On the utility pole, Uchiha Itachi noticed the two uninvited guests who had suddenly appeared below.
When he saw Sasuke's face, so similar to his younger brother's, his pupils suddenly contracted.
But it lasted only an instant before he quickly regained his composure.
Any unexpected event tonight could destroy the "peace" script bought with countless sacrifices.
Any witnesses must be eliminated.
This was the agreement he had reached with the village, and also the absolute condition for protecting Konoha and Sasuke.
The conflict between the Uchiha and the village was irreconcilable. For the sake of the village's safety, he had to personally eliminate the clan that was about to launch a coup.
Only in this way could even greater losses be avoided!
Without the slightest hesitation, without any questioning or probing—
"Swish!"
The sound of metal scraping rang out in the silent night.
Uchiha Itachi drew the tachi from his back in a reverse grip, his three-tomoe Sharingan transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Killing intent instantly enveloped the two of them.
Boruto instinctively hid behind Sasuke, completely unable to understand what was happening.
In the next moment, Itachi's figure vanished instantly, and when he reappeared, he was already right in front of them!
Blood moon. Dead silence.
Uchiha Itachi's blade tore through the air, striking at Sasuke without holding back.
However, faced with such a fierce attack, Uchiha Sasuke did not dodge. He merely raised his left hand slightly and effortlessly caught the wrist holding the blade.
For the first time, shock appeared in Uchiha Itachi's eyes.
His full-powered strike had been caught so easily?
The strength of the person before him was simply unfathomable!
What shook him even more was that at the moment his attack was blocked, a surge of ocular power and chakra far beyond his own suddenly appeared.
Under Itachi's incredulous gaze, Sasuke's right eye transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan!
Uchiha Itachi: "!!!"
Sasuke lowered his gaze slightly, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan calmly looking at his stunned older brother.
His eyes were filled with complex emotions—pain, understanding, sorrow, anger—until all of it finally settled into calm.
He spoke softly, his voice not loud, yet carrying a soothing tone.
"Stop messing around, go to sleep first."
The moment the words fell, Sasuke's right hand turned into a knife-hand and struck Itachi's neck.
"So fast!"
Uchiha Itachi's face filled with horror. His brain reacted instantly, but his body failed to respond in time.
He could only let out a short, muffled groan of shock as the Mangekyō pattern in his eyes gradually faded.
The hand holding the blade instantly lost strength, and the tachi fell to the ground with a clang.
Immediately after, his entire body went limp and collapsed backward.
Uchiha Sasuke let the tachi fall, using his other hand to gently support Itachi's body to prevent him from hitting the ground.
"Boruto, stay here and take care of him."
Sasuke lowered his head to look at his brother's youthful face. After a moment of silence, he handed Itachi over to Boruto.
"Tonight," Sasuke's voice turned cold again as he looked toward the still deathly silent Uchiha compound behind him, then glanced in the direction of the distant Hokage Rock, "nothing will happen."
Although he could not change his own tragic fate, he could change the fate of himself in another timeline!
With that, his figure instantly vanished from where he stood.
In the shadows around the outskirts of the Uchiha compound, members of "Root" and some Anbu directly under the Hokage had already been lying in wait.
Their mission was to ensure the massacre proceeded smoothly, handle any unexpected situations, and clean up the aftermath…
A "Root" member had just sensed an unusual fluctuation of chakra when a precise strike hit the back of his neck, and his consciousness instantly sank into darkness.
Two Anbu lying in ambush at a high vantage point only saw a blur pass before their vision went black and they collapsed to the ground.
A ninja attempting to track the anomaly with a ninja dog was taken down cleanly and efficiently along with the dog.
The entire process was swift, silent, and thorough.
After dealing with the outer surveillance ninjas, he did not linger and disappeared once more.
Root base.
When Sasuke appeared at the entrance as if out of thin air, the air inside the base instantly froze.
Two Root guards reacted extremely quickly, forming hand seals and lunging forward!
Sasuke merely glanced at them, and the two guards froze in place—clearly already caught in a genjutsu.
Danzō suddenly turned around, his single eye locking onto this uninvited guest.
When he saw the Mangekyō Sharingan in Sasuke's right eye, his pupils shrank violently!
Mangekyō Sharingan—another pair of Mangekyō Sharingan!
He had already taken one of Shisui's Mangekyō. If he could obtain another pair…
Sasuke's Mangekyō stared coldly at the man who had caused countless tragedies, including the suffering of his brother and himself.
He did not answer Danzō's question. Instead, in a declarative tone, he directly exposed the man's scheme:
"Not a single Uchiha Sharingan will fall into your hands tonight."
Since he had come to this timeline, there was no way he would allow the tragedy to repeat!
In the underground chamber, the atmosphere was tense and murderous.
Shimura Danzō had just torn open the bandages on his right arm, revealing two or three scattered Sharingan, while the Kotoamatsukami in his left eye was about to activate.
Sasuke's Rinnegan flashed—"Amenotejikara."
He instantly closed the distance, his right hand covered in violet lightning as it pierced into Danzō's chest like a blade!
"Ah!" Danzō screamed as Kotoamatsukami was forcibly interrupted.
With a flick of Sasuke's fingers, Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan was gouged out and held in his hand.
"Izanagi!"
Danzō, his face covered in blood, struggled to activate the forbidden technique.
"No chance." Sasuke spoke coldly, raising his left hand toward him: "Universal Pull."
A terrifying force dragged Danzō closer, and Sasuke's right hand condensed violet lightning again, piercing straight through his heart!
Puchi.
Danzō's body stiffened, his pupils dilated, and he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Sasuke put away Shisui's eye, glanced at the corpse, and turned to leave.
In the face of absolute strength, Danzō didn't even get the chance to properly use Izanagi before being instantly killed…
"Next, it's time to have a talk with the Hokage."
The Uchiha's attempt to launch a coup had touched the interests of Konoha's higher-ups.
That was what led to the massacre tragedy…
But it wasn't entirely the Uchiha's fault. The higher-ups had deliberately marginalized the clan's status and power within the village, allowing suspicion and resentment to grow.
To truly resolve this matter, the Hokage and the Uchiha needed to have a proper discussion.
And his appearance would be just the thing to mediate the conflict between both sides!
...
Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, a pipe in his mouth, letting out a helpless sigh.
In truth, he didn't want things to come to this.
Compared to Danzō, he was truly far more merciful.
But the Uchiha's actions had touched the village's interests. If both sides truly went to war, the village would undoubtedly suffer immense losses.
The war had only ended a few years ago. If anything happened to Konoha, the other ninja villages would surely tear up the peace agreement without hesitation and launch a war against it…
Thus, he could only tacitly approve Danzō's actions.
Sacrifice the entire Uchiha clan in exchange for the village's peace.
"Third Hokage, I'd like to have a word with you."
At that moment, a cold voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
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