A blood moon hung high.
It was as though the heavens were weeping.
An unspeakable tragedy befell the Uchiha Clan—the slaughter of an entire clan!
The seeds of disaster had been planted when the village was founded, and the Nine-Tails Incident in Konoha Year 48 finally brought them to a head. The Uchiha had gone from actively trying to resolve tensions to rising in resistance and attempting a coup. In the end, they never made it past Konoha Year 56.
"Aaaah!"
"Itachi Uchiha, may you die a horrible death..."
"Why did you betray us?!"
"Stop... stop! They're still children..."
"Get him together..."
"Aaaah!"
The entire clan was plunged into endless grief and terror. Yet amid the chaos, one figure remained remarkably calm: Qing Wu, the Phantom God.
"Itachi Uchiha, you really are ruthless." As a spectator, he had successfully obtained a large number of precious Sharingan and fresh blood samples.
He had also taken advantage of the chaos to quietly carry away three Uchiha infants still in swaddling clothes, along with the gravely wounded Izumi Uchiha, whose life hung by a thread.
And several women who had yet to awaken their Sharingan.
Next, Qing Wu employed the mysterious Yin-Yang Release, carefully creating lifelike bodies and scattering them among the corpses lying in rivers of blood.
All to throw others off the trail.
After all, as far as Danzo and Obito Uchiha were concerned,
ordinary Uchiha clan members
had no value unless they had awakened their Sharingan.
They were insignificant.
At most, the two would count the bodies,
finish off the wounded,
and make sure no one was left alive.
"Haah... I think my heart's grown harder."
Qingwu watched the tragedy unfold without interfering much. For Qing Wu, the idea of becoming a savior had never even crossed his mind.
After all, quietly making a fortune had always been his guiding principle. As for those Uchiha clan members, Qingwu didn't know them.
"Leaving the Uchiha a few seeds and a legacy"
"is already an enormous kindness."
"That should settle my karmic debt for refining Shisui into a Human Path clone!"
He had gained Shisui as a clone, possessing all his memories and his soul, but he was still Qingwu.
"Was that inexplicable pull the Pure Land, back when I was drawing in the souls of the Uchiha's strong?"
"Forget it. There's no need to run into Six Paths right now. Ordinary souls will do. That old fellow keeps himself far too well hidden."
Still, this operation had brought him an unexpectedly rich harvest, particularly the considerable soul power he had acquired to fill the Small World's fledgling Underworld.
As for other possessions, ordinary money held no appeal for Qing Wu. Gathering it would be too much trouble.
"As expected of the Uchiha, a thousand-year-old great clan descended from the children of Six Paths. Their library really is extensive."
"It's more than twice the size of our Hyuga's."
"Aren't the Uchiha supposed to be a bunch of brutes? Why did they collect this stuff? I've never heard of them loving books."
"Whatever. It's all mine now."
"Hehe... mine, mine, all mine..."
Whenever he spotted any of the dazzling array of books and classified scrolls containing Ninja World secrets and inherited ninjutsu, he used the Eye of God to copy their important contents, then quickly transmitted them to his Divine Self for safekeeping.
He took nothing but knowledge. Even with the Uchiha's eyes, he merely extracted samples of their bloodline power and ocular power. The Demon Refining Pot could reproduce them; there was no need to gouge out ordinary Sharingan.
He knew perfectly well that the more he did, the greater the chance of making a mistake. A person shouldn't be too greedy.
If he accidentally left clues that allowed Danzo's Root or Obito Uchiha to realize a hidden Factions had secretly intervened,
it would bring endless trouble. That was clearly at odds with his style as a mastermind operating behind the scenes. Thus, the mantra "Keep your head down, build your strength, and don't get reckless" always lingered in Qing Wu's mind.
His gains had already exceeded his expectations.
Money was just a worldly possession.
He wasn't short of it anyway.
"Black Zetsu, that thousand-year-old schemer—who knows what backup plans he has? Even Ōtsutsuki Isshiki is lying low in the Ninja World."
"The Sage of Six Paths is secretly stockpiling power in the Pure Land, too. In the finale, all he did was split off one portion of yang power and one portion of yin power and give them to Naruto and Sasuke, and they sealed Kaguya. Just imagine how strong that old fellow is."
"Besides, he controls the souls of most of the powerful people who've entered the Pure Land over the last thousand years. Who knows whether they'll rise from the dead?"
"The Ninja World is too dangerous. I can't get too cocky."
"You can't be too greedy. Be content with what you've got. Time to leave!"
Qing Wu quietly departed the Uchiha Clan Compound with his spoils, without anyone noticing.
"Hehe... I won't take anything... but I can leave you a nice little gift... A clan as big as the Uchiha..."
"It's perfectly normal for them to have a few traps, wards, and things, isn't it...?"
Qingwu entered his world, intending to treat Izumi Uchiha's injuries first. However, he discovered that her wounds were so severe that his medical skills alone couldn't heal her.
"Holy shit... a wound straight through her chest... massive blood loss... psychological trauma... hardly any will to live..."
"I can't treat this... What do I do? Find Tsunade? She might die on the way... What do I do...?"
The Demon Refining Pot lit up.
