Betraying the Village at the Start, Angrily Revealing the Mangekyo

It was dusk.

Konoha, the Uchiha Clan compound, in front of the clan leader's residence.

A short figure, a boy of about eleven or twelve years old, stood there.

Behind the boy, two figures knelt on one knee; judging by their attire, both were members of the Konoha Military Police Force.

After a moment of contemplation, the boy, Uchiha Natsume, asked in a cold voice:

"How many are willing to leave?"

"A little over half, a total of 426 people."

One of the men behind him replied hurriedly.

"More than half? It seems the clansmen are truly tired of Konoha!"

"My lord, the evacuation arrangements are all prepared..."

Natsume: "Very good, then let us begin!"

"Watch for my signal later. When the time comes, organize everyone and evacuate immediately. There must be no hesitation!"

"Yes!"

"Also, take that little girl Izumi and her family with you as well!"

A trace of surprise rose in the eyes of the two men behind Natsume, but they accepted the order without hesitation.

"Understood!"

"Go."

Natsume waved his hand, and the two men vanished instantly.

Only he remained, looking slightly upward.

He glanced at the vast Konoha behind him and sighed softly:

"Before I knew it, I have already been in this world for ten years!"

"Prejudice in the human heart. No matter which world it is, it is like a mountain that is difficult to climb!"

"Konoha? Heh... since you still cannot tolerate the Uchiha Clan, do not blame me for being ruthless!"

"Tonight, let me rewrite this history!"

Then, Natsume withdrew his gaze.

He took a step forward and pushed open the doors of the clan leader's residence.

Inside the residence.

The front courtyard was empty, devoid of anyone else.

Yet the figure Natsume intended to see was already standing on the steps of the main hall, as if waiting for him.

Uchiha Fugaku: the current head of the Uchiha Clan and captain of the Konoha Military Police Force.

"You have come."

Uchiha Fugaku opened his eyes, a hint of sharpness directed straight at Natsume.

He was truly worthy of the title Wicked Eye Fugaku.

"It seems the clan leader already knows what I intend to do?"

Uchiha Natsume smiled faintly, having expected this.

As the head of the Uchiha Clan and holding the Konoha Military Police Force in his hands, the man possessed significant power.

It was not difficult for him to uncover the fact that Natsume had been "forming factions and plotting to defect" within the clan.

However, just as Natsume had anticipated:

Even though Fugaku was aware of his actions, he had not stopped him or reported him.

He had even secretly covered up many of the flaws in his plan!

Otherwise, his defection plan might have been discovered by the Konoha high-ups long ago.

"Your plan is too crude."

"I cannot sit by and watch you lead the majority of the Uchiha Clan to their destruction!"

Fugaku stared at Natsume, speaking each word with heavy gravity.

"I must stop you!"

Natsume curled his lips in a mocking sneer:

"Do you really think that by doing nothing, like you, the entire Uchiha Clan can be preserved?"

"As we are now, we cannot match the entirety of Konoha; we need to wait for an opportunity..."

Fugaku retorted sharply, a flicker of struggle flashing in his eyes.

No one understood better than he the vast disparity between a single clan and the entirety of Konoha.

Such a reckless defection, even if successful, would only result in them being reduced to dust by the endless pursuit of Konoha.

Only through meticulous planning and surprise could there perhaps be a sliver of possibility.

For this reason, he had allowed Itachi to join the Anbu as a spy.

To gather intelligence, wait for an opportunity, and then stage a coup!

"If we cannot match them now, will we be able to later?"

"Or is your entire plan just relying on Itachi, who is currently inside the Anbu?"

"Perhaps you are not yet aware?"

"At this very moment, your son, Itachi, should have received orders from Root and is already on his way."

"And his order is: to slaughter the entire Uchiha Clan to ensure the survival of his younger brother, Sasuke!"

"Do you think this is fair?"

"Is it worth trading the lives of hundreds of clansmen for one life?"

"Should we just stretch out our necks to be slaughtered for the sake of Itachi and his brother?"

Uchiha Natsume roared, questioning Fugaku with brutal honesty.

Hearing this, Fugaku's figure shuddered violently.

He seemed stunned by Itachi's decision, yet also furious that the higher-ups of Konoha could be so cold-blooded as to issue such a harsh and insane order.

The air fell into a brief silence.

The virtuous Uchiha Mikoto, having approached Fugaku at some point, wrapped her arms around her husband's shoulders to share his burden.

"Huu—"

"If this is Itachi's decision, I choose to support him!"

Fugaku let out a long sigh, gripped his wife's hand, and said in a deep, resolute voice.

No one understood Itachi's talent better than he did.

In his view, since Itachi had made this decision, it must have been the optimal solution reached after an incredibly painful struggle.

Even if it was for the sake of young Sasuke.

As a father, he could only compromise and support Itachi...

"Clan Leader, I am not here to seek your opinion."

"Whether you agree or not, you cannot stop this."

"I am Uchiha Natsume, a member of the Uchiha Clan! I am by no means a lamb waiting to be slaughtered in a pen! And I will absolutely not stretch out my neck to be killed!"

"If you insist on stopping me, then I will have no choice but to eliminate you first!"

