The chill by the Naka River did not dissipate with Shura's departure. The searing pain in Itachi's eyes and the tempest in his heart were far colder than the river water.
He clutched his face, blood-tears seeping between his fingers, trickling down onto the slightly yellowed spring grass.
Shura's final words echoed in his mind like a ghost's whisper, relentlessly eroding his once rock-solid beliefs.
'The 'correctness' you believe in and have sacrificed everything for... is it truly your own choice?'
'That masked man who called himself 'Uchiha Madara'-'
'Lurking like a specter outside the village, his invitation to join that so-called organization... what purpose truly lay behind it?'
'Or was it that I, from beginning to end, was merely a pawn manipulated by a more skilled player, personally sounding the death knell for my own clan?'
The intense pain came not only from the spiritual backlash but also from the overuse of his Mangekyo Sharingan.
His vision began to blur, a persistent ringing in his ears.
Staggering, he walked to his unconscious brother's side. Seeing Sasuke's face, still twisted in pain even in his dreams, an unprecedented sense of confusion and powerlessness gripped him.
He slowly knelt, his trembling hand gently brushing Sasuke's forehead, trying to smooth the furrowed brow, only to find he couldn't even provide this small comfort.
Meanwhile, the main battlefield in the Uchiha Clan's compound had become a true hellscape.
The three colossal Susanoo were the absolute masters here.
Hikari's deep red Susanoo was like a burning god of vengeance, its massive Chakra Greatsword carving terrifying storms through the earth with each swing.
Shisui's emerald green Susanoo, like an agile forest guardian, used its giant spiral sword to precisely pick off Konoha's Jonin attempting to form ranks, clearing the path for retreat.
Fugaku's deep blue Susanoo, though slightly less active, stood firm as a rock, solidly guarding the flank of the retreating Uchiha survivors, deflecting long-range Ninjutsu attacks.
Fugaku knew this was the last time he would protect his clansmen as their leader.
Under the pressure of the Susanoo, the Konoha's Ninja Lines completely collapsed.
Even with Hiruzen personally commanding and Jonins from various clans fighting desperately, individual bravery seemed so pale before this near-mythical power.
The surviving Uchiha Ninjas erupted with astonishing combat prowess. Their coordination with the Star Ninjas grew more seamless as they fought and retreated, forcibly pushing the battlefield out from the burning clan grounds towards Konoha's core area.
"Don't panic! Hold the formation! Ranged support!" Hiruzen's voice was hoarse as he swung the Adamantine Staff to knock away a giant shuriken aimed at him, but more attacks came from all sides.
Shikaku's Shadow Imitation Technique attempted several times to control the Ninja within the Susanoo, but the massive Chakra Entities themselves strongly interfered with his secret technique. All attempts failed, backfiring and causing him internal spiritual injuries.
Choza's Multi-Size Technique lost its usual intimidating power before the Susanoo. His giant palms slapped against the Chakra Armor, only creating ripples while his own arms went numb from the recoil.
Inoichi's Mind Body Switch Technique found it even harder to penetrate the dense, substantial barrier of Yin Attribute Chakra.
"Hokage-sama! Their goal is to retreat! Forcing an interception will cause too many casualties!" Shikaku used his Shadow Sewing Technique to dodge a sweeping slash, landing beside Hiruzen, his face covered in soot, breathing rapidly.
Hiruzen knew this all too well, but he understood even more clearly what allowing these traitors, especially the Uchiha survivors with such terrifying power, to escape would mean for Konoha's future.
Gritting his teeth, his gaze sweeping over the Konoha's Ninjas whose eyes already showed fear and exhaustion, he could only roar heavily, "Pursue! We cannot let them leave easily! Hiashi! Shinsuke! Lead teams to harass them!"
Hiashi's Byakugan veins bulged. He could clearly see his brother, Hizashi, among the retreating forces, his heart a turmoil of mixed feelings, but hesitation was not an option now. He led the Hyuga Clan's elite in an attempt to flank them.
The Anbu Commander, Sarutobi Shinsuke, remained silent, his eyes cold beneath his mask, leading the most loyal Anbu Team like a dagger thrusting into the rear of the retreating column.
Hikari stood within the crystal at the forehead of her Susanoo, her crimson Mangekyo coldly watching the pursuers.
