At the same time,
Uchiha Itachi's gaze fell upon a familiar face in the image. It was his father, Uchiha Fugaku, diligently working for the betterment of the Uchiha clan.
However,
Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen employed a strategy of both appeasement and coercion, ultimately relocating the Uchiha clan from the village's center to its periphery.
At the tender age of four, Itachi couldn't grasp why his clan harbored dissatisfaction towards Konoha simply because of this relocation.
For him,
Did their place of residence truly hold any significance?
Time flowed onward, years passing in its wake.
He now understood the pain of being treated as an outsider, the unease caused by the strange surveillance, and the validity of his clan's grievances.
He looked down at his own hands, hands stained with the blood of his own kin.
For a fleeting moment,
Doubt gnawed at him. Had he truly done the right thing back then?
...
[Scene Change]
[Uchiha Fugaku and a young Uchiha Itachi stood before the former Uchiha district.]
[The Uchiha clan's land was visibly surrounded by towering buildings, creating an impression of encirclement. Fugaku's brow furrowed slightly, but he quickly dismissed it, thinking, "Perhaps it's just my imagination."]
[At that moment, on the rooftop of one of these tall buildings, a ninja observed the Uchiha district through a telescope. One, two... there were hundreds of them, each meticulously watching from above.]
"That's appalling!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand, clutching his pipe, trembled slightly. He feared the exposure of past wrongdoings.
"Why were they monitoring the Uchiha clan?" Ino asked, her curiosity piqued.
"If anyone dares to spy on me, I'll kick them where it hurts!" Sakura exclaimed angrily, brandishing her fist.
"It's going too far!" Tenten added, her voice laced with disapproval.
These young women shared a common disdain for those who secretly took photographs, and the act of surveilling someone's life in this manner was even more reprehensible in their eyes.
[The scene shifted again,
An Anbu operative sprinted wildly through the night, pursued closely by three masked ninjas. Soon, the leading Anbu was struck by several concealed weapons, sustaining injuries.]
[Just as the Anbu was on the verge of being killed, two young Uchiha boys appeared, their swords flashing as they intercepted the shuriken aimed at his chest.]
[The camera slowly panned, revealing the two teenagers to be none other than the Uchiha clan's two prodigious ninjas: Shisui of the Body Flicker and Uchiha Itachi.]
["Why are you trying to kill him?" Shisui demanded of the three figures before him.]
["He's a traitor."]
["They want to seize my secret message, but this message must be delivered to Lord Hokage so that he can render a fair judgment," the Anbu explained.]
["We uphold Konoha's order according to the established dark protocols. Those who betray the village deserve to die!"]
["Enough talk, just eliminate them all!"]
[In the next instant, a Root operative launched a shuriken directly at the Anbu, but the operative swiftly employed the Body Flicker Technique to evade the attack.]
["To act without hesitation to achieve their objective... that's truly Root! This unknown individual who supports peace from the shadows... I believe this is the essence of a Jōnin!" Shisui declared firmly.]
["Then perhaps we are two sides of the same coin!" the female Root operative replied faintly.]
[Shisui shook his head vehemently. "No! Using force to subdue others and maintaining order through violence is not true peace!" As he spoke, his pupils morphed into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.]
["Itachi, step back!"]
[However, Uchiha Itachi, who had been observing from the side, clenched his fists, a resolute expression hardening his features.
"I am Uchiha Itachi and I will fight alongside Shisui!"]
[As soon as the words left his lips, the three Root operatives launched their attack. The female operative engaged the eight-year-old Uchiha Itachi, while the other two confronted Shisui.]
[For a brief moment, a fierce exchange unfolded between Uchiha Itachi and the notoriously ruthless female operative, the clanging of their short swords creating a nocturnal symphony.]
[Meanwhile, the battle involving Uchiha Shisui intensified, the two Root members attacking with relentless ferocity, each strike aimed for a fatal blow.]
["Sharingan!" Uchiha Itachi yelled, and in an instant, his pupils transformed into the Sharingan, enhancing his combat prowess against the female Root operative.]
["There's no such thing as orthodox or unorthodox methods in combat, but your attacks have become completely transparent to me!"]
["Hardly. You've already fallen into my trap!" the female Root operative retorted confidently. During their earlier exchange, she had deployed shuriken attached to nearly invisible strings, creating a deadly snare designed to immobilize Uchiha Itachi. With a subtle tug, Uchiha Itachi would be securely bound.
With a confident flick of her wrist, she severed a string. Bang, bang, bang! The intricate silver threads recoiled, ensnaring her instead. ]
["Why?" she exclaimed in disbelief.]
["As I said, I saw through everything," Uchiha Itachi stated calmly.]
[On the other side, Uchiha Shisui swiftly executed a series of hand seals. "Body Flicker Technique!" In the next second, multiple afterimages of Shisui, akin to Shadow Clones, surrounded the two Root members.]
["Shit! I can't pinpoint his real body!"
"There's no weight to their attacks, yet they strike with considerable force. What is this?"]
[Shisui, holding his kunai behind one of the Root members, explained, "My Body Flicker Technique has no tangible form, but at the same time, it can be said that everything is its tangible form."]
[Finally, Shisui and Itachi left the three defeated Root operatives behind.]
[The image froze]
But the shockwave it sent through the plaza and the entire Ninja World was immeasurable.
"Seeing Konoha's Body Flicker Technique again... it's like a phantom!" Ao, who stood beside Terumi Mei, shook his head with a wry smile.
He vividly recalled his past encounter with Konoha. The young boy who had stood before him, forcing his hasty retreat with his subordinates, was none other than Shisui.
"I can somewhat understand Danzō's current desire to eliminate the Uchiha clan!" Ōnoki sighed, his voice heavy with age.
"They are all such handsome young men!" Terumi Mei murmured softly.
As for Kiba Inuzuka and the rest of Konoha's Rookie Nine Squad, including Team Guy , they were utterly dumbfounded, the very foundations of their understanding shaken.
They knew the Uchiha clan were considered geniuses, even regarding Sasuke as a prodigy among their peers.
But now, witnessing this,
Compared to the two figures on the screen, the genius they spoke of seemed almost... ordinary.
"Then... was that truly Uchiha Itachi?" Sakura stammered, fear causing her to stumble backward.
To think, an eight-year-old Uchiha Itachi could defeat Konoha's Root operatives.
How formidable had he become in the present?
Could Sasuke truly hope to avenge his parents by killing Uchiha Itachi?
...