Hiruzen, Don't Forget Our Bond

"Hokage-sama, I know—"

Seeing the situation seemingly heading in an unknown direction, the future Yamato gritted his teeth and chose to speak up himself.

At worst, he would be the only one to die.

He immediately told them, more or less, everything he knew.

"Strange crimson Chakra? Incredible strength? Extremely violent?"

But when those words came together, they immediately caught the Third Hokage's attention.

He exchanged glances with Danzo and the two advisors.

The eyes of the four elderly men and women, whose combined ages were nearly two hundred and fifty, lit up with sharp brilliance.

The Power of the Nine-Tails!

Only the Power of the Nine-Tails could have such effects!

Could it be... that the Uchiha Clan had once again stolen the Power of the Nine-Tails?!

Danzo in particular!

He slammed his cane heavily against the ground and said with great displeasure, "I told you, Hiruzen! Those evil little brats of the Uchiha Clan have finally begun making a move on the Nine-Tails!"

"Hiruzen, we can't hesitate any longer!" Utatane Koharu quickly added.

She had no favorable impression of the Uchiha either.

Especially when it involved an absolute power like the Nine-Tails.

Even more so.

Only Mitokado Homura remained, hesitating for a moment.

Seeing his two old friends acting this way, he could only nod along. "I think so too!"

For a moment, justice seemed to stand on Danzo's side.

He suddenly released his cane, and like the guardian he had been beneath the setting sun more than a decade ago, he spoke with an earnest expression.

"Hiruzen, believe me! Only by completely wiping out those little brats of the Uchiha Clan can the village finally welcome peace!"

"Have you forgotten the Bond between us?!"

For a moment, all three advisors looked toward Sarutobi.

Tap.

Tap.

A thick layer of ash had accumulated on the ground.

Amid the swirling smoke, the Third Hokage finally tapped his pipe and murmured, "Gather the major clans. Convene a meeting."

"The Power of the Nine-Tails must not be allowed to leak out! Especially to the Uchiha Clan!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, one Anbu after another darted away.

In the dead of night, none of Leaf's clans were destined to sleep peacefully.

"Hm? This is... a summons from the Third Hokage?"

Uchiha District.

Looking at the message before him, Itachi, who had just returned, turned into a Crow and vanished.

Though somewhat puzzled, his strong Will of Fire drove him to act swiftly.

Crack.

But just as he reached the edge of the district, he once again saw that mysterious masked man.

He even seemed somewhat drenched.

His gaze slowly swept over the other man's scarlet Sharingan as he softly asked, "Hm? Are you done using Water Release?"

Obito: ...

The corner of his remaining eye twitched, and he even felt the urge to jump up and curse.

Fortunately, reason still prevailed.

"Itachi, how is your consideration of defecting going?"

"I can help you deal with certain people, such as—the Uchiha girl."

"You're monitoring me?"

Splat!

The moment he finished speaking, a streak of Black Flame abruptly flared up on the hem of his clothes.

Obito's expression froze for a moment, and his right eye spun rapidly!

Kamui—intangibility.

Tap.

The Black Flame vanished, and the corner of his clothes remained completely unharmed.

Obito let out a sigh of relief. This little brat before him was truly difficult to deal with.

He had opened with Amaterasu!

Luckily, he had reacted quickly. Otherwise, he might really have stumbled in the gutter.

"So it really is a space-time ninjutsu? I never imagined the Uchiha Clan had such a powerful warrior."

Likewise, Itachi was deeply shocked.

The strength of the man before him had somewhat exceeded his expectations.

That enormous volume of water—he could store it whenever he wanted and release it whenever he wanted.

And now, he could even remove himself from the current space...

This kind of inconceivable power made it difficult for him to believe that the other party truly belonged to the Uchiha Clan.

"Who exactly are you? What is your purpose?"

Hearing that, Obito flicked the hem of his clothes. "Let me introduce myself again. I am—Uchiha Madara."

"Uchiha Madara? That ancestor who was the only one capable of standing against the God of Shinobi?"

Four ordinary words instantly stirred towering waves within Itachi's heart.

Impossible!

Unbelievable!

Their ancestor, Uchiha Madara!

As a member of the Uchiha Clan, there was no one who did not know of that ancestor.

"Impossible! Our ancestor died long ago. You cannot be him!"

As soon as he spoke, Tsukuyomi poured forth from his pupils!

Whether he was truly their ancestor or not, he would find out by testing him.

But unfortunately, the ever-effective Tsukuyomi failed this time.

It did not even create the slightest ripple.

Itachi frowned, his thoughts gradually becoming more active.

"He dodged it again... Could his ability be unrestricted spatial evasion?"

"No, it is his own intangibility. That is why my attack missed..."

"What a terrifying enemy. If he were to suddenly attack the village, without any intelligence, he would likely cause no small amount of chaos, wouldn't he?"

After realizing this, his eyes changed once more.

Within his crimson pupils, the Mangekyo spun faster and faster.

Faint blood vessels began to emerge as well.

He had overused his ocular power.

"Itachi, we will be comrades."

Seeing this, Obito shook his head and turned to leave.

"Don't worry. On the day you take action, I will help you stop the others."

"Including that girl and your younger brother."

With that, his figure vanished directly.

Only Itachi remained standing outside the clan grounds, allowing the night to swallow him whole.

He froze only because of those final two words—"younger brother."

"Sasuke is still in school, so... do you mean Jin?"

For some reason, when he thought of Jin, his heart trembled.

"No! I can't! At the very least... I have to protect Jin and Sasuke!"

"Perhaps it is time to negotiate with the Third Hokage."

With that thought, he stepped forward and completely entered the darkness.

His destination was none other than the Leaf Hokage Building.

Not long after he left, a small figure slowly emerged from beneath a nearby tree.

Jin watched the direction Itachi had left in and kept shaking his head.

"Foolish Nisan... I never thought you'd have such a... foolish idea."

"Only when the gun is in your own hands does it count. Relying on the Third Hokage..."

"Have you forgotten what happened to the Fourth Hokage's orphan?"

When Itachi had been summoned away, Jin had already followed.

But he had not made a sound, merely silently drawing near under the cover of Weak Presence.

With his senses enhanced several times over, he not only heard their conversation clearly, but even caught the fleeting reluctance in Itachi's eyes.

That was—his attachment to Uchiha Mizumi.

"What a pity. Looks like I won't get to eat Mizumi's Three-Color Dumplings after all."

He muttered as he turned and headed back to the clan.

"Looks like that old bastard, the Third Hokage, has finally made up his mind. Still, I can finally sleep peacefully tonight."

"When I wake up next time, it'll be the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, won't it?"