Would Uchiha Itachi really just stand by and watch indifferently while Uchiha Sasuke rampaged through the Land of Fire?
Of course not.
Sasuke, acting on behalf of the nation, had destroyed Konoha. When the news first spread, Itachi couldn't help but question whether he had been wrong to follow Danzō's orders and annihilate the Uchiha Clan all those years ago.
But the moment that doubt surfaced, Itachi crushed it. He couldn't afford regret—not after bearing the guilt of patricide, matricide, and the genocide of his clan. Regret was a luxury he'd long since forfeited. All he could do was shift the blame and keep running.
Besides, with the collapse of Konoha, the Land of Fire had descended into chaos. That only solidified Itachi's conviction—Sasuke had chosen the wrong path. He had to be corrected.
Like Sarutobi Hiruzen, Itachi also believed that Sasuke was the mastermind behind the current unrest. More precisely, the entire shinobi world tacitly agreed: the one pulling the strings behind the Land of Fire's coup was none other than Sasuke.
—Process of elimination. Look at who benefited the most. Sasuke was the prime suspect.
Itachi remained calm. He still had cards left to play. Chief among them: Kotoamatsukami, his ultimate trump card intended for Sasuke.
Sasuke had clearly fallen into darkness. Itachi's plan was to use Kotoamatsukami to reshape him into a righteous man with sound morals. Even if he was wrong—even if Sasuke wasn't the real culprit—turning such a powerful combatant to the side of justice would still be a major victory.
Besides, Itachi had another ace up his sleeve—the Totsuka Blade.
After a thorough analysis, Itachi concluded confidently: The advantage is mine.
He had already made private contact with Sarutobi Hiruzen. Their goals aligned perfectly, and their cooperation was seamless.
The shinobi who had pledged loyalty to the Daimyō were ready to coordinate with them from the inside. As long as Itachi could hold Sasuke at bay, Hiruzen was confident he could take the Daimyō's residence.
Sasuke would be handled by Itachi. As for the Daimyō's side, their strongest fighters were Hyūga Neji and Orochimaru. Orochimaru was cautious by nature—if things got dangerous, he'd run. And with Tsunade and Jiraiya working together, surely they could subdue Neji.
After carefully weighing everything, Sarutobi Hiruzen also concluded: The advantage is mine!
Initially, Hiruzen hadn't felt so confident. But after relocating to the New Konoha, something happened that brought his confidence back. One day, he suddenly realized—the Sarutobi Clan has so many shinobi!
For a moment, Hiruzen was confused.
Sarutobi Piccolo, Sarutobi Kogoti... Were these hidden elites of the clan? The moment the question arose, memories of training these talented juniors surfaced in his mind. He accepted it without further question.
The Sarutobi Clan is truly thriving!
Asuma had been missing for quite a while now, but Hiruzen didn't dwell on it. He had plenty of other, more promising children and grandchildren. Asuma, who once served as the Daimyō's guard, had never really lived up to his expectations anyway.
The discomfort passed in an instant. Hiruzen pushed all thoughts of Asuma aside. Lately, Naruto had been acting strangely. As the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Naruto was a vital source of power for Konoha. This was no time for instability—Hiruzen made a mental note to find time to calm the boy down.
...
Night in the so-called "City of Peace" was unnervingly quiet.
Haruno Sakura leaned against the window, looking up at the blood-tinged moon. Her thoughts were tangled like a knotted thread.
After Konoha fell, she and her parents were relocated to this city and assigned housing. As an ordinary shinobi of civilian background, she had to admit—she didn't love Konoha all that much.
As long as she could live a peaceful and stable life, she wasn't particularly opposed to the Daimyō's rule.
Maybe that was just how ordinary people were. Their wishes were simple and grounded—just to have enough to eat, to live without fear. They didn't concern themselves with lofty ideals or political positions.
Her childhood crush, Sasuke, felt further away than ever. She had long since let go of those romantic dreams. Now, all she wished for was her parents' safety. She dared not hope for anything more.
...
Elsewhere, in the Nara clan compound, Shikamaru was also gazing up at the moon. Renowned for his intellect, he had a far deeper understanding of this so-called "City of Peace."
Adult shinobi were constantly busy, and they strictly prohibited younger genin from participating in their missions. But Shikamaru had picked up on enough subtle clues and intel to piece together part of the truth.
This city deserved a different name: The City of Slaughter.
Still, Shikamaru had always been a laid-back kind of guy. He wasn't about to stir up trouble. Lately, he had only one thing on his mind—how to stop Akimichi Chōji from going to that new yakiniku place.
Right next to Ichiraku Ramen, a new Ichiraku BBQ joint had opened. Affordable and delicious, it quickly became popular. But Shikamaru had noticed something unsettling—while the restaurant constantly served meat, it rarely received shipments. So... where was the meat coming from?
The more he thought about it, the more disturbing it became.
The crimson moon cast a sinister glow over the city, shrouding everything in an eerie veil. Shikamaru sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a white figure flicker past the street corner.
Someone's still out walking at this hour?
He forced himself to suppress his curiosity, climbed into bed, and cleared his mind.
...
Outside Orochimaru's lab, a strange figure stood silently. He wore a white haori and was dressed like a monk. His skin was pale as death, his expression emotionless, almost inhuman. Beneath his left eye was the number "Ⅳ" tattooed, and a diamond-shaped mark adorned his chin. His gaze was distant, unfocused.
"So interesting... In this lifetime, Indra isn't even an Uchiha…"
"The children of Kaguya have been watching this world for so long. Why are they letting this chaos spiral out of control? Have they run into trouble themselves?"
"Should I probe them a bit?" the mysterious man murmured. "No... Let's see what those half-breed mongrels can stir up first."
His condescension was unmistakable. "Mongrels," in his view, were just helpless sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
After wandering the city for a bit longer and finding nothing unusual, he left. A swirling black hole opened beside him. As he stepped in, his figure vanished.
...
"Caught a big fish tonight," Ayame murmured in the Ichiraku BBQ kitchen as she skewered chunks of meat with bamboo sticks. Perhaps some side effect of her past as a demon remained—every time she saw sharp, slender tools like this, her reflex was to lash out and kill someone.
Thankfully, she'd learned to restrain herself.
Shōda replied, "Otsutsuki Isshiki's here. What's the boss gonna do about it? Turn him into a demonic clone via parasitic conversion, or just kill him outright?"
Ayame smirked. "Is seduction not on the table?"
Shōda: "…"
"I mean," she explained, "we butter him up with benefits first, get him to drop his guard, then follow the trail back to the main Otsutsuki settlement and wipe them all out."
Shōda pouted. "That's not really our decision."
"This place is about to become a warzone. We should expand the freezer soon. Won't have enough room for all the meat otherwise."
"Those shinobi brought this on themselves. I did warn them… but they just wouldn't listen."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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