When Kawasaki arrived, Akiharu had just finished his current experiment.
"Clan Head, what brings you here?"
Ever since Akiharu had thrown himself into his research, he had paid little attention to clan affairs. The clan head had brought him to study under Orochimaru, and though Akiharu had worried he wouldn't be good enough, he discovered he had an unexpected talent for scientific research. Even Orochimaru had praised him.
Akiharu knew that the experiments he was conducting were tied to the future of the Uchiha, so he poured his heart and soul into the work. He spent his days buried in the laboratory, rarely venturing outside.
Kawasaki chuckled. "It's not just me. Look who I brought with me."
"Akiharu!"
Yozuki swept Akiharu up in a hug the moment he saw him.
"Brother, what are you doing here? Put me down!" Akiharu felt terribly embarrassed with Kawasaki and Itachi watching.
"Hahaha, look at you, kid. You never train, so you never get any taller."
Akiharu shook his head in resignation. He was already in his twenties; he wasn't going to grow anymore.
"We're here today to conduct an experiment, and your brother is the test subject," Kawasaki said.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the color drained from Yozuki's face.
"What? I'm the guinea pig today?" He had no idea what was happening when Shisui had called for him. Now, hearing that he was to be an experiment subject, a cold sweat immediately broke out on his brow. His mind instantly conjured images of being strapped to a bed, getting injected with needles, and having his blood drawn.
"Clan Head, could you possibly find someone else? I don't think I'm very suitable," Yozuki said, his expression strained.
Kawasaki asked with a placid smile, "Do you think you have a choice?"
Yozuki's face fell.
Seeing his brother's predicament, Akiharu couldn't help but crack a small smile.
Yozuki awoke in a daze.
He patted his head. Huh, how did I fall asleep? Wait, isn't today the day the clan head is running for Fifth Hokage?
Yozuki stepped out of his room to find all his clansmen wearing looks of pure excitement. This was a dream the Uchiha clan had held for many years. The Uchiha were the strongest. Wasn't it only natural for one of them to become Hokage?
Yozuki joined his fellow clansmen, following Clan Head Kawasaki out of the compound. As they moved from the Uchiha district toward the center of Konoha, the streets grew more crowded.
Strange, where's Itachi? Did he go to the venue ahead of us?
Suddenly, Yozuki felt a surge of killing intent. He looked up and saw that the surrounding rooftops were swarming with Konoha ninja.
The Third Hokage stood on a high perch with Orochimaru at his side. "Uchiha Kawasaki, give up any fantasy of becoming Hokage today," he declared. "This is where you'll stay!"
With a wave from the Third Hokage, countless Konoha ninja leaped down like a torrential rain.
Kawasaki's voice boomed, "I knew it! The Third Hokage never gave up his desire to destroy my Uchiha clan! Clansmen! Charge with me!"
With a deafening roar, Kawasaki unleashed a massive, golden Susanoo and charged toward the Konoha ninja. In the distance, Orochimaru summoned a gigantic snake, which immediately began to clash with the clan head's Susanoo.
From his high vantage point, the Third Hokage began performing a series of complex ninjutsu.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!"
The ground beneath them turned into a raging river of mud, repelling the Uchiha clansmen who tried to attack him. The Third Hokage's hand signs continued.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
The head of an earthen dragon emerged from the churning mud, its massive maw opening to spew countless projectiles of hardened soil. The Third Hokage's hands did not stop.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
He spewed a torrent of flame that engulfed the earth projectiles, dramatically increasing their power as they rained down on the Uchiha below.
Next, the Third Hokage threw a handful of shuriken while his hands formed another seal.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The shuriken instantly multiplied from one to four, then from four to sixteen. The endlessly splitting blades, combined with the fire-enhanced earth bullets, descended from the sky like a meteor shower. The Uchiha clan suffered devastating casualties.
Yozuki was filled with rage, but he couldn't shake a strange feeling of dissonance that lingered in the back of his mind. There was no time to think. He drew his weapon and charged into the fray with his kinsmen.