Qingwu froze at the sight, then slapped his forehead. What an idiot I am. Right in front of me is the mighty Demon Refining Pot, a divine artifact of creation!
Even if it retained less than one ten-thousandth of its power at its peak,
it was still an existence beyond the limits of this world.
It had simply spent all these years asleep.
Qingwu had almost forgotten.
"Izumi Uchiha, you really are lucky to be alive. From now on, live for me." Qingwu gazed at the dying Izumi Uchiha.
"Itachi Uchiha, you're ruthless."
"You wouldn't even spare your childhood sweetheart."
"Then again, you're a beast who murdered his own parents. What's one woman to you?"
"You only have eyes for your little brother, Sasuke."
"But one day, this debt"
"will be collected by Izumi Uchiha herself."
"Wash your neck and wait."
Qingwu loved revenge stories like this.
Itachi Uchiha had only himself to blame for acting so arrogantly before him, testing Qingwu, measuring his capacity, and insisting on keeping him under constant watch. All those tricks had made Qingwu utterly despise him.
He had spent long enough being worked like a mule in his previous life. There was no reason to do it again in this one, and Itachi Uchiha had happened to do exactly what he hated.
"He actually tried to manipulate me."
"He's already signed his own death warrant."
"Hehe... I've left you a lovely gift. I hope you don't go mad the next time we meet..."
"Hehehe..."
"Lord Danzo, Third..."
"My mission is complete. Now I will accept the mysterious man's invitation to join his organization and gather intelligence for the village."
"I will keep constant watch on developments in the other great nations."
"I hope you will honor your promise and let Sasuke live an ordinary life in the village."
After dealing with the Uchiha Clan and taking care of his parents' remains, Itachi Uchiha went to see Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo.
He got straight to the point.
In short: I'm going undercover. I have an organization backing me now, so don't think you can keep me here. Take good care of my brother, or consider the consequences. I'm sure the other nations would be very interested in Konoha's intelligence.
(Meanwhile, Qingwu finished copying the Scroll of Seals in the Hokage's office and obtained the forbidden techniques he wanted.)
Hiruzen stopped Danzo before he could speak.
"Don't worry, Itachi. Sasuke is also an inheritor of the will of fire. Of course Konoha will protect its young seedlings."
Sarutobi Hiruzen offered his assurance with a genial smile. The moment he opened his mouth, his years in politics showed. I understand. Your brother is in our hands, so don't try anything either.
"Then I shall take my leave."
Itachi Uchiha's figure dissolved into countless crows that flew away.
Danzo's expression was dark, his intentions unreadable.
Threatening the Hokage.
Insolence.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face instantly turned cold. Then, seemingly struck by a thought, he grew calm again.
"Danzo, the Uchiha Clan rendered countless services to Konoha. Now that they have suffered this calamity, we cannot leave their heroic souls without a resting place. I'll entrust their funeral arrangements to you. Remember, choose a good cemetery and give them a grand burial."
The corners of Danzo's mouth curled upward as well. "Ahem... Leave it to me. Root specializes in these matters."
Sarutobi, you're really something.
You even turn this into a show.
It doesn't matter. I'm short of test subjects anyway. If I'm handling their affairs, won't I get the final say on how much the Uchiha had in their collection? There's plenty to skim off the top.
Just like that, the two old men divided up the Uchiha's estate.
Little did they know that while taking inventory,
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Damn Uchiha! Why the hell did they set so many explosive tag traps inside their own compound...?"
"Holy shit! Do kunai grow on trees?"
"Damn it, those are poison smoke bombs..."
"Aaaah! My face! My eyes! It's sulfuric acid!"
"Aaaah! My foot! It's a beast trap!"
Both the Anbu and Root lost a considerable number of personnel—more than they usually lost in an entire year.
Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen were livid.
"The inherently evil Uchiha."
Watching the scene, Qingwu was delighted. Bastards. Let's see you act arrogant now. I'll take my time playing you to death.
Itachi had already understood the malice beneath Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile and the viciousness in Shimura Danzō's eyes.
The Uchiha were gone.
So he, their tool, no longer mattered. Was that it?
At that,
he felt the same despair Shisui had once experienced.
Had he
really
been wrong?
Once again, that question arose in Itachi Uchiha's mind.
There was no answer.
"Sasuke, can you really grow up safely in an environment like this? Can I really trust the Third's promise?"
Itachi Uchiha began to waver as well.
It was already too late.
Yet when he thought of his parents, who had offered their necks to his blade, Itachi Uchiha still felt some regret. "Perhaps if I'd spoken openly with Father and Mother back then, things might not have turned out like this..." At that thought, he frowned slightly.
His mother's remains had vanished. In the brief time he had spent seeing Sasuke, they had disappeared, leaving him deeply shocked.
The mysterious man who called himself Madara had denied it.
He hadn't done it.
Then who had?! And why target his gentle mother's remains rather than those of his father, who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan?
He couldn't figure it out.
But he couldn't concern himself with all that right now.
Sasuke mattered most.
"Before I leave, perhaps I should see that person."
"Give Sasuke another layer of protection."
Qingwu: "Hehe... That's what you get for ambushing me. I'll become your stepfather... I never hold grudges..."
Before you continue