Natsume shouted explosively.

Chakra surged within his body, and he launched a fierce attack instantly.

On Fugaku's side, his brows furrowed deeply as he also struck back with sudden force.

He wanted to see for himself.

Just how much of Itachi's brilliance this young nephew of his possessed.

To be able to rally so many clansmen, conspire to defect, and launch a brazen attack against him.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Two massive fireballs, like towering buildings, surged forth and collided with one another.

"BOOM—!"

A tremendous explosion shook the heavens, countless sparks sprayed outward, and the blinding light illuminated a large portion of Konoha.

In an instant, such an intense battle alerted most of Konoha, causing countless Anbu ninjas and high-ranking officials to rush toward the sound.

At this moment, Fugaku, standing at the center of the fierce battle, was secretly shocked and clicked his tongue in disbelief.

He never imagined that the power of his nephew Natsume's Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique would be so immense.

It was not even a whit weaker than his own!

One had to remember, he was already forty years old.

Whether it be ninjutsu, chakra, or experience, he far surpassed the majority of ninjas in Konoha.

Yet the youth before him, barely over ten years old, was already capable of wielding the Great Fireball Technique to such a degree!

Just how vast must his chakra reserves be?

To what level had his understanding and application of ninjutsu reached?

How monstrous of a talent was this?!!

And this kid had remained silent, hiding his true strength until now!

What deep-seated schemes!

What profound ulterior motives!

Despite his astonishment, Fuyu did not hold back.

After all, he was a grand patriarch of the Uchiha Clan who had survived two Great Ninja Wars; his strength was naturally extraordinary.

[Great Fireball Technique]
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique]
[Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson]
[Majestic Destroyer Flame]
...

A vast array of Fire Style ninjutsu flowed from his hands, endless and overwhelming, bombarding Natsume.

The countless brilliant flames nearly engulfed half of the Uchiha Clan compound.

Just looking at it was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

As for Natsume, there were no flashy tricks.

All he had were one Great Fireball Technique after another.

Big enough!

Many enough!

Fast enough!

One massive fireball after another collided with Fuyu's various Fire Style techniques, canceling each other out one by one.

In any other place or on any other battlefield, a variety of ninjutsu with different effects might have achieved miraculous results.

But here, in a head-on clash between two masters of Fire Style, Natsume proved with facts that a single ninjutsu with sufficient power could "break ten thousand spells"!

It was just like the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan, Madara.

A single Majestic Destroyer Flame could overwhelm countless Water Style techniques.

The fierce battle continued.

The sheer volume of Fire Style ninjutsu dyed half the sky crimson.

In just a minute or two, dozens of Uchiha Clan residences were engulfed in an endless inferno.

At the same time, a group of Anbu ninjas and high-ranking officials arrived on the scene one after another.

Seeing the flying fireballs and the intense battlefield, these ninjas were all stunned.

They had originally assumed that Konoha was under attack, which was why such a fierce battle had broken out.

But upon closer inspection, it was actually the Uchiha Clan patriarch, Fugaku, locked in a life-or-death struggle with a young Uchiha boy!

The sight left everyone dumbfounded.

What was going on?

A sparring match within the Uchiha Clan? But there was no need to fight this ruthlessly, right?

Or perhaps, a schism within the Uchiha Clan?

But even if it were an internal conflict, surely a boy barely over ten years old wouldn't be leading it?

Of course, these doubts were secondary.

What truly troubled the ninjas was that they didn't know who to help!

Help Fugaku quell an internal rebellion? So that Fugaku could continue leading the Uchiha Clan in plotting a coup?

Help that Uchiha boy fight Fugaku? And attack the captain of Konoha's Military Police Force without any justification?

No matter which option he chose, it was highly inappropriate!

Moreover, the sheer power of the Fire Style battle between the two was absurdly strong!

Every single strike was no less than the full-power blow of an elite Jonin.

For ordinary Anbu ninjas to rush in would simply be courting death!

Consequently, even though more and more ninjas had arrived at the scene of the fierce battle.

They all hesitated, not daring to intervene recklessly.

They could only watch from the perimeter and maintain a defensive stance.

Or perhaps block the scattered sparks to prevent the fire from spreading further.

At the same time, seeing more and more Konoha ninjas arriving to spectate.

Even many Anbu ninjas ordered to monitor the Uchiha Clan had been drawn to the scene.

At this point, Natsume felt the timing was ripe.

Although the power of his Great Fireball Technique was indeed astonishing.

When it came to actual chakra reserves, he might not be a match for Fugaku, a standard Kage-level powerhouse.

Dragging this out into a war of attrition would only become increasingly disadvantageous for him.

He had to unleash his full power!

"Great Clan Leader, show me some real strength."

"Let's go all out!"

"Don't disappoint me!"

"Tonight, let Konoha feel pain once again!"

Mangekyo Sharingan—Activate!

Susanoo—Activate!

The next moment.

Yin and Yang inverted, and surging ocular power whistled outward.

A flash of extreme blood-red light bloomed from Natsume's pupils.

Immediately following, a crimson skeletal Susanoo demon rose from the ground, standing tall and imposing, striking terror in all directions.