[The two were reading the manga. When they reached Naruto and Sasuke's first battle at the Valley of the End—
They noticed something.
The Uchiha Clan Massacre seemed to take place this very year… on the night of an evening self-study session at the Academy.
Wait.
Evening self-study?!
Tobirama Senju and Nagi both felt their hearts skip a beat.
There was no time to verify whether the manga was real. Shiranui Nagi immediately rushed out of the house and sprinted toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.]
[Mei Terumi: Hmm? Why did the handsome boy suddenly change expression?]
[Onoki: Probably something urgent.]
[A (Fourth Raikage): Urgent? What could possibly make the Second Hokage lose his composure?]
[Izuna Uchiha: Wait—Sasuke was attending evening study… Don't tell me this is the night my Uchiha Clan was wiped out?!]
With Izuna's reminder, the entire Shinobi World quickly realized—
The night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre was indeed the only time Sasuke ever attended evening study.
[Sasuke Uchiha: There's no mistake… This is that night!!!]
Nagi arrived at the outskirts of Konohagakure. Using the Transformation Technique, he turned himself into an adult and donned the special mask Tobirama had once designed to counter the Sharingan.
As he neared the Uchiha Clan Compound, the sharp scent of blood hit his nose.
He accelerated.
When he reached the entrance, corpses littered the ground.
Whatever justification Itachi Uchiha had for the massacre, the act itself was more brutal than that of a beast.
Nagi immediately rushed toward the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters. He hadn't witnessed the full details of the slaughter, but surely the Police Force could have resisted for at least some time.
Yet when he arrived at the entrance—
A masked man walked out from the building.
Blood dripped from his blade.
Nagi and Tobirama instantly understood.
They were too late.
"What's going on? Itachi has an accomplice?"
(In Sasuke's memories, the masked man never appeared. Both Nagi and Tobirama only knew the events of that night from Sasuke's perspective. The white screen had never shown Obito—only Sasuke's point of view.)
[Onoki: Nani?! Itachi had an accomplice?!]
[A (Fourth Raikage): A thirteen-year-old wiping out his entire clan? I never believed that story.]
[Zabuza Momochi: Heh. I thought Kirigakure's traditions were brutal enough. Didn't expect someone even more ruthless.]
[Minato Namikaze: If I'm not mistaken, this is the masked man who caused the Nine-Tails' Attack.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: What?! Then Nagi's in danger!]
Madara Uchiha narrowed his eyes.
"So… Obito. What exactly are you doing?"
Though he had long foreseen the Uchiha Clan's downfall—ever since they chose Konoha's comfort over following him—he had not expected it to unfold through Obito's hand.
In the Akatsuki's hideout, all eyes shifted to Itachi.
Itachi remained expressionless, as though none of it concerned him.
Deidara frowned. "Doesn't that masked guy look a little like Tobi?"
Obito's heart tightened.
"Haha, Deidara-senpai, no way! I'm just an intern in the Akatsuki. How could I be some cold-blooded killer?"
"Yeah, I guess."
Hidan, however, looked excited.
"So Itachi likes killing that much, huh? Wanna join Lord Jashin's faith?"
Itachi remained cold and silent.
Sasori and Kakuzu, who did not know Tobi's true identity, also began connecting him with the masked man.
Kisame, however, had known all along.
Elsewhere…
After casting Tsukuyomi on Izumi Uchiha, Itachi tearfully ended her life.
(This follows the novel version rather than the anime adaptation.)
Regaining his composure, he slowly walked toward his home.
At the Police Force Headquarters…
"Teacher, should we intervene?"
After Tobirama sensed that the masked man before them was also an Uchiha, Nagi felt disgusted.
How could there be so many monsters within one clan?
"Nagi. Let me take control. Hiruzen has likely noticed something by now. We only need to stall him."
"Understood, Teacher."
Tobirama gradually assumed control of the body.
Nagi's eyes sharpened.
Shiranui Nagi
[Tobirama Mode]
vs.
The Mysterious Masked Man
[Red Night Blade]
The battle began.
Just as the masked man turned to continue slaughtering the remaining Uchiha—
Nagi struck first.
"Water Release: Water Bullets!"
From his hand shot compressed streams of water like piercing projectiles, spraying toward the masked man.
They passed straight through him.
No damage.
"Hmm? There's someone else here?"
[Minato Namikaze: That intangibility technique is extremely difficult to counter.]
[Onoki: I didn't expect such a troublesome ability to exist in the Shinobi World.]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Minato defeated him by exploiting the moment he attacked and exposed an opening.]
[A (Fourth Raikage): So the key is to strike when he materializes to attack?]
[Mei Terumi: Then victory would depend on speed.]
[Kakashi Hatake: No… perhaps he cannot remain intangible indefinitely.]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: If that's true, then wide-range and sustained ninjutsu could help determine the duration of his intangibility.]
Across the Shinobi World, powerful shinobi began mentally simulating how they would defeat such an opponent.
The masked man suddenly flickered forward, appearing directly before Nagi with blade in hand.
Instantly, Nagi spat out a torrent of water, forming a circular defensive wall.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
The masked man phased straight through it—
Then reappeared behind Nagi at blinding speed—
And cleaved him in half.
But the bisected body exploded instantly.
"Clone Great Explosion!"
At the same time, Itachi—who had just killed his parents—heard the distant blast and looked toward the Police Force headquarters.
"Has he run into trouble?"
He immediately rushed in that direction.
When the smoke cleared, the masked man's clothes were tattered from the explosion.
But his mask remained untouched.
He tore off a ruined sleeve.
"…Careless."
Tobirama had already observed that the masked man became tangible the moment he attacked.
Given his experience, Tobirama deduced—
Perhaps this intangibility was a Mangekyō Sharingan ability.
"If so… then this is manageable. Any Mangekyō Sharingan technique must have its limits. He likely cannot remain intangible forever."
At that moment—
Itachi suddenly attacked from behind Nagi.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball erupted from Itachi's mouth.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A towering water dragon surged forth and collided head-on with the flames.
Steam exploded outward, engulfing all three in thick mist.
Both Itachi and the masked man relied on the Sharingan's dynamic vision—
Yet neither could locate Nagi.
As the mist began to thin and the two regrouped—
Several kunai suddenly shot toward them from behind.
[Izuna Uchiha: Damn it—this move again!]