The Night of the Clan Annihilation

The biting wind felt like blades quenched in ice, scraping against their cheeks with a stinging pain. It carried an overwhelming scent of rust – the blood of the Uchiha clan, seeping through the cracks in the bluestone path, silently permeating every inch of the air.

The night was as dark as ink, with even the stars and moon hidden by heavy clouds. Only scattered flames flickered in distant mansions, illuminating a sky full of dancing ashes, like a silent funeral.

This calamity, which should have arrived three days later, had descended upon this land with such suddenness.

This was where the Uchiha, blessed with the crimson Sharingan, had lived for generations. Once, the alleyways echoed with the laughter of children and the greetings of clansmen. Now, only deathly silence remained, and even the wind whistling through the eaves carried a bone-chilling cold.

"Genki, hurry! Faster! Don't look back!"

Uchiha Hazuki's voice trembled uncontrollably, her trailing words almost torn apart by the cold wind. Yet, the grip on Uchiha Genki's wrist was astonishingly strong, her knuckles turning white from exertion, the cold sweat on her palms soaking through Genki's sleeve.

Her other arm was wrapped tightly around Uchiha Izumi beside her, shielding the girl's slender body protectively, as if afraid the shadows chasing behind them would swallow this last bit of warmth.

The sound of their footsteps was jarringly loud in the silent alley. Each step landed heavily on the bluestone, making a "thump-thump" sound, like treading on the fingertips of Death. Every step could be their last.

Izumi's face was as pale as paper, her lips trembling, but she bit them hard, stifling her sobs. Her hands clutched Hazuki's kimono so tightly that her knuckles turned blue. She buried her face in Hazuki's back, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with terror, peeking fearfully into the boundless darkness behind them.

Uchiha Genki gritted his teeth, his heart pounding so violently in his chest it felt like it would burst through his throat, bringing a suffocating ache.

The cold wind rushed into his throat, making it tight and his breathing burn.

He had been reborn into this world for a full ten years. From an ignorant child, he had stumbled his way into becoming the young man he was now. Day after day, he waited, hoping for the legendary system that could rewrite destiny to appear.

Countless times, he had dreamt of the moment his cheat would arrive, fantasizing about using it to protect those around him and change the Uchiha's fate. But even now, with the shadow of annihilation looming, that supposed reliance remained nowhere in sight.

And despite his best efforts in training, he had only managed to unlock a single-tomoe Sharingan!

Though he was also called a genius.

But without a cheat, without a shortcut, there was only the cold reality and the relentless approach of death.

The despair of being cornered washed over him like a tide. But looking at Hazuki beside him, who was protecting them despite her own trembling, and at Izumi, who clung to them like a frightened fawn, Genki's eyes gradually hardened.

He couldn't run, and he couldn't give up – he had to risk everything, to take his adoptive mother Hazuki and Izumi, who was like an older sister, and carve out a path to survival from this clan land that was about to become a hellscape!

BANG!

A crisp metallic clink suddenly shattered the alley's silence.

A jet-black kunai, whistling through the air with a sharp sound, accurately embedded itself into the wall in front of the three. The blade sank deep into the brick, emitting a dull thud and sending stone fragments scattering at their feet.

Their escape route was completely blocked.

Uchiha Genki stopped abruptly, his body leaning forward slightly from the inertia before tensing instantly.

A chill shot up his spine to the crown of his head, his hair standing on end, his skin prickling with goosebumps.

He could clearly feel an extreme, suffocating pressure slowly approaching from the end of the alley, like an invisible net tightening, gradually enveloping the three of them.

Just then, the clouds parted slightly, and a sliver of pale moonlight pierced through the gap, falling directly onto the figure at the alley's end.

A black trench coat fluttered in the night wind, its hem dancing, outlining a tall yet solitary silhouette.

On that young, yet utterly emotionless face, a pair of crimson Mangekyo Sharingan gleamed with a cold light in the dimness, like two burning will-o'-the-wisps, carrying an indifferent aura of utter destruction.

It was him.

The man who was about to personally end the entire Uchiha clan – Itachi Uchiha.

"Itachi... It's Itachi Uchiha!"

Hazuki's voice was filled with unconcealed terror, bordering on a sob. Yet, she instinctively pulled Genki and Izumi further behind her, her body slightly hunched in a defensive posture.

Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, her fingertips ice-cold, her body trembling with fear, but her eyes held a stubborn will to protect.

Izumi trembled even harder, tears finally welling up in her eyes, but she still bit them back, burying her face deeper. Her hand gripping Hazuki's kimono was so tight she looked like she would tear the fabric.

Looking at Itachi Uchiha's indifferent face before him, Genki's breathing became rapid and heavy, his chest feeling as if a massive boulder was pressing down on it, making even breathing difficult.

Despair and fear, like icy seawater, drowned him completely once more.

