Uchiha Itachi's Home Was Stolen

In the Uchiha Clan, bloodline purity was almost considered a prerequisite for awakening the Sharingan. To ensure their descendants inherited this powerful Kekkei Genkai, many families within the Uchiha Clan practiced consanguineous marriage.

Children with mixed bloodlines were highly likely to never awaken the Sharingan in their lifetime, destined to live ordinary lives. Uchiha Izumi grew up amidst this prejudiced view of bloodlines.

Although only thirteen years old, Uchiha Izumi was already well-known within the clan. She was a contemporary of Uchiha Itachi, awakened her eyes at six, and reached the Three-Tomoe Sharingan level by thirteen, her talent evident.

Seven years ago, on the night the Nine-Tails attacked the village, she was only six. She watched her father fall before her eyes, shielding her with his body amidst the chaos. The pain of that night became the catalyst for her Sharingan awakening, like a brand.

Because her father was not from the Uchiha Clan, she was long considered a half-blood within the clan. She faced cold shoulders, ostracism, and even insults and bullying from the clan's children. Her childhood was filled with loneliness and scars. Although her mother was an Uchiha, she was marginalized for marrying an outsider. For years, the mother and daughter were forced to move to a separate dwelling outside the Clan Compound, cutting ties with the main family.

Until one day, she met the young clan head, Uchiha Itachi, by chance in the village. Itachi was only ten at the time but was already seen as the hope of the Uchiha. He gently accepted Izumi, even sharing Three-color dango with her.

Encouraged by Itachi, Izumi finally mustered the courage to step back into the Clan Compound, returning to the family she belonged to. She grew accustomed to sharing Three-color dango with Itachi, and also to his indifferent gaze.

She knew she had feelings for this powerful young man. Because only the strong were worthy of protecting her.

However, Itachi defected.

That day, he left without saying goodbye to anyone. If he had said goodbye, Izumi knew Itachi wouldn't have just bid farewell to her, but also to her mother and elderly grandmother. But Itachi left nothing behind, becoming a rogue ninja and disappearing into the Konoha night.

These past few days, Izumi had been assigned by Uchiha Yue to guard the center of the Clan Compound. With her status, she originally had no right to be in the core area, especially now with the heavily guarded perimeter, yet no one drove her away.

Tonight, darkness enveloped the Clan Compound. Uchiha Yue was nowhere to be found. Izumi stood under the eaves, gazing at the faint starlight in the sky, worried about the safety of her mother and grandmother.

She was not the only one lost in thought. The young Uchiha Sasuke beside her lowered his head in silence, constantly thinking of his brother. Brother... Uchiha Itachi, now a rogue ninja, his life and whereabouts unknown.

Suddenly, a commotion broke the silence of the night. Shouts of killing echoed from afar, carrying a heavy scent of blood. Uchiha Izumi immediately became alert, got up, put on her coat, and said softly, "Sasuke, stay here. Don't come out."

Izumi stepped out into the courtyard. The night wind carried killing intent. Clan members outside the courtyard walls fell one by one, blood flowing like a river.

And among those corpses stood a black-clothed figure, wearing a Swirl mask. His left eye revealed a scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan, as if from the depths of hell.

Uchiha Obito.

The moment he saw Izumi, his eyes turned cold. That coldness wasn't the indifference of a stranger, but a hatred born from familiarity.

He knew Izumi was close to Itachi, one of Itachi's most trusted people. In Obito's mind, Itachi's betrayal had prompted him to act prematurely, so anyone connected to Itachi should be eliminated along with him.

"What beautiful eyes," he said, deliberately lowering his voice. "A shame they'll soon belong to a dead person."

Izumi didn't respond, but her body tensed like a drawn bowstring. She quickly drew several shuriken, dropped low, and darted across the ground, instantly throwing the shuriken in a perfect parabola. This move was taught to her personally by Uchiha Itachi. Combined with her Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the angle and force were just right to pierce the enemy's vital points.

But!

As the shuriken were about to hit Obito, they eerily passed through his body. Izumi's pupils contracted, her face turned pale.

It was a sure-hit technique, why?

