Night of the Red Moon

Konoha Hokage Building.

Danzo sat in the Hokage's seat, looking at Itachi across from him.

Itachi asked, "What do you want with me?"

Danzo chuckled. "Itachi, judging by your tone, you seem to have quite a problem with me."

Itachi said nothing.

Danzo continued, "Fair enough. If I were you, and my own brother had been killed and his eyes dug out, I'd be dissatisfied with me too. But you need to understand...

Everything I do is for the village.

You Uchiha are a restless clan. I have never felt at ease about you Uchiha!"

Itachi said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving. And besides, you aren't the Hokage. You have no right to sit in that seat."

Danzo's expression stiffened. "All right, all right. Let's get to the point. Itachi, if the village and the Uchiha were to fight, what chance would the Uchiha have of winning?"

Itachi answered modestly, "If Shisui hadn't left, twenty percent."

Danzo said faintly, "And now?"

A ripple of space appeared beside Itachi, and a figure wearing a tiger-striped mask emerged at his side.

One of his Mangekyo Sharingan glowed red.

Itachi: "!!!"

"It's you!"

Itachi had met the masked man before, and he knew how powerful he was.

Itachi's thoughts began to race. He said, "Now, the Uchiha are doomed to lose!"

Danzo said, "Then between the village and the Uchiha, which will you choose!?"

A look of struggle appeared on Itachi's face. "The village!"

A sharp gleam flashed in Danzo's eyes. "Good. I'll give you two choices now!"

"First: Return to the Uchiha clan and fight to the death alongside them, then we will slaughter the entire Uchiha clan!"

"Second: You and Uchiha Madara act personally. If you do, I will spare Sasuke's life and let your younger brother live!"

Itachi struggled as he said, "Has it really come to this?"

Danzo nodded. "That's right. There can be no reconciliation between me and the Uchiha now!"

Itachi asked, "Does the Third know?"

Danzo countered, "Why do you think I arranged to meet you here?"

Danzo pressed him relentlessly. "Make your choice, now!"

After a long internal struggle, Itachi slowly said, "I choose the second option."

"If the Uchiha truly go to war with the village, the other ninja villages will certainly take advantage of the situation. I don't want to see another ninja world war break out, so I choose the second option!"

Danzo smiled.

Then, the mysterious masked man vanished into the darkness.

Itachi's figure slowly transformed into crows and scattered away!

One of the crows flew off to an unknown destination.

Within the Uchiha compound, in Sasuke's room.

A pitch-black crow flew in through the window and tilted its head as it watched Sasuke.

Sasuke froze. This seemed to be Itachi's summoned beast.

The crow's eyes were crimson, and it actually possessed two Mangekyo Sharingan!

They were Shisui's.

The next moment, Sasuke fell into a genjutsu. Within that illusionary world, Itachi told Sasuke about Danzo's plan.

He was to have his father prepare defenses!

After absorbing the message delivered by the crow, Sasuke was extremely excited!

Because his plan was about to succeed!

That night, the Uchiha clan was exceptionally quiet.

A red moon hung high in the sky.

Sasuke walked to the entrance of the Konoha Police Force. The person on duty that night was a beautiful older girl.

Sasuke knew her too. It was Uchiha Izumi. She had always liked Itachi, and she had awakened her three-tomoe Sharingan at the age of twelve or thirteen. She was considered a genius.

Izumi was somewhat surprised to see Sasuke. "Isn't this Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke? Why are you here?"

Sasuke lowered his voice. "Sister Izumi, my brother sent a message through his summoned beast. He said someone is going to attack the Uchiha tonight. I've already told Father, and he's lying in wait somewhere. Sister Izumi, you need to be careful too. The person coming is very strong!"

After hearing Sasuke's words, Izumi's expression turned grave.

Izumi nodded. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I'll be careful."

Time passed second by second.

Yet Sasuke was not sleepy in the slightest. He felt incredibly excited!

Suddenly, Sasuke sensed a strange ripple from behind him. It was like a gust of wind, but the room's windows were closed. Where could the wind have come from?!

Sasuke turned around and saw the mysterious masked man in a dark blue robe, wearing a tiger-striped mask!

When Obito saw Sasuke, he ignored him. Instead, holding a chain in his hand, he slowly walked toward Izumi!

Izumi activated her three-tomoe Sharingan and watched Obito warily.

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu!"

Izumi formed hand seals quickly and spat out flames that transformed into several dragon heads, shooting toward Obito.

But the flaming dragon heads passed straight through Obito's body without harming him at all.

Obito said indifferently, "Foolish!"

Obito raised his chain and charged at Izumi. Izumi drew a kunai and stabbed at Obito's body, but her kunai passed through him while the chain wrapped around her!

"Damn it!"

Izumi cried out. The next moment, black flames engulfed the point where Obito's wrist connected to the chain.

The black flames burned the chain until it melted.

Izumi broke free.

But when the flames spread toward Obito's body, they slowly dissipated, as though they could not burn him at all.

Itachi, wearing a green flak jacket, descended from the sky. He shielded Izumi and Sasuke behind him and said to Obito, "Sorry, but I can't let you hurt my friends."

Obito sneered. "That wasn't part of our agreement. I only agreed not to harm Sasuke."

Itachi said slowly, "I've changed my mind!"

The next moment, a massive jet-black hand smashed through the wall and descended from above.

A black Susanoo arm reached for Obito, but it still passed through his body.

The house was about to collapse, and Izumi carried Sasuke out of it.

Fugaku stood within a half-formed Susanoo, watching Obito calmly.

"You are also a member of the Uchiha clan. Why are you attacking us, fellow Uchiha?"

Obito said disdainfully, "A false world has no value in existing. Even without Itachi, I could still wipe out the Uchiha!"