About half an hour later—
Rumble—!
The reanimated Uchiha squad, carried by Garaga, finally arrived at the mountain.
This journey had given Uchiha Yu a rare chance to be alone with Tsunade, so he hadn't brought the others along earlier.
"Se–Senior… Lord Uchiha Yu said this is the place?"
The reanimated Uchiha captain leapt down from Garaga's massive serpent head. He glanced back at the giant snake, his voice filled with both fear and respect.
Not every Uchiha could remain expressionless when facing a colossal, terrifying creature.
More importantly—this monster was Uchiha Yu's summon. Calling Garaga "senior" was not inappropriate at all.
Garaga replied, "Yeah. Begin the operation."
Its voice rolled like distant thunder through the valley.
The other Uchiha members immediately jumped down near the cliffside. Garaga then turned respectfully toward the opposite side of the peak.
"Master, I'll return for now. Summon me again when needed."
With a loud bang, Garaga burst into a cloud of smoke and vanished.
The reanimated Uchiha captain's expression turned solemn. He couldn't help but think—
If the Uchiha clan head back then had been Uchiha Yu instead of Fugaku, how different things might have been.
A man who could command a Ryūchi Cave serpent to call him 'master'—he was even more imposing than the legendary Sannin.
Shaking off his thoughts, the captain raised his arm high.
"Prepare to begin the mission!"
He pulled out a bundle of scrolls from his tool pouch, released the seal, and distributed shovels and pickaxes to the squad.
At the base of the slope—
Uchiha Yu and Tsunade were preparing as well.
Once Tsunade finished setting everything up according to Uchiha Yu's instructions, the two returned up the mountain.
As they walked, Uchiha Yu flipped his right hand over, revealing a pure white mask with no markings.
He placed it over his face.
Wearing the mask felt strange—almost like placing a cool, refreshing facial pack against his skin.
Uchiha Yu began testing its functions.
Tsunade frowned in confusion.
"So that's why people kept following us along the way. But… asking them to dig into the ground like this, how long do you expect that to take?"
Before she finished speaking, her expression turned increasingly strange as she stared at Uchiha Yu.
His face was changing little by little—his eyes, nose, ears, lips, even his hair length, hairstyle, and the faint lines on his face—all reshaping into something brand new.
To Uchiha Yu, the sensation felt as if his body had been put into a molding machine, his features being reconstructed bit by bit according to his will.
Even his bones could subtly adjust based on his intent.
This surprised him greatly.
The "white mask" had only been described as something capable of altering appearance and impossible to see through by any means. But unexpectedly, its hidden ability allowed changes in body shape as well.
As his skeleton and physique settled, his appearance stabilized.
While adjusting his body, Uchiha Yu visualized Uchiha Itachi—his physique and features—in perfect detail.
"This isn't Transformation Jutsu… not even a trace of chakra fluctuation…"
Tsunade's pupils shrank as she instinctively took two steps back.
Under the moonlight, the figure standing before her made her almost hallucinate.
He was slender, melancholic-looking, tear troughs faintly visible on his face, short hair falling on either cheek, with a small ponytail tied behind his head.
With the Uchiha clan attire…
He was unmistakably Uchiha Itachi.
Then, Uchiha Yu pulled a Konoha forehead protector from his pocket and tied it around his head.
He had completely transformed into Itachi.
"It's… because of that mask?"
Tsunade's scalp tingled. She desperately wanted a Hyūga to come check with the Byakugan—was it truly not ninjutsu?
"From now on, I am Uchiha Itachi. I suggest you use Transformation Jutsu."
Uchiha Yu shot Tsunade a sideways glance.
Moments later, the two arrived behind the Edo Tensei Uchiha digging team.
"Itachi!!!"
Sensing something amiss, the Edo Uchiha squad leader spun around.
Seeing Itachi and Tsunade, he shouted in shock.
All of the Uchiha dropped their digging tools, turning back with expressions of pure dread.
Some among them had even died by Itachi's hand.
Several immediately activated their Sharingan, ready to attack at any moment.
In their eyes…
That was Uchiha Itachi standing before them.
Uchiha Yu then removed the mask and said:
"It's me."
The moment he lifted the mask, his appearance and build reverted.
Tsunade and every Uchiha present felt their emotions churn violently.
"Lord Uchiha Yu…?"
The Edo Uchiha leader sucked in a cold breath, gripping his shovel tightly.
Seeing Tsunade beside him and confirming the truth, the entire group finally relaxed.
They were shaken to the core by Uchiha Yu's disguise—far more flawless than any Transformation Jutsu.
Uchiha Yu then put the mask back on, returning to Itachi's appearance.
"Keep digging."
"Yes, sir!"
The reanimated Uchiha resumed their task.
Tsunade instantly understood Uchiha Yu's plan.
He intended to impersonate Itachi so that when the sealed ancient weapon was unearthed, the entity would believe Itachi was the one who dug it up—
Drawing all its hatred toward him?
It made sense.
Sealed for hundreds of years, the ancient Uchiha weapon was certainly overflowing with resentment.
With that thought, Tsunade formed hand seals, immediately altering her own face.
She had no desire to be remembered by some monster from the Warring States era. No thank you.
Judging by the preparations Uchiha Yu had her make, and how he had reshaped the entire terrain alone, the strength of that ancient Uchiha "war weapon" must be terrifying.
Uchiha Yu was very satisfied with the Uchiha clan's reaction just now.
In the future, as he roamed the ninja world—
Itachi would be his personal scapegoat shadow!
…
By dawn.
An Edo Uchiha suddenly shouted:
"We found it! We found it!!!"
°°°
Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!
Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction
I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.
If you do subscribe, please do so in the web patreon, not the ios app.