Death's End

Konoha was the strongest ninja village in the entire Ninja World. Even though the First Hokage, who was known as the God of Shinobi, had passed away, Konoha remained the most powerful village in the Shinobi World. The Uchiha clan, a family said to possess the strongest ocular bloodline in the Shinobi World, was one of Konoha's pillars of strength.

A tremendously bloody upheaval was about to take place in Konoha tonight. It would have a huge impact on the village, but the ordinary people and low-ranking ninja of Konoha were still going about their lives as usual, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Every Uchiha ninja had gathered at the Uchiha compound. This was an absolute order issued by the Uchiha Clan Head and the council of elders. No matter what missions they were on or what they were doing, every Uchiha ninja had to return to the compound tonight. Anyone who failed to do so would be treated as a traitor to the clan.

At seven in the evening, more than a thousand Uchiha ninja stood in orderly ranks in the compound's square, waiting for the clan head's orders.

These were all the Uchiha's forces.

"What are you trying to do? Those guys over there won't care that you're just a kid. If you try to run, they'll treat you as a traitor to the clan, and I guarantee they'll cut your head off at the first opportunity."

An Uchiha middle-aged ninja in the ranks gripped a little boy by the neck as he spoke.

"Uncle Fugaku, we have to get out of here! Something terrible is definitely going to happen tonight. You're just a Chunin, and I'm a kid who isn't even a Genin. We won't be any help at all. If we leave now, we might still have a chance!" Yuyou Uchiha urged Fugaku Uchiha anxiously, as if he knew what was going to happen.

Fugaku Uchiha held Yuyou by the neck and shook his head, his eyes full of despair.

"It's no use. Little people like us can only obey the clan. No matter what we face next, we have to follow the clan. That's the fate of you and me as members of the Uchiha clan."

Yuyou couldn't resist Fugaku's grip, but he wasn't going to accept his fate. He knew exactly what would happen next: everyone from the Uchiha clan gathered here would die, with only Sasuke Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi left alive.

"Why? I've only been in this world for a day. My life hasn't even begun!"

Yuyou was unwilling to accept it.

He had only just been reincarnated into this ninja world. Before he could even celebrate, he discovered something horrifying: he was a member of the Uchiha clan.

Naruto was one of his favorite anime series. He couldn't remember every plot point clearly, but he knew some of the major events very well. One of them was the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall. In a single night, the entire Uchiha clan became history, with only two "princes" surviving.

When he'd read the manga, he hadn't thought much of it. But in real life, it was terrifying. The Uchiha had over a thousand ninja alone, not even counting the ordinary members of the clan. If all those people died tonight, what a bloody battle and massacre it would be.

And now he—Yuyou Uchiha—was just an ordinary student at the Ninja Academy who hadn't even learned the Three Body Technique. So even with the memories and abilities of the body he'd taken over, he couldn't do anything.

Yuyou looked down at his right hand. He was clutching an egg-shaped crystal. This was his cheat, the Beast God Crystal, and the reason he'd crossed over into the world of Naruto.

The Beast God Crystal could grant him a bloodline, but its power was still weak. The bloodline he'd get by activating it now would be low-level.

To strengthen the Beast God Crystal, he had to collect bloodlines and merge them into it. The more bloodlines he collected, and the stronger they were, the more powerful the bloodline he'd receive when he activated the crystal.

But he couldn't think about the future anymore. There was no way to change the Uchiha clan's fate tonight; he would die along with them.

In this situation, the Beast God Crystal was completely useless. He had no way to obtain any bloodlines. Even if he could get a high-level bloodline, he still wouldn't be able to escape the Uchiha's fate tonight. This was a plot-mandated death that couldn't be avoided.

If he'd been given a different identity, he believed that, with his knowledge of Naruto's plot, he could collect all kinds of powerful bloodlines, use the Beast God Crystal to obtain an extraordinary one, and become the strongest ninja.

But none of that mattered now. He was facing certain death, and the Beast God Crystal was useless to him. Even if he activated it, he'd probably only get...

The Uchiha clan had gathered all its forces, but Konoha had done the same. And with Uchiha Itachi, widely regarded as the strongest ninja in the clan, serving as a spy, the Uchiha had never had any hope of succeeding in their "coup."