Obito let out a cold laugh. That was the power of Kamui. He had already phased himself out of reality. The next moment, he flipped his right hand, drawing a bundle of Pitch-black chains from thin air. Chakra flowed through them, and the chains extended on their own, lunging at Izumi's body like living snakes.

"It's over," Obito sneered.

Before Izumi could react, she was tightly bound by chains, her limbs unable to move. She struggled with all her might, but the opponent's Chakra was powerful, and the chains felt like they were crushing her entire body.

She gritted her teeth, unwilling to yield, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning madly in her eyes. Obito, expressionless, did not stop.

Uchiha Izumi's hands were tightly locked, Chakra chains coiling around her wrists like venomous snakes. The chains dug deep into her fair skin, blood already seeping out. Izumi's body trembled uncontrollably, her black hair falling messily to the side of her face, the tips stained with blood and clinging to her pale cheeks. She was like a wilting flower under the night sky, decadent yet stubborn.

"You don't seriously think Uchiha Itachi will come to save you, do you?" Obito sneered. "Even if he came, the outcome would be no different. His choice... would be the same as mine, to let you bid farewell to this hypocritical world."

Uchiha Izumi did not respond, only biting her lower lip tightly, her lips as red as blood. Her shoulders trembled with each breath, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan no longer sharp. Tears blurred her pupils, and those red eyes, symbolizing the Uchiha's pride, were now filled with humiliation and unwillingness.

"Those eyes of yours... will soon belong to me too." Obito walked over slowly, bending down, his palm reaching out towards Izumi's eyes, his tone as if admiring a trophy.

"Get lost," Uchiha Izumi said in a low voice. Her voice was weak, yet it carried an unshakeable firmness. Even though her body was trembling, even though her Chakra was depleted, she did not beg for mercy. She was an Uchiha; even in defeat, she would fall like an Uchiha.

"With you?" A coldness flickered across Obito's lips. As his Chakra fluctuated, the chains tightened abruptly, emitting a terrifying "kaka" sound.

The chains tightened around Uchiha Izumi's neck, tearing a scarlet bloody gash on her fair skin. Her cry was choked in her throat, leaving only heavy gasps as her chest heaved violently. She didn't speak again, her fingertips moving slightly, trying to subtly form a hand seal. Knowing she was outmatched, she still refused to tarnish her clan's pride.

The Uchiha's dignity could not be desecrated.

Just then, a gentle breeze arrived quietly, as if even the air had been lightly stirred. The next second, Uchiha Izumi's figure vanished before Obito's eyes.

"...!?" Obito was startled, his pupils contracting. He immediately activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, scanning the surrounding Chakra fluctuations. Soon, he locked onto his target.

Not far away, on the branch of an inconspicuous large tree, a ninja wearing a mask and a black outfit stood quietly. In his arms was the exhausted Uchiha Izumi.

The chains had disappeared at some point. Izumi leaned entirely into the black-clothed ninja's embrace, almost without the strength to support herself. Trembling, she slowly placed her hand on the person's chest. Through the thin clothing, Izumi could feel the strong, powerful heartbeat within the person's chest. Bang, bang—the rhythm seemed to beat against her eardrums, and even more so against her already fragile heart.

At that moment, a wave of indescribable emotion washed over Izumi. Her breathing quickened, and a blush crept onto her cheeks. Fear, pain, and the lingering shock mingled with an emotion she herself could not articulate. As if by instinct, she wrapped her arms around the person before her, holding on tightly, unwilling to let go. Their bodies pressed together, closer and closer, almost inseparable.

"Who... are you?" Obito stared at the masked man, his tone deepening.

"Me..." the masked man chuckled softly, his tone leisurely yet eerie. "I am the hero of Konoha, Uchiha Obito."

As the words fell, the air seemed to freeze.

Obito's pupils contracted sharply, and thunder roared in his heart: He is me? Then who am I?

Almost simultaneously, Obito swung his right hand, and the chains shot out like venomous snakes, instantly coiling towards the black-clothed man. However, the moment the chains touched the black-clothed man's body, it was as if they passed through an Illusionary Shadow, with no substance, completely penetrating his form.

"How is this possible..." Obito frowned, his heart filled with disbelief.