"Lightning Form: Lightning Cable Bind!"
A blinding white light coiled around Yozuki's weapon, massively enhancing its attack power. He swung it relentlessly. The number of Konoha ninja was far greater than he had anticipated, shockingly so. The moment he cut one down, another would instantly take their place.
"Lightning Form: Lightning Flash!"
Yozuki's figure vanished in a blur of motion. When he reappeared, several Konoha ninja around him had been cut down. He panted heavily, his eyes scanning the battlefield for his clansmen. Under the Third Hokage's ferocious assault, they had suffered heavy losses, their bodies littering the ground.
That detestable Third Hokage!
"We Uchiha are the strongest!" Yozuki roared, throwing himself back into the torrent of battle.
Just as the number of Konoha ninja began to dwindle, a colossal, cyan-blue Susanoo materialized in the sky. Yozuki's heart leaped with joy. Did the Uchiha have another Mangekyo Sharingan user?
But his smile froze on his face before it could fully form.
The moment the Susanoo landed, a single horizontal sweep claimed the lives of more than a dozen of his clansmen.
Only then did Yozuki see clearly. Inside the Susanoo was Obito, the one who had been exiled from the clan!
Obito's Susanoo was immense, and every swing of its weapon shattered the bones of the Uchiha.
How could he!
Grief and fury churned in Yozuki's heart.
"Lightning Form: Lightning Spear!"
He gathered lightning in his hand, forming it into a spear that he hurled straight at the Susanoo.
Crack...
The lightning dissipated on impact, leaving Obito's Susanoo completely unscathed.
Yozuki was stunned. How could a Susanoo be this powerful?
Obito didn't even spare him a glance. He formed a giant shuriken in the Susanoo's hand and threw it directly at Kawasaki, who was still fighting Orochimaru's giant snake. The shuriken tore through the air with a piercing scream and slammed into Kawasaki, triggering a massive explosion that warped the very space around him.
Kawasaki let out a pained cry and vanished on the spot.
"Clan Head!"
The Uchiha roared in unison, grief-stricken and furious, and charged forward with no regard for their own lives. Yozuki, too, swung his blade, fighting desperately. He had no idea how many enemies he had killed, and the clansmen around him continued to fall one by one. The edge of his blade was worn and chipped.
He had lost count of his kills.
Finally, with a sharp clang, Yozuki's sword broke.
He snapped out of his trance. The clansmen around him had all fallen. Only one person remained by his side.
It was Akiharu!
"Little brother... it's just the two of us left," Yozuki said, his heart filled with despair.
Akiharu was covered in blood, his breathing ragged. A massive gash on his body was bleeding profusely.
"Brother... I can't hold on. Are we going to die here?"
Yozuki gritted his teeth, his eyes turning red. "Don't worry, little brother. You're not going to die!"
Akiharu forced a weary smile and handed his weapon to Yozuki. "Brother, I'm tired. I'm just going to rest for a bit."
Clutching Akiharu's blade, Yozuki watched helplessly as his little brother's eyes closed for the last time.
Yozuki's mind went blank. He was surrounded by an ocean of enemies.
He screamed, "The Uchiha are the strongest!"
Then, his figure was swallowed by the enemy's attacks.
...
Yozuki's eyes shot open, his face pale.
"Ah!"
A heavy hand slapped him on the shoulder.
"You're back with us."
Yozuki looked at Kawasaki and began to tremble. In an instant, clarity returned to his eyes.
"What... what happened to me?"
Kawasaki walked over to Itachi, his gaze fixed on the younger Uchiha's Sharingan as its pattern slowly faded.
"What kind of story did you weave? The effect was rather poor."
It turned out that Kawasaki had activated his own Mangekyo Sharingan a moment ago and had sensed a dramatic surge in Yozuki's spiritual energy. It had nearly reached the threshold of the three-tomoe Sharingan.