The one who had entered Kamui Space with Obito earlier was not Uchiha Rei himself, but his Genjutsu clone.
The real Uchiha Rei had stayed in the real world and sealed Uchiha Obito himself.
Before making his move, he had already quietly cleared out Yellow Springs Space completely. Now, apart from the Yellow Springs Fire, it was as empty as a silent prison cell, with nothing in it.
Uchiha Rei said little about Obito's fate.
He would let him spend a few months in Yellow Springs Space first. Then they would see.
The Genjutsu clone still inside Yellow Springs Space had yet to send back any news.
"Surely not..." Uchiha Rei chuckled. "Uchiha Obito can't even handle one of my clones?"
It was a battle with a foregone conclusion, unworthy of further comment.
After sealing Obito, Uchiha Rei did not choose to rest. Of the two Uchiha members of the CS Duo who had pursued him relentlessly, he had dealt with one of them tonight.
The remaining member of the CS Duo couldn't be left alive, either. No time like the present. He would settle the score once and for all tonight.
With that thought, he turned and headed for the Uchiha Patrol Base.
It was the headquarters of Konoha Village's Police Force, established by Senju Tobirama at the end of the Second Shinobi World War. Its purpose had not been to provide a home for the Uchiha, but to keep them in check. By granting them authority, the Uchiha Clan had been stationed on the front lines of maintaining order, while also being firmly bound within the village's institutional cage.
Though the times had changed and the fighting had stopped, the Uchiha Clan had long since lost the prestige it once held at its peak. Still, the First Division of the Police Force was made up almost entirely of Uchiha.
Whether out of a sense of duty or some lingering pride in their clan, most members continued to serve faithfully, maintaining the appearance of order in Konoha.
Not every Uchiha was an accomplice to schemers. Most Uchiha, in truth, yearned for peace. Even Senju Tobirama, who had once been the most wary of them, had placed great trust in one Uchiha.
Kagami Uchiha.
Yet ideals inevitably clashed with reality. At several high-level meetings, Danzo had repeatedly proposed cutting the Police Force's budget. His reasoning was simple, yet difficult to refute: the war was long over, Konoha's security had stabilized, and the damage caused by the Nine-Tails' Rampage had largely been repaired. The budget should go toward Root and village development, rather than continuing to provide resources to the Uchiha.
The Third Hokage disagreed with making drastic cuts all at once, but he tacitly allowed the gradual withdrawal of funds. His seemingly gentle delays were merely another form of "cold treatment."
Using time and budget cuts to push the Uchiha to the margins.
As an old comrade, Danzo knew Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind well. He understood that the Third Hokage did not truly want to protect the Uchiha. Instead, he was trying to keep them trapped in the patrol system, slowly boiling them like frogs in warm water until they lost their influence over the village.
The location of the Police Force headquarters was also telling.
It was tucked away in the most remote corner of Konoha. Uchiha Fugaku had questioned the decision before the high-level officials several times. "If an urgent mission comes up, deploying from headquarters will cost us time."
Danzo's reply had been cold to the extreme. "Isn't there the Anbu? Just leave it to them."
This led to overlapping responsibilities and conflicts between the Police Force and the Anbu. In principle, the Police Force should have handled ordinary cases, but the Anbu often stepped in directly on important missions. The lines of authority blurred, repeatedly causing friction. The situation only stabilized temporarily after the Third Hokage intervened.
To compensate the Uchiha Clan, Konoha had given them a huge training ground.
Though remote, it was spacious enough. It had also become one of the few private grounds in Konoha suitable for large-scale combat exercises.
Uchiha Rei was now heading for the Uchiha Police Force headquarters.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Uchiha Itachi had already begun carrying out his plan.
A few days earlier, after his final conversation with his father, he had finally made up his mind.
"The most important thing for a shinobi is to complete the mission." That was the creed Konoha instilled in every child from a young age.
Even though he now bore the name of a rogue ninja, as long as the mission remained unfinished, he would carry it out: eliminate the evil Uchiha.
No matter how painful or hopeless it was, he would personally sever the fate of the Uchiha Clan.
Uchiha Itachi had once dreamed of becoming Hokage, a shadow who could truly bring about peace. As a child, he had been exceptionally gifted and confident that he could use his intelligence and strength to work his way into the Anbu and the heart of Konoha's power. Through political and military means, he would resolve the conflicts among the Five Great Nations and ultimately create a Ninja World without war.
But in the end, he came to understand a cruel reality.
Even after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, Uchiha Itachi could not mend the deepening rift between the village and the Uchiha Clan. His dream of peace seemed powerless in the face of dark reality. So he made an extreme decision: end the hatred with blood.
If the Uchiha Clan ceased to exist, the conflict would die with them.
That night, Itachi stepped into the headquarters of the Uchiha Patrol Force.
The vast, desolate grounds had once been a sanctuary the clan took pride in. Now they would become its graveyard.
Itachi's figure slipped into the camp like a crow in the night, his steps soundless, his killing intent already upon them. The members stationed there had no time to react before blades pierced their throats in the silence.
Blood bloomed like red plum blossoms beneath the moon, then vanished into stillness.
The lights were dim. Blood dripped slowly from Itachi's blade onto the floor beside him, staining the boards red. His stern figure reflected on the ground, like the Shinigami himself had come to claim them.
The slaughter eventually alerted the others. Itachi made no effort to hide himself. It was as if he wanted Konoha's high-level officials to see.
He, Uchiha Itachi, had not betrayed Konoha. What he was doing was to protect the village.
Fear began spreading through the patrol force. Many ordinary members had already fled, but some Uchiha elites remained, brimming with confidence as they tried to surround Itachi.
To them, Itachi was merely a prodigy who had made a name for himself at a young age. Now he was about to face the entire Police Force's elite alone.
"He might not even be able to handle a Konoha Anbu squad. The three of us together? What's there to fear?" one of them sneered under his breath.
Soon, three figures blocked Itachi's path.
Uchiha Tekka, Uchiha Yashiro, and Uchiha Inabi.
They were three of Uchiha Fugaku's closest confidants, and among the strongest in the Police Force. They had once overseen Uchiha Shisui's actions. After Shisui's death, they had turned their attention to Itachi, hoping to control him as they had Shisui.
They had not come to stop Itachi out of concern for their clanmates' deaths. They had come for Shisui's Eye.
The night wind was bitterly cold. At the end of the corridor, the three stood with the red glow of their Sharingan flickering in their eyes.
"Uchiha Itachi." Tekka, usually the quietest of them, was the first to speak. His voice held a suppressed hunger. "Hand over Shisui's Eye, and we can let this massacre go."
He took a slow step forward, his eyes fixed on Itachi. "You should understand: as long as it means carrying out the Uchiha's plan, any sacrifice is worth it. Hand over the eye and come back to us. We can still—"
Before he could finish, a flash of steel cut him off.
Uchiha Tekka received no explanation, no remorse, no plea—only the bloodstained blade in Uchiha Itachi's hand.
"You're no longer the kind of Uchiha I believe in."
Once again, blood sprayed into the air.
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