Uchiha Clan Annihilated, Qingwu Fishes in Troubled Waters

A blood-red moon hung high in the sky.

It was as if the heavens themselves were weeping.

A horrific, soul-crushing tragedy had descended upon the Uchiha clan—the massacre had begun!

"Aaaah~"

"Itachi Uchiha, you will die a miserable death..."

"Why would you betray us?!"

"Stop... stop it... they are just children..."

"Attack together..."

"Aaaah~"

The entire clan was submerged in endless grief and terror. Yet, amidst this chaos, one figure remained exceptionally calm: Qing Wu (the Phantom God).

"Itachi Uchiha, you truly are ruthless."

As a mere spectator, he had not only successfully harvested a large number of precious Sharingan and fresh blood samples.

He had also taken advantage of the chaotic situation to quietly spirit away three Uchiha infants still in their swaddling clothes, along with an Izumi Uchiha who was severely wounded and hanging by a thread.

And a few women who had yet to awaken their eyes.

Immediately following this, Qing Wu unleashed the mysterious Yin-Yang Release, meticulously crafting lifelike decoys and scattering them carelessly among the blood-soaked corpses.

This was to confuse the observers.

After all, to Danzo and Obito Uchiha.

Ordinary Uchiha clansmen.

Those who hadn't awakened their eyes were worthless.

They were inconsequential.

At most, they would just count the bodies.

Deliver the finishing blows.

And ensure no survivors remained.

"Sigh~ It seems my heart has grown cold."

Qingwu watched the tragedy unfold without intervening. To Qing Wu, the thought of becoming a savior had never once crossed his mind.

After all, "getting rich in silence" was the philosophy he had always lived by. As for those so-called Uchiha clansmen, Qingwu claimed no familiarity with them.

"Leaving behind some seeds and heritage for the Uchiha."

"That is already a massive favor."

"Consider this settling the karma for using Shisui to refine my clone!"

He had obtained Shisui as a clone, possessing all of his memories and soul, but he remained Qingwu.

"That strange attraction I felt while guiding the souls of the Uchiha elites earlier—was that the Pure Land?"

"Forget it. There is no need to clash with the Sage of Six Paths right now. Ordinary souls will have to suffice; that old man hides too deep."

However, this operation had yielded unexpected and bountiful rewards, especially the acquisition of soul energy, which he used to populate the nascent Underworld within his small world.

As for other material wealth, Qing Wu was not moved in the slightest; collecting such things was too much trouble.

"As expected of the Uchiha, a thousand-year-old noble clan descended from the Sage of Six Paths; their collection of books is truly vast."

"It's more than double that of our Hyuga."

"Aren't the Uchiha supposed to be brutes? Why collect these? I've never heard of them being fond of reading."

"Whatever, it's all mine now."

"Hehe~ Mine, mine, it's all mine..."

Every dazzling secret of the ninja world, ninjutsu heritage, and classified scroll that caught his eye was copied by his Eye of God, with the vital contents swiftly transmitted to his Divine Self for storage.

He took nothing but knowledge.

Because he knew well: the more one does, the greater the chance of making a mistake; one must not be overly greedy.

If he were to accidentally leave behind a trail and have Danzo's Root organization or Obito Uchiha discover that a hidden force had interfered, it would inevitably invite endless trouble. Such a situation clearly ran contrary to his style of operating as a mastermind behind the scenes. Thus, the mantra "develop stealthily, don't show off" remained at the forefront of Qing Wu's mind.

The harvest was already beyond expectations.

Wealth is merely an external possession.

He was not lacking in it.

"Black Zetsu, that thousand-year-old schemer—who knows if he has backup plans? Even Ōtsutsuki Isshiki is lurking in the ninja world."

"The Sage of Six Paths is also hoarding power in the Pure Land. One must remember the finale: he only needed to split a portion of Yang power and Yin power to give to Naruto and Sasuke to seal Kaguya. One can only imagine how strong that old man is."

"Not to mention he controls the souls of most of the experts from the last thousand years in the Pure Land. Who knows if they might rise from the dead?"

"The ninja world is too dangerous; I cannot afford to be reckless."

"One shouldn't be too greedy; contentment is the key to happiness. Time to retreat~"

Qing Wu took his spoils and slipped quietly out of the Uchiha compound, undetected by anyone. He entered his inner world, intending to treat Izumi Uchiha's injuries first.

