---
Itachi lowered his head, a look of utter helplessness on his face.
Although Sasuke's mind had been stimulated by Itachi's Genjutsu, having to part with his parents so suddenly still made him reluctant, no matter how you looked at it.
"There's nothing to apologize for. Sasuke isn't a little kid anymore. It's already remarkable that you could do all this."
Fugaku, who had been standing silently beside them, patted Itachi's shoulder.
"When you're strong enough, you can go see your parents yourself. If you can't see them, just assume you're too weak~"
As Hatake Kuroshi took Fugaku and Mikoto away, he grinned and flicked Sasuke's forehead.
Sasuke was just about to tear up, but Hatake Kuroshi's provocation made him force the tears back.
He could cry, but he absolutely didn't want this guy to see it!
"Treat the Genjutsu I showed you as real. When people talk about it, just mention what happened in the illusion."
"If you can't say something, then don't. Try to avoid overly detailed answers."
Itachi and Shisui carefully instructed the young Sasuke. Both were formerly ANBU and had dealt with related issues before.
They told Sasuke everything to watch out for and potential situations that might arise.
The moment Hatake Kuroshi returned, his figure flashed through the air, and then he delivered a swift chop to the back of Sasuke's neck, knocking him unconscious.
Both Itachi and Shisui stared intently at Hatake Kuroshi.
Hatake Kuroshi waved his hands innocently at the two:
"Don't look at me like that. This is just to replicate the fact that he fainted~"
"I suspect you're carrying out a personal vendetta. Weren't you and Sasuke always not getting along?"
Shisui, who had always envied Itachi's close family, immediately criticized Hatake Kuroshi's actions.
"How could that be? I'm a reliable adult—"
Hatake Kuroshi gave the two a wink.
When Danzo, dragging his battered body, approached the Uchiha compound with his Root members, he was stunned by the scene before him.
Thick smoke billowed up from within the compound. A wave of scorching heat washed over them, making it hard to breathe.
Most buildings in Konoha were made of wood; once a fire started, everything became fuel.
Danzo's face changed drastically. In such a massive fire, forget Sharingan eyes, it would be lucky if any remnants of the bodies were left.
Root members hastily used Water Release (Suiton) to extinguish the blaze, but they were already a step too late.
All the corpses had turned to charcoal, their faces unrecognizable.
There were even quite a few bodies at the center of the fire that had been burned directly down to bone.
The true death toll was difficult to ascertain.
"Why didn't you stay here and stop this fire!"
Danzo furiously poked the ground with his cane, venting his elderly rage directly onto those beside him.
The Root members all lowered their heads, daring not to speak.
Fire Release was a commonly used ninjutsu by the Uchiha clan. All suspicion almost instantly focused on Itachi Uchiha.
"Go after Itachi! He shouldn't have gone far. Stop him!"
Danzo nearly ground his teeth to dust. Izanagi had cost him one Sharingan, and Shisui's eye had been taken by some unknown person.
He had planned to score big in the Uchiha compound, only to have it all burned clean!
Even when suffering setbacks, he had never suffered so many consecutively!
Itachi knelt before Hiruzen, the red light casting shifting shadows across his face.
Hiruzen showed no surprise at his appearance, merely sighing deeply.
"First, I want to thank you. By doing this, you avoided a civil war and protected the peace of the village."
"However, I still regret that we couldn't find another way."
"From now on, Konoha will regard you as a missing-nin who murdered his clan, add you to the list, and pursue you, dead or alive."
Itachi wore no mask, yet his expression remained indifferent and unmoved.
There was no sense of injustice or protest; he simply responded as if it were a matter of course.
"That is only natural."
Killing all his clansmen just to spare his younger brother.
Hiruzen didn't know how to judge the current Itachi. He was an emotionless weapon, a sharp blade.
As long as his blade was pointed outward, he could be allowed to expend himself freely.
"What do you plan to do now?"
"I sought help from someone claiming to be from the Akatsuki organization. I will follow this person to ensure he doesn't break his oath."
As a missing-nin, as long as Itachi didn't threaten the village's safety, Hiruzen had no right to interfere further in his affairs.
Itachi's face fell into shadow as he quickly withdrew from the Hokage Building.
Itachi's figure appeared on a nearby tree branch. Two masked figures swiftly emerged behind him.
Root members.
As expected, they would still come after him even now.
However, before Itachi could act, the two masked figures suddenly shot into the air, inexplicably sticking together.
