Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu!

"Arashi?!"

Uchiha Izumi's eyes widened as she looked at the familiar yet strange figure before her.

Why Arashi? How could it be Arashi?

Uchiha Arashi was her little brother—this was his constant self-proclaimed title. Izumi had never admitted it, but she did admit that deep down, she viewed Uchiha Arashi as a younger brother.

They were similar in age, with Uchiha Arashi being one year younger than her.

Arashi's parents had died early, so for the first few years, he was nominally cared for by the clan. In reality, the daily care was handled more by clan members living nearby, including Uchiha Izumi.

In Izumi's impression, Arashi had always been a little brother, and the kind of honest person with little strength and no ambition.

He spent his days engrossed in writing novels, having published several books over the years. Years after graduation, he still hadn't awakened the Sharingan, didn't go on missions, and rarely even participated in clan activities, making him a person with a very weak presence.

Yet, this was the person now standing firmly before her, blocking a fatal attack for her.

"Oh? I didn't expect anyone else to come to help. It seems Itachi's killing efficiency isn't great."

Obito looked at the young man blocking his path, the corners of his mouth curling up beneath his mask into a cold smile.

"Arashi, run! You're no match for him! Go find Itachi..."

"What's the point of finding him? To have him kill you himself?"

Before Izumi could finish speaking, Uchiha Arashi directly interrupted her.

"You... What did you say..."

Izumi froze.

She had indeed heard Itachi's name from Obito and knew that Itachi was slaughtering the clan members, but she still couldn't and wouldn't believe it. She thought the masked man was deliberately slandering Itachi.

"Itachi has gone mad and is slaughtering everyone in the clan compound. All the clan members have been killed by him. Sister Izumi, abandon your illusions. Uchiha Itachi is the murderer," Arashi said in a low voice.

Then, he exerted force with both hands, pushing Obito away and seizing the opportunity to sever the chain with a slash, rescuing Izumi from Obito's grasp.

"I can answer any questions you have later, but for now, you should go to a safe place first."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, black substance surging from his palm, connecting with the shadow beneath his feet.

The next second, the shadow beneath Izumi suddenly erupted, engulfing her entirely. Then, the shadow contracted, and Uchiha Izumi disappeared within it.

"?!"

This scene, falling into Obito's eyes, immediately made his guard rise.

What kind of power was this?

"Who are you?"

He demanded sternly, lunging towards Uchiha Arashi.

"Who I am is not important... Everything you have done to the Uchiha, I will repay one day. Until then, you must live well and absolutely do not die at someone else's hands prematurely."

Uchiha Arashi's face was cold as he, too, was enveloped by shadows.

Before Obito's attack could land, he had already transferred to the Shadow Space.

Obito's attack missed. He immediately activated his Sharingan to its limit, hoping to find the other's trace.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find even a single useful clue.

"Could it be a Mangekyo Sharingan technique..."

This ability was clearly related to space-time, and Obito knew best how troublesome such techniques were.

"I truly didn't expect such a person to be hidden within the Uchiha. You were lucky to escape this time. I won't let you go next time."

Inside the Shadow Space, Uchiha Arashi personally freed Izumi from the chains.

A group of little ones quickly gathered around Izumi. Some recognized her, others didn't, but at this moment, they all instinctively treated her as an adult they could rely on.

"Little brother Arashi, you just said, you said Itachi-kun he..."

Uchiha Izumi hadn't fully recovered yet, her thoughts still lingering on a few seconds ago.

"Yes, he is the murderer who slaughtered the clan. The parents of these children were all killed by him. If you don't believe me, you can ask them."

Uchiha Arashi straightened up as he spoke.

Izumi looked at the children surrounding her. No matter how unwilling she was to accept it, she was gradually starting to believe Arashi's words.

"But why... Wait, where are you going?"

Looking up again, she saw black shadows surging around Uchiha Arashi once more.

"I still have one thing to do."

The shadows spread towards Arashi. "As for why Itachi did this, I'm sorry, I don't know either. If you're really curious, perhaps you'll have a chance to ask him later. For now, please take care of them for me... just like you took care of me back then."

He showed a gentle smile and then disappeared into the shadows.

Uchiha Izumi looked at the pair of panicked and bewildered eyes around her, and the tear-streaked little faces. She could only force herself not to think about it for now and began to comfort these younger clan members.

Inside the clan head's residence, Itachi had already slain his parents and was waiting for his younger brother, Sasuke.

He intended to plant the seeds of hatred and vengeance deep within his brother's heart.

Uchiha Arashi glanced at the scene from a distance before turning and walking in the opposite direction.

He had waited a long time for this day; once he realized he could not alter the grand tide of history, he had begun making preparations to accumulate more capital for himself.

The long blade in his hand and the Shadow Space were both fruits of his hard work over the years.

As for tonight's harvest, the promising young talents were only one part; the other part was the eyes of his clansmen.

They were dead anyway, so the eyes would go to someone regardless; rather than letting them go to waste on Obito and Danzo, he might as well take them for himself.

If you gave them to me, I could even help you take revenge. Even if you were still alive, you would surely agree.

It didn't matter if they disagreed; they were in no position to refuse anymore.

Collecting eyeballs along the way, Uchiha Arashi soon reached the edge of the clan grounds.

Ahead lay a riverbank; he stepped onto the water's surface and began walking toward the opposite shore.

Further away stood a small grove of trees, where his greatest harvest of the night was stashed.

In the dense forest, a group of ninja stood silently in place.

Suddenly, a dark shadow descended from the sky, landing in front of the crowd.

"My lord, the Uchiha clan has been completely wiped out."

"Are you certain there are no survivors?"

Danzo slowly opened his left eye.

"Yes, it has been confirmed."

The Root ninja replied in a low voice.

"Very good. Then prepare to move out; gather all the Uchiha eyes for me—who are you?!"

Danzo suddenly looked into the distance and barked a sharp question.

The ninja surrounding him drew their blades in unison.

In the distance, the figure of Uchiha Arashi stepped out from the shadows, the moonlight gradually illuminating his body.

He said nothing, merely raising the long blade in his hand in silence.

"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu!"