However, he discovered that her wounds were extremely severe; his medical skills alone were insufficient to heal her.

"Damn it... a piercing wound to the chest... massive blood loss... mental trauma... and she has no will to live..."

"Master, I can't fix this... what do I do? Find Tsunade? I might die halfway there... what now..."

The Demon Refining Pot began to glow.

Seeing this, Qing Wu froze for a moment before slapping his own forehead. Look at my pig brain, I have the great artifact of creation, the Demon Refining Pot, right in front of me.

Even if it wasn't even a ten-thousandth of its peak.

It was still an existence that transcended the specifications of this world.

It had just been dormant for all these years.

Qing Wu had almost forgotten about it.

"Izumi Uchiha, you have a tough life. From now on, live for me," Qing Wu said, looking at the dying girl.

"Itachi Uchiha, you are ruthless."

"You didn't even spare your childhood sweetheart."

"I suppose that makes sense; you're a beast who slaughtered your own parents, so what is one woman to you?"

"You only have eyes for your brother, Sasuke."

"But one day, this debt..."

"Izumi Uchiha will collect it herself."

"Wash your neck and wait for it."

Qing Wu loved this kind of revenge plot.

After all, Itachi Uchiha had been so arrogant in front of him, testing Qing Wu's temperament and keeping a constant eye on him—all those little games made Qing Wu loathe him to the core.

He had been a corporate slave for long enough in his past life; there was no reason to be one in this life, and Itachi Uchiha had happened to do exactly what he hated.

"To think he tried to gaslight me."

"He has already paved his own path to death."

"Lord Danzo, Lord Third."

"My mission is complete. I will now join the mysterious organization as invited and gather intelligence for the village."

"I will keep a close watch on the movements of the other great nations."

"I hope you lords will keep your promise and let Sasuke live a normal life in the village."

After finishing off the Uchiha clan and laying his parents' remains to rest, Itachi Uchiha went to meet Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo.

He got straight to the point.

In short: I'm going undercover, I'm with an organization now so don't try to keep me here, take care of my brother or consider the consequences, and I'm sure other nations would be very interested in Konoha's intelligence~

He cut off Danzo before he could speak.

"Rest assured, Itachi. Sasuke is also a successor to the Will of Fire; Konoha will certainly protect its young sprout~"

Sarutobi Hiruzen promised with a chuckle. One could tell he was a veteran politician from the start: I hear you, your brother is in our hands, so don't try anything funny.

"Then, this humble one shall take his leave."

Itachi Uchiha's figure dissipated into a murder of crows and flew away.

Danzo's face was as dark as water, though it was impossible to tell what he was plotting.

Threatening the Hokage.

Insolence.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face turned cold for a moment, but after thinking of something, he calmed down again.

"Danzo, the Uchiha clan rendered countless services to Konoha. Now that they have suffered such a calamity, we cannot leave their heroic souls without a resting place. I leave their funeral arrangements to you. Remember, pick a good cemetery and give them a grand burial~"

The corners of Danzo's mouth curled up: "Ahem~ leave it to me. The Root is professional at this."

Sarutobi, you truly are something.

Even now, you're still putting on a show.

It doesn't matter. I'm short on test subjects anyway. By handling the aftermath, I get to decide how much of the Uchiha collection remains. There's plenty of profit to be made here.

And so, the two old men carved up the Uchiha legacy.

Itachi Uchiha understood the malice beneath Sarutobi Hiruzen's smiling face and the ferocious gaze of Shimura Danzō.

The Uchiha clan was annihilated.

As a tool, he was no longer of any importance, was he?

Regarding this.

He felt the same despair that Shisui had felt back then.

Had he.

Truly.

Been wrong?

Itachi Uchiha once again found himself plagued by this question.

There was no answer.

"Sasuke, can you really grow up safely in an environment like this? Is the Third Hokage's promise truly reliable?"

Itachi Uchiha was beginning to waver.

It was already too late.

Just thinking of his parents, who had bowed their heads to the blade, Itachi Uchiha still felt a pang of regret, "Perhaps if I had spoken openly and honestly with Father and Mother back then, the outcome would have..."

"Before I leave, perhaps I should meet with that person."

"To add one more protective charm for Sasuke."