Swish! A kunai flew out from the side, piercing both of them and pinning them to the tree trunk.
The speed was incredible, the coordination flawless. The two didn't even have time to scream, merely letting out muffled grunts before dying.
Itachi followed the kunai's trajectory back to the nearby woods.
Under the moonlight, Hatake Kuroshi peeked out from behind a tree, making a peace sign at Itachi with a grin.
Shisui shook his head somewhat helplessly, squatting on a branch and waving at Itachi.
"All done—let's go then~"
The massive fire that erupted in the Uchiha compound that night destroyed almost all evidence.
Neither ANBU nor Root could track down who started the fire.
Judging by the condition of the bodies, it seemed Itachi had used Fire Release to burn the compound after the massacre.
At the fire's center, many bodies were burned down to the bone, the exact death toll unknown.
Sasuke Uchiha was found unconscious near the compound and admitted to a nearby hospital as the sole survivor.
Although the fire didn't burn for too long, it was fierce, and many people saw the thick smoke.
With just a few words spreading around, before dawn, the news of Itachi Uchiha's clan massacre had spread widely.
By the time Hiruzen Sarutobi learned about the fire, Itachi was long gone, not even a shadow remaining.
But even if Itachi hadn't left, he couldn't say anything to him.
That child had already done enough by massacring his clan for the village.
"List Itachi Uchiha as an S-rank missing-nin for pursuit."
"There's no need to manage anything else. Just let this matter slowly die down."
There weren't many Uchiha left. If no one mentioned them, they would gradually be forgotten.
This minor storm that had arisen now could just be left alone for the time being.
"Yes."
The masked ANBU member acknowledged and vanished.
...
Danzo sat in his chair with an ugly expression; he had barely slept all night.
Now, all the Uchiha clan's eyes were effectively destroyed, and the two sent after Itachi hadn't returned alive either.
However, this outcome wasn't entirely unexpected by Danzo. Sending those two after Itachi was merely an act driven by anger, meant to annoy Itachi.
How could those two possibly be a match for the Uchiha genius capable of massacring his clan?
The person most worthy of vigilance was that strange masked man.
Sasuke remained in the village, a weakness to hold over Itachi.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, Itachi wouldn't harm Konoha's interests during this period.
But that masked man... if his identity wasn't uncovered, there was fear he might make further moves later.
"We found the bodies of the two who pursued Itachi."
"But... based on the condition of the bodies, it looks like the work of that masked man."
"The two bodies were overlapping, a small part embedded into the tree trunk, although a kunai was pinned through the middle."
But it looked more like a clumsy disguise.
The Root members didn't dare voice the latter half of the sentence. Danzo's expression was already gloomy enough; speaking further seemed like asking for a scolding.
But no matter how you looked at it, the masked man seemed unafraid of exposing himself; he had displayed the same arrogance when they encountered him before.
Danzo took a deep breath. Hearing this, it seemed these two troublesome individuals had coordinated.
But after last night's events, whether it was himself or the state of Root, they were undoubtedly severely weakened.
Not a single ANBU member had acted last night. That old fool Hiruzen had managed to keep himself completely clean.
"Look for clues about Itachi. Monitor his movements. If you spot anyone suspicious, report back to me immediately."
Now was not the time to rashly pursue these two. He needed to recover first.
Danzo made a mental note.
...
The Uchiha clan, being a renowned clan, naturally became fodder for gossip after being slaughtered by one of their own to such an extent.
Nurses and doctors passing through the hospital corridors would occasionally peek curiously at Sasuke through the glass window on his door.
When Sasuke opened his eyes, he was already lying in a hospital bed. The pungent smell of disinfectant filled his nostrils.
Various machines were connected around him, emitting steady, rhythmic beeps.
Sasuke turned his head to look aside but felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck.
There was definitely a bruise back there.
Sasuke frowned and sat up on the bed, his bones making cracking sounds.
He remembered Shisui and Itachi talking to him just before, but suddenly there was a pain in his neck, and then he was here.
Sasuke knew, even thinking with his knees, that it must have been that guy Hatake Kuroshi suddenly flashing back and chopping him.
Besides him, no one else could strike so silently.
"That guy."
Sasuke secretly ground his teeth.
Hatake Kuroshi suddenly knocked him out; he hadn't even gotten to say a proper goodbye to his brother and Shisui-nii.
Who knew when he would see them again?
Going to visit his parents was secondary for now. Once he got stronger, he first needed to beat up that guy Hatake Kuroshi!
---
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