At the settlement of the ninja cats—
Within a quiet bamboo forest, more than three hundred members of the Uchiha clan were scattered about.
Some stood, some sat, some simply lay on the ground.
But without exception, every face carried the same expressions—
Confusion.
Anger.
And the exhausted relief of those who had narrowly escaped death.
Not far away, Uchiha Yashiro, acting under Uchiha Fugaku’s orders, had just finished explaining everything that had happened in the village.
“So… Yashiro-sama…”
A young woman holding a baby gently patted her child while looking toward him.
“…We really can’t go back anymore?”
Yashiro let out a long sigh.
He found a thick bamboo stalk and leaned against it as he sat down.
He wasn’t physically tired.
But mentally… he was exhausted.
Just like everyone else here, he was struggling to process it all.
Yesterday, they had been the proud Uchiha clan—the strongest clan in Konoha.
Today… they were like stray dogs, fleeing the village.
“I’ve already made it clear,” Yashiro said coldly.
“That beast, Uchiha Itachi, was brainwashed by the Third Hokage and planned to slaughter the entire clan.
If Fugaku-sama hadn’t realized in time… we’d all be corpses by now.”
“…What about the others?” someone asked hesitantly.
“The rest?”
Yashiro sneered.
“Dead.
Most likely.”
“The militant faction—those idiots only ever thought about coups and power.
They wouldn’t listen to a word of reason.
If Fugaku-sama had revealed the plan early, they would’ve revolted immediately—and been wiped out by Konoha.
We wouldn’t have escaped either.”
“But that’s still hundreds of lives…”
Some in the crowd couldn’t help but speak up—clearly, they had ties to those militants.
“That was their choice.”
Yashiro’s gaze turned icy.
“How many times did Fugaku-sama try to persuade them?
And what did they do?
They called him weak.
They called people like us—who only wanted peace—the shame of the Uchiha!”
“Look at yourselves!
Look at your children!”
“If Fugaku-sama hadn’t acted decisively, you’d all be corpses right now!”
“And remember this—he paid for your survival with his own sons!”
Inside the summoning house of the ninja cats, those words could be heard clearly.
Seated cross-legged behind a low table, Neko Granny took a slow puff from her pipe, the scent drifting more like catnip than tobacco.
“You’ve got a loyal subordinate,” she remarked casually.
Across from her, Fugaku sat pale-faced, saying nothing.
Beside him, Uchiha Mikoto’s eyes reddened further at those words, already swollen from earlier tears.
“When they were young, Itachi and Sasuke often came to the empty district outside the village,” the old woman continued.
“That boy Itachi was always quiet… always helping me sort scrolls.
And yet… things turned out like this.”
“Life is unpredictable.
I sent him into the ANBU so he could see how Konoha treated the Uchiha… but instead, even after his best friend—our clan’s prodigy, Uchiha Shisui—had his eye taken by the village, he still didn’t wake up.”
Finally, Fugaku raised his head and let out a long sigh.
“…Seems I overestimated that so-called genius son of mine.”
“He never once considered that if the Uchiha truly wanted rebellion, the night of the Nine-Tails incident would’ve been the perfect opportunity.”
“In that chaos… if we had acted, how much would Konoha have suffered?”
“He never thought about it.”
“Nor did Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Or perhaps he did—but didn’t care.
For the stability he believes in, he’s willing to sacrifice anything.
The Uchiha… Sakumo Hatake… all the same.”
“And me?”
Fugaku gave a bitter smile.
“Afraid to fight.
Unwilling to surrender.
And so… we ended up here.”
“So what do you intend to do now, Fugaku?” Neko Granny asked, her gaze sharp but thoughtful.
She could tell—
The man before her was no longer the same.
Sometimes, a person cannot learn even after a thousand teachings.
But one harsh experience… is enough.
“This may be a summoning land,” Fugaku said calmly, “but compared to the Three Great Sage Regions, it’s nothing more than a small village beside a capital.
Konoha won’t have trouble finding this place—especially Danzo Shimura’s Root.”
“Hiding here is meaningless.”
“By now, the militant faction in the village should already be dead.”
His voice remained steady, though his body trembled faintly.
“Konoha will send pursuit forces soon.
But that’s fine—the situation is still under my control.”
“On one condition.”
“I need supplies.
Soldier pills, or anything that can boost chakra.”
“And I suggest… that you and the ninja cats relocate with us.”
“Why should we leave too?” asked a young girl beside the old woman—Tamaki.
Fugaku looked at her.
“You’re still too inexperienced to understand.”
“The Uchiha and the ninja cats are deeply tied.”
“If all Uchiha died, Konoha might spare you.
But now that half of us still live… they won’t allow ‘Uchiha allies’ to remain.”
“Whether I come here or not, your clan will be eliminated.”
“…How can that be?!”
“That’s how the ninja world works, Tamaki,” the old woman sighed.
Then she looked back at Fugaku.
“Using reverse summoning to move that many people… and only suffering exhaustion afterward.
The Uchiha’s Mangekyō truly is terrifying.”
“Following you… may not be a bad choice.”
Fugaku said nothing.
Information was life for a shinobi.
The less others knew about his eyes—the better.
“Then it’s settled,” he said, standing up.
“Prepare.”
He took Mikoto’s hand, leading her slowly out toward the clearing.
After a moment, he spoke softly—
“Sasuke will be fine.”
“Even if Uchiha Itachi has been twisted by the Third… his love for Sasuke is greater than ours.”
Mikoto’s lips trembled.
“He’ll negotiate with Konoha—trade his loyalty and value for Sasuke’s safety.”
“And more importantly… as long as we’re alive, Sasuke won’t just survive—he’ll live very well.”
“…What?”
Meanwhile—
In Konoha.
