The vast sea of flames that had swallowed Itachi began to change.
Within the originally orange-yellow fire, a speck of black suddenly appeared at its center.
That black spot rapidly spread, expanding and devouring the surrounding flames until everything was replaced by pitch-black fire.
Jiraiya stared in disbelief.
"Those black flames… they're actually burning and consuming my Fire Style?!"
Interrupted by Jiraiya's sudden intervention, Itachi's sword form was forcibly broken.
Itachi frowned as he looked at the katana in his hand—the Amaterasu's black flames had completely ruined it.
Gazing at the young Itachi, Jiraiya sighed with emotion.
"The Uchiha clan really does produce geniuses one after another… That old man truly must have gone senile."
A sharp soreness and searing pain surged through Itachi's eyes. This was the first time since awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan that he had gone all out—using Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi in succession.
And once the dōjutsu faded, Itachi could clearly feel his vision deteriorating.
"Although the fate of the Uchiha clan is deeply regrettable…"
Jiraiya's gaze sharpened to a razor edge.
"Every Hokage throughout history has sought to protect the Hidden Leaf and the people who live there—to end the chaos of the era and allow the village to prosper. They staked their lives on that ideal. Anyone who dares disrupt Konoha's stability—I will never forgive!"
Itachi wiped the blood flowing from his eyes and demanded coldly,
"As expected of one of the Legendary Three Ninja, Jiraiya-sama. But you say the Hokage wished to protect Konoha and the people who live there—then why was the Uchiha clan exterminated? Are the Uchiha not people who lived in Konoha?"
Jiraiya frowned and replied,
"That's because the Uchiha clan betrayed the village first and attempted a coup."
"Then before the coup," Itachi pressed, his voice rising,
"did the Uchiha clan ever commit a single act of betrayal against Konoha? It was Konoha that continuously squeezed our living space step by step—branding us as traitors, constantly guarding against us. Everyone in Konoha despised us. Jiraiya-sama, tell me—what exactly did we do wrong?!"
Jiraiya shouted back,
"That still doesn't justify launching a coup and betraying the village!"
Seeing that Jiraiya refused to answer his question directly, Itachi spoke icily:
"Even Jiraiya-sama, disciple of the Third Hokage, cannot answer me? Then I will answer for you.
There has never been an Uchiha Hokage.
The first Hokage was Senju Hashirama.
The second was Senju Tobirama.
The third was Tobirama's disciple, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The fourth was your disciple, Namikaze Minato.
That was the Uchiha clan's first mistake.
The Uchiha and Senju clans were mortal enemies. Even after jointly founding Konoha, that hatred never disappeared. After the village was established, starting with the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, the Uchiha were suppressed at every turn—while the Uchiha constantly chose restraint. That was the second mistake.
The Uchiha possess the Sharingan, a kekkei genkai. Those who awaken it are naturally gifted with overwhelming power. That was the third mistake!"
After listing the Uchiha's three "crimes," Itachi challenged everyone present:
"Am I wrong? Konoha ninja—Jiraiya-sama?! If we didn't long for peace, if we didn't believe ourselves to be part of Konoha, would we have endured endless oppression while continuing to retreat?"
Jiraiya had no answer. He could only attempt to persuade him once more:
"Itachi, if you return, I will do everything in my power to secure the proper rights for the Uchiha!"
"That's impossible, Jiraiya. Do you remember Shisui?"
Itachi's voice trembled with restrained fury.
"He chose the village over the clan—and what was his fate? The Konoha higher-ups never trusted him, even after everything he sacrificed. Danzō stole his eye. And even then, he still trusted the village—choosing to die to warn the Uchiha that a coup was wrong. But did it matter?
Perhaps our clan was foolish—but Konoha was just as foolish, forcing the only Uchiha who truly believed in the village onto a path of no return!"
The Konoha ninja—including Jiraiya—were struck dumb.
"What?! Uchiha Shisui's death was caused by Danzō?!"
"There may still be a chance to turn things around, Itachi," Jiraiya said cautiously.
"A chance?"
Itachi proposed something utterly impossible for the Konoha ninja to accept.
"Then bring me Danzō's head—and use it to mourn the death of the Uchiha clan."
At that very moment, Danzō—who coveted Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan—arrived with Root, just in time to hear Itachi demand his head.
Danzō's face darkened as he barked an order:
"Hmph. The Uchiha are a sinful clan. I have done nothing wrong—everything I've done was for Konoha! I now declare the Uchiha clan traitors to the village. Execute the remaining Uchiha on the spot!"
Upon receiving Danzō's command, the Root ninja charged toward Itachi.
Jiraiya, the Konoha jōnin, and the surviving ANBU hesitated in place.
Danzō sneered coldly,
"Do you intend to defy the Hokage's orders?! The Third Hokage handed all command authority to me before this operation!"
Bound by the Hokage's orders, the Konoha ninja and ANBU had no choice but to obey—joining Root in their assault on Itachi.
Only Jiraiya refused to move, remaining where he stood.
Yōsuke appeared instantly at Itachi's side. With a single motion of his hand, torrents of blood surged forth like a tidal wave, forcing all the charging ninja back.
"Heh. How righteous you all are, Hidden Leaf Village," Yōsuke mocked mercilessly.
"In your eyes, only Konoha represents justice—everything outside it is treason. I finally understand what true hypocrisy looks like."
"Who are you?!" Danzō demanded darkly.
Yōsuke had not used any Breathing-style sword forms, so Danzō failed to recognize him. In Danzō's mind, Yōsuke had already died alongside the Namikaze couple during the Nine-Tails incident.
Yōsuke ignored Danzō entirely. Acknowledging him would only make Yōsuke feel sick.
Turning to Itachi, he asked,
"Can your body still hold up?"
Itachi coughed twice before replying,
"No problem."
Yōsuke then looked toward Deidara.
"Shin—has that thing of yours been completed?"
Deidara's eyes lit up.
"Wait—does that mean? I can finally use that?"
Yōsuke nodded.
"I'm authorizing its use."
Deidara was ecstatic. In order to surpass Yōsuke, he had devoted himself to developing a new Explosion Release technique.
The research had not gone smoothly—but even in its unfinished state, the destructive power of the explosion far exceeded Deidara's strongest existing technique, C3: No. 18.
Because the jutsu was still incomplete, Yōsuke had strictly forbidden Deidara from using it freely—and only allowed it with his explicit permission.