"Don't move!"
"And tell those two invisible spirits by your side not to move either!"
Sasuke shouted, his expression grim. His Mangekyo Sharingan flared, flickering with an ominous bloody light in the night.
He stared intently at the mysterious figure nearby and the invisible threats lurking in the air on either side of him.
A murderous atmosphere instantly filled the air.
The four recently resurrected Hokage, yet to grasp the situation, grew tense as they watched this last survivor of the Uchiha.
Even Orochimaru, who had performed the Reanimation Jutsu to bring them back, was breaking into a cold sweat, fully on guard.
Seeing the pattern in Sasuke's eyes, Hashirama Senju blinked in surprise.
"It's not a normal tomoe shape. It looks just like Madara's eyes."
"The Mangekyo Sharingan... To awaken those eyes at such a young age, this child must have endured great suffering."
Tobirama Senju's gaze fell upon Sasuke's eyes as he agreed with his elder brother.
Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully observed Sasuke's face. He had thought the boy looked familiar and had his suspicions.
It wasn't until Sasuke activated the Mangekyo that he realized his guess was correct.
"Is that you, Sasuke?"
"What on earth happened after I died? Why are you with Orochimaru?"
Minato Namikaze studied Sasuke's familiar features, a trace of emotion crossing his face.
"I see. You're Fugaku and Mikoto's child."
"No wonder you seemed so familiar."
Hearing Hiruzen's words, Orochimaru frowned, looking somewhat annoyed.
However, his gaze remained fixed on the mysterious figure standing in the distance.
"You four legendary Hokage, I didn't bring you back to the living world just to have a casual chat."
The existence of this mysterious person was too unique. He was an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and could command the souls of the dead. Orochimaru couldn't afford a moment's distraction.
Even though he had resurrected the four Hokage at nearly their full power, a lingering sense of crisis still haunted Orochimaru's heart in the face of this man.
The tension displayed by Orochimaru and Sasuke prompted the four Hokage to react, following their gaze to the mysterious figure standing nearby.
"I know, I know. You're planning to use us for combat again, aren't you?"
Hashirama Senju waved his hand with the relaxed air of a powerful warrior.
'Sigh, youngsters these days. Always relying on the power of the dead instead of becoming strong themselves.'
"Relax. I don't sense any bloodlust or hostility from him. He probably doesn't intend to fight."
But as he caught sight of the mysterious person's appearance, especially those eyes glowing crimson in the night, his composure vanished.
Staring at the complex patterns in those eyes, his simple expression instantly turned solemn.
"Another set of Mangekyo Sharingan!"
"So it seems. That clan really is nothing but trouble."
Tobirama Senju's brow furrowed. His arms, previously crossed over his chest, shifted as he discreetly raised a finger.
"Be careful, brother. The abilities of the Mangekyo are unpredictable. There's no telling what he can do."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the figure with surprise. "I didn't think anyone besides Sasuke and Itachi would have survived after the Uchiha clan was wiped out."
"What? The Uchiha were wiped out?"
Minato Namikaze's guarded expression turned to shock, his eyes widening.
He looked around, his gaze passing over the Third Hokage and Sasuke before landing on the mysterious figure.
"I can't believe such a catastrophe happened to the village after I died!"
"It's all my fault... If I hadn't died that night, perhaps I could have prevented this tragedy..."
Minato's mind immediately went back to the mysterious man who controlled the Nine-Tails during the Nine-Tails' attack.
Although this figure also possessed the Mangekyo, the feeling he gave off was clearly different from that mastermind.
They were obviously not the same person.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the mysterious figure moved.
He reached out from beneath his black robes and pointed at Minato Namikaze.
"Fourth Hokage, you are right."
"I too have fantasized through countless nights after the massacre... If you hadn't died during the Nine-Tails' attack... if it had been the Third Hokage who died instead, perhaps things would have turned out differently."
"But at this point, the Uchiha have been dead for years. The outcome cannot be changed!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened. "So you've come to seek revenge for your fallen kinsmen?"
As a witness to the massacre, he knew all too well how it had transpired. Hidden Leaf had played a rather unsavory role in the whole affair.
