A Decisive Uchiha

"Has the operation started?" Fuyuki didn't answer Uchiha Itachi's question.

This Emperor Player in front of him had turned his title from Eclipse into Moon Worm. If Fuyuki didn't beat him up, he'd be letting him off easy!

And he still expected an answer? Yeah, right.

Uchiha Itachi nodded, sitting on the edge of the roof and looking out over the bustling Uchiha Clan Compound. "After four in the afternoon, all the clan members will return to the compound, and Root Division will seal it off."

"Until I've completed the mission perfectly—or until I'm dead—not a single Uchiha will escape."

Danzo didn't want to get personally involved in wiping out the Uchiha Clan, either. The scandal would be explosive, and no one could shoulder the blame—not even the Hokage!

If the other clans learned that Konoha's leadership had planned the Uchiha massacre, the entire Konoha High Command would be finished.

It wasn't civilian shinobi who held Konoha together. The clans were its foundation. A few years ago, forcing the Hyuga Clan to apologize to Kumogakure had already stirred up plenty of resentment among the other clans. If the horrifying scandal of the Uchiha massacre came to light, the Hokage's faction would truly collapse!

So when Uchiha Itachi offered to wipe out his own clan, Danzo agreed without giving it much thought. Whether Itachi could carry out the mission perfectly or not, Root Division would clean up after him and pin the massacre on him!

"Why not tell the Third? Maybe he'll have a change of heart and agree to sit down and talk," Fuyuki teased.

"Shisui's death taught me a lot. The Third can't save the Uchiha. The three of them will only waste time until every precious moment is gone."

Uchiha Itachi's voice was calm, but the rapid spin of his Sharingan betrayed the turmoil within him.

The Third had neither the resolve nor the strength to bring the Uchiha to heel, and he kept hesitating. The Uchiha's unrest hadn't sprung up overnight; it had been caused by repeated crackdowns from the three leaders, and the Third had allowed it to happen.

There was nothing left to say now. He only had to follow Danzo's script.

If Shisui were still here... If he could trust the High-ranking Dark Elf... Perhaps everything could still—

Time trickled by. Suddenly, a space-time vortex appeared behind Uchiha Itachi, and a tall figure wearing an orange mask patterned with black clouds stepped out. In a low, aged voice, he said, "Time's up. I'll handle the Konoha Military Police Force. Do you need help with the rest of the clan?"

"No. I can take care of the rest." Uchiha Itachi rose from the roof and looked down at the street, where fewer and fewer people were passing by. His gaze turned cold and merciless.

"Fine."

Obito didn't waste any time. He left at once; he was in a hurry to harvest Sharingan, and didn't have time to stand around chatting.

Besides, he'd had Zetsu set traps in advance to help Uchiha Itachi wipe out the clan.

If Itachi couldn't even handle this, he wasn't worthy of being Obito's pawn.

Itachi dropped down into the street and began killing. Fuyuki, following behind him, was stunned. Was he really that ruthless?

His blade work was sharp, his Kunai throws flashy, and his Sharingan Genjutsu impossible to guard against.

Inside the houses, across the walls, on the stone-paved streets—the stench of blood and rust began to spread. The rank smell of dark-red pools and fatty tissue overwhelmed Fuyuki, and he immediately ended his will's descent and returned to his own body.

It wasn't as if Fuyuki had never seen killing. When he was young, he'd gone visiting with Hiashi and encountered bandits. But the Gentle Fist killed cleanly; it was nothing like Itachi wielding a katana from one end of the street to the other, until a mist of blood hung in the air.

"You..."

Feeling the Yin Release Chakra leave him, Itachi looked up at the High-ranking Dark Elf following him.

The High-ranking Dark Spirit shrugged. "You should know that strength doesn't determine how you handle things. Have you ever seen a noble-born person do dirty work?"

"So, handsome Uchiha boy, want some help?"

"No. I'll take care of it myself." Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath and continued his slaughter.

After signing the Elemental Dawn Summoning Scroll, he'd learned a little about the High-ranking Dark Elf's power and the Elemental Clan.

At the top of the Elemental Clan was Moon Worm, a Dominator of noble birth who ruled over everything in the summoning realm.

The second tier consisted of the sleeping Spirit King Igabella and the Fusion Spirit Hailon. Both were far stronger than High-level Spirits and formed the core of the Elemental Clan.

The third tier consisted of the seven chakra spirits. They were as powerful as Jonin, and if he summoned several High-ranking Elemental Spirits, they could even use Kekkei Genkai!

What's more, as long as the contractor had enough chakra, a High-ranking Spirit could summon a great many Lesser Spirits to help them conquer cities and seize territory—or even destroy an entire region.

As long as he had enough chakra, the Land of Elemental Dawn could grant the contractor anything they wished!

But when it came to wiping out the clan, Itachi didn't want anyone outside the Uchiha Clan involved.

He alone would bear the sin of the massacre!

Uchiha Itachi killed incredibly fast. His chakra seemed endless. With every person he killed, another trace of chill gathered around him, and vast amounts of pure Yin Release Chakra poured out of his body.

At last, he stood before a courtyard. The chill around Itachi gradually faded, and the hand he reached out to open the door trembled.

"Is that you, Itachi? Come in. We're in the side room." Uchiha Fugaku's voice came from a room in the side courtyard.

Itachi shuddered. His teeth instinctively sank into his lip. He didn't want to go in, but there was no other choice. Any Uchiha could be spared—except Uchiha Fugaku, the Uchiha Clan Head!

In the side room, he saw his parents kneeling with their backs to him. The hands gripping his sword trembled violently.

"Don't be afraid. This is the path you chose."

Uchiha Fugaku kept his back to Uchiha Itachi. "Compared to the brief pain we'll feel, the suffering you'll bear will be far greater."

"Don't hesitate. You've already broken through your confusion, found your answer, and made your decision. Now see it through."

"Father..." Tears spilled from Itachi's eyes, soaking the katana in his hands.

"Very few people in this world can make their own decisions. Most live according to the choices others make, avoiding responsibility for themselves. That's how you used to live." Uchiha Fugaku kept encouraging his son, urging him to follow through with the choice he'd made. "You've made your own decision now. You should live your own life."

"An Uchiha, a Hokage, a member of the Anbu, a double agent—you must have suffered, living between all those worlds."

"Itachi, I'm leaving Sasuke in your hands." Uchiha Mikoto's voice was soft as she spoke her last words.

"I'm proud of you, my son. Do it!"

With a roar from Itachi, the vast Uchiha Clan Head's mansion fell deathly silent. Not another sound could be heard.

"Well, there goes the handsome guy's family." The High-ranking Dark Spirit had been watching Uchiha Itachi closely. When Itachi swung his katana and his parents' blood splashed across his face, the Yin Release Chakra surging through him stopped instantly. Unlike when he killed the other clan members, his pain didn't turn into power.

The High-ranking Dark Spirit stepped over Itachi, who was sitting on the floor, and got to work. "Don't sweat the details. I just thought your aunt and uncle were still warm, so maybe I could save them. But I'll take these Sharingan as payment."

"..."

"Hey, handsome, don't just sit there in silence! You're scaring me!"

"..."

"Hey, hey, give me some kind of reaction, will you???"