Arrogant Uchiha

"Get back in there, and quit messing things up!"

Uchiha An slapped Naruto unconscious again. Only after the Chakra that had begun to boil over him settled down did he feel safe enough to continue.

Perhaps because he'd lost control earlier, Nine-Tails Chakra kept seeping out of Naruto from time to time along the way, writhing in the air like tentacles and causing trouble.

Fortunately, the Uzumaki Clan's Fuinjutsu was indeed powerful. No matter how fiercely the Nine-Tails struggled, it was all in vain.

After the intel had leaked, the road ahead had indeed become difficult.

Konoha's Warning System had been fully activated. The outposts and Patrol Teams along the way had all received the highest-level alert.

He was heading straight for the Land of Rain, with a clear destination. Every so often, ninjas who had received orders from the village and rushed ahead to block his path would appear, throwing their lives away to slow his progress.

They were all mere Chunin and Genin, but even ants could bring down an elephant. His speed was inevitably dragged down.

The pursuers were closing in. He could clearly sense the Killing Intent in the air behind him. With his Sharingan, he could even make out birds taking flight in the distant woods behind him—a sign of a large force on the move.

But this time, he didn't stop to face the enemy. Instead, he quickened his pace.

The Land of Rain was already close.

Uchiha An carried Naruto as he streaked through the woods like a flash of light, each step landing precisely on a branch to propel him faster.

As he raced along, a kunai suddenly shot toward him from behind, slicing through the air and aimed straight at his back.

He stopped abruptly and drew his short blade, knocking the kunai aside in one fluid motion.

But that brief delay was enough for several figures to appear in a flash. They lined up and blocked his path, sealing off every angle of escape.

"Itachi, you can't get away!"

Uchiha An swept his Three Tomoe Sharingan across the group and took in everyone before him.

"Well, well. All familiar faces!"

"The Ino-Shika-Cho are here too?"

"Three Jōnin squads—nine people sent to hunt me down. I must say, you're taking me seriously."

He looked behind him as well. A group had blocked his escape route, too.

The ninjas all wore special masks and held Sealing Scrolls. Their eyes were fixed intently on the Uzumaki Naruto in his arms.

"Is this the Sealing Force?"

"Ah, right. You're here for the Jinchuriki."

"You certainly came prepared!"

"But..."

He glanced up at the gloomy sky, wiped the rain from his cheek, and smiled silently.

"You're still one step too late!"

"This is the Land of Rain."

"So what if it's the Land of Rain?" Akimichi Choza had the hottest temper of them all. He patted his round belly and barked coldly, "Do you really think the people of the Land of Rain would dare interfere in Konoha's affairs?"

"Even Hanzo of the Salamander can't save you here!"

"You'd better hand over the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and come back to the village to accept judgment!"

"Otherwise, we'll purge the village of you, a rogue ninja, today!"

After Choza finished playing the bad cop, Nara Shikaku stepped in to play the good one.

"Itachi, before we left, Hokage-sama gave us a special message."

"He knows you're kind by nature and loyal to the village. He knows you couldn't bear to see the village fall into turmoil."

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is essential to the village's rule. We absolutely cannot afford to lose him, or it could very well spark a war."

"That's not what you want to see, either, is it?"

"I don't know what happened to make you do all this, but Hokage-sama said that if you're willing to return to the village, everything in the past will be forgiven. The village won't hold you accountable."

"Whether it's Konohamaru's death or your abduction of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Hokage-sama is willing to act as if none of it ever happened."

Watching the two of them switch between threats and sweet talk, Uchiha An felt rage flare up inside him.

He truly hated Uchiha Itachi, but Itachi was still an Uchiha!

Even if he was a beast, he was a beast of the Uchiha Clan!

Since when had the proud Uchiha been trained like dogs?

Uchiha pride was carved into their bones and flowed in their blood. No political maneuvering could ever tame it.

There was only one way to subdue the Uchiha: defeat them with overwhelming force!

If Konoha could truly wipe out the Uchiha in a head-on battle, none of them would have complained.

They'd been outmatched. They deserved to die!

But if Konoha had actually been capable of doing that, the conflict between the Uchiha and the village would never have escalated to the point of no return.

The Uchiha had always felt ostracized precisely because Konoha lacked the strength to defeat them and could only resort to underhanded, filthy political schemes to harm them in secret.

The Uchiha were too proud to bother with politics. They weren't good at it, nor did they like it. So when Root, enabled by the Third Hokage, kept pressing them, they could only suffer one loss after another.

No one was a fool. Even without evidence, being targeted and excluded again and again, while clan members mysteriously disappeared or died on missions, made the Uchiha's anger grow more and more intense.

Every suspicious mission report and every investigation request that was suppressed turned into a raging fire, ready to consume everything.

And yet the Uchiha had ended up with a weak, incompetent clan leader, who was completely powerless as the Third Hokage slowly tortured them.

With nowhere to vent their resentment, the conflict naturally kept growing. More and more clan members joined the hardliners, and calls for an armed uprising spread. In the end, Itachi, that traitor, completely despaired of peace, was used by others, and brought about the Night of the Massacre.

Now, looking at these people from Konoha and their confidence that they had Itachi cornered, Uchiha An felt even more that Itachi's stupidity was a waste.

What was with that act of magnanimity?

Hadn't the entire Uchiha Clan been annihilated? Was that not enough to prove Uchiha Itachi's loyalty to the village?

Now they were bringing up Konohamaru and the Jinchuriki to manipulate Uchiha Itachi and keep using him as a tool?

Sure enough, it was the same disgusting political playbook!

Once he saw through the intentions of the people from Konoha, Uchiha An's rage burned ever more fiercely. The Chakra in his body began to boil beyond his control, and his Sharingan changed into its Mangekyo form.

The rain evaporated into white steam as it neared him, shrouding him in a terrifying haze.

He covered his forehead with one hand again and threw his head back in wild laughter.

"Heh... hahaha..."

"What a fine offer to forgive and forget!"

"What a fine way to pretend none of it ever happened!"

"Third Hokage-sama really trusts me, doesn't he?"

"But what a shame..."

"You political creatures will never understand. A True Uchiha always trusts in force!"

"Put away those filthy politician's faces!"

"You want to take back the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"Simple!"

"Just defeat me, and then everything will be decided by you!"

"Whether you take back the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki or bring my eyes back to Danzo, you can have it your way!"

Seeing "Uchiha Itachi" reveal his madness, everyone knew a Peaceful Resolution was impossible. Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza turned to Nara Shikaku, their leader, and waited for him to make a decision.

"What a shame, Itachi. You made the wrong choice!"

Nara Shikaku sighed, raised his hand, and gave the order:

"S-Rank Rogue Ninja Uchiha Itachi—traitor to the village, murderer of comrades, and abductor of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. His crimes are unforgivable. By order of Hokage-sama, execute him on the spot!"