Uchiha Clan Downfall

Time passed, and before they knew it, that day had arrived.

"See you tomorrow, Ino."

Josuke waved goodbye to Ino.

He and Sasuke started walking home together.

For some reason, a growing unease stirred in Josuke's heart—he felt it wasn't far off...

On the road, seeing Josuke silent the entire way, Sasuke asked, puzzled, "Brother, what's wrong? You seem down today."

Josuke snapped back to reality and replied with a smile, "Nothing, just thinking about some things." He made up an excuse to brush it off—naturally, he wouldn't say anything about the Uchiha Clan Downfall...

"Oh."

Neither of them knew that a figure was staring intently at them.

(Divider... happening simultaneously.)

Under the setting sun, Konoha was gradually swallowed by darkness.

The entire Uchiha Clan compound was exuding an eerie atmosphere.

At that moment, on the rooftop of the Hokage building, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Behind him knelt Uchiha Itachi, dressed in Anbu gear, on one knee.

"Itachi, have you made your decision?..." The Third Hokage spoke with a deep tone, his back turned to Uchiha Itachi.

Hearing the Third Hokage's words, Uchiha Itachi kept his head lowered, but his eyes radiated an unprecedented resolve.

"Yes, Hokage-sama..."

"I only ask that you grant my final request..."

Uchiha Itachi knew very well that after tonight, he would bear the sin of slaughtering his clan. In exchange, Konoha was to protect his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uchiha Josuke.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Rest assured! As long as I am here, no one in Konoha will harm your brother..."

Itachi arrived outside the clan compound.

The enraged boy (Obito of the Uchiha Clan Downfall) had been waiting there for some time.

"You're here?" Obito said flatly. To him, this was as ordinary a matter as any.

After all, Rin was dead. Nothing was more important than Rin.

This world held only deep despair and darkness.

Itachi nodded.

"Yeah. Let's proceed as planned."

Then Obito headed to the Konoha Military Police Force, beginning a massacre, and dug out everyone's Sharingan along the way.

On the other side, Itachi entered the clan compound.

A longsword in hand, he was like a blood-soaked Asura, killing everyone in sight. One by one, his clansmen fell under his blade. Itachi seemed numb, merely reaping the lives that had once been vibrant.

Wherever he passed, blood splattered, and no one survived.

Suddenly, Itachi saw Fugaku. Fugaku stood still ahead, his eyes bearing the eerie, sinister Mangekyo Sharingan.

Itachi was shocked.

He couldn't help but tighten his grip on his longsword.

Fugaku said in a low voice, "Itachi, what is the outcome of this slaughter?"

With that, Itachi approached him, silent.

He simply activated his Sharingan, letting Fugaku see the village and the future of the Uchiha Clan.

After seeing the future images, Fugaku froze. After a moment, his body vanished. Itachi couldn't help but draw a sharp breath—was this the power of the Mangekyo? Even a mere clone possessed such strength.

Itachi didn't linger. He continued to kill all the remaining clansmen, then (picking up from the opening to match).

He leaped onto the rooftop, his Three Tomoe Sharingan activated, staring intently at the two returning from school.

Then, calculating the time, He arrived at home.

His Three Tomoe Sharingan fully activated, he scanned the surroundings, trying to find any traps or hidden weapons.

Inside the house, Fugaku heard the sound and said calmly, "No traps. Come in."

So Itachi deactivated his Sharingan and stepped inside.

"It's been a long time since we've talked properly, hasn't it?"

Fugaku looked at Itachi, the scarlet light radiating from the Mangekyo in his eyes the most bewitching color in the night.

"Itachi, keep these eyes after I die. Give them to you or to your younger brothers—we have seen the future in the Sharingan..."

Fugaku gave a faint smile again, gripping his beloved wife's hand tightly.

By now, Mikoto was also weeping uncontrollably.

"Itachi, your mother asks one thing of you. Take good care of your little brothers, alright? I'm entrusting them to you."

Mikoto's words stabbed into Itachi's heart once more.

Fugaku then added, "I failed to control the clan. It was all Dad's fault, leading to this tragedy. Our pain is nothing—compared to yours, ours is but an instant. Though our thoughts differ, you are still our pride. Come."

The First Generation Uchiha Clan Head thus faced his death with calm, hand in hand with his wife, awaiting their eternal rest.

By now, Itachi could no longer hold back his sobs, the blade in his hand trembling unsteadily.

But he sensed the arrival of the two...

He swung the blade of slaughter. The Three Tomoe Sharingan numbed him temporarily, blood streaming from his eyes. In the midst of grief, the Three Tomoe Sharingan transformed into the pinwheel-shaped Mangekyo Sharingan!!!! (He didn't awaken it by killing his parents—it awakened when Shisui died. But because the sorrow was too overwhelming, it activated uncontrollably.)

The two who returned saw the bodies strewn across the ground. Josuke already had an answer in his heart, but Sasuke did not. They rushed back home swiftly, only to witness the scene of Itachi after he had killed their parents.

!!

And in Itachi's hand was a glass bottle containing a pair of eyes!!!

Sasuke couldn't believe the sight before him. Was this his gentle, kind older brother??

No!

None of this was real!

"Foolish little brother, hate me, loathe me!"

Itachi's Mangekyo ability activated!

Tsukuyomi

He showed Josuke and Sasuke the complete process of the clan's annihilation.

Overwhelming grief filled Josuke's mind. His eyes turned blood-red, and a single tomoe Sharingan appeared in them.

After awakening the single tomoe, Josuke fell unconscious from the extreme sorrow.

It was then that Itachi spoke slowly.

"This is the reward I earned after killing the entire clan—these eyes!!"

With that, he slowly walked toward Sasuke.

Sasuke, terrified, fled in panic. Itachi walked over to Josuke, glanced down at him, then turned and left resolutely.

Sasuke hadn't run far before Itachi blocked his path, beginning the clumsy lie once more.

"Foolish little brother, I was only ever acting, playing the role of the so-called gentle brother. Come, hate me. Foolish little brother, hate me, loathe me! Come and kill me. Oh, I forgot to tell you—the condition to awaken the Mangekyo is to kill your closest loved one."

Only then can you become the vessel for my future test!"

Endless pain also awakened Sasuke's single tomoe Sharingan...

Extreme hatred made him forget fear. He hurled a shuriken and a kunai toward Itachi.

By chance, he knocked off Itachi's forehead protector.

Itachi quickly picked it up and put it back on. Looking at his youngest brother, tears flowed uncontrollably. Then the Mangekyo surged, and a powerful pressure knocked Sasuke unconscious on the spot...

(Poor Itachi—why pitiable? Grieving his misfortune, angered by his inaction—that is "pitiable."

That was my intention, yet I got criticized. Being an author is truly hard.

To put it bluntly, I only get flamed because I indulge the haters. If you haven't studied Lu Xun's essays, go learn what "grieving his misfortune, angered by his inaction" means.

You people who lash out at everything, like little yappy dogs—you're the ones who are ridiculous.)