"Have you made up your mind, Itachi?"
On the second night, upon a hillside within the Uchiha district, the figure of the masked man quietly appeared behind Itachi alongside a ripple of distorted space.
At this moment, Itachi was fully armed with a gaze as resolute as a death soldier about to head onto the battlefield.
"After this night, you will bear the name of a rogue ninja and lose all your kin, leaving only a younger brother who will hate you forever. Are you truly prepared to accept such an end?"
A slight flicker of emotion crossed Itachi's face upon hearing those words, but he immediately regained his composure. He watched his clansmen busy in the darkness and spoke softly, "An endless night shrouds the Uchiha. Just like the fate of this clan, it is forever veiled in darkness, unable to glimpse the light. This is... the destiny of the Uchiha."
"The way to end this destiny is to use death, along with all the pain and guilt one carries, to exchange for a new beginning."
"Exchanging your own pain and guilt for a new beginning? And that beginning is Sasuke, right?"
The masked man squatted casually beside Itachi, asking with a hint of curiosity.
Itachi shot him a sidelong glance. "You had better not have any designs on Sasuke, otherwise I will kill you at any cost."
"Tsk, how terrifying!"
The masked man gave a playful laugh. Noticing Itachi's serious expression, he offered a sincere guarantee, "Don't worry, I have no designs on Sasuke. I just feel that this matter seems a bit too cruel for him."
Itachi remained silent for several seconds before slowly speaking, "Hatred is the best way to become stronger."
"Tsk, how cold-hearted."
The masked man complained briefly before squatting on the ground to look down at the district.
Because the friction between the clan and the village continued to escalate, the entire Uchiha clan had entered a state of combat readiness. As long as Fugaku Uchiha gave the call, the entire clan would immediately launch a coup. Consequently, even at night, many clansmen were transporting various supplies. Among them, the emblems of the Spider Lily Chamber of Commerce and the Ninja Cat clan were seen most frequently.
"Under these circumstances, resolving the entire Uchiha clan won't be a simple task, even with my assistance," the masked man said quite objectively.
"Our greatest enemy is my father. I will personally take care of him; the remaining clansmen are nothing to fear."
Itachi's words were full of confidence. Aside from Fugaku Uchiha, who also possessed the Mangekyo, it seemed no one else was worth his concern.
"As expected of the Mangekyo, you certainly talk tough."
The masked man marveled at his confidence. Itachi didn't waste words and walked directly toward the district below.
"Let's begin."
Itachi's cold voice acted like a reaper's sentence, declaring the end of the entire Uchiha clan.
"Is it finally... starting?"
In the darkness, a crimson light flared up. Inabi Uchiha's beast-like eyes slowly emerged from the shadows.
"Brother Inabi, what's starting? The coup?"
The two young Uchiha standing next to Inabi were clearly excited. Since childhood, they had been indoctrinated with the idea that the Uchiha was the strongest clan, a clan burdened with glory.
However, reality told them that the villagers of the Leaf could not understand the Uchiha's philosophy. Furthermore, under the push of those with ulterior motives, this had turned into loathing and marginalization of the Uchiha. One of the two major clans that originally formed the Leaf was now pushed to the fringes of the village, and could even be wiped out at any moment.
This massive gap between ideal and reality was something these young men simply could not accept. Finally, they now had an opportunity—a chance for the Uchiha to become the rightful masters of the Hidden Leaf!
Hearing the words of these youngsters, a mysterious smile appeared at the corner of Inabi's mouth.
"Yes, our Uchiha clan will soon harvest true glory!"
Suddenly, his voice became low.
"However, before that, let's have you join the glorious evolution of the Uchiha!"
As he finished speaking, two furrows suddenly appeared beneath Inabi Uchiha's eyes, and two crimson Sharingan emerged from within them. The powerful visual prowess released by the two pairs of Sharingan instantly controlled the two people beside him. Immediately after, two tentacles grew from Inabi Uchiha's chest, instantly plucking the two pairs of Sharingan and embedding them into his abdomen.
Including the two pairs he just obtained, the number of Sharingan on Inabi Uchiha's abdomen had reached four pairs. Having finished this, Inabi Uchiha suddenly turned his eyes toward a dark corner.
