"You recognized the man in the black robe?"
Uchiha Itachi nodded. But as he recalled those deep, piercing dual pupil eyes, his own pupils shrank slightly.
Uchiha Genya.
Still just a child, yet his strength already far surpassed Itachi's.
In the future, Uchiha Genya would become the nightmare that haunted him—unless one day, he could kill him with his own hands.
"Who is it?" Masked Obito pressed for an answer.
"Trust me, you don't want to know," Itachi shook his head, refusing to reveal Genya's name.
After all, they had a brief verbal agreement. He wouldn't expose Uchiha Genya's identity—Sasuke still had to survive within the Uchiha clan.
And before leaving, Genya had also promised not to lay a hand on Sasuke.
This secret… let me carry it for you.
In truth, Itachi had already seen through Genya's plans. Even Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Kinya were quietly waiting for Genya to grow.
With his current talent, Genya's future achievements would at least rival Uchiha Madara's. He had the potential to lead the Uchiha clan back to its peak.
Had he made the wrong choice?
The thought crossed his mind. But almost immediately, he denied it.
No. He had made the right decision. Back then, he had done it for the Uchiha.
"You won't tell me?" Masked Obito watched Itachi's unreadable expression, growing more impatient.
"Is this person really that much of a mystery? I'm your future comrade—can't you even tell me?"
Masked Obito was feeling frustrated. The more Itachi refused to tell him, the more restless and curious he became!
Even though Rin's death had changed him in many ways, some parts of his personality remained the same—he was still extremely curious.
"Trust me, knowing his identity will only bring you more pain. It's better if you don't find out," Uchiha Itachi shook his head.
Right now, he himself was already shaken—so much so that he felt inferior to a mere six-year-old child.
But seeing Obito's curious gaze and considering that they were both Uchiha, he decided to reveal a little: "I can only say this—he is one of us. He is also an Uchiha."
An Uchiha?
Obito was stunned. He hadn't expected this answer. No wonder… No wonder that black-robed man possessed such unique abilities.
"He also has the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Obito asked in surprise. He hadn't expected there to be another Uchiha with power comparable to theirs.
If possible, he thought he might try to recruit him into the organization.
"No, he hasn't awakened the Mangekyō yet." Itachi shook his head, denying Obito's assumption.
Huh?
Obito's eyes showed his shock. Someone who hadn't even awakened the Mangekyō was already this strong?
Then how powerful would he become once he did?
"How is he this strong?" Obito asked in disbelief.
Itachi shook his head. "I don't know."
Obito was speechless. In the end, he glanced at Itachi and saw the same look of disbelief in his eyes. Since he couldn't get any more answers, he simply said, "In that case, let's go."
Since he wasn't getting anything useful, Obito planned to take Itachi back with him.
But Itachi shook his head. "I still need to stay in Konoha for a while."
"Staying in Konoha for so long… do you realize you could be on the wanted list by now?"
Masked Obito was visibly surprised, but when he looked at Itachi, his gaze changed. "Don't tell me… you're thinking of returning to Konoha to wipe out your clan again?"
The thought suddenly crossed Obito's mind as he stared at Uchiha Itachi.
At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel once more at Itachi's ruthlessness. It turned out Itachi wasn't just cold-hearted on the surface—his actions were even more decisive!
One massacre wasn't enough? Was he planning a second attempt?
"…"
Itachi was speechless for a moment before replying, "With that man in the black robe around, wiping out the Uchiha clan is impossible. I just want to stay here for a while."
It wasn't that Itachi hadn't considered eliminating the Uchiha again, but after learning Genya's true identity, he dismissed the idea entirely.
The real reason he didn't want to leave was that he wished to meet Sarutobi Hiruzen.
There were things he needed to clarify.
"You're really not leaving?" Obito confirmed again.
"No, I still have unfinished business." Itachi nodded firmly.
"Fine."
Obito didn't push further. Instead, he pulled a ring from his cloak and tossed it to Itachi. "Take this. If the organization has any missions or needs to contact you, they'll use it."
Itachi caught the ring and examined it carefully. It looked like an ordinary ring, except for the striking red kanji "朱" (Vermilion) engraved on it.
Slipping it onto his finger, Itachi closed his eyes again, saying nothing more.
The battle had taken a toll on him, and he needed to recover.
Yet, as he gently rubbed the ring between his fingers, his mind drifted elsewhere.
Uchiha Merchant Association Police Force Division
Inside an office, a figure appeared.
It was Genya.
His face was pale as well.
After leaving Konoha, he had immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport back to the Merchant Association Police Force Division.
Uchiha Kinya was waiting in the room. When he saw Genya suddenly appear, he immediately stepped forward and asked, "Genya, how did things go? Are you hurt?"
He already knew that Uchiha Furin had come to demand people, but he wasn't clear on the full details yet.
"The crisis for the Uchiha has been dealt with for now. Father, you can step forward to stabilize the situation. Have people call all the doctors from the Uchiha Hospital to treat our wounded clansmen."
After saying this, he added seriously, "This attack on the Uchiha was orchestrated by Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Shimura. Even though we've survived this extermination attempt, our relationship with the Sarutobi clan will never recover. The thin veil of pretense is the only thing left between us."
From now on, his father would be the future clan leader of the Uchiha. Handling the relationship between the village and the Sarutobi clan would be crucial.
They would stay out of each other's affairs.
If Hiruzen dared to strike against the Uchiha again, they would fight back.
Uchiha Kinya nodded and left to make the necessary arrangements, while Genya stayed in the office to rest.
The earlier battle had drained him significantly. He needed to recover as soon as possible. Outside, his clone was handling things, and once it dispelled, he would receive all the information anyway.
That night, the Uchiha clan was destined to be sleepless. In fact, much of Konoha had a restless night.
Even Toshi, who led the medical team to treat the injured Uchihas, was filled with anger at the sight of the devastation.
He never expected that in the so-called peaceful Konoha, someone would dare to strike at the Uchiha, causing the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians.
The next day.
The sky was just beginning to brighten when news of the Uchiha Clan's devastating attack spread throughout Konoha. The Uchiha retreated into seclusion to recover.
At the same time, Sarutobi Hiruzen convened a meeting, summoning the clan leaders to inform them that Uchiha Itachi, along with outsiders, had launched a nighttime assault on the Uchiha Clan, resulting in heavy losses.
Hiruzen officially declared Uchiha Itachi Konoha's most wanted criminal.
As for other matters concerning the Uchiha, the Third Hokage remained silent, and no one else dared to ask.
However, subtle doubt flickered in their eyes as they looked at Hiruzen.
Three days passed. The Uchiha Clan remained in isolation. That night, an uninvited guest appeared on the roof of the Hokage's office. A crow circled above.
It was Uchiha Itachi.
Inside, Hiruzen seemed to sense something. In a flash, he appeared on the rooftop, standing face-to-face with Itachi.
****
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