Chapter 132: The Uchiha Are All Dead — What Meaning Is There Left in My Life?
Tears streamed continuously from Mikoto's eyes.
She lowered her head in silence, each tear falling like a heavy weight.
"If even those of us who evacuated early—the women, children, and elderly—were already massacred… then what about the rest of the Uchiha clan…?"
Mikoto wasn't naive.
Some truths didn't need to be spelled out—she already understood them deep down.
Yet she still clung to a faint hope, a desperate wish for a miracle.
So she couldn't help asking again and again.
"I followed Itachi back to your Uchiha clan's Naka Shrine. A battle had already broken out there."
"Konoha's main combat forces had surrounded the Uchiha."
"Fugaku and Shisui were fighting each other on a massive scale. I don't know the details beyond that."
"When I heard them say they were sending people to pursue your group, I came back immediately to check. Fortunately, I arrived in time. Otherwise…"
Oborotsuki trailed off, his gaze settling on Mikoto and little Sasuke—the mother and son pair.
Hearing this, Mikoto's tears fell even faster.
She fell completely silent.
At a time like this, Oborotsuki didn't know how to comfort her. He could only stay quietly by her side, waiting.
After a while, seeing that Mikoto's emotions had calmed slightly, Oborotsuki stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder.
"Stay here and wait for me."
"I've set traps at the cave entrance. If any enemies try to force their way in, it won't be easy for them."
Without further explanation, Oborotsuki turned to leave.
"Wait…"
Mikoto called out to him: "Where… where are you going?"
Right now she was completely lost, her mind in chaos, overwhelmed by an extreme sorrow and desolation.
She didn't want Oborotsuki to leave at a time like this.
Especially after experiencing the slaughter by Konoha's ANBU.
If she were left alone with little Sasuke and faced another enemy pursuit… what could she possibly do?
"I'm going back to check on the rest of the Uchiha clan. Don't you want to know what happened to Fugaku?"
Oborotsuki turned back and asked.
Mikoto fell silent for a moment, then nodded. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she gathered her courage:
"Can I come with you?"
"It's too dangerous. If we're discovered, it'll be very hard for me to get both of you out safely."
Oborotsuki refused.
"I'm not afraid."
Mikoto shook her head firmly.
Her eyes were resolute. She looked down at little Sasuke.
"If the entire Uchiha clan is dead… then what meaning is there left in my life?"
"Right, Sasuke…?"
As she spoke, the terrible thoughts overwhelmed her again. Tears poured uncontrollably down her face once more.
Hearing her words, Oborotsuki felt a slight jolt in his heart.
But he said nothing.
He knew this was a normal human reaction. Anyone whose entire clan had been wiped out would collapse like this.
"Don't jump to conclusions too soon. We don't know the full situation yet."
"But if you really insist on coming with me… then let's go."
With that, Oborotsuki stepped forward, placed a hand on Mikoto's shoulder, and activated Flying Thunder God.
They vanished from the cave.
His thinking was simple.
Fugaku and the rest of the Uchiha clan were almost certainly gone. Since that was the case, he didn't mind letting Mikoto see the truth for herself.
Only by witnessing the final fate of her entire clan would she truly give up all hope.
…
Outside Konoha, Naka Shrine.
The once vast and lush primeval forest had been completely devastated.
Within a one- to two-kilometer radius, everything had been destroyed.
The ground was scorched black from flames. The sky was overcast with thick, gloomy clouds.
Right now, Konoha's ninja were cleaning up the battlefield, recovering the bodies of their fallen comrades.
At the same time, they were handling the corpses of the slain Uchiha clansmen.
"This isn't your fault, Shisui."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke solemnly, looking down with compassion at Shisui, who knelt before him with tears streaming down his face, overwhelmed by grief.
Not far behind Shisui, Uchiha Fugaku lay motionless. A short sword—Shisui's personal weapon—was buried deep in his chest, right over the heart.
It appeared Shisui himself had killed Fugaku.
Beside Fugaku's body, young Itachi knelt in a daze, staring blankly at his father who had already lost all signs of life.
"I killed my own father…"
"I killed Father."
"It was me who drove the blade into his heart…"
Itachi screamed these thoughts over and over in his mind, repeating them endlessly.
Though the sword belonged to Shisui, it had been Itachi's hand that thrust it in.
Time rewound to roughly fifteen minutes earlier.
Shisui had moved to intercept Fugaku—the strongest fighter—to prevent all-out war between the Uchiha clan and Konoha.
At first, Konoha's ninja gave him face. After arriving, they surrounded the Uchiha but did not attack.
But when Danzō gave the order for Root to annihilate the Uchiha clan, war fully erupted.
The Uchiha, outnumbered, were quickly pushed back under the combined assault of hundreds of Konoha's elite ninja.
One clansman after another fell.
This began to affect Fugaku, who was locked in full combat with Shisui. He became distracted.
Finally, after witnessing more than half the Uchiha clan cut down, Fugaku realized the rebellion had failed.
Yet instead of stopping, he became even more frenzied. Controlling his Susanoo, he launched vengeful attacks against the surrounding Konoha ninja.
He completely ignored Shisui's attempts to stop him.
"Since you've all chosen to make enemies of the Uchiha—stepping on our heads and treating us like dirt—then accept your punishment!"
"Pay the price!"
"Tonight, we all go down together!!"
Fugaku's Susanoo swung its massive chakra blade in wild arcs, unleashing devastating attacks in every direction.
Ordinary ninja had no way to withstand such overwhelming power from the colossal chakra titan.
Under this onslaught, Fugaku was slaughtering indiscriminately.
Even Shisui could no longer fully hold him back.
Watching his father descend into complete madness—no longer caring about the lives of the other Uchiha, only wanting to drag Konoha down with him—
The young Itachi finally saw the truth clearly.
He remembered what Brother Shisui had once told him about protecting Konoha and yearning for peace.
He thought of the ninja's duty, of the Will of Fire, of so many things.
Itachi believed his father was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
To prevent the mistake from continuing, to spare the village from even greater harm—
Itachi resolutely took up a weapon and charged toward Fugaku…
--------------------------
Support us on Patreon and gain access to 100 chapters in advance!
patreon.com/inkroxx