"You've seen enough by now, haven't you?"
Upon hearing this, two figures hidden in the darkness suddenly trembled.
"You go first and report the intel to the Hokage! I'll stay behind to stall him!"
"Yes."
Both speakers wore masks and Anbu uniforms. Their dialogue was crisp and their actions were without hesitation. The Anbu in the back immediately turned and sprinted toward the exit of the Uchiha district.
However...
"Trying to leave now? You're too slow."
Inabi Uchiha tilted his head, his tone clearly disdainful.
"The evil Uchiha..."
The Anbu member who stayed behind uttered the classic quote of the Second Hokage. This phrase indeed felt natural when applied to Inabi Uchiha; a man who constantly devoured his own clansmen to become stronger certainly deserved the word "evil."
"Evil? Hahahaha!"
Inabi Uchiha suddenly clutched his abdomen and laughed uncontrollably. In the next second, his figure vanished from the spot.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the Anbu ninja, his eyes radiating pure coldness.
"What right do you have to define... evil?"
"Damn it, so fast!"
The Anbu's heart raced in panic as he hastily retreated. A snow-white blade light slashed through the night like a bolt of lightning, aiming straight for the Anbu ninja's neck. He hurriedly raised his blade to block while retreating, but the terrifying force made his arm go numb.
Inabi Uchiha pressed forward, leaning his weight into the strike.
"What makes you so arrogant that you can define the Uchiha? Huh?!"
He roared, the crimson light in his eyes spreading wildly. The Anbu ninja fighting him was professionally trained after all and knew the terror of the Sharingan well. Consequently, he subconsciously avoided Inabi Uchiha's eyes during the clash of blades.
Unfortunately, this opponent had more than just one pair of eyes. As their weapons collided, an eye resembling a ruby quietly blossomed on the back of Inabi Uchiha's hand.
In the next second, the entire world twisted. The genjutsu was successfully triggered.
Another second later, the genjutsu ended. This was because the head of the Anbu had already been easily severed by Inabi Uchiha.
Having easily slain an Anbu ninja, Inabi Uchiha's expression was arrogant as he spat, "Ant."
Just as his gaze followed the silhouette of the one who fled, he noticed a similarly sharp blade light flash in the darkness. The Anbu ninja who was preparing to report the situation was instantly cut in half.
Immediately following that, a powerful killing intent surged from the darkness as a pair of eyes resembling blood moons flared to life.
"As I thought, this is your handiwork, Brother Inabi."
Itachi's voice was as cold and clear as moonlight, yet filled with killing intent.
"I didn't expect you to actually move to help me deal with the Anbu."
Inabi Uchiha looked Itachi straight in the eye, a hidden and uncontrollable madness lurking within his calm gaze.
Itachi walked toward Inabi Uchiha step by step, saying as he moved, "As long as the village can be preserved, any sacrifice is within my range of acceptance."
"Is that so? Then you truly are nauseatingly hypocritical," Inabi Uchiha mocked without hesitation.
"Nauseating? Whatever. Regardless, after tonight, the Uchiha clan will vanish from this world."
Itachi's tone remained incredibly calm, as if the group about to vanish was merely a flock of chickens or ducks, rather than the clan that raised him. Even someone as mad as Inabi Uchiha seemed a bit taken aback upon hearing Itachi's words. He asked in return, "Itachi Uchiha, are you saying you intend to stand with the village and eliminate all your clansmen?"
Itachi nodded. "That's right. I will personally eliminate the arrogant Uchiha clan to stop the coup and prevent the village from heading toward destruction."
Inabi Uchiha was stunned for a moment, then he pointed at Itachi and began to laugh maniacally, "Itachi Uchiha, I thought I was crazy enough, but it turns out you are the real lunatic! Hahahaha!"
Soon, he reigned in his laughter, his face twisting into a grimace. "To think you would choose to betray the glory of the Uchiha and stand with the village... You really are..."
"Unpardonable!"
With that, Inabi Uchiha formed hand signs, and a terrifying fireball instantly lit up the night. Fire Style was a specialty of every Uchiha. As a genius of the clan, Itachi naturally would not be outdone.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A fireball of equal size appeared instantly and collided head-on with the opponent's attack. The two fireballs transformed into a terrifying explosion the moment they touched.
