Konohagakure Without Uchiha Has No Value of Existence!

Juzo Biwa carefully inspected the area, finding no hidden dangers. He then turned and handed Sasuke's head to Uchiha Itachi.

Itachi gently took Sasuke's head with trembling hands. His fingertips shook uncontrollably, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

He stared intently at Sasuke's pale face. Those eyes, once full of life, now stared blankly, never again to meet his gaze with admiration.

He pushed his Mangekyo Sharingan to its limit, meticulously examining it for a long time. But no matter how he checked, the conclusion was always the same.

This was indeed the head of his beloved younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke.

In an instant, Itachi felt the world spin and tilt, as if the entire universe was collapsing. His icy heart seemed to stop beating.

His brother's adorable face reappeared before his eyes, memories flooding back like a tide.

Sasuke's stubbornness as he picked himself up after falling when he was learning to walk; his proud expression the first time he mastered the Substitution Technique; the look of confusion and grievance in his eyes after being rejected by him repeatedly...

Every little detail of their life poured into his heart, and heart-wrenching pain began to spread within him, as if thousands of steel needles were piercing his heart simultaneously, making even breathing feel painful.

Itachi's breathing became rapid and ragged, each inhale carrying the scent of blood.

He felt something warm and wet slide from his eyes, leaving a stark, stinging trace on Sasuke's cold cheek.

Itachi's lips trembled as he pressed his forehead against his brother's cold one, a hoarse whisper escaping his throat, his voice utterly broken.

"Why... did it come to this..."

"The Third Hokage promised me he would protect you..."

"Haha..." Uchiha An, standing nearby, jumped for joy. "The Third Hokage promised you, but Danzo didn't!"

"Since it was a clan extermination, of course, the entire clan had to be wiped out. Why keep a survivor?"

"Are you waiting for him to grow up, learn the truth, and come back for revenge on the village?"

"What?"

"Do you think some esteemed village elder would be blamed by Sarutobi Hiruzen for killing an evil Uchiha?"

"Ah, maybe. A few days of confinement, a toast or two, just for show!"

"What then?"

"Are you expecting an esteemed village elder to pay with his life for a surviving Uchiha?"

"Haha... you're a clown, Itachi!"

"How can someone who isn't loyal to his own clan be loyal to the village?"

"If Sarutobi Hiruzen truly trusted you, he would have taken you as a disciple and designated you as the next Hokage candidate!"

"If there had been even a little appeasement, instead of constant suppression, the Uchiha Clan wouldn't have been pushed to this point..."

"Shut up!" Uchiha Itachi's eyes turned blood red, and he roared hoarsely, "With your limited capacity, how could you possibly understand how many people would die if a civil war broke out in the village!"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, I have limited capacity, and you have great capacity!" Uchiha An shouted back even louder. "Danzo knew you had great capacity, which is why he chopped off your brother's head!"

"With your great capacity, you wouldn't possibly cause trouble with the village over such a small matter, would you?"

"Look, I'm different!"

"I know you have great capacity, that's why I specifically brought your brother to you!"

"Come on, let me see if your capacity is as great as you claim!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The village wouldn't kill Sasuke!"

Uchiha Itachi's eyes bled as he stared intently at Uchiha An's face, identical to his own, and gritted his teeth, demanding, "You killed him!"

"Didn't you?"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes!" Uchiha An grinned, revealing a sinister, twisted smile. "That's right, I killed Sasuke!"

"Not only did I kill him, but before I killed him, I crushed all his limbs into powder, healed him with my Mangekyo Sharingan's dojutsu, and then crushed them again!"

"Over and over, I did this again and again, until finally, he cried and begged me to kill him, and only then did I grant his wish!"

"Do you know what he was crying about?"

"Let me show you!"

"Cough, cough..." Uchiha An coughed dryly, clearing his throat. He adopted a childish voice, his throat high-pitched.

"Hey, Onii-chan, why aren't you coming to save me?"

"Hey, Onii-chan, I'm in so much pain!"

"Hey, Onii-chan..."

"Shut up!" Uchiha Itachi roared like a madman. "Sasuke is just a child, how could you..."

"A child? You have the nerve to talk about a child?" Uchiha An was even angrier than him. "You said it was for peace, so why did you only kill adults and not the elderly, weak, women, and children?"

"You said Sasuke was innocent, weren't those infants innocent too?"

"Did Konohagakure care about those innocent Uchiha children?"

"No!"

"They're afraid!"

"They're afraid of the Uchiha descendants growing up and seeking revenge on them!"

"They want to cut the weeds and remove the roots!"

"If they want to cut the weeds and remove the roots, how can Sasuke, this leftover scumbag, be allowed to live?"

"If you can't do it, it's fine, I'm very considerate and have completed your mission for you!"

"No need to thank me!"

"Ah... Who are you? Who exactly are you?"

Provoked by Uchiha An's words, Uchiha Itachi was speechless and could only roar furiously in impotent rage.

"Who am I? Haha..." Uchiha An burst into laughter, "Look at my face, can't you recognize me?"

"I am the running dog of Konohagakure's politicians, the beast who personally slaughtered the entire clan, men, women, old, and young—Uchiha Itachi!"

"Ah, that's right, I forgot to tell you. Not only did I slaughter the entire Uchiha clan, but I also killed the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's biological grandson, snatched the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in passing, and killed dozens of Konohagakure ninja."

"Although the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was taken away by Namikaze Minato, even the Ino-Shika-Cho died here just now."

"Guess what, will Konohagakure still trust you now?"

"Huh?"

"Haha..."

"Don't you love peace very much?"

"Aren't you afraid of the people in the village getting hurt?"

"Then I don't mind telling you, not only did I kill Uchiha Sasuke, but I will also start a ninja war and make Konohagakure lose even more people!"

"The Uchiha are one of the founding families of Konohagakure. Without the Uchiha, Konohagakure has no value whatsoever!"

"I will completely destroy Konohagakure!"

"I will make Konohagakure disappear from the ninja world from now on!"

Continuously provoked by Uchiha An, Uchiha Itachi finally couldn't stand it anymore. He glared with his Mangekyo Sharingan, and a black flame began to burn on Uchiha An's body.

"Die!"

"Amaterasu!"