Reporting

The situation turned around in an instant. Uchiha Izuna's blade rested across Uchiha Itachi's shoulder, and Itachi shuddered. Had his genjutsu been seen through?

"You saw through my Tsukuyomi?" Uchiha Itachi asked, his expression grave.

Uchiha Izuna withdrew his blade and smiled faintly. "One of the abilities of my Mangekyō Sharingan is immunity to all genjutsu."

Uchiha Itachi stared at him in disbelief. Uchiha Shisui, standing nearby, was stunned. If that was true, both of his Mangekyō abilities were genjutsu. Wouldn't that leave him with no chance against Uchiha Izuna?

"So genjutsu won't work on me." Uchiha Izuna looked at Uchiha Shisui. "Shisui, watch out."

Uchiha Izuna lunged forward in a flash, turned, and slashed. Uchiha Shisui twisted his wrist and blocked the strike.

Clang!

Sparks flew. Uchiha Shisui felt his arm go numb. If he hadn't used the subtle force of the Intercepting Style to divert thirty percent of Uchiha Izuna's strength,

he would have lost his grip on his blade. It was hard to believe Uchiha Izuna was this strong. He was only ten years old, yet his muscles were already so well-developed?

"Oh? Interesting. You've earned the right to dance with me." After Uchiha Izuna merged with Uchiha Madara's template, it influenced him in certain ways, changing his personality quite a bit.

Then Uchiha Izuna raised his blade and brought it down. The strike was even more powerful than the last! Uchiha Shisui hastily redirected its force, but this time his face turned deathly pale, and the web between his thumb and forefinger split open.

Uchiha Shisui bent his knees, closed one eye, and clenched his teeth. What incredible strength! This was bad—he couldn't keep meeting those blows head-on!

Uchiha Shisui took a deep breath and used the Phantom Body Flicker Technique. He retreated, molding his chakra as he performed the jutsu.

Four or five Shisuis appeared, all charging at Uchiha Izuna. Uchiha Izuna laughed. "Good! Bring it on!" He swung his blade at the first Shisui's shadow.

Steel clashed with a sharp clang. The shadow's blade snapped, and Uchiha Izuna cut the shadow in half at the waist.

The shadow vanished without a trace. Uchiha Izuna found it intriguing. There was no denying that the man before him deserved to be called Body Flicker Shisui, renowned alongside the Yellow Flash for his exploits in the Third Shinobi World War.

He had created the Phantom Body Flicker Technique himself. Any one of its doubles could be the real one, and each attack was real, delivered by Uchiha Shisui himself.

That was how the Phantom Body Flicker Technique allowed its illusions and the user to fight in perfect coordination.

Uchiha Shisui's expression remained unchanged. Losing one illusion had no effect on his overall strength. His Phantom Body Flicker Technique was different from the Shadow Clone technique.

When a Shadow Clone was destroyed, the damage was transferred to its user. That was its drawback. The Phantom Body Flicker Technique, on the other hand, simply vanished when dispelled, without affecting the real body.

Uchiha Shisui charged alongside his three remaining doubles. The four figures launched different attacks, cutting off Uchiha Izuna's avenues of retreat.

An ordinary person—or even a Kage Level fighter—would have struggled to escape that move. But Uchiha Izuna laughed. They had meant to spar with blades, yet one after another, they were using genjutsu or ninjutsu.

It infuriated him! He instantly unleashed his chakra. (Secret Scroll: Scatter)

Boom!

A dense, ocean-blue wave of chakra erupted and sent all four figures flying!

The three illusions collapsed under the strain and vanished. Uchiha Shisui was sent hurtling away, but Uchiha Itachi rushed behind him and caught him.

That kept Uchiha Shisui from landing on his rear and suffering a second impact.

Uchiha Shisui struggled to lift his head and looked at Uchiha Izuna. "We lost. From now on, you're the strongest in the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Izuna calmly sheathed his blade and clapped his hands. "I'm not interested in fame. All right, that was enough of a warm-up. I'm done training. Next, I'm going to visit the Hyuga."

"Who's coming with me?" Uchiha Izuna asked.

Uchiha Shisui got to his feet, his eyes shining as he looked at Uchiha Izuna. "I'll go." He remembered what Uchiha Izuna had said at the meeting: to investigate his grandfather's death, they needed help from the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan.

Uchiha Itachi opened his mouth, then looked at Uchiha Izuna with a conflicted expression. At last, he nodded. "I still have some missions to finish in Anbu. You two go ahead."

With that, Uchiha Itachi disappeared from the Uchiha Training Grounds.

Uchiha Shisui looked at Uchiha Izuna earnestly. Uchiha Izuna smiled. That was for the best.

The two returned from the training grounds to their clan compound and prepared gifts. It never hurt to bring plenty. His father had left a poor impression on Hyuga Hiashi, so they would need to win him over with supplies or sincerity.

Meanwhile

Konoha, Hokage's Office

Uchiha Itachi wore his Anbu combat uniform and knelt on one knee. Four elderly men sat across from him, sternly watching him from behind the desk.

Shimura Danzō spoke first. "Uchiha Itachi, is the Uchiha Clan getting restless? Or is the Hawk Faction planning a rebellion?"

A sinister glint showed in Shimura Danzō's eyes, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.

He hoped the Uchiha would rebel—preferably killing Hiruzen Sarutobi in the process. Then he could lead the ninja forces in crushing the Uchiha Clan.

That way, the position of Fifth Hokage would be his!

Without drawing attention to himself, Shimura Danzō glanced at the Hokage hat and Hokage Haori hanging on the wall behind Uchiha Itachi. His eyes held yearning and desire, along with a trace of nostalgia and conflicted emotion.

I wonder if my teacher would regret it if he knew how Hiruzen has turned Konoha into a mess.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura turned pale. Their responsibility was only to manage Konoha's logistics; a war would waste who knew how many supplies.

Rather than give those supplies to the ninja forces, they would be better off giving them to their own families to use in business and sell for a profit.

So Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura fixed their eyes on Uchiha Itachi. They made no effort to hide their contempt for his clan as they said, "The Uchiha Clan really is evil to the core. They're always trying to stage a coup."

Uchiha Itachi's expression stayed neutral, but he felt inferior deep down. He couldn't understand why his clan was so irredeemable.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in the seat of authority, his face expressionless. "Itachi, tell us what you discussed at your meeting yesterday."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had become a slave to power. In his mind, anyone who tried to threaten his hold on it was his enemy.

Even if they were members of the Uchiha Clan, he would show them no mercy and eliminate them.

It was all for the Will of Fire, for Konoha, for the villagers!