How strong was Uchiha Itachi, who became an ANBU captain at thirteen and awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?
Among the Uchiha clan, few could defeat Itachi without him resorting to the Mangekyo Sharingan. His well-rounded abilities left him with almost no obvious weaknesses—his only shortcoming was perhaps his limited chakra reserves.
Ordinary Uchiha clansmen stood no chance against Itachi's slaughter.
Each strike claimed a life. Many of the victims were people Itachi knew. Whenever he walked through the streets with his father, Uchiha Fugaku, nearly everyone would greet him—not because he was the clan head's son, but because he was an Uchiha.
Uchiha Haruna had once given him flowers to appease his mother after he returned late from training, sparing him a scolding.
Uchiha Rinjin's family would carefully clean every fish they sold for their customers.
"Did you already pack your things...?"
Itachi flicked the blood of his clansmen off his tanto and noticed the neatly packed bags inside the house. It was clear this had been a planned defection.
Recalling the Uchiha Police Force's collusion with the Sand Federation, Itachi decided to accelerate his mission. He couldn't allow the Uchiha to bear the stigma of betraying the village. Given their hatred for Konoha, joining another nation would inevitably spark war.
With this in mind, Itachi sheathed his tanto and moved to the next house. His killings were swift and silent, leaving no trace for others to detect.
"Uchiha Anna..."
As Itachi reached the house with a nameplate and prepared to push open the door, several sharp whistling sounds cut through the air.
He sidestepped slightly, his Sharingan's three tomoe spinning, instantly identifying the five shuriken hurtling toward him. Drawing shuriken from his pouch, he flung them in retaliation.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The shuriken collided midair, intercepting the attack. Against the Uchiha's shurikenjutsu, dodging was ill-advised—it only played into their traps. Moreover, the attacker was clearly a clansman skilled in shurikenjutsu.
"Uchiha Itachi!"
Uchiha Yashiro's voice burned with fury. Discovering the murdered clansmen, they had initially suspected Root operatives. But tracking the trail led them to Fugaku's own son.
Haruna, Rinjin, and dozens more—all slain by this traitor.
"It's this bastard!"
"Captain, he's the only one here. No doubt it's him!"
"Give the order, Captain! Kill him! Even if the clan head comes, we must execute this monster!"
Yashiro's team swiftly surrounded Itachi. After discovering the bodies, they had scoured the area, finding no one else but Itachi, his tanto stained with blood.
"Avoid large-scale ninjutsu to spare innocent clansmen. If we can't break his limbs, kill him on the spot!"
Yashiro's rage was palpable. He had no intention of taking Itachi alive—only considering capture so his crimes could be exposed before execution.
"Where are the clansmen you sent away? This betrayal tarnishes the Uchiha name. As one of Konoha's founding clans, defection would be a disgrace!"
Before Itachi could finish, an enraged officer cut him off.
"You traitorous kinslayer! What nonsense are you spouting?!"
The officer drew wire-wrapped shuriken. If large-scale ninjutsu was forbidden, they'd rely on taijutsu, genjutsu, and weapons.
But Itachi's Sharingan tracked every movement. Even in its three-tomoe state, his ocular power had grown stronger since awakening the Mangekyo.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"
Before the officer could throw his shuriken, he was paralyzed by a binding illusion.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Yashiro formed seals and spat fireballs at Itachi, shouting a warning:
"Two-tomoe users, don't meet his gaze! This traitor's had three tomoe for years—he excels in genjutsu!"
Anyone close to Shisui, the clan's top genjutsu master, would be formidable.
The fireballs struck Itachi—but instead of cries of pain, they dispersed into a flock of crows.
"Crow clone genjutsu..."
Yashiro frowned. This was Shisui's signature technique, nearly impossible for fellow three-tomoe users to see through.
Thud!
"Ahh!!"
Itachi materialized behind an officer, driving his tanto through the man's heart. Forming seals, he unleashed Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson to scatter two others.
In the brief chaos, Itachi lunged at another.
His seamless blend of ninjutsu and taijutsu left even Yashiro struggling to react. Helpless, he watched Itachi slaughter another officer.
"Uchiha Itachi!!"
Yashiro roared—but then Itachi turned, his three tomoe merging into a new pattern.
"This... this is—?!"
"Tsukuyomi."
One of Itachi's Mangekyo abilities, trapping victims in an illusion where days of torture pass in an instant.
"Guh!!"
Yashiro staggered, his mind shattered by the ordeal.
Exploiting the opening, Itachi blurred forward and pierced Yashiro's heart.
'Pant...'
Using Tsukuyomi strained Itachi's newly awakened eyes, blood trickling down his cheeks.
"Captain!"
"Yashiro!"
The remaining officers howled in fury, charging recklessly at Itachi.
"Now, it's your turn."
Itachi forced his bleeding eyes open, tomoe spinning rapidly.
---
"The night's lovely. Hope I'm not too late..."
Hyuga Mirai had set out late, arriving in Konoha long after nightfall.
"Kai!"
Veins bulged around his eyes. While Konoha's outer barrier hindered the Byakugan's vision, Mirai's ocular power rendered it ineffective.
Yet Root's additional barrier around the Uchiha district blocked both sight and sound.
Mirai could see the rest of Konoha clearly—except the Uchiha district.
"A new barrier? Fine, I'll force my way in."
He knew the Uchiha's secret passage, but detouring would waste time. Given Konoha's current chaos, any intruder would be secondary to the Uchiha crisis.
The moment Mirai flew past the barrier, the sensor team detected him.
Though they reported the breach, as Mirai predicted, Koharu and Homura couldn't spare manpower to investigate.
The Uchiha unrest was escalating. Not only could they not divert ANBU, but they also needed to rally clans for suppression.
The barrier was failing—nearby clans already sensed the disturbance.
(End of Chapter)
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