The loud blast woke all the sleeping clansmen, and billowing thick smoke surged directly into the sky. A sharp long blade sliced through the smoke screen.
Amidst the sudden flash of the blade and aided by the cover of the smoke, Itachi appeared before Inabi Uchiha with his weapon in hand. The latter's speed was equally impressive, and the two ninja blades instantly clashed, sending brilliant sparks flying.
Their gazes locked in the air like bolts of electricity. Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly, and his Mangekyo Sharingan instantly activated.
"I'm sorry, but to keep things from getting complicated, I must resolve this in the shortest time possible..."
The moment the Mangekyo opened, a surging wave of visual prowess rushed toward the opponent. This was Itachi's battle plan: utilize the Mangekyo's suppression over the ordinary Sharingan to get close and use genjutsu to finish the opponent instantly. Afterward, he would use maximum speed to resolve the rest of the clansmen. Although it differed from his original plan, he could no longer worry about that. If he waited until all clansmen reacted, the difficulty of executing his plan would undoubtedly increase manifold. He had to finish this opponent as quickly as possible.
Just as Itachi thought he had succeeded and his blade was about to pierce the enemy's throat, Inabi Uchiha's eyes suddenly regained their mobility. Furthermore, to Itachi's shock, cracks appeared all over the man's face, forehead, palms, shoulders, abdomen, and chest.
Immediately after, countless Sharingan blossomed across his body simultaneously. A tsunami-like wave of visual prowess was instantly applied to Itachi. While it wasn't enough to turn the tables and control him with genjutsu, his body could not help but stiffen.
In that brief moment of hesitation, Inabi Uchiha's blade successfully blocked the weapon aimed at him. The two blades collided with an incredibly crisp sound. Powerful force erupted from Inabi Uchiha's arm, using the collision to send Itachi flying backward.
Though shocked, Itachi did not lose his composure. This level of attack was insufficient to cause him any real harm. His body spun once in the air like a butterfly before he landed steadily. However, his previously calm gaze had now become grave.
Judging by the visual prowess Inabi Uchiha just displayed, Itachi feared it would be difficult to take him down quickly without using Tsukuyomi... But if he used Tsukuyomi, the burden on his eyes would be too great. He needed to save a portion of his strength to face another pair of Mangekyo.
"Are these all the Sharingan you collected from our clansmen?" Itachi held his blade, his tone icy.
"Of course..." Inabi Uchiha grinned, revealing a ghastly smile as the dozen-plus pairs of Sharingan all over his body turned slightly like monsters. "If I haven't guessed wrong, you were planning to finish me off quickly to avoid triggering a battle between the Uchiha and the village, right?"
Looking at that grimacing smile, Itachi suddenly felt an ill omen in his heart.
"Hehe..." As expected, the opponent gave a sinister laugh and then raised his palm, gently snapping his fingers.
Instantly, a succession of explosions rang out within the Uchiha district. Along with the thunderous blasts and flares of light, the entire Uchiha clan quickly roused from their slumber. After a brief moment of confusion, the clan let out a terrifying roar like a lion waking up.
Fugaku Uchiha, who was sitting opposite his wife waiting for a certain event, suddenly opened his eyes. He immediately heard the chaos outside. Soon, several Uchiha rushed into the courtyard, shouting, "Patriarch, the village has made its move against the Uchiha!"
Fugaku Uchiha's mind was momentarily thrown into a mess. He had been prepared and waiting for Itachi's arrival; he hadn't expected that instead of Itachi, a sudden coup would break out!
Soon, Fugaku's mind cleared. Regardless of how the situation started, given the current circumstances, whether the Uchiha rebelled or not was no longer something he, the Patriarch, could control. Although he had intended to accept the fate Itachi chose, it did not mean other clansmen would accept it. At the very least, Elder Uchiha Taka certainly wouldn't. For them, Itachi's choice didn't matter. Regardless of his choice, they had only one goal...
A coup!
Just by standing in his home, Fugaku could already hear the angry battle cries of his clansmen. The Uchiha coup could no longer be stopped!
After understanding the cause and effect, Fugaku Uchiha finally made his decision.
"According to the original plan, betting on the glory of the Uchiha, launch the coup!"