Itachi's Death

"Damn it, have these people all gone mad?"

Uchiha Itachi watched Hiruzen Sarutobi on the guillotine in the distance, his face full of anxiety.

Damn you, Uchiha Kazuto. So you've finally revealed your scheme?

From beginning to end, Uchiha Itachi had never trusted Uchiha Kazuto. Prejudice was like a mountain. As the former young clan head of the Uchiha Clan, if Uchiha Kazuto hadn't been standing in his way, he would have wanted to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan to protect the village.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do it. And during this time, he hadn't found any evidence that Uchiha Kazuto was up to something.

But he didn't believe it. He couldn't believe that the Uchiha, born evil, could be so loyal to the village. There was far too much that didn't add up. But he had no way to do anything about it. He had no power, and couldn't take action against Uchiha Kazuto. There was nothing he could do except secretly follow him and look for a weakness.

And now, the weakness had finally emerged. Uchiha Kazuto, that madman, actually dared to attack the great Lord Hokage. He even wanted to kill Lord Hokage! And the people in the village didn't trust Lord Hokage either.

How could Lord Hokage possibly be that kind of person?!

"Lord Hokage, I'm coming to save you!"

Uchiha Itachi clenched his teeth, his face filled with fury. At that moment, his anger reached its peak. In the next instant, his eyes began to change, and he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan in the blink of an eye.

That's right. All this time, his Mangekyō Sharingan had remained dormant. Not even when his father was falsely accused and thrown in jail had there been any sign of awakening. It was only now, when the Lord Hokage he admired had encountered a terrible crisis and all of Konoha was about to be ruled by the evil Uchiha Kazuto, that he opened his eyes!

His body became a blur as he charged toward Uchiha Kazuto.

"Uchiha Kazuto, die!"

In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Itachi appeared on a rooftop not far from Uchiha Kazuto. Under such extreme stimulation, driven by his desire to protect the village and ensure Lord Hokage's safety, he had not only awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan but also two Dojutsu.

Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu.

"Itachi, you've finally arrived!"

Uchiha Kazuto turned to look at Uchiha Itachi, who had suddenly appeared, and the corner of his mouth curled into a slight smile.

Everything was going according to his plan!

"What?"

Looking at Uchiha Kazuto, Uchiha Itachi suddenly sensed something was wrong. He was just about to use Tsukuyomi on Uchiha Kazuto, but before he could act—

"Do you remember now, Itachi?!"

The next moment, Uchiha Kazuto's voice rang out, echoing again and again in Uchiha Itachi's mind. Uchiha Itachi's eyes instantly went blank as scene after scene from his past surged through his mind. It didn't last long, but...

It was already too late!

Uchiha Kazuto appeared behind him. A Chakra Scalpel sliced lightly across his cervical spine, severing his nerves. His lower body immediately lost control, and his body began to fall.

A hand caught him under the chin.

Chhk!

A Kunai pierced his brain without the slightest resistance. Then Uchiha Kazuto gently wiped across Uchiha Itachi's face and plucked out both of his eyeballs.

Thud!

Uchiha Itachi's corpse fell to the ground.

"Someone, take this traitor, Uchiha Itachi, away!"

Uchiha Kazuto gave the order. Soon, two shinobi from the Military Police Force appeared and carried Uchiha Itachi's corpse away.

Uchiha Kazuto had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He wanted those two eyes of Uchiha Itachi's, especially Tsukuyomi. That Dojutsu was an extremely important part of his plan. In fact, if Uchiha Itachi hadn't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and those two Dojutsu, he wouldn't have planned to kill him. He would have kept him alive and waited until he awakened them.

For today, he had specifically used the eye of Uchiha Shisui to cast Kotoamatsukami on Uchiha Itachi.

Its effect was simple: ignore the Mangekyō Sharingan he saw. Once he awakened his Mangekyō and Dojutsu, and felt an intense killing intent toward Uchiha Kazuto, he would appear in front of Uchiha Kazuto. When he heard the words "Do you remember now, Itachi?!", he would fall into a daze as memories flooded his mind.

This Kotoamatsukami genjutsu wouldn't normally have any effect on Uchiha Itachi. It had barely altered or twisted his thoughts at all. Even his momentary daze was caused by the memories, not forced upon him, and it didn't last long.

But it was enough. For a shinobi, even a brief lapse in concentration could decide the outcome of a fight.

What's more, Uchiha Kazuto had been plotting this for a long time.

"Itachi!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi lay on the guillotine, watching the scene in agony. He hadn't expected that, in the end, Uchiha Itachi would be the most loyal of all. After all, even the Anbu didn't seem to trust him anymore.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, why are you making that face? Do you think the son of that traitor Uchiha Itachi could save you? You don't really think he came here to save you, do you? Heh!"

Uchiha Kazuto walked over, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi with disappointment as he sneered.

Then Uchiha Kazuto turned around and faced the villagers of Konoha, his expression filled with grief.

"Everyone in the village, I'm sorry!"

Uchiha Kazuto bowed deeply, apologizing to all of Konoha. At his gesture, the entire village fell silent.

"I want to offer everyone my sincere apologies. I never imagined that our beloved, great Lord Hokage could be such a despicable man. If I'd known, I never would have followed Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders and imposed such strict control over the village..."

Uchiha Kazuto began to apologize, pinning all of his actions over the past while on Hiruzen Sarutobi. In short, Uchiha Kazuto had always been a loyal, upstanding citizen of Konoha. The only reason he'd led the beatings before was because Hiruzen Sarutobi had ordered him to.

They believed him. The villagers—even the shinobi clans—believed him. Uchiha Kazuto had acted far too loyally during this time, and they had never gone to the Hokage's Office to see the truth for themselves.

"Uchiha Kazuto!"

A despairing, agonized, frenzied roar burst from Hiruzen Sarutobi's throat.

But it was already too late!