Given the Uchiha's tendency toward extreme thinking, it was highly likely they would take their resentment out on the village.
"Third Hokage, there's no need for that act."
Fugaku adjusted the mask on his face and then pointed toward the battlefield, his tone turning cold.
"We have already completed most of our revenge. Now, only the masked man on the distant battlefield remains!"
The four Hokage looked in the direction Fugaku pointed and released their senses.
Tobirama Senju closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he had already sensed the situation on the distant battlefield.
"There is indeed the aura of a massive battle in the distance. I also sense several incredibly vast signatures of chakra. Likely the Tailed Beasts..."
Hashirama Senju pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. "No matter the era, there is always war."
Sensing the familiar chakra on the battlefield, a hint of excitement appeared on Minato Namikaze's face.
'That's the Nine-Tails' chakra. Naruto really did it, and he's even using that power to fight!'
"You've already completed your revenge?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, a look of realization crossing his face. "What about Hidden Leaf and Danzo?"
Orochimaru gave a raspy laugh. "Heh, as for Danzo, Sasuke has already killed him."
"As for Hidden Leaf..."
His snake-like pupils narrowed slightly. He glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, a mischievous smile playing on his cold face.
"According to the intel I gathered from Anko, Danzo's Foundation has been pulled up by the roots. The two elders, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, along with their families, were killed by a sudden group of attackers."
"Even that adorable grandson of yours—Konohamaru, was it?—has been killed."
"In the village now, the only family you have left is Yuhi Kurenai and the child in her womb."
"What!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face instantly darkened.
"Even Konohamaru..."
He had expected this Uchiha survivor to seek revenge, but he never imagined that even a child like Konohamaru would meet such a cruel end.
His aging eyes looked toward Fugaku, a trace of resentment flickering within them.
"Danzo is one thing, but to not even spare a small child... that's going too far!"
"When the clan was being massacred, why didn't you spare the Uchiha children back then!"
Fugaku's voice was ice-cold. Hiruzen was left speechless, his mouth hanging open as if to say something, yet he was powerless to defend himself.
Sasuke's brow furrowed. He glanced at Orochimaru from the corner of his eye, a hint of displeasure appearing on his face.
"Orochimaru, why didn't you tell me about this?"
"From the moment I was resurrected until now, time has been short and there was too much to do. I simply didn't have the chance to explain it to you."
Orochimaru's words made Sasuke nod slightly; it was a reasonable enough explanation for now.
He stopped dwelling on it and turned his attention back to the mysterious figure nearby.
"Just who are you?"
"Those invisible attacks from before... I can say with certainty now that they were the Uchiha spirits by your side!"
"The deaths of those culprits Orochimaru mentioned... that must have been the work of the spirits you control, right?"
"Is one of those spirits Shisui?"
Fugaku turned his head slightly. After a moment of silence, he nodded to Sasuke. "Your guess is correct. Their deaths were our doing. An Uchiha's revenge should naturally be completed by the Uchiha themselves."
"I just didn't expect you to sense Shisui's presence."
As he spoke, Fugaku's gaze fell on Orochimaru, his tone certain.
"It was you, wasn't it, Orochimaru?"
"Through the Reaper Mask, you can briefly see souls. By looking through Sasuke's eyes and entering his genjutsu, you told him everything you saw."
Recalling Fugaku's slight head-turn and silence just now, Orochimaru asked, "Just now... you were talking to Shisui's soul, weren't you?"
"No."
Fugaku shook his head and pointed his finger at the empty air between Orochimaru and Sasuke.
"Shisui is right next to you, watching you."
Recalling the terrifying moment when Shisui's soul suddenly appeared before him when he wore the Reaper Mask, Orochimaru's expression changed. He stumbled back several steps.
He hurriedly took out the mask and put it on. As the phantom of the Reaper appeared behind him, Orochimaru looked toward the spot. Just as Fugaku said, Shisui was right beside Sasuke.
"Sasuke, get away from there!"
Although Sasuke didn't react as violently, he tensed up, scanning his surroundings.
"Shisui-san, is it really you?"
"If it's really you, give me a sign."
As the words left his mouth, Sasuke felt his hand being gently grasped and lifted into the air.
