"Over the years, Konoha has suppressed and marginalized the Uchiha, pushing the clan's leadership to the brink of rebellion.
You all, who haven't yet earned the right to attend the secret meetings at the Naka Shrine, probably aren't aware of this.
But the truth is—
The relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha…
Has hit rock bottom.
To maintain the illusion of peace in the village, Itachi willingly became the executioner on behalf of the Konoha leadership, turning his blade against his own clan."
Uchiha Yu explained patiently.
The group fell into despair.
Izumi's eyes clouded with mist, hot tears flowing uncontrollably as she sobbed out a question:
"Then… what about you?"
In her mind, Uchiha Yu had always been gentle and kind, a warm smile on his face, a responsible and dependable team captain.
Back when she had just graduated from the Academy, during her first mission with Yu, she was injured—and it was Yu who didn't abandon her, carrying her all the way back to Konoha.
Yu replied calmly:
"I'm not as noble as the Itachi you all placed your hopes on—
The one who could raise his sword against his clan in the name of love, justice, and peace for Konoha.
I don't care about the so-called peace of the shinobi world.
Those who fall to my blade tonight…
Will die.
Sooner or later, it makes no difference.
I only want to survive in this ninja world.
However—
Since I've borrowed their lives, I owe the Uchiha something in return.
I'm not one to carry debts. That's why you're all still standing here."
---
At that moment, within the Uchiha compound, Itachi's blade continued to harvest the lives of civilian clan members.
The anguished cries grew louder and more heart-wrenching, casting a shadow over all of Konoha.
"Hahaha!" Uchiha Tamao suddenly let out a hearty laugh. "I knew it! Brother Yu isn't slaughtering our people—he's freeing them from this hellish existence!"
In front of outsiders, he called Yu "Captain."
In private, he called him "Brother."
Everyone else shot Tamao a strange look.
Thanks to his outburst, the somber mood was briefly shattered.
But Tamao was known to be mentally unstable.
His emotions were wildly unpredictable.
The only reason he was even allowed to participate in missions—besides awakening his Three-Tomoe Sharingan—was because Yu personally vouched for him.
Yu glanced at Tamao.
His Mangekyō spun briefly, lifting the Yasakani no Magatama seal from Tamao's eyes for now.
This guy's parents had died during the Third Great Ninja War, leaving him mentally unstable from a young age. The clan had given up on him, sending him to the psychiatric wing of the Konoha Hospital.
Later, the kind-hearted original "Yu" had rescued him and raised him like a younger brother.
Tamao obeyed Yu unconditionally.
Now, free once again, Tamao was visibly thrilled. He rushed behind Yu, taking up the same position he had in the past—as both teammate and personal guard, loyal to his brother.
---
"Captain Yu! Let us go—I'll stop that guy!"
Uchiha Minami's eyes were already bloodshot.
He howled in agony, shaken by Itachi's betrayal—especially since his elderly parents still lived in the compound.
The other squad members pleaded too.
Most of their loved ones lived near the heart of the Uchiha district.
Itachi was nearing that area.
"You all can't stop him. And I alone am not enough either," Yu said, his gaze returning to the clan grounds—as if waiting for something.
At that moment, one of the officers, clinging to a thread of hope, stammered:
"Uchiha may have… may have intended to seize power… but we hadn't acted on anything yet! Considering all the blood we've shed for the village over the years, the higher-ups wouldn't just stand by and let this happen, right?"
"We… we still have Clan Leader Fugaku."
"Fugaku-sama wouldn't let Itachi do this, would he?"
But even they didn't believe their own words.
Yu stood up, raised his hand, and pointed toward the edge of the forest surrounding the Uchiha district. His voice was cold:
"Root operatives are gathering over there.
Guess why they haven't moved yet?
This slaughter has gone on for five whole minutes—
Why hasn't the Hokage's direct Anbu made a move?
What about the other clans?
What about Fugaku?
Can't they hear these screams?
Not until the massacre ends—until Itachi's blade stops and the Uchiha voices go silent—
Will the Hokage or the higher-ups dare to appear.
