Chapter 125: Itachi and Shisui's Choice!
Under the secret arrangements of the Uchiha clan, Mikoto and the other women, children, and elderly quietly left the clan grounds.
The Uchiha compound was located at the very edge of Konoha, which gave them a significant advantage for evacuation.
The entire process appeared almost flawless.
At this moment, Oborotsuki had disguised himself as a female Uchiha clansman and was following Mikoto, carrying little Sasuke while Itachi walked beside them.
Along the way, Itachi kept turning back to look toward the village.
Though still young, the boy was exceptionally intelligent and seemed to have already guessed that something major was about to happen.
"Mom, I need to use the bathroom…"
Itachi suddenly said to Mikoto while walking with the group.
"Go ahead, but don't go too far, Itachi. Be back in three minutes."
Mikoto crouched down, gently stroked his cheek with a warm smile.
"Okay!"
Itachi turned and ran off, disappearing from everyone's sight.
Oborotsuki watched the boy's every move and immediately activated his powerful chakra sensing.
"As expected…"
He chuckled inwardly.
How clever was Itachi? He had already noticed something was wrong.
The bathroom excuse was just a pretext.
Right now, he was actually heading back toward Konoha.
"Going back to die, huh…"
Oborotsuki thought silently and had no intention of interfering with Itachi's actions.
At this age, Itachi was still very young—far from the rebellious teenage years, and he hadn't yet joined ANBU or undergone their brainwashing training.
So right now, he still held deep, unbreakable affection for Fugaku, Mikoto, and the entire Uchiha clan.
Oborotsuki was curious: would this version of Itachi still make the same "righteous" choice as in the original story—personally slaughtering the entire Uchiha clan?
This was exactly why he allowed Itachi to leave alone.
He wanted to see whether the boy—before being fully brainwashed by Konoha's leadership—would still raise his hand against his own clan.
There was also another person Oborotsuki hadn't had the chance to meet yet.
Uchiha Shisui, who had already awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.
In the original story, Shisui had stood on Konoha's side.
If not for Danzō taking his right eye, he would likely have used Kotoamatsukami on the entire Uchiha clan…
So what about now?
Had this era's Shisui already been completely brainwashed and fully aligned with Konoha?
Oborotsuki remained calm. He leaned against a tree to rest and glanced sideways at Mikoto, who was holding little Sasuke.
At this moment, deep worry still lingered on Mikoto's face. She hadn't yet noticed that her eldest son had slipped away.
Three minutes passed quickly. When Itachi didn't return, Mikoto finally realized something was wrong.
"Itachi… has anyone seen Itachi…?"
Mikoto asked anxiously within the group.
The other Uchiha women and children were all immersed in their own sorrow and unease. They shook their heads in confusion at Mikoto's question.
"Oborotsuki…"
Mikoto walked over in a daze, looking to him for help.
"Itachi said he was going to the bathroom, but it's been so long… I'm worried something happened to him."
"What if Konoha's pursuers caught up…?"
Mikoto spoke haltingly.
"Are you asking me to help?"
Oborotsuki asked calmly, looking at her.
"I… I hope you can help me find him and bring Itachi back as soon as possible."
Mikoto knew very well how capable Oborotsuki was.
This man's strength had long surpassed that of an ordinary jōnin.
That was why she turned to him for help.
"No need to search. Itachi already went back to the village."
Oborotsuki answered.
"What?"
Hearing this, Mikoto felt as though she had been struck by lightning. She froze in place, staring at Oborotsuki in shock and unable to speak.
"Itachi… he went back to the village??"
"Mm. Looks like he figured it out."
Oborotsuki nodded casually, but this only made Mikoto even more anxious. Her brows furrowed tightly, and in an instant she seemed to age several years from worry.
"Itachi doesn't understand the situation at all. Why would he go back to the village now… He can't help with anything!"
"Oborotsuki, please look after little Sasuke for me. I… I have to go bring him back!"
Mikoto said, preparing to hand the well-fed, peacefully sleeping baby Sasuke to Oborotsuki.
The little one was still completely unaware of what was happening and slept soundly.
"With your speed, you might not catch him before he reaches the village. Let me go instead."
Oborotsuki glanced at the baby Mikoto was offering and shook his head.
With that, he activated Flying Thunder God and vanished from the spot.
"Thank you…"
Mikoto stared blankly at the empty space where Oborotsuki had stood and unconsciously murmured her thanks.
…
Meanwhile, Uchiha Shisui was rushing toward the Naka Shrine on the outskirts of the village—where the Uchiha clan was located.
Fugaku had summoned all the elite fighters of the Uchiha clan here, planning to launch an attack on the entire village as soon as night fell.
Having learned of this in advance, Shisui not only reported it to the village leadership but also intended to resolve the crisis alone.
He planned to use Kotoamatsukami to forcibly rewrite the wills of all clan members intending to participate in the rebellion.
Only this way could he prevent the Uchiha clan from continuing to oppose the village—and prevent the clan from being exterminated.
Most importantly, he wouldn't have to waver between using force against the village or against his own family.
While hurrying along, Shisui suddenly stopped.
"Itachi?"
Shisui looked toward the woods on his left.
Sure enough, a figure quickly jumped out from there:
"Brother Shisui…"
Itachi ran up to Shisui, panting heavily. Without even wiping the sweat from his forehead, he spoke with a grave expression:
"Something's very wrong with the whole clan. Everyone seems to be running from something!"
"Mom said we're just leaving temporarily, but it feels more like we're fleeing. What exactly is happening to the Uchiha clan??"
Itachi's question surprised Shisui:
"So you already figured it out, Itachi. You really are clever."
"Tonight, the Uchiha clan plans to launch a coup against the village. I'm on my way to stop Lord Fugaku and the others!"
Shisui stated his purpose plainly.
Hearing this, Itachi's eyes widened in shock, his face full of disbelief.
"Father too…"
His expression turned worried.
"How could this happen… Why would we betray the village? Brother Shisui?"
For a moment, Itachi felt as though his world was falling apart. He had no idea what had happened.
"There's no time to explain now. Come with me, Itachi!"
Without further words, Shisui turned and continued rushing toward Naka Shrine.
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