"This clan was beyond saving!"
Itachi's eyes were filled with indifference.
Read.
The last trace of belonging he felt had also been crushed by his father's words, words so fixated on the clan.
"Uchiha!"
"Uchiha!"
"All you ever talk about is the Uchiha!"
"To be so obsessed with one clan, to value the reputation of the foremost noble house above the village itself—that was true stupidity, a display of narrow-mindedness!"
"Born in Konoha, one should place Konoha's greater good first!"
Of course, he could not possibly say such things aloud now. Yet deep within him, a rebellious seed had already sprouted. All it needed was an opportunity to bloom into a flower as crimson as blood!
Watching his silent beloved son and sensing his resistance, Fugaku Uchiha's expression did not change, but his heart kept tightening.
This was his eldest son, the one he had once been so proud of!
At four, he had followed him and witnessed the Ninja War.
At seven, he had graduated from the Ninja Academy ahead of schedule.
At ten, he had advanced to chunin as the top-ranked student.
But now...
Fugaku Uchiha looked at Itachi. Though only a doorframe stood between them, the true distance separating them seemed as vast as mountains and seas.
"Arata wants to fight you."
After a moment, he spoke again, having reached a decision.
At those words, Itachi lowered his eyes slightly and blurted out the excuse he had used for nearly half a year. "There have been a lot of Anbu missions lately. I don't have time."
"Then make time!"
Fugaku Uchiha snarled.
His patience was nearing its limit. The clan's dissatisfaction was growing, and as clan head, he had to respond.
Continuing to shield Itachi and let him do as he pleased would only chill the hearts of the clansmen.
"Only the winner will be qualified to remain in the Anbu. That is the unanimous decision of the elders."
"If you refuse to fight, then leave immediately. I will speak to the Third Hoshikage about this."
Having said that, Fugaku Uchiha ignored Itachi's reaction, closed his eyes, and assumed the posture of someone preparing to rest.
Meanwhile, Itachi, standing outside in the courtyard, had clenched his fists at some point. Even his calm face had become slightly twisted.
First, they had sent his closest friend Shisui to watch him. Now, they wanted Arata to replace him in the Anbu.
"Heh. What a ridiculous clan."
"Brother!"
At that moment, a childish voice reached Itachi's ears.
That familiar voice instantly suppressed the violence in his heart, and the distortion on his face vanished without a trace.
"Brother, welcome home."
The speaker called out again, and the sound of quick little footsteps echoed down the corridor.
When Itachi turned, he saw tiny Sasuke running toward him.
"Yes, I'm home."
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
Itachi accepted the challenge.
Seven days later, during the Anbu's next rotation break, only the winner would be qualified to enter or remain.
When Uncle Yashiro brought him the news, Arata fell silent.
Then he simply packed a few things, strapped his custom-made Horizontal Blade to his back, and headed for the training ground. No matter how Uncle Yashiro tried to persuade him, it was useless, even though the moon already hung above the treetops.
Because this was the turning point at which he had the greatest chance of changing the fate of the clan's destruction.
There was no other!
At present, there were three ways he could quickly gain combat strength. First, achieve swordsmanship mastery. Whether he learned Konoha-Style Kenjutsu afterward or received sword techniques as rewards, they could become useful trump cards. Second, complete the thousand-day weighted-running achievement. This was the easiest to accomplish, and he was determined to get it. Third, summon a new yokai Shikigami and forcibly borrow its power through Demon Bind!
"Ren."
Upon arriving at the training ground, Arata immediately summoned two Shadow Clones and began practicing Dance of the Crescent Moon. Seven days was neither particularly short nor particularly long, but if he wanted to master this sword technique, he could only give it everything he had.
Fortunately, the daily rewards gave him the foundation to endure continuous high-intensity training.
As for summoning a new yokai Shikigami...
Arata had considered this long ago. The talismans he possessed now were all low-grade. He could not summon the nightmare-grade Demon Fox or the lord-grade Hyakume.
The Four Heavenly Evil Oni, at the lesser yokai level, were simply too weak. Borrowing their power would have little meaning.
That left Juzu and Heiyong at the strange-tales level. The former could dispel abnormal conditions and might be useful against the Sharingan's genjutsu, but its summoning material required prayer beads consecrated by a high monk. There was a relatively famous Fire Temple in the Land of Fire, but it was obviously too late to seek a Buddhist treasure now.
The latter leaned toward physical defense and did not suit his fighting style very well. Moreover, against Itachi, who excelled in Fire Release and genjutsu, it would not be of much use.
As for directly performing a random summon...
Arata had once held seven contract talismans, intending to summon something, but he had ultimately chosen to give up.
At this stage, Yuki-onna's support was enough. Too many strange and unusual abilities would instead draw attention, especially from Danzo.
Shisui's fate was the best warning.
The next day.
The entire Uchiha compound erupted.
Perhaps the clan head wanted to force Itachi to take the matter seriously, so he had spread word that Arata would challenge Itachi. Now the entire clan knew about it and eagerly awaited the day of the duel!
After all, they were the two most outstanding youths of their clan. Either one could crush ninja of the same generation from other clans until they could not raise their heads!
They were the pride of the Uchiha!
Of course, there was another source of pride: Shisui, who had single-handedly intimidated Mist ninja so thoroughly that they dared not advance recklessly. Body Flicker Shisui.
"Arata."
"Are you back?"
That night, Izumi, waiting in the small courtyard, gently knocked on Arata's door.
She had been waiting for a long time. According to his disciplined routine, he should have been home long ago.
Yet after knocking several times, she still received no response.
She had heard from her mother and Granny Kome next door that they had not seen Arata leave that morning. Under normal circumstances, he would definitely go out for his morning run, rain or shine.
"Why?"
"Why did this happen?"
Izumi Uchiha murmured to herself.
She had merely gone to carry out her first genin mission with her newly formed teammates. When she returned, she heard the clansmen discussing it.
Arata was going to challenge Itachi.
The former was like a younger brother to her. Though they were not related by blood, the bond forged through five years together could never be severed.
The latter had saved her life during the Nine-Tails Incident and had once become someone she admired.
It could be said that they were the two most important people of her generation to her.
But now they were going to duel.
Unlike the other clansmen, Izumi did not treat it as a spectacle or the reckless impulsiveness of youth.
Because Arata had never fought with anyone over anything, much less taken the initiative to cause trouble.
There had to be more complicated reasons behind this match.
Thinking of this, Izumi could not help looking toward the training ground. If Arata was not home, then he could only be there!
Yet just as she stepped forward, intending to run toward the training ground, she abruptly stopped.
The Anbu!
A place in the Anbu!
Izumi suddenly remembered the prize at stake in this match, the prize most of the clansmen had forgotten.
"Ever since Itachi entered the Anbu, we hardly ever see him."
The girl's voice carried a trace of melancholy.
"The Anbu."
The boy's voice was very soft, perhaps merely repeating her words casually.
Images buried deep within his memories began to take form. Arata had long since made a certain decision.
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