If he wanted to bear the darkness, then he would bear it completely. There would be no chance to wash it away through others. As the thought settled, Yunchuan Hyuga raised his hand.
"By order of Third Hokage!" His voice became heavy and echoed through the rainy night. "Itachi Uchiha! You colluded with outsiders, slaughtered your own clan, and committed unforgivable crimes!"
"The evidence is clear. Your guilt is beyond doubt." His arm pointed downward. "All Konoha personnel are ordered to take him immediately!"
"Life or death, no restrictions!"
The final words made Itachi's heart jolt. In the instant the order fell, black figures appeared from rooftops, treetops, and shadows. They were ANBU Ninja, once his comrades, now masked and aiming their weapons at him.
What froze him even more were their eyes behind the masks. The open disgust, contempt, and cold killing intent treated him like filth. Someone moved first, and it was like a fuse being lit.
Dozens of ANBU Ninja charged from all sides, rushing to kill the lone figure standing in the center of the courtyard.
The sight of former comrades surging forward filled the field, and the countless looks of disgust and hatred pressed in from every side. A fear deeper than anything he had known wrapped around Itachi Uchiha's heart and locked his body in place. It was not fear of death, because he had never feared dying. It was fear of being cast into darkness forever, branded with filth, and despised by everyone in the future.
Everything he believed he had done for Konoha now felt like nails pinning him to a pillar of shame. All the Konoha Ninja he once called companions would now risk their lives to kill him as an enemy. The thought crushed down on him, heavier than any blade.
"No..." Itachi Uchiha's lips moved without sound, his Mangekyo Sharingan spinning wildly, yet his eyes reflected no hope, only suffocating killing intent. The world before him narrowed to motion and threat.
Clang, clash. In the next instant, an ANBU's Kunai collided with his Ninja Blade, spraying sparks between them. Another ANBU struck from the side, a poisoned Short Sword thrust straight toward his ribs.
Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan turned as he shifted half a step, his left hand snapping out to seize the attacker's wrist and pull. With a heavy thud, the ANBU was flung like a sack into another charging ANBU. The exchange happened in a blink, driven by training and instinct.
A sudden vibration came from underfoot as "Earth Release·Doryu Yari" burst from the ground. Itachi Uchiha had already leapt, barely avoiding the deadly spike. While airborne, he kicked out with both feet, slamming into the abdomens of two ANBU and sending them flying back with muffled groans.
With the enhanced vision of Mangekyo Sharingan, every block and dodge was precise, his body slipping through the crowd like a shadow. He struck with the back of his blade, redirected force, used Genjutsu to subdue, and hurled attackers away with Taijutsu. He could not strike to kill.
He could not. These ANBU Ninja were once his comrades, utterly different from the hopeless extremists he had already erased. They were Konoha's Ninja, people he acknowledged as companions, and the death of any one of them was a loss to the village.
Yet this was exactly what Yunchuan Hyuga wanted. "How arrogant, Itachi Uchiha," Yunchuan Hyuga said calmly. The words cut deeper than steel.
A Wind Blade grazed Itachi Uchiha's cheek, leaving a thin line of blood. Though he avoided the vital point by instinct, the breath of death made his movements hesitate. A heavy punch from a Taijutsu-type ANBU slammed into his front without mercy.
"Cough." Itachi Uchiha tasted blood and forced it back down as Mangekyo Sharingan spun madly to avoid the next wave of attacks. Sweat, blood, and rain streamed down his pale face.
The wound on his left shoulder tore open again under the strain, soaking half his clothes red. His breathing grew ragged, and his movements lost their earlier flow. Fatigue and injury were closing in.
"Die!" A cold roar came from behind as an ANBU swung a Short Sword straight at Itachi Uchiha's neck. To his eyes, the attack was full of openings and painfully slow.
He had countless ways to evade or counter it. But just as he shifted to strike the attacker's neck with the hilt, a familiar voice called out. "Itachi!"
The voice was Kakashi Hatake's, and the recognition caused a brief lapse. In that instant, the blade behind him came within inches of his throat, and death pressed close.
Under the threat of death, instinct overrode restraint. The bloodstained Ninja Blade in Itachi Uchiha's hand moved as if on its own, sweeping up in a reflexive counter. A harsh, wet sound followed.
Time seemed to freeze. The ANBU staggered, a wound slashed from his right shoulder to his left abdomen as blood sprayed out. He tried to speak, but only blood spilled from beneath the mask.
His strength drained away and he collapsed backward into the mud, splashing dirty water and blood. Hot blood spattered across Itachi Uchiha's face and body, burning like a brand. The Ninja Blade dripped steadily, red pooling on the ground.
Fear, regret, and nausea surged together, locking Itachi Uchiha in place. His mind went blank as he stared at what he had done. For a heartbeat, he could not move.
"Wind Release·Wind Cutter Technique!" Hovering above, Yunchuan Hyuga swept his massive wings forward, compressing wind-attribute Chakra to an extreme degree. The invisible blade tore through the air with a piercing shriek and slashed down toward Itachi Uchiha.
"What..." Alarms screamed through his mind as he snapped out of it and tried to dodge with his last strength. It was too late.
A heavier, more horrifying cutting sound rang out. Blood shot up like a fountain as an arm in an ANBU sleeve flew into the air. Itachi Uchiha screamed in agony, his voice tearing from his throat.
His left arm had been severed cleanly at the shoulder by the invisible Wind Blade. He slammed into the mud, water splashing everywhere as blood poured from the stump. The pain washed over him in waves, his vision darkening as he nearly lost consciousness.
Struggling, Itachi Uchiha lifted his head, his crimson Mangekyo Sharingan locked onto the figure in the sky. Yunchuan Hyuga. He was deliberately exploiting my restraint toward ANBU.
He knew I would not kill them, which means he must know the truth about Akatsuki. Yunchuan Hyuga looked down at the blood-soaked Itachi without emotion and said, "Take him." The surrounding ANBU closed in again, excitement flickering behind their masks.
Lying in the cold mud, Itachi Uchiha watched them approach as despair and chill swallowed him whole. If I have already done what I must, if I die here with infamy, would it finally end? The thought appeared, then was immediately rejected.
I cannot die here. With these eyes, I still have a reason to live and many things left to do. Gritting his teeth, he tried to push himself up with his remaining arm.
Just as he gathered the last of his strength and the ANBU rushed in, a scream exploded from the forest edge. It was so shrill and terrified that everyone flinched and turned toward it. The sound froze blood in their veins.
At the shadow of the trees, an ANBU on outer guard duty convulsed as if crushed by an invisible hand. His mask fell away, revealing a face twisted in pain and terror. His eyes bulged, bloodshot with unspeakable fear.