He knew the strength of the man before him – it was absolute dominance. In front of him, he, Hazuki, and Izumi were like three lambs waiting to be slaughtered, utterly defenseless.

But at that moment, he felt Hazuki's trembling body behind him, felt Izumi's subtle shudders of fear.

Ten years ago, he had transmigrated to this cruel ninja world. His biological parents had already died in the war. It was Hazuki and Izumi who found him huddled in the ruins and brought him home, giving him a warm haven.

Hazuki treated him like her own son, and Izumi treated him like her own brother. The warmth of these ten years was the only light in this cold world for him.

He could die, but no matter what, he had to secure a sliver of hope for Izumi and Hazuki!

Even if it was just a sliver of a chance, he had to gamble!

A resolute courage surged from the depths of his heart, overwhelming the towering fear.

Genki abruptly pushed Hazuki away and stepped forward, placing himself in front of them.

The boy's slender figure appeared exceptionally frail under the moonlight, yet it carried an air of desperate resolve.

"Itachi Uchiha!" His voice was hoarse from nervousness and fear, but he still tried to raise it, making it reach the other man's ears. "I have information about Sasuke! You can't kill us!"

Itachi Uchiha's footsteps didn't falter in the slightest. He continued to walk forward slowly, his black trench coat sweeping over the ashes on the ground, creating a soft rustling sound.

His gaze remained cold and indifferent, falling on Genki without the slightest ripple, as if looking at an insignificant ant.

"Are you trying to threaten me with that waste?" His voice was low and cold, devoid of any emotion, like icicles in midwinter. "It's useless."

Even though Izumi was one of the few clan members he could speak to, and even though the young man before him had a look of determination in his eyes, he wouldn't waver in the slightest.

For Sasuke, for the peace of Konoha, he had to end it all with his own hands.

Now, the entire Uchiha compound, besides his father Fugaku and mother Mikoto, only contained these three eyesores.

The sound of footsteps grew closer, and the suffocating pressure intensified.

Genki's heart pounded wildly, almost as if it would explode. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, soaking the strands of hair at his hairline.

He knew he had to reveal more impactful information to make this man stop.

"Inside Sasuke Uchiha! There's a soul that doesn't belong to him at all!"

Genki suddenly looked up, meeting the icy gaze of the Mangekyo Sharingan. In his utter despair, he roared with all his might, his voice filled with the madness of a man with nothing left to lose. "If you kill me! That soul inside Sasuke will eventually devour his body and consciousness completely! By then, everything you've done will be for nothing!"

The moment his words fell, Itachi Uchiha's advancing steps halted abruptly.

Time seemed to freeze. The only sound in the alley was the whistling of the cold wind.

Under the moonlight, the icy Mangekyo Sharingan contracted slightly. His eyes, no longer completely indifferent, now held a faint sharpness and scrutiny.

He stared intently at the young man before him, his deep voice laced with an almost imperceptible chill, and questioned him word by word:

"Is that so?!"

"I know what you're thinking!" Genki met Itachi's cold gaze, his throat tight but refusing to back down. His voice was hoarse but resolute, like a man with nothing left to lose. "You think by ending the entire clan with your own hands, you can sever hatred and protect Sasuke? But I'm telling you, Sasuke's danger has never come from the outside, but from within himself!"

He paused deliberately. Catching a glimpse of Itachi's almost imperceptible frown out of the corner of his eye, he immediately seized the opportunity, dropping the most explosive secret: "The soul inside Sasuke isn't his own at all!

It's the vessel of will passed down through generations of our Uchiha clan—the eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, Indra Otsutsuki! The creator of the Sharingan! He wants to possess Sasuke!"

Itachi's expression remained unchanged, but the crimson Mangekyo Sharingan contracted slightly. The indifferent gaze in his eyes now held a faint scrutiny. The pressure emanating from him faltered slightly, clearly indicating that this statement had struck a nerve.

Genki saw it clearly, his heart pounding relentlessly. He knew he had gambled correctly on the first step.

He suppressed the trembling in his chest and continued, "You don't believe me, do you? But if you just check the ancient texts and historical records of the Uchiha, you'll find that for a thousand years, the Senju and Uchiha have been bound by fate, their conflict never ceasing."

"And at every major turning point of conflict, two ninjas with heaven-defying talent would emerge simultaneously in both clans, as if guided by some unseen hand!" His voice trembled uncontrollably, a mix of fear and extreme tension. "The most recent pair, you know them all too well—the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and our Uchiha ancestor, Madara Uchiha!"

As he uttered the name "Madara," Genki could clearly feel the fluctuation of Chakra around Itachi.

He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deeply into his palms. The pain kept him lucid.

This feeling of powerlessness, entrusting his fate into the hands of an enemy, gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake. Despair was his constant companion, yet he didn't even have the right to retreat.