Seeing Shinsuke leading the Anbu's elites charging forward recklessly, she snorted coldly.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames ignited silently on Shinsuke's right arm as he led the charge. The pain, sufficient to burn all things, made him grunt, his movements instantly faltering.
"Commander!" The Anbu behind him cried out.
Shinsuke was a decisive man. Finding he couldn't extinguish the strange black flames, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He took a kunai in his left hand and without hesitation swung down, cleanly severing his own right arm at the shoulder!
The severed arm was instantly consumed by the black flames, turning to ash.
The intense pain nearly made him faint, but he forced himself to keep fighting.
However, in that moment of delay caused by the agony, a green phantom swept across the battlefield like a gust of wind!
It was Shisui!
The emerald green Susanoo hadn't moved, but his main body, using his Body Flicker Technique and the Sharingan's insight, seized this fleeting opportunity, closing in instantly!
Thud!
A cold sword accurately pierced Shinsuke's abdomen, emerging from his back.
Shinsuke's body stiffened violently. He looked down in disbelief at the blade protruding from his body, then with difficulty looked up at the familiar, yet utterly cold, Three-Tomoe Sharingan before him.
"You… Uchiha... Shisui..." He spat out the name with difficulty, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Shisui's eyes were complex, but his hands showed no mercy as he yanked the blade out, bringing a spray of blood.
Without another look at the fallen enemy, his form turned into a phantom again, returning to the Susanoo.
"Shinsuke!" Hiruzen, seeing his eldest son grievously wounded from a distance, felt his eyes were about to burst. He tried to charge over, but was forced back by a sweeping blow from Fugaku's deep blue Susanoo.
By now, most of the Uchiha survivors and Star Ninjas had successfully retreated to the edge of Konoha's protective barrier.
Hikari looked back at Konoha, engulfed in flames and lamentations, her eyes proud and cold.
Her hands flew through seals again, gathering immense chakra.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
This Fire Release's scale far exceeded normal imagination!
It wasn't exhaled from her mouth, but coalesced and erupted from the front of the deep red Susanoo!
A tsunami-like wave of flames materialized, carrying an aura of absolute destruction, surging towards the pursuing Konoha's Ninja Army!
Its range was so vast it nearly covered the entire street. The intense heat instantly withered trees in the distance!
"Defense! Defend!" Hiruzen shouted hoarsely, taking the lead in erecting an Earth-Style Wall. Other Ninja skilled in defensive techniques also exerted their full strength.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Earthen walls and water walls sprang from the ground, attempting to block the apocalyptic wave of fire.
Boom-!!!
The wave of flames crashed violently against the combined defensive line. Vast amounts of steam instantly evaporated; earthen walls cracked and melted under the high temperature!
Screams rose one after another as many Ninja's defenses were instantly breached, their bodies swallowed by the flames.
When the fire wave finally subsided, it left behind scorched earth and wailing wounded.
Hiruzen, his clothes tattered, leaned on the Adamantine Staff, panting. He looked up to see Hikari and Shisui's Susanoo already soaring into the air, like two brilliant yet dangerous meteors, rapidly disappearing beyond Konoha's barrier, beyond pursuit.
"Quick! Medical teams! Save the wounded!" Shikaku forcefully suppressed the shock and helplessness in his heart, loudly directing the survivors to rescue the injured.
Hiruzen staggered to his eldest son's side. Medical-Nin were desperately trying to save him, but the fatal abdominal wound and the massive blood loss from the severed arm were rapidly draining Shinsuke's life force.
"Father… I'm sorry-" Shinsuke looked at his father's aged, grief-stricken face, but before he could finish, his head lolled to the side, life extinguished.
Tears streamed down Hiruzen's face as he held his son's still-warm body tightly, his own form trembling uncontrollably.
Just then, another Anbu's Ninja flickered in, reporting in a pained voice, "Hokage-sama... the Commander's wife, Captain of the Second Anbu Division... she fell in battle earlier, covering her comrades..."
The successive blows hammered Hiruzen's heart.
His eldest son and daughter-in-law, both dead-
His vision darkened, and he nearly fainted, barely staying upright through sheer willpower, but his back appeared hunched and desolate.
