Uchiha Shrine

The Uchiha Shrine was the most mysterious place within the Uchiha clan. Ryosuke had tried to sneak in several times to catch a glimpse of the legendary stone tablet, but every attempt had ended in failure.

This was because the area was guarded twenty-four hours a day by elite members of the Uchiha clan, all of whom kept their Three-Tomoe Sharingan active.

Could Itachi really have a way to get inside? Or had Obito told him about the stone tablet yesterday?

Regardless, Ryosuke was not about to miss this opportunity.

Whether it was to gain a better understanding of Itachi or to see that stone tablet for himself.

Soon, Itachi crept near the shrine.

Contrary to what Ryosuke had expected, Itachi did not use his status as the clan leader's son to enter the shrine. Instead, he hid behind a patch of bushes, stealthily observing the situation around the perimeter.

It seemed that Itachi's current mindset was already diverging from the path of the Uchiha clan.

It was unclear, however, whether he was being influenced more by the Third Hokage or by Obito.

But none of that mattered now. Ryosuke suddenly felt that even if he couldn't prevent the Uchiha Clan Massacre, perhaps he could save Itachi and keep him from walking that tragic path he had taken before.

Itachi suddenly summoned a crow from behind the bushes and sent it flying toward the back of the shrine to create a disturbance.

Upon hearing the noise, one of the two Uchiha guards immediately went to the back of the shrine to investigate.

It appeared they had a well-practiced protocol for such situations.

Even with only one guard left, it was not something just anyone could easily bypass.

To Ryosuke's shock, Itachi transformed into his father, Uchiha Fugaku, and walked right out.

Ryosuke watched in utter astonishment; so that was how the Transformation Technique was meant to be used. He couldn't help but admire Itachi's courage.

He was only nine years old, after all.

The remaining Uchiha guard saw "Uchiha Fugaku" and immediately lowered his head, saying, "Lord Clan Leader, you have arrived. Everything is prepared."

Ryosuke kept his Sharingan active; although he couldn't hear the guard's voice, he could read his lips to understand what was being said.

"Uchiha Fugaku" nodded and then stepped into the shrine.

Now, Ryosuke found himself in a difficult position.

He couldn't very well transform into Fugaku and try to sneak in as well, could he?

He had it.

Ryosuke's eyes lit up. He immediately transformed into the Uchiha guard who had gone to investigate the back of the shrine, then circled halfway around and approached from the side.

"Did you find anything?"

"Nothing at all. Probably just a stray cat or something."

"Your voice sounds a bit strange."

"Ah, haha, my throat is a bit sore. I'll just head inside and get some water."

Ryosuke tried to bluff his way through.

"Wait a second."

The Uchiha guard activated his Sharingan.

"What are you doing? Don't you trust me?"

Ryosuke activated his Sharingan as well.

"Go on in."

Seeing Ryosuke's Sharingan, the guard let out a sigh of relief.

While the Transformation Technique could alter one's physical appearance, it could not replicate certain unique traits or voices.

For instance, the Sharingan was a feature that someone outside the Uchiha clan could not replicate.

Ryosuke breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the shrine.

The interior of the shrine was much larger than he had imagined.

Two statues were enshrined within: Izanami and Susanoo.

These were the symbols of the Uchiha clan, and many of their secret techniques were even named after them.

However, aside from the statues, there was nothing else to be seen.

But Ryosuke knew there was a basement beneath the shrine, and that the stone tablet was kept there.

And Itachi was likely in that basement right now.

Ryosuke was in a bind again; if he just went down there, he would certainly be discovered by Itachi.

At that point, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.

But once the other guard returned, his disguise would be exposed, and the rest of the Uchiha might begin a search of the shrine.

He was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

After careful consideration, Ryosuke decided that facing Itachi was still better than facing the rest of the Uchiha.

With that, he found the entrance to the basement and headed down.

The basement was extremely dim, with only two candles on either side of the stone tablet casting a faint, ghostly light.

A small figure stood before the tablet.

Itachi had already dispelled his Transformation Technique.

His expression was grave.

"Itachi, what are you doing here? How did you get in?"

Ryosuke still wanted to use his status as a guard to scare Itachi away.

But when Itachi turned his head, his eyes were revealed to be the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Ryosuke suddenly felt the Transformation Technique on his own body vanish.

"It's you again. Did you follow me? Are you interested in this, too?"

Itachi said, his face expressionless.

Ryosuke's mouth twitched.

Even though the two were roughly the same age, Itachi exerted immense pressure on Ryosuke.

He had thought he understood everything about Itachi, but standing before him now, he still felt that the boy was as unpredictable as a kaleidoscope.

Ryosuke walked to Itachi's side and glanced at the stone tablet.

It was inscribed with the myths of Izanami and Susanoo.

It looked ordinary, but he knew the text was encrypted; only those with a Sharingan could see the "true" words.

Ryosuke activated his Sharingan, but to his embarrassment, the inscription remained unchanged.

It seemed that a Three-Tomoe Sharingan was required to see the true text.

"What does it say?" Ryosuke asked Itachi.

"The true secret of the Uchiha clan, though it is of no use to you."

Itachi said indifferently.

Ryosuke understood instantly.

The "true" inscription detailed the method for awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan—specifically, that one must witness the death of a loved one, and that awakening the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan required transplanting the eyes of one's own brother.

Although Ryosuke knew the tablet had been tampered with, he still felt a chill run through him.

After all, this tablet had deceived even Uchiha Madara and Itachi, directly becoming the root of the disasters in the world of the Hokage.

Now that Itachi had learned this so-called "truth," the tragedy of the Uchiha clan was likely unavoidable.

"My summoned beast has vanished. They will discover the problem soon, so we should leave."

Itachi said calmly to Ryosuke.

"Why tell me? You could have left on your own."

Ryosuke asked, puzzled.

"Because I have a feeling that you and I are the same kind of person."

After saying this, Itachi made a gesture, and his figure vanished on the spot.

Poof. It was a clone; he had been tricked.

Ryosuke finally understood why Itachi had been so fearless.

And his own Sharingan hadn't even detected Itachi's clone.

"Sigh, now it's my turn to figure out how to leave."

Footsteps could already be heard echoing from above the basement.

Ryosuke hid in the shadows of the stairs leading down into the basement.

Although darkness was useless against the Sharingan, it would at least buy him a split second.

And a split second was all he needed.

The basement door was pushed open.

"Sonido!"

Ryosuke's figure vanished from the spot instantly.

The Sonido, comparable to the Body Flicker Technique, was activated in an instant.