"Rumble..."

Suddenly, flames shot into the sky, followed by explosions that rang throughout the Uchiha compound.

Yuyou couldn't help covering his ears. Then he looked toward the explosion. Though the scene was blurry, he could make out a masked man standing in the heart of the flames.

"Obito Uchiha."

Yuyou immediately recognized the masked man.

"Run!"

That was all he could think to do. Obito Uchiha's strength was far beyond his ability to fight. Even the shock waves from the battle could easily kill him.

The slaughter had begun. The Uchiha ninja fought back, and the whole place descended into chaos.

This was the best time to escape. Without a moment's hesitation, Yuyou sprinted toward the destination he'd already chosen.

His heart pounded wildly as he ran. It was the first time in his life he'd ever faced such a terrifying situation, with his life on the line.

Once Obito Uchiha made his move, the battle had begun in earnest.

The Konoha ninja hidden in the shadows sprang into action. Though the "mission" was led primarily by Shimura Danzō's Root, other Konoha ninja had joined in as well.

By eliminating the Uchiha clan as quickly as possible, Konoha could minimize its losses. The other ninja villages had always been watching Konoha like hawks.

A Konoha Anbu Ninja wearing an animal mask walked down a street in the Uchiha compound.

The others might not recognize him, but the Uchiha ninja immediately recognized the masked Anbu's true identity.

Uchiha Itachi, the Uchiha clan's strongest fighter at the moment, was also one of the people aiding their coup. He was sure to become the clan's next leader.

"Lord Itachi."

Several Uchiha ninja hurried over when they saw Uchiha Itachi. They had no suspicions at all. Instead, they formed a protective formation around him.

Uchiha Itachi stopped. Having made his decision, he knew exactly what he had to do.

A flash of silver cut through the darkness, tracing an arc through the night.

Blood sprayed from their veins. The four Uchiha ninja surrounding Uchiha Itachi fell face-first to the ground. Each had a clean cut at the back of the neck, all in precisely the same place—a testament to Uchiha Itachi's skill.

Uchiha Itachi held his blade and continued on without looking at the Uchiha ninja still struggling on the ground.

"Wh... why?"

One of them had a stronger will to live than the others. He struggled to raise his head and looked at Uchiha Itachi's back.

But he died without ever getting an answer.

The battle raged on. Though the Uchiha clan's fighting strength was formidable, it couldn't withstand Konoha's forces. And with two top-tier fighters, Obito Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi, against them, the Uchiha ninja could do nothing but retreat.

By then, Yuyou was nearly at his destination: the Uchiha Clan Head's estate.

It was the only place he could think of where he might survive. This was where Uchiha Itachi had killed his own parents and, in front of his younger brother, laid the burden of the Uchiha clan's destruction on him.

Here, Uchiha Itachi had shown both the coldest ruthlessness and the deepest love for his family. If Yuyou hid here, there was a chance he could make it through. It was an incredibly slim chance.

But as long as there was a chance, that was enough.

Yuyou didn't dare look around. He could only run as fast as he could.

The Uchiha Clan Head's estate came into view.

"I'm almost there."

A flicker of joy appeared in Yuyou's eyes.

"Thud..."

Suddenly, the dull sound of steel piercing flesh reached Yuyou's ears, clear as day.

His running body abruptly stopped. His momentum sent him tumbling forward, and the stones on the ground scraped the tender skin of an eight-year-old.

"Why... I was... so close..."

Blood flooded his throat, leaving Yuyou's final words indistinct. The pain no longer mattered. All he could feel was the endless cold spreading from his wound.

In the last moment of his consciousness, Yuyou saw someone walk past him.

The figure seemed to pause and glance back at Yuyou on the ground, but didn't stop.

But none of that mattered to Yuyou anymore. Scarlet blood soaked the ground as life rapidly drained from his small body.

"Crack!"

Yuyou's tightly clenched right hand closed a little tighter. The Beast God Crystal he'd been holding shattered, turning into liquid that seeped into his body. At that very moment, Yuyou's heart stopped beating.