Blocked Path

For some reason, the Night of the Clan Massacre that had originally been carried out to stop the Uchiha Rebellion never occurred.

The river of fate had already begun to show signs of changing course.

Even so, with Konoha already prepared for the Uchiha Clan's impending coup, the rebellion should not have caused much of a stir.

The Uchiha could never contend against the power of all Konoha. After being tempered by war, fate's altered course would still have returned to its proper track.

The ending would not change merely because the means had changed.

What truly sent fate spinning into an unpredictable abyss was the will that had first diverted the river of fate. It appeared once more.

In the form of a note, it delivered news that Konoha had learned of the Uchiha Clan's imminent rebellion into the hands of Fugaku, the clan head who could determine the Uchiha Clan's future.

The original coup had a chance of succeeding as long as the Uchiha launched a surprise attack and seized Sarutobi, Danzo, and the other Konoha higher-ups.

But now, what awaited them was every Konoha ninja, already assembled and standing on full alert. That was a force the Uchiha Clan could never overcome, no matter what.

The duty of a clan was to endure, not to destroy itself.

Especially on this night, when Itachi had yet to appear.

Uchiha Fugaku no longer needed to bear responsibility as a father.

He only needed to fulfill his role as head of the Uchiha Clan to the end.

—Thus, releasing the Nine-Tails became his only choice.

Under the manipulation of that great hand behind the scenes, the fates of the Uchiha Clan and Konoha were about to head toward a future filled with treacherous uncertainty.

Compared to their counterparts in another time and space—

They were about to bring the pain once confined to the Uchiha Clan upon every person in Konoha.

"You've crossed the line, Ning Qi. Move aside, now!"

"I refuse." Under the reflection of those terrifying Sharingan, Ning Qi smiled mildly yet refused to give way. "The Uchiha Clan's fate should be decided by the Uchiha themselves."

"I'm going to decide the Uchiha Clan's fate." Itachi's expression was incomparably cold as he said this.

He was not the coward Fugaku had called him.

He had merely been stopped by the man before him while searching unsuccessfully for help.

Ning Qi shook his head. "You're not going to decide the Uchiha Clan's fate. You're only going to carry out Konoha's orders."

The evening wind rustled through the branches.

Their gazes met in midair.

On one side was the misty Byakugan.

On the other was the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"I always thought you were one of Danzo's men." Itachi slowly drew the standard-issue longsword from his back. "After all, you've done so many terrible things."

"That's hardly surprising. Everyone thinks so." Ning Qi drew his short blade. "He's the finest umbrella shielding all of Konoha's darkness."

Itachi considered many