In the shadows nearby, Orochimaru licked his lips, his golden serpentine eyes shimmering with excitement and amusement. "What a magnificent finale. What do you two Hokage-sama think? The bitter fruit nurtured by Konoha's own hands must taste quite unique, no?"
The reanimated Hashirama had long lost his usual cheerfulness, replaced only by deep pain and bewilderment. He murmured, "Hiruzen... how did Konoha come to this..."
Tobirama still showed a cold expression, but his sharp eyes were fixed on the direction where Hikari had disappeared. He snorted, "The Uchiha's evil power remains the greatest scourge!"
Orochimaru chuckled lightly. "Kukuku, if there is another interesting 'theater' in the future, I will certainly invite you both to watch again. For now, I must take my leave."
With that, he formed hand seals, releasing the Edo Tensei.
The bodies of the First and Second Hokage gradually turned to dust and dissipated, leaving only Hashirama's long sigh and Tobirama's cold gaze before vanishing into nothingness.
Orochimaru himself also transformed into a swarm of small snakes, silently burrowing into the ground and disappearing.
Only scattered dust slowly settled to the ground.
The fires in the Uchiha Clan's compound still burned, dyeing half the sky red.
Danzo had not participated in the pursuit. He stood on a relatively intact high wall, his single eye gloomily scanning the ruins.
Deep inside, he was filled with apprehension towards the power of Hikari and Shisui, and felt an indescribable thread of fear towards the Shura who had never truly acted but controlled everything from start to finish.
"Danzo-sama." Aburame Tatsuma appeared silently behind him, reporting in a low voice, "We've searched thoroughly. The bodies of the Uchiha Clan's members... not a single one was found."
"Including those eliminated earlier by Uchiha Itachi, they should have all been taken by the Star Ninja during their retreat. Additionally, the Konoha's Military Police Force's archives, many secret scrolls from the Naka Shrine... all have been looted clean."
"What?!" Danzo whirled around, his cane striking the ground hard. He was so angry he nearly spat blood.
He had originally hoped to seize the opportunity to collect many Sharingan, making up for the loss of Shisui's eye and continuing his research.
Now, not only had he failed to obtain a single Sharingan, but his Root's base had been exposed, its secrets laid bare. It was a complete and utter disaster!
His face was livid, his single eye flashing with venomous resentment and unwillingness.
Next, he would have to face the pressure from Hiruzen and the entire village.
Deep within the Uchiha Clan's compound, the clan head's residence was relatively intact.
Itachi, carrying the still-unconscious Sasuke on his back, staggered back.
Sliding open the door, the sight before him made him freeze.
His parents, Fugaku and Mikoto, had not evacuated with the Star Ninjas.
They were dressed formally, sitting upright and proper on the tatami in the living room, as if they had been waiting for a long time.
The room was immaculately clean, a stark contrast to the chaos and destruction outside.
"Father... Mother..." Itachi's voice was dry and hoarse.
Fugaku raised his head. Those eyes, once containing authority and ambition, now held only calm and deep exhaustion.
"You're back, Itachi." His gaze swept over the un-dried blood-tears on Itachi's face, then to the unconscious Sasuke on his back, a barely perceptible flash of pain passing through his eyes.
"Why didn't you go with Shisui and the others?" Itachi couldn't help but ask.
Fugaku slowly shook his head, his voice low and firm. "I am a failed clan head. I have no right to see the clansmen who trusted me. The future of the Uchiha, I have entrusted it to Shisui."
He paused, his gaze turning lovingly towards Sasuke. "As for Sasuke... that Shura didn't take him. Perhaps he has other intentions, or perhaps it is fate's arrangement."
"But where else can he go? Let my life serve as an explanation to the village, let him stay in Konoha." Fugaku knew Itachi's deal with the Konoha's leadership was to spare Sasuke's life.
But with things having escalated to this point, with so many Konoha's Ninjas dead... Sasuke-
"As the son of a failed rebellion leader, as the brother of a... clan killer... if he went to the Land of Stars, his situation might be even more difficult than in Konoha. Here, at least, the Third, to maintain the pretense of the Uchiha legacy, might still grant him a chance to live."
"The more rampant the Land of Stars become, the safer Sasuke will be."