Seeing that he truly received a response, a flash of joy appeared in Sasuke's eyes as he looked at the empty air beside him.
"It really is you!"
Seeing their reactions, Fugaku chuckled. "Sasuke, there's no need to be so tense. Like I said, I have no ill will toward you."
"If you have no ill will, then take off your mask and show me who you really are!"
Sasuke gripped his hand, feeling the touch from Shisui's invisible hand. Suppressing his emotions, he stared fixedly at the mysterious man.
"How are you able to control the souls of our kinsmen? Is it a Mangekyo ability? How many Uchiha souls do you have in your possession?"
"I'm not controlling the souls. Whether it was the revenge or our actions in the ninja world, it's all what the kinsmen themselves wanted to do."
Fugaku touched his mask, his tone full of emotion.
"I was wondering why you'd team up with Orochimaru, the man who once tried to take your body. So this was the reason."
"I am but an Uchiha spirit now. There's no need to concern yourself with me."
Sasuke barked, "It is absolutely necessary to me!"
The more he interacted with this mysterious person, the more familiar he felt. This person had to be someone he knew!
He wouldn't be satisfied if he just let him go. He had to see the man's true face.
"If you keep hiding like this, I'll have no choice but to tear that mask off your face by force."
"Right now, I have the four Hokage on my side!"
Looking at Sasuke's dead-serious expression, Fugaku sighed. "Sasuke, don't. I really don't want to fight you."
"Time is almost up. Since Shisui has been exposed, there's no point in hiding my identity anymore."
"But before that, I have a question. If you can answer me, I will reveal myself."
"What question?" Sasuke asked.
"Sasuke, when did you first think of this? And when did you plan this out with Orochimaru?" Fugaku said softly. "Ever since Orochimaru was resurrected, he has been under our constant surveillance."
"From the very beginning."
Sasuke said grimly, "The moment you took me away and I woke up to see your Mangekyo, the idea took root."
"Spending time with you only reinforced it. You must be someone familiar to me; otherwise, you wouldn't show me such kindness!"
"I don't know who you are, but if I let this chance go, I'll definitely regret it."
"As for establishing contact with Orochimaru in secret..."
Sasuke glanced at Orochimaru, who had already removed the Reaper Mask, a flash of pride on his face.
"Don't forget, I was the one who resurrected Orochimaru!"
"Back when he was first brought back, I exchanged information with him through the Sharingan's genjutsu."
"Then Orochimaru used my hands to perform the Reanimation on Yahiko, summoning his soul from the Pure Land. From that, Orochimaru and I deduced that your goal must be the souls of these powerful experts!"
"Since that was the case, I used your movements as a cover to make my own move and come to this shrine."
"The Reaper Death Seal is a sealing jutsu targeting the soul, so it naturally allows one to sense souls. It turned out exactly as Orochimaru and I predicted—your goal was indeed these spirits!"
"But I also have your kindness to thank. You didn't guard against my actions at all along the way."
"Otherwise, as a fellow possessor of the Mangekyo Sharingan, you would have definitely noticed my movements."
Hearing Sasuke's explanation, Fugaku nodded, his tone betraying a hint of satisfaction.
"I see. The reason you activated your Sharingan after entering the shrine was to facilitate communication with Orochimaru."
"You formulated a plan within a genjutsu and divided the tasks. You provided a diversion to draw our attention while Orochimaru took the opportunity to resurrect the four Hokage."
"You laid this out very well, Sasuke. You've shown me how much you've grown."
Sasuke reached out and pointed at the mysterious man's fox mask, his voice harsh. "Now that you have your answer, take off that mask immediately!"
"Sasuke, you are outstanding now. You've even surpassed Itachi. I am truly happy... as expected of my..."
Fugaku's hand touched the mask on his face.
Just as Fugaku spoke, a sudden change occurred in the sky.
Under the moonlight, ripples suddenly distorted the murky night sky. The sky above Hidden Leaf seemed to be pulled open like a curtain, revealing a pitch-black void within.
Even the moon above was affected, showing two uneven ripples that warped it into an oval shape.
The people below—the four Hokage, Sasuke, and the others—all looked up at the anomalous sky.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]