[Several kunai shot toward Itachi Uchiha and the masked man.
Itachi's first instinct was to deflect them with shuriken, but the distance was too close. Instead, he relied on his Sharingan, tracking their trajectories to evade.
Just as he shifted to dodge—
The masked man, observing through his Mangekyō Sharingan, sensed a faint spatial distortion around several of the kunai.
A bad feeling rose in his chest.
Better safe than sorry.
Without hesitation, he kicked Itachi hard in the side.
Focused entirely on the incoming kunai, Itachi was caught off guard and sent flying.
At that exact moment, Nagi suddenly appeared in front of the masked man, short blade in hand.
"Flying Thunder God Slash!"
However, having once been traumatized by this technique in battle against Minato Namikaze, the masked man was already prepared. He phased through the attack.
Midair, Nagi spun and hurled the short blade toward him.
The blade passed straight through the masked man's head as he remained intangible, and he reached out to grab Nagi—
But Nagi formed a spiraling vortex of water in his palm, compressing it into a rapidly rotating, layered spear.
"Water Release: Severing Wave!"]
[Minato Namikaze: Not good. He's fought me before. He won't fall for the same trick again. Worse, the Second Hokage doesn't know that.]
[Kushina Uzumaki: That damn masked man! Second Hokage-sama, beat him senseless!]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Smash him, Tobirama-ossan!]
[Sasuke Uchiha: Go! …Go!]
Sasuke's fists trembled.
So Nagi had been fighting his enemy that very night.
And what had he been doing?
Running foolishly toward home.
The thought filled him with bitter self-loathing.
Across the Shinobi World, countless spectators held their breath.
[The instant the masked man touched him, Nagi activated Flying Thunder God: Second Step, teleporting behind him.
For a split second, the masked man relived the nightmare of being struck by Minato years ago.
"Move! Move!"
At the last moment, he phased part of his body, barely evading the strike.
Confidence restored, he slashed rapidly at Nagi.
But Nagi had already prepared—
Water needles gathered in his mouth.
"Water Release: Heavenly Weeping!"
High-speed water senbon shot forth.
The masked man barely had time to react before a chilling sensation pierced his right eye—
Followed by searing pain.
The water needle passed straight through his right eye and out the back of his skull.
Nagi moved in to finish him—
But suddenly activated Flying Thunder God again, teleporting to the location of his thrown blade.
Black flames erupted where he had just stood.
As a veteran of the Warring States Period, Tobirama recognized the technique instantly.
"Kagutsuchi? No… the flames aren't being controlled. This is Amaterasu."
Itachi stood with his Mangekyō Sharingan active, locking onto Nagi.
That kick from earlier had nearly shattered his ribs. Even someone as composed as Itachi felt anger stir within him—
And Amaterasu had awakened prematurely.
The masked man slowly rose to his feet.
"I never expected Konoha to harbor a shinobi of your caliber. State your name."
Nagi replied coolly, "Before asking someone else's name, you should give your own."
"Is that so?"
The masked man straightened arrogantly.
"My name… is Madara Uchiha."]
[Minato Namikaze: What?! His head was pierced and he's still standing like nothing happened?!]
[Rasa: Is that immortality? Or some kind of revival technique?]
[Fugaku Uchiha: That looked like… Izanagi.]
[A (Fourth Raikage): Izanagi? I didn't expect such a forbidden technique to exist.]
[Onoki: What? Madara Uchiha?! Is it really him?!]
As a child, Onoki had accompanied the Tsuchikage to negotiate with Konoha—only to be psychologically scarred by Madara's overwhelming presence. Even now, hearing the name made him shudder.
[Hashirama Senju: No. He is not Madara. The voice is identical—but he is not Madara.]
[Rasa: First Hokage-sama, what makes you so certain?]
[Hashirama Senju: …He's too weak.]
The entire Shinobi World fell silent.
Well… when you're the God of Shinobi, you get to say that.
"Madara Uchiha?"
The voice was nearly identical—but the chakra signature was completely different.
Nagi removed his mask, though the Flying Thunder God formula remained intact.
His face transformed—
Deep tear troughs, sharp features, a fierce expression.
The masked man found the face vaguely familiar.
Itachi stared intently.
Nagi spoke in a different tone:
"My name… is Tajima Uchiha."]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Who did Nagi turn into?]
[Shikamaru Nara: That name sounds familiar…]
[Minato Namikaze: If I recall correctly…]
[Izuna Uchiha: Damn you, Tobirama! You bastard!]
[Madara Uchiha: Hmph. Just as underhanded as ever.]
[Kushina Uzumaki: So what's the point of transforming into that face?]
[Tajima Uchiha: Little girl. I'm his father.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Huh? Whose father?]
[Izuna Uchiha: Father!]
[Madara Uchiha: Father!]
[Hashirama Senju: Father!]
[Butsuma Senju: You brat! Who are you calling father?!]
[Hashirama Senju: Ahahaha—sorry, Father. I got carried away.]
The masked man seemed intrigued.
"Tajima Uchiha? I didn't expect such a master to exist within the clan."
Itachi narrowed his eyes.
"So… he isn't Madara?"
The masked man seemed ready to attempt recruitment.
But Tobirama had already concluded—
Even if he wasn't Madara, someone with that identical voice must be closely tied to him.
Without hesitation, Tobirama formed the Tiger hand seal.
Both Itachi and the masked man activated their Mangekyō Sharingan, watching closely.
"Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."
Instantly, their vision was swallowed by absolute darkness.
Deprived of sight, and so reliant on their Sharingan, both felt a flicker of unease.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, Itachi activated both ocular techniques simultaneously—
For the first time, Susanoo manifested.
A skeletal frame formed around him.
Sensing danger, the masked man suddenly felt intense pain.
"Water Release: Severing Wave!"
A high-pressure jet of water pierced straight through his body. Nagi moved to slice him apart—
But enormous wooden vines suddenly erupted, intercepting the attack.
Nagi and Tobirama's expressions changed instantly.
"Wood Release?!"
At that moment, a black hand and a white hand emerged from beneath the masked man's feet, dragging him underground.
Before disappearing, he shouted unwillingly:
"Tajima Uchiha! I, Madara Uchiha, will remember you!"
The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique faded.
Itachi saw Sasuke running toward them, tears streaming down his face.
After returning to the compound, Sasuke had found corpses everywhere.
At home, he discovered his parents dead.
Just as grief threatened to overwhelm him, the distant explosion had startled him awake.
Instinctively, he assumed invaders had attacked the Uchiha Clan—and that his brother was fighting them.
Suppressing his sorrow, he ran toward the Police Force headquarters.]