they only knew how to seek out the light but were oblivious to how to ignite a spark within the darkness.
Having never experienced the guidance of light, living only in the shadows, Itachi saw for the first time the true embodiment of what it meant to be Hokage—a flame worth chasing for a lifetime!
This vision was now forever imprinted in his mind.
At that moment, he silently made a decision deep within himself.
As Itachi and Minato raced against time, the battle on the other side was nearing its conclusion.
Boom!
Like a cannonball fired from a gun, a shadow clone controlled by the Nine-Tails crashed into the water, the impact nearly dispersing the clone.
But this time, it wasn't trying to evade Uchiha Obito; it had been cornered into the water by two relentless pursuers!
Yes, two.
On the surface, masked Uchiha Obito was right behind it, and another figure, with his eyes wrapped in black cloth, was locking onto the Nine-Tails' possible escape routes from the edge of a nearby building.
This guy is wearing Akatsuki's garb? Who is he?
And how did he get here? I didn't even sense his presence.
The Nine-Tails furrowed its brow, sensing no malice from this stranger.
Yet he was clearly aiding Uchiha Obito, sealing the Nine-Tails' escape route and forcing the 'Kakashi' shadow clone into a dire situation.
"You have nowhere to run!" Obito shouted angrily, activating his intangibility because his hand finally touched the enemy—
No matter who you are, you will perish in Kamui space! Let me see your true form!
But Obito suddenly saw the 'Kakashi' clone halt its movement, turning to look at him, its face filled with open mockery and derision.
Especially in the guise of Kakashi, this expression drove Obito to the brink of fury.
"Today ends here, Uchiha brat. Tell Uchiha Madara that our pursuit will soon commence!"
Bang!
A familiar yet slightly distorted sound echoed, and as the smoke dissipated into the flowing water, Obito's Sharingan widened in shock, blood rushing to his eyes from a mix of rage and fear.
Obito felt as if he would bleed from his eyes without even using his abilities.
Shadow clone, shadow clone? Just a shadow clone?!
Had he been toyed with by a mere shadow clone for so long?
And what did that last statement mean? Our pursuit? Are they part of an organization? What is their connection to Uchiha Madara? Who is this person?
Obito's rational mind urged him not to think too much, but unfortunately, his reason had been drowned in a flood of emotions, leaving no room for clarity.
Amidst the anger and endless questions, Obito could no longer care about Konoha or the Uchiha clan. If he could, he would tear the village apart just to find this person!
Above them, Uchiha Shisui sensed a wave of chakra dissipating in the water and sighed inwardly.
After a moment, Obito finally resurfaced from the depths... or rather, floated up. Shisui observed the damp spots on his clothes, pondering deeply.
"Now that we've succeeded, let's regroup with Uchiha Itachi," Shisui said, maintaining his calm demeanor, though he was also curious about the identity of the person who had fallen into Obito's hands.
However, Shisui was taken aback when the masked 'Uchiha Madara' simply coldly replied, "Handle it yourself," before vanishing from sight.
What's going on?
Shisui was momentarily stunned.
Then, a shocking realization flashed through his mind—
After hastily recalling his surveillance over Danzo, abandoning the plan and nearly exposing his abilities, had the legendary Uchiha Madara still failed?
"My lord, this is the last one..." Itachi's shadow clone cradled a fainted child found amidst the corpses, gently placing him before the now motionless blonde boy, and then vanished.
Minato remained silent, already on the brink of exhausting his own chakra. His awareness was foggy, but he still placed his hand on the child Itachi had brought.
With a flash of the Flying Thunder God technique, Minato and the child disappeared once more before Itachi's eyes.
Watching this unfold while standing nearby to protect Sasuke, Itachi felt his respect for Minato rise to an indescribable level.
Though he sensed that a considerable amount of chakra still surged within Minato, the state he was in spoke volumes.
Perhaps the technique was taxing his spirit... but whatever the reason, Itachi felt deeply moved.
"...Alright, what about Sasuke? Should we take him too?" Minato asked as the controlled Naruto reappeared, still seated in place.
He glanced over at the unconscious Sasuke lying beside him, asking weakly.
Minato had already moved nearly fifty people, and now he could barely muster the strength to walk, leaving Itachi to find survivors to bring him.
In one night, Konoha's great clan had dwindled to this—almost devoid of any ninja combat capabilities.
Those capable of fighting had been the first targets dealt with.
"No, leave Sasuke here. The Third Hokage promised me he would ensure his safety. Plus, he can grow alongside Naruto," Itachi quickly said. "I know what to do next; you..."
"No, there's one more person." However, the weak Minato interrupted Itachi, "Create a shadow clone and give me your hand."
One more person? Itachi was taken aback, looking at Naruto's face, then suddenly understanding something.
Without hesitation, he complied. At this moment, even if Minato had asked him to gouge out his own eyes, he wouldn't have hesitated.
Itachi created a chakra-filled shadow clone, implanting a technique within it. As Minato recognized this, he lifted his head.
Seeing that Itachi understood, Minato said no more, grabbing hold of him, and their figures vanished.
With Minato's disappearance, the Uchiha clan now truly had only two survivors left: himself and Sasuke.