At what used to be the Naka Shrine.
Or rather—
Its ruins.
The shrine was gone.
All that remained were charred walls, blackened debris, and the sickening stench of burnt flesh.
Uchiha Itachi sat on a broken stone, breathing heavily.
Two trails of dried blood tears marked his face, giving him an eerie, tragic beauty.
“Hokage-sama.”
He jumped down as four figures approached—the highest authorities of Konoha.
“The militant faction of the Uchiha… has been completely eliminated.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing.
His gaze swept across the ruins… the scorched corpses… the lingering black flames…
And finally, settled on Itachi’s face.
“…Mangekyō Sharingan.”
He sighed inwardly.
Through the crystal ball, they had witnessed everything.
Itachi had first subdued the guards with genjutsu, then infiltrated with the masked man.
When the militants gathered—
He struck.
Black flames ignited from nothing, sealing every exit.
Amaterasu.
An inextinguishable fire that would burn until its target was reduced to ash.
In the confined space of the shrine, it became a death trap.
Despite their numbers and strength, the militants were trapped—burned alive within.
And then—
Susanoo.
Even in skeletal form, its oppressive presence was overwhelming.
The massive skeletal arm swept through the hall, smashing anyone who tried to escape back into the flames.
Even the crystal ball’s vision had distorted under the sheer chakra pressure.
“…So this is the power Uchiha Madara once wielded.”
Hiruzen took a slow breath, suppressing his unease.
“You’ve done well, Itachi.
Konoha will remember your resolve.”
“But tell me—if the militants are dead… what about the moderates?”
“It seems… my father used reverse summoning to take them away.”
“…Nonsense!”
Danzo stepped forward abruptly, slamming his cane against the ground.
“Reverse summoning over three hundred people?
Even the First Hokage couldn’t do that!
If Uchiha Fugaku had such ability, he would’ve rebelled long ago—why wait until now?!”
His anger was genuine.
Root had already set up an ambush around the Uchiha compound, waiting for the massacre to end so they could sweep in and harvest Sharingan.
And what happened?
A single blaze of Amaterasu—
Everything burned clean.
Not a single eye remained.
If he hadn’t personally witnessed the battle through the crystal ball, he might’ve suspected the entire thing was some elaborate act staged by the Uchiha themselves.
“Danzo-sama, my father has also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan,” Uchiha Itachi said calmly.
“He knew about the plan in advance… and prepared accordingly.”
“Another Mangekyō?”
Homura Mitokado couldn’t hide his surprise.
“The Uchiha… truly produce geniuses one after another,” Koharu Utatane murmured, her tone complicated.
“Where did your father go?” asked Hiruzen Sarutobi.
“…Most likely the summoning grounds of the ninja cats.”
After a moment’s thought, Itachi answered.
“The so-called ‘Empty District’ outside Konoha was originally designated as a trade zone for outsiders.
It was there that the ninja cats, led by Neko Granny, formed a summoning contract with the Uchiha.”
“But the reverse summoning destination shouldn’t be the Empty District.
I once heard that the ninja cats have their own… ‘sacred land.'”
“I see.”
Hiruzen nodded.
“From this day forward, Konoha will issue warrants for you, Fugaku, and all escaped Uchiha.”
“But Sasuke will remain under Konoha’s protection.
That is our agreement.”
“You may go.”
“…Thank you, Hokage-sama.”
Itachi lowered his head—
And vanished.
“You should’ve kept him,” Danzo suddenly said.
“He’s already at his limit.”
“Danzo…”
Hiruzen turned to look at his old comrade.
“When you stay in the dark for too long… your vision narrows.”
His gaze briefly flicked downward, as if wary of unseen spies—perhaps from the Akatsuki.
After a pause, he continued:
“Forget loyalty for a moment.
The fact is—Fugaku escaped.”
“As long as the remnants of the Uchiha still exist, we cannot turn against Uchiha Itachi or Uchiha Sasuke.”
“On the contrary…”
“We must ensure Sasuke marries and has children.
Many children—ten, dozens if possible.”
“Otherwise, if Fugaku successfully defects to another great nation with those three hundred people…”
“…we’ll be the ones worrying about how to face an army of Sharingan users.”
“When that happens—who will deal with them?”
“You?”
“…Hmph.”
Danzo said nothing.
“So, what about tracking the ninja cats’ territory?” Koharu asked.
“What ‘sacred land’?
They don’t deserve such a title,” Danzo scoffed, his frustration finding a new outlet.
“It’s nothing more than some lucky old woman who stumbled upon a few sentient cats.
Not even a true independent dimension—just a hidden village deep in the mountains.”
“You know the place?” Hiruzen asked.
“If they’re doing business with Konoha, of course I investigated.”
“In that case, leave it to Root.”
Hiruzen’s tone hardened.
“Track them.
Hunt them down.”
At that, a smile finally appeared on Danzo’s face.
Because this meant—
He still had a chance.
A chance to collect more Sharingan.
Perhaps even… Fugaku’s Mangekyō.
After witnessing Itachi’s battle, he had formed his own judgment.
Yes, the Mangekyō Sharingan was strange and troublesome.
But it wasn’t invincible like the legends of Uchiha Madara suggested.
With his Wind Release and a well-thrown kunai…
He believed even something like Susanoo could be cut open.
“Hiruzen, sending him after the Uchiha remnants is like letting a rat loose in a granary,” Koharu said, frowning as Danzo strode away with obvious eagerness.
“If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it,” Hiruzen replied with a faint chuckle.
Then he turned to Homura.
“Homura, notify the border forces.
Maintain strict surveillance—especially toward the Four Great Nations.”
“They will surely take interest in Fugaku.”
“We must not allow the Uchiha remnants to join another village.”
“Understood.”
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