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The situation reversed in an instant; Uchiha Izuna's katana rested against Uchiha Itachi's shoulder. Uchiha Itachi shuddered—had his genjutsu been seen through?

"You... 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 was dumbfounded, and Uchiha Shisui, standing to the side, felt numb. If that were the case, since both of his own ocular techniques were genjutsu, wouldn't he have no chance at all when facing Uchiha Izuna?

"So, genjutsu is ineffective against me." Uchiha Izuna looked toward Uchiha Shisui. "Brother Shisui, be careful."

Uchiha Izuna lunged forward, spun, and slashed out. Uchiha Shisui flipped his wrist, blocking Uchiha Izuna's blade.

Clang!

Sparks flew. Uchiha Shisui felt a wave of numbness in his arm; had he not used the Intercepting Style's leverage to deflect 30 percent of Uchiha Izuna's force, he likely would have dropped his katana. It was hard to imagine that Uchiha Izuna's strength was this terrifying—was his musculature already this developed at only ten years old?

"Oh? Interesting. You are qualified to dance with me." Having fused with the Uchiha Madara template, Uchiha Izuna's personality had changed significantly under its influence.

Following this, Uchiha Izuna raised his blade and struck down, the blow even more powerful and heavy! Uchiha Shisui hurriedly tried to deflect the force, but this time, his face turned pale, and the webbing between his thumb and forefinger split and bled.

Uchiha Shisui's knees buckled; he squeezed one eye shut and gritted his teeth. Such immense power! This won't do! I cannot keep clashing head-on!

Uchiha Shisui took a deep breath and activated the Phantom Body Flicker Technique. He retreated, channeling his chakra to execute the technique.

Four or five Shisuis appeared, all charging toward Uchiha Izuna simultaneously. Uchiha Izuna laughed. "Well done!" He swung his blade at the first shadow.

Steel met steel with a crisp clang; the shadow's katana snapped upon impact, and Uchiha Izuna sliced the shadow in half at the waist!

The shadow vanished without a trace, which intrigued Uchiha Izuna. One had to admit, this man was worthy of his reputation as Body Flicker Shisui, who had shone so brightly during the Third Great Ninja War, standing alongside the Yellow Flash.

By creating the Phantom Body Flicker Technique, every clone could potentially be the real body, and every attack was genuine, honed by Uchiha Shisui's own hand.

Thus, the Phantom Body Flicker Technique truly achieved the synergy of phantoms and the real body fighting as one.

Uchiha Shisui's expression remained unchanged; it was merely a phantom that had been destroyed, with no impact on his overall strength. His Phantom Body Flicker Technique was different from the Shadow Clone Technique.

If a Shadow Clone were destroyed, the damage would transfer to the caster—that was its drawback—but the Phantom Body Flicker Technique simply dissipated, causing no harm to the original body.

Uchiha Shisui, with his remaining three clones, coordinated and charged forward. The four figures unleashed different attacks, sealing off Uchiha Izuna's path of retreat.

It could be said that ordinary people, or even Kage-level powerhouses, would find it difficult to escape this move. But Uchiha Izuna laughed. We were supposed to be sparring in swordsmanship, yet you lot are using genjutsu and ninjutsu.

This infuriated Uchiha Izuna! He instantly erupted with his own chakra. (Secret Scroll: Scatter)

BOOM!

That deep, dense, azure-blue chakra, like a tidal wave, instantly blasted the four figures away!

Three phantoms were overwhelmed and dissipated into nothingness, while Uchiha Shisui was sent flying. Uchiha Itachi hurriedly moved behind Uchiha Shisui to catch him.

This prevented Uchiha Shisui from landing on his backside and suffering secondary injuries.

Uchiha Shisui looked up with difficulty at Uchiha Izuna. "We lost. Zhan, from now on, you are the strongest of the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Izuna calmly sheathed his sword and clapped his hands. "I have no interest in fame. Alright, the warm-up is over. No more practice. I plan to head to the Hyuga Clan next."

"Who among you is coming with me?" Uchiha Izuna asked.

Uchiha Shisui stood up, his eyes burning as he looked at Uchiha Izuna. "I will go." He still remembered that Uchiha Izuna had said at the meeting that if they wanted to investigate his grandfather's cause of death, they would need the help of the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan.

Uchiha Itachi opened his mouth, but ultimately looked at Uchiha Izuna with a complex expression before nodding. "I still have some unfinished business in the Anbu. You two go."

With that, Uchiha Itachi's figure vanished from the Uchiha training grounds.

Uchiha Shisui looked at Uchiha Izuna with a serious expression, and the corners of Uchiha Izuna's mouth curled upward. This was for the best.

The two returned from the training grounds to the clan compound to prepare gifts; after all, one can never be too polite, and his father hadn't left a great impression on Hyuga Hiashi previously. These things required supplies or sincerity to smooth over.

Elsewhere.

Konoha, Hokage's Office.

Uchiha Itachi, wearing his Anbu combat uniform, knelt on one knee. Opposite him sat four elders, their expressions stern as they stared intently at him.

Shimura Danzō was the first to speak. "Uchiha Itachi, is the Uchiha Clan becoming restless? Or does the Hawk Faction intend to rebel?"

Shimura Danzō's eyes were filled with gloom, a faint, imperceptible smile playing on his lips.

What he hoped for was an Uchiha rebellion—ideally, one that would result in Sarutobi Hiruzen's death, allowing him to lead the ninja legions to suppress the Uchiha Clan.

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

Shimura Danzō glanced unobtrusively at the Hokage hat and the Hokage haori hanging on the wall behind Uchiha Itachi, his eyes filled with longing and desire, mixed with reminiscence and complexity.

I wonder if the teacher would regret it if he knew that the Konoha of today has been turned into a foul mess by Hiruzen, he thought to himself.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura turned pale. They were only responsible for Konoha's logistics; if a war broke out, they didn't know how much of their resources would be wasted.

Rather than giving those supplies to the ninja legions, it would be better to give them to their own families to conduct business and sell them off.

Therefore, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura stared fixedly at Uchiha Itachi, disregarding his status and speaking directly. "The Uchiha Clan truly is a clan born with evil in their bones, always looking to launch a coup."

Uchiha Itachi's expression remained calm, though he felt a sense of inferiority deep down. He couldn't understand why his own clan was so wretched.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in the main seat, his face expressionless. "Itachi, tell us, what was discussed at your meeting yesterday?"

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen had become a slave to power. In his heart, anyone who dared to shake the power in his hands was his enemy.

Even if that person belonged to the Uchiha Clan, he would show no mercy in rooting them out.

All of this was for the Will of Fire, for Konoha, and for the villagers!