Heartache

So he actually possesses the Rinnegan! It's no wonder Madara said he would be a troublesome enemy.

"May I ask, sir, why have you appeared in Konoha?"

With the Uchiha clan just wiped out, Konoha was at its most vulnerable moment. The sudden appearance of the legendary Rinnegan left Itachi no choice but to be vigilant.

Hearing this, Naruto Uzumaki cast his gaze toward Itachi and sneered, "Konoha? Isn't this the Uchiha district?"

Itachi stated firmly, "The Uchiha belong to Konoha!"

"So, you killed all the Uchiha who didn't want to belong to Konoha... oh, wait, I misspoke. You killed every single Uchiha except for your younger brother... regardless of whether they wanted to belong to Konoha, regardless of whether they were men or women, regardless of whether they were old or young, even infants who had just opened their eyes... everyone, they all died."

The more he spoke, the more Naruto Uzumaki's temper flared.

The Uchiha were none of his business, and he hadn't originally intended to get involved, but seeing the tragic state of the Uchiha, there were some things he simply had to say.

"Itachi, tell me, is it that those born into the Uchiha are inherently sinful, inherently deserving of death?"

Itachi remained silent for a long time before finally saying flatly, "The affairs of the Uchiha are not for you to worry about, sir."

"I don't intend to worry about your clan's messy business, but seeing a traitor like you, I can't help but lament for the Uchiha clan... what a misfortune for the family, a thousand-year legacy destroyed by the hands of a lunatic. I wonder if your father regretted it... not having shot you... ahem, not having strangled you the moment you were born."

This insult... Itachi couldn't take it. His three tomoe spun rapidly, forming the Mangekyo as he stared directly at Naruto Uzumaki.

--Amaterasu!

"Trash!" Naruto Uzumaki raised his hand, using Fūjutsu Kyūin to block in front of him, absorbing the raging black flames.

Just then, Kurama suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"

Swish!

A cold glint flashed as a kunai pierced toward Naruto Uzumaki's neck.

Naruto Uzumaki's pupils constricted, and he switched skills at top speed.

--Shinra Tensei!

Boom!

Obito, who was about to succeed, was sent flying backward. His internal organs shifted, he spat out blood, and he slammed heavily into the ground.

Naruto Uzumaki touched his neck, feeling a wet, sticky sensation. He brought his palm in front of his face to look—it was covered in bright red blood.

A wave of lingering fear washed over him; he had almost died.

"Thanks, Kurama, it's all thanks to you."

Kurama snorted coldly, "It is thanks to me, so you'd better cherish this little life of yours and not let my efforts go to waste."

"Yeah, I know."

Kong poked his head out from Naruto Uzumaki's clothing pocket, "Are you hurt?"

"A minor injury, it's already healed."

As he spoke, the wound on Naruto Uzumaki's neck regenerated.

Kong said worriedly, "Stop fighting, let's leave quickly."

"Wait a little longer."

Naruto Uzumaki wouldn't be satisfied until he turned the tables. He looked at Obito; with his White Zetsu cells, Obito had immense vitality and was already standing back up, looking as if nothing had happened.

He couldn't break character. Naruto Uzumaki said arrogantly, "Substitute, the fact that you managed to scratch my skin is enough for you to be proud of for the rest of your life."

--Banshō Ten'in!

Houses and buildings floated into the air, then accelerated as they plummeted toward the earth, crashing down upon Obito.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Old man, that trick of yours is useless against me." Obito entered his intangibility state, and all the attacks passed right through him, unable to cause him the slightest bit of damage.

"Substitute, you should just commit suicide quickly. It's your only chance at atonement."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"The Rinnegan... it's truly fascinating!"

Danzo, who had been hiding in the shadows, looked up at Naruto Uzumaki in the sky, a flash of greed in his eyes.

The Root member behind him asked respectfully, "Lord Danzo, when shall we make our move?"

"Wait a little longer, until they have both suffered heavy losses..."

Whether it was the Rinnegan or the Mangekyo, both would fall into his hands.

By then, the position of Hokage would be mine...

Just as Danzo was lost in his heated fantasies, Itachi walked past him with a calm expression.

Seeing Itachi pass by, Danzo was stunned, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be dealing with the enemy?"

Itachi said coldly, "The enemy can fly and has methods specifically designed to counter me. My staying behind would be useless."

"Then what about your Susanoo..."

"My ocular power was exhausted too much tonight; I cannot manifest it."

Danzo did not believe him, ordering sternly, "I command you to stay and help Konoha seize the Rinnegan."

"Don't let your appetite get too big, or you might just burst your stomach."

Itachi glanced at the bandage covering Danzo's right eye, finding it absurd. Did he really think the Rinnegan was so easy to snatch?

"Should I take that as... you speaking on behalf of the enemy?"

"No, I am advising you not to rashly create a powerful enemy for Konoha."

It didn't matter if he wanted to court death himself, but it would be bad to drag Konoha down with him.

Having said that, Itachi ignored Danzo's words and turned to leave.

At this time... my little brother should be coming back soon.

Unconsciously, Itachi quickened his pace.

"Bastard!"

Watching Itachi's retreating back, Danzo's expression turned ugly. His pawn was becoming increasingly uncontrollable...

"My lord, since the Uchiha clan has already been wiped out, why don't we make it even more thorough?"

The subordinate's suggestion sounded quite tempting to Danzo.

To put it simply, Danzo had two life goals.

One was to become Hokage and completely suppress the Third Hokage beneath him.

The second was to inherit his teacher's will and exterminate the Uchiha clan.

Seeing that the second goal was only two heads away from completion...

Danzo pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head in refusal.

"Konoha needs Itachi to shoulder the blame. If Root kills him, the blame will fall entirely on Root... that would be detrimental to me becoming Hokage."

The burden of the clan massacre was simply too heavy; even Danzo needed someone else to help carry the blame.

The Root squad prepared to continue lurking and observing the battle.

Suddenly, an angry shout came from the sky.

"Rats in the gutter, who gave you permission to spy on me?"

The floating houses and buildings all turned, crashing down toward Root.

"Protect Lord Danzo!"

Several Root ninja stood in front of Danzo, forming hand seals to jointly cast Earth Style: Earth Wall!

The rising rock walls collided violently with the falling buildings.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The massive sound spread across most of Konoha, and the churning dust covered the sky.

Naruto Uzumaki understood the "no damage if there's smoke" rule very well.

Flying over at high speed, he used Shinra Tensei to clear the path, intending to kill Danzo in one go while his body could still hold up, eliminating a source of danger to his future life.

As for Obito...

That dog was truly hard to kill; he would deal with him next time.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

It was as if three giant hammers were slamming violently into the ground.

The earth cracked, stones flew everywhere, and a giant crater appeared in the center.

At the edge of the crater, Danzo and three surviving Root ninja crawled out of the earth in a sorry state; as for the rest of the Root ninja, they had all perished.

The scale of this loss made Danzo feel a twinge of pain.