Uchiha Clan Grounds.
The Uchiha who were confused just a moment ago now felt as if their throats were being squeezed, unable to make a sound.
Everyone looked at the father and son, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi, with strange gazes.
Their eyes held anger, disappointment, confusion, and a thick, almost tangible… contempt.
"For the first time…" Tetsuka looked at Fugaku and murmured, "For the first time, I think the Sky Screen is absolutely right… Everyone who awakens the Mangekyō is completely insane!"
Inabi also spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm: "As the Clan Head, you just stood by and watched Itachi slaughter the clansmen! Even if you had fought him and lost—been killed yourself—that would have been better!"
Yashiro's eyes were red as he roared directly.
"At the end, you even said you didn't want to kill your own son, and that he was suffering, a kind child—"
"Then what about us?! What do the lives of the entire clan count for?!"
"We're people too!" someone cried out. "We have parents too! We have children, siblings!"
"Who gave you the right to decide for us?!"
The accusations surged like a tidal wave, drowning Fugaku.
He stood rooted to the spot, his face pale. He wanted to say that it was a future event, that the Sky Screen might not be accurate—but the words wouldn't come.
After all, the images on the Sky Screen were too real. So real that even he himself believed that his future self would inevitably make the same choice.
Besides, no one had doubted the things shown on the Sky Screen before. Now that it was his turn, if he claimed it was false, would anyone believe him?
"Forget it, forget it… Who cares about this coup or not? Things are fine as they are now…"
"A Clan Head like this… forget it…"
The gazes and words of his clansmen pierced Fugaku's heart like knives.
Shisui, however, was immersed in a different kind of shock.
Danzō had tricked him out of his Mangekyō Sharingan… and that had led to the Uchiha clan's massacre!
The words of the Sky Screen echoed repeatedly in his mind—Was he the crucial link in the chain?
If he hadn't been deceived, did that mean the massacre… might not have happened?
But why had he been deceived? More importantly, had he been killed in that process? That would explain why there was no trace of him during the massacre.
Otherwise, if he had been there, there was no way Itachi would have gone to such extremes.
Shisui made up his mind. It was better to keep some things to himself from now on. He couldn't reveal everything to others—not even to Konoha's higher-ups.
Especially Danzō—that man was not to be trusted.
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
Akatsuki Hideout.
Hidan let out a gloating sound: "Tsk tsk tsk… Itachi, you really can bring yourself to do it. Now that's a real ruthless bastard—way more hardcore than me."
"Lord Jashin… hahahaha…"
But just after speaking, Hidan froze in place. Then, his entire body suddenly began to tremble as he let out a demonic, manic laugh.
The other Akatsuki members felt a chill in their hearts and said nothing more.
---
[Land of Earth · Iwagakure]
Ōnoki was silent for a long time. "The Uchiha… truly are a bunch of madmen."
It was good that such a clan of lunatics never came to Iwagakure. In fact, it was best if no such clan existed anywhere in the Shinobi World.
Too dangerous and too uncontrollable.
---
[Land of Lightning · Kumogakure]
A frowned deeply, then let out a cold snort, his eyes full of disdain.
"That Uchiha Fugaku… is he an idiot or just insane?"
Bee said from the side: "Brother, I thinks he's quite pitiful."
"Pitiful?" A looked at him.
"Yeah," Bee rarely spoke seriously. "On one side, there's his son. On the other, his clan. No matter which he chooses, it's wrong."
"As the Clan Head, he bears the weight of the entire clan on his shoulders. How could he sacrifice hundreds of lives just because of one son?!" A countered.
"Besides, doesn't he still have another son?"
---
[Konoha, Year 20]
Tobirama called out to Hiruzen.
"Actually, Fugaku... this guy has a strong sense for Will of Fire."
Hiruzen was taken aback: "Sensei?"
"He's still very suitable to be the future head of the Uchiha clan. Looks like in the future, he just made a momentary wrong decision."
Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
But in his heart, he thought: 'Sensei, isn't your change of heart a bit too fast?'
Weren't you just saying we should replace him?
But he didn't dare say that out loud.
---
[Konoha, Year One]
Madara looked at the scene on the Sky Screen, his eyes showing deep contempt.
"A disgrace."
"Not worth mourning."
Hashirama smiled wryly beside him.
"Madara, don't say that. He had his own difficult circumstances…"
"Circumstances?" Madara turned to him. "As Clan Head, his first duty is to protect the clan. And instead, because he didn't want to fight his own son, he just stood by and let his son slaughter the entire clan?"
"A man like that doesn't even deserve to be an Uchiha—let alone be the future Clan Head!"
"Just as I thought. After I left, the Uchiha fell into decadence."
[Having failed again, you are furious and decide to fight Konoha to the bitter end. This time, you decided not to rely on Uchiha Fugaku and to evade Uchiha Itachi's surveillance, relying entirely on the power of the Uchiha Hawks to strike first.]
[Under your instigation, the Uchiha Hawks were incensed and launched a coup ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, although the Uchiha Hawks were numerous, they were no match for Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan. Coupled with Mr. Simp's involvement, the Uchiha coup was like a joke and was quickly suppressed. You were killed, your Sharingan was taken, and your escape failed!]
The Sky Screen thoughtfully provided accompanying images.
Obito, disguised as the man with the tiger-striped mask, strode into the Uchiha Police Force headquarters. His silhouette stretched long in the moonlight, only one crimson Sharingan visible beneath the mask.
Then, the slaughter began.
Screams and the sound of blades tearing through flesh intertwined into a song of despair. The once-proud Uchiha Police Force members were like lambs to the slaughter before him.
One, two, three… bodies fell one after another, blood staining the entire headquarters red.
---
[Konoha, Year 52. Uchiha Clan Grounds]
All the Uchiha stared at the bloody scene on the Sky Screen, their faces pale as paper, utter despair in their hearts.
Even though they most likely would not launch a coup, the future revealed by the Sky Screen was far too cruel.
A clan of several hundred people, in the absence of their clan head's intervention, would actually be slaughtered completely by Uchiha Itachi's pair of Mangekyō and another masked man!
And this was before the village itself had even acted—not to mention the many other shinobi clans and civilian shinobis.
The disparity in power was… truly despairing.
Someone muttered: "Are we… really that weak?"
No one answered, because everyone already knew the answer.
"Who is that masked man?"
"Why is his Sharingan so powerful?"
Inabi smiled bitterly: "Perhaps… that's simply the power of the Mangekyō."
Yashiro gritted his teeth: "So, how exactly are we supposed to survive?"
*****
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