Uchiha Clan Land, late at night.
A round, bright moon hung high in the night sky, a few clouds lazily adorned the heavens, the night breeze quiet and peaceful...
Normally, this would be a cool night perfect for relaxing under the breeze.
But with the appearance of two pairs of scarlet eyes, the atmosphere suddenly became delicate.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito appeared together...
"Itachi, let's begin... remember, strike swiftly and mercilessly. Kill them one by one in silence. If Konoha is alerted, or if those Uchiha fools band together, things will get troublesome."
Uchiha Obito, wearing a swirl-patterned one-eyed mask of earthy yellow, squinted as he surveyed the Flame Fan Clan Emblem hanging over the clan land and said coldly:
"If you want your brother to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, you have to go to the extreme, understand?"
Uchiha Itachi's brows moved slightly.
Misunderstood...
Did this guy think that he was doing this for the power of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, which was why he was taking such action on the night of the massacre?
What a disgusting fellow!
In his heart, Uchiha Itachi scorned Uchiha Obito, just as he had guessed after his investigation...
This enigmatic Uchiha, seemingly special, was essentially no different from those clan members who believed he killed Shisui. They were all people narrow-mindedly seeped in the ingrained bloodline of this pitiful clan!
"So, the so-called organization he established is probably just a bunch of ragtag people..." Uchiha Itachi muttered to himself in his heart:
"However, I do need to play this role in front of Sasuke... this Ninja World and the village are still too dangerous. To help Sasuke grow quickly so he can protect himself, I must ensure he gains power swiftly..."
"Fine, I'll do exactly as this guy suspects..."
After a brief moment of contemplation.
Uchiha Itachi coldly nodded: "Understood, but you, be more agile..."
Uchiha Obito shrugged nonchalantly and stepped into the Uchiha Clan Land like a phantom.
Both held a pair of exceptionally sharp samurai swords in their hands.
Unless any unexpected incident occurs...
These two swords would be drenched in the fresh blood of Uchiha clan members tonight!
Meanwhile, outside the clan land.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, along with the elite from the Anbu and Root, gathered at the place...
Although after the Shisui incident, Sarutobi Hiruzen once again relieved Shimura Danzo of his position as Hokage Assistant, ordering him to disband Root.
But in truth, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew very well— this was essentially impossible to achieve.
Those Root ninjas, under Shimura Danzo's dual cultivation of body and mind, had long become one after another of mindless weapons, only knowing to pledge allegiance to him and unaware of the Hokage.
Even without an official Konoha position, as long as these Root ninjas lived, Shimura Danzo remained Shimura Danzo...
Sarutobi Hiruzen could indeed uproot Shimura Danzo's power.
But there's no need...
As the Third Hokage, the elderly Sarutobi Hiruzen still needed Shimura Danzo as his vanguard and blade to resolve some troublesome matters within and outside the village.
So many years have passed, emotions and bonds between them have become complex...
So, just like putting on a show for Uchiha Itachi, Shimura Danzo, after resting at home for a few days, naturally returned to his rightful position.
Moreover, now that Naruto has been possessed by Senju Tobirama...
Sarutobi Hiruzen needed a reckless person like Shimura Danzo even more to see what their mutual old mentor ultimately wanted to do and to assess his mental state...
"Danzo, let us wait here... Uchiha Itachi has said he will resolve the Uchiha Clan's issue alone... As we estimated, he probably wants to eliminate the Uchiha Clan's extreme faction."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed: "Although I still don't wish to see the occurrence of bloodshed... but reaching this point, since Uchiha Itachi possesses such Will of Fire, we cannot find a better method."
"Let's temporarily provide support for him..."
Shimura Danzo chuckled silently, his sinister gaze fleeting over Sarutobi Hiruzen's genuine and regretful expression, revealing a hint of admiration from the depths of his eyes.
No wonder it is Hiruzen... the man he has been chasing all along!
Shimura Danzo thought that being able to deceitfully extract Itachi Shisui's Kotoamatsukami was already a significant display of tactics and scheming...
But, by comparison to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He could make the son of the Uchiha Clan Leader voluntarily wield a blade against his own clan!
What profound brainwashing ability this is...
And in front of him, he's still wearing that mask of a kind, elderly Hokage...
"Hiruzen, you've handled Uchiha Itachi well." Shimura Danzo unusually praised Sarutobi Hiruzen, but then quickly changed his expression— "However..."
"I think we should still kill Uchiha Itachi too! This little brat of Fugaku, even if he turns his heart toward the village and jumps out of the narrow framework of the Uchiha, is still an extraordinarily gifted and potentially dangerous Uchiha..."
"We can't let such an existence go! You should know, the teacher once said, an Uchiha who falls into madness is beyond logic... If he leaves the village and has other ideas, this might plant a terrifying enemy against the village!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent for a moment, shook his head, and refused Shimura Danzo's suggestion.