Uchiha Itachi Arrives!

Konoha's Fourth Hokage Kage Rock

Upon hearing Kou's words, Shisui was taken aback at first, then his pupils suddenly contracted as if he realized something.

Once his emotions were no longer a factor, he quickly understood the deeper meaning behind Kou's words.

The entire Uchiha Clan was resurrected along with his long-dead self.

And everyone's appearance was almost unchanged compared to the period before their deaths.

A terrifying thought involuntarily surfaced in Shisui's mind.

"Brother Kou!!"

"Could it be that the entire Uchiha Clan, shortly after my death, had already—"

"You should ask the entire Uchiha Clan about that."

Knock interrupted Shisui's incredulous words, then looked at the surrounding Uchiha Clan members, his voice deepening:

"As I just said, you should apologize to someone else, not me."

The members of the Uchiha Clan exchanged glances, and their gazes all turned to Shisui.

Their eyes widened slightly, as if they didn't know how to begin.

"Everyone, what, what on earth is going on?!"

Shisui looked at the people around him, his voice urgent:

"Why would this happen? Could it be Danzo's doing?"

He searched for that familiar figure in the crowd, but couldn't find it anywhere.

Why isn't Itachi here?

Shisui's unease grew stronger, and he couldn't help but speak:

"If Itachi were here, with his abilities, he should be able to protect everyone no matter what happens!"

Could it be that Itachi had already—" before the accident happened?

"Protect us? Uchiha Itachi? Hahaha..."

In the crowd, a middle-aged Uchiha seemed to have heard something funny and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"That's the guy who killed us!"

"This is impossible!!"

Shisui looked at the middle-aged man and immediately denied it:

"Uncle Jiro, you must be mistaken! How could Itachi possibly..."

"A mistake? Are you kidding me?!"

The middle-aged man named Jiro pointed to the young child beside him, his eyes reddening:

"My dad, my mom, and even my child—they were all killed right under my nose by that kid. How could I possibly be mistaken!"

"If you don't believe me, you can ask everyone around you... whether what I said is true or not!!"

Shisui stared at Jiro's bloodshot eyes and was immediately taken aback.

He stiffly turned his gaze, and what met his eyes were the eyes of the crowd filled with extreme anger and hatred.

"But, but..."

Shisui looked at the Uchiha Police Force with difficulty, seemingly unable to accept this cruel reality, and stammered:

Even if Itachi activated the Mangekyo, he probably wouldn't be able to annihilate the entire Uchiha Police Force in a short time.

Even with Danzo's involvement, the Lord Third Hokage and the others should be able to discover and stop them quickly... right?"

He tried to sound more certain, but his tone had noticeably weakened, no longer as firm as before.

"You're absolutely right about that."

From the crowd, a middle-aged man wearing a Police Force badge stepped out.

"Contrary to what most of our people say, we weren't killed by weasels, but by a mysterious masked man."

He shuddered as he recalled the last glimpse of that crimson, one-eyed monster before he died.

"That mysterious person's strength is unfathomable; no matter how we attack, we can't reach his physical form."

Before they could even react, they were already dead.

As the middle-aged man finished speaking, the people around him who belonged to the Uchiha Police Force seemed to recall that painful memory as well.

Their faces turned deathly pale, and their hands unconsciously reached for their necks.

"Then, does this prove that Itachi is actually innocent?"

"Could it be that mysterious person Brother Tekka mentioned, using Transformation Technique to impersonate Itachi and frame him for the crime?"

"Fugaku, Aunt Mikoto, you think so too, right?"

"Itachi... he would never do such a thing!!"

Shisui glanced instinctively at Fugaku beside him and at Sasuke and his mother, who had already separated not far away, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

However, all he received in response was a long silence.

Shisui the three people's dim eyes, Shisui's hope gradually faded, and he lowered his head dejectedly, not continuing to speak.

Even if they didn't want to believe it, the reactions of Fugaku and the others had already said it all.

The murderer who slaughtered the Uchiha Clan was none other than his closest friend, who had entrusted the safety of Konoha and the Uchiha to him before he faced death.

At this moment, Shisui finally understood why the person he had apologized to earlier was the Uchiha Clan.

But why is that?

"Itachi, why, why would you do such a thing?"

Shisui closed his eyes in pain.

"You are such a gentle child..."

As everyone stared at Shisui, the anger in their eyes gradually subsided, and they fell into a long silence.

The blame for all of this does not lie with Shisui.

They were fully aware of this.

"Um... Brother Kou?"

From the silent crowd, a beautiful young woman slowly emerged.

She glanced at the people around her, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes, but still cautiously asked Kou:

"How is Itachi now?"

"Spring..."

Looking at the girl who had mustered the courage to ask the question, Fugaku felt a deep sense of guilt.

As a father, this is something I should be asking myself.

However, as the clan leader, he had to consider the feelings of everyone after their resurrection and temporarily suppress his eagerness.

Whether as a father or a clan leader, he was undoubtedly quite incompetent.

"Tell me, tell me about Itachi."

Fugaku looked at Kokoro beside him and said seriously:

"Whether as a father or as the head of the Uchiha clan, I want to know."

Regarding... Itachi.

As Fugaku finished speaking, everyone's attention turned to Koko.

A hint of nervousness flashed in Mikoto's eyes, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but sensing his mother's emotions, he ultimately lowered his head and said nothing.

Although she had accepted Itachi's fate, it was still too cruel for her mother.

Well...

Feeling the gazes of the crowd, Kou was about to say something when he paused, his gaze calmly fixed on a clearing not far away:

"Let him explain it to you in person."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than five imposing figures appeared instantly in the open space where Kouch's gaze was focused.

Itachi was in the lead, with Jiraiya and the Third Hokage standing beside him, followed by Tobirama and Hashirama.

They looked like they had rushed over from afar, their robes still carrying a trace of dust.

To everyone's astonishment, the five of them turned around and walked towards them...

--

I feel like this part of the story has been dragging on a bit. I'll try to keep it concise from now on, aiming to finish it in one or two chapters, and then return to the Land of Rice.

The contents of the note in Obito's hand will also be revealed there.