Your dear Fugaku?
He's done nothing.
He's an accomplice too."
The people who'd just spoken had no words left.
These Uchiha Police Force members, spared from the massacre and standing here, were like outsiders now—witnessing the entire tragedy unfold before their eyes.
Yu was right.
This was a sanctioned execution by Konoha's upper echelon, carried out solely by Itachi.
Tonight, no one was coming to save the Uchiha.
And what drove them into true despair—
Was that even their clan leader was doing nothing.
"Brother, let's run!"
Uchiha Tamao proposed.
If they couldn't win… then escape.
Become missing-nin.
Wait for the right moment—
Then come back for revenge.
The others glanced at Tamao again, and to their surprise, thought—
Maybe this lunatic was right.
For the surviving Uchiha, it wasn't just Itachi they had to fear.
Even if they lived, Konoha wouldn't let them go!
The tone for a full-blown extermination had already been set.
If they didn't die here, Danzo would make sure they died some other way.
---
"Captain Yu… you should run. My whole family's in the compound. I… I can't leave them behind just to save myself."
Uchiha Minami said bitterly.
He was a simple, honest man.
His parents had died on a mission when he was young. He'd been raised by his grandparents—and he couldn't just abandon them to save his own life.
Yu was about to speak when a mission prompt appeared in his mind:
---
[Side Mission]: Rescue
Condition:
Conduct a rescue inside the Uchiha compound.
Reward:
100 cubic meters of storage space.
—-—
Yu frowned slightly.
Rescue…
He wasn't interested. Didn't have the power, and didn't have the heart for it either.
But the mission didn't say how many he had to rescue.
Just someone.
As long as the act of rescue took place inside the compound, the reward would be granted.
The nine people behind him didn't count—they were lured here before the mission began.
And the reward… 100 cubic meters of storage?
Way more convenient than scrolls. That was no small thing.
A plan started forming in his mind.
There was one person in the Uchiha compound worth trying to save.
Until now, he'd held back due to insufficient strength.
But now—
His objective had already been achieved.
Just moments ago—
A shadow clone Yu had dispatched to the compound had, by sheer luck, triggered the mission and was already working on it.
It wasn't time to complete the mission yet—
But he would save that surprise for Itachi.
And maybe—buy himself another chance at survival.
---
At that moment, subtle movements stirred in the forest beyond the Uchiha compound—too faint for ordinary people to notice.
Yu's eyes lit up.
Finally, the moment had arrived.
He rose from the cliff edge, looking over the eight people lined up before him.
Their despair was written all over their faces.
---
"I can't save your loved ones from Itachi and the others…
But I can take you to get revenge.
After tonight—
Your grandparents, your parents, your brothers and sisters…
Will sleep forever beneath this land that betrayed them.
But you will be reborn—
To one day… flatten Konoha!"
---
With those words, Yu manipulated the group's chakra, using the Transformation Jutsu to disguise them as members of three different Root squads.
Tamao, seeing this, immediately transformed as well to match his brother's appearance.
He might be mentally unstable—but he wasn't dumb.
He clearly understood what his brother was about to do.
Yu led the group of nine away from the Uchiha compound, hiding in the darkness, blending in with Root teams gathering near the perimeter.
---
"This is the end… and also the beginning."
Yu whispered, releasing his Mangekyō—but even without it, he could still manipulate the chakra and mental state of the Uchiha guards nearby.
Under the power of his Mangekyō, it felt like controlling eight additional limbs at once.
Next—
He had to play his final card before officially becoming a missing-nin.
This was the key.
The move that would determine whether or not he truly escaped Konoha.
Yu's target:
Shimura Danzo.
---
But he only had fifteen minutes.
Once Itachi finished wiping out the compound,
Hiruzen Sarutobi and his elite Anbu would move in.
And when that happened, all ten of them would be hunted down and killed by Konoha.
Yu was taking a huge risk.
If he could assassinate Danzo? Perfect.
If not—
He had to take something of value from him.
This was the final thing he had to do before leaving the village for good.