Mikoto silently stood up, carefully taking Sasuke from Itachi's back and settling him in his bedroom.
Soon, she returned to the living room, kneeling beside Fugaku, her back to Itachi. Her voice was gentle yet resolute. "Itachi, Sasuke... is in your hands now."
Fugaku closed his eyes, speaking slowly. "Do it, Itachi. My eyes... remember to leave them for Sasuke."
Itachi's body trembled violently, immense pain threatening to tear him apart.
He looked at his parents, resolved to die, knowing he had no choice.
This was perhaps his parents' final wish, the ending they had chosen for themselves to maintain their last shred of dignity.
Trembling, he raised the sword in his hand. The cold blade reflected the burning firelight from outside the window.
"Father... Mother... I'm sorry..." Tears mixed with blood-tears fell from his eyes again. Gritting his teeth, steeling his heart, he thrust the blade accurately and swiftly into Fugaku's back.
Fugaku's body shuddered. He grunted, falling forward, blood quickly staining the tatami beneath him.
His eyes were fixed in the direction of Sasuke's bedroom, finally losing their light.
Pulling out the blade, blood dripped from its tip.
He turned towards his mother, who had closed her eyes. Tears mixed with blood-tears streamed down his cheeks as he raised the sword once more.
At this critical moment!
Swish-!
Several golden chains suddenly burst through a side wooden door, shooting into the room with astonishing speed!
One chain accurately deflected Itachi's descending blade, producing a clear metallic clang!
The other chains, like gentle tentacles, swiftly wrapped around Mikoto's waist and, under her shocked gaze, forcefully pulled her backward!
"Mother!" Itachi was horrified and immediately tried to reclaim her.
But the golden chains possessed immense strength and were even faster, instantly dragging Mikoto out of the room, disappearing into the dark end of the hallway.
"Who?!" Itachi, both shocked and furious, immediately flickered out into the courtyard.
Under the moonlight, two figures clad in black robes, wearing white fox masks, stood there as if they had been waiting.
The one who had bound Mikoto with the Adamantine Sealing Chains nodded to the other, then quickly left with Mikoto.
The other emanated a powerful aura, facing Itachi, raising a kunai.
"Give back my mother!" Itachi roared, his Sharingan instantly activating, charging forward with kunai in hand.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew!
Their Taijutsu was fast as lightning, exchanging over a dozen blows in an instant.
The opponent's Taijutsu was extremely refined, movements concise and efficient. Every block, every dodge was perfectly timed. What shocked Itachi even more was the opponent's speed… using only Taijutsu, they pressured him.
Moreover, the opponent seemed intimately familiar with both his Uchiha-style Taijutsu and the Konoha's Anbu's combat style, often able to predict his movements a step ahead!
Itachi, exhausted from consecutive battles, both physically and mentally, and worried about his mother, found himself momentarily unable to break through the opponent's defense.
"Who are you?! Star Ninja from the Uzumaki Clan?" Itachi demanded sharply, the golden chains immediately reminding him of the red-haired Uzumaki woman from the earlier battlefield.
The masked person didn't answer, their attacks only growing fiercer, clearly aiming only to delay.
Sensing his mother's Chakra Signature rapidly moving away, Itachi was frantic with anxiety but couldn't shake off this troublesome opponent.
On the other side, Mikoto, bound by the golden chains, was swiftly moved through Konoha's ruins and alleyways.
She tried to struggle but found the chains not only incredibly sturdy but also capable of suppressing her chakra, making escape impossible. Despair began to spread.
Soon, they passed through Konoha's protective barrier, reaching the forest outside the village.
The mysterious person finally stopped, gently placing Mikoto in a forest clearing.
Mikoto watched the other warily, prepared for the worst.
However, the other person slowly loosened the chains' restraints.
Under Mikoto's astonished gaze, the person reached up and slowly removed the white fox mask, revealing a pale face covered in strange cracks, like fragile porcelain, and that fiery, dazzling red hair...
A voice she thought had been lost for years, carrying a hint of hoarseness and emotion, softly sounded:
"Long time no see, Mikoto."
Moonlight fell on that face. Mikoto's pupils contracted sharply, her breath catching. She covered her mouth in shock, almost unable to believe her eyes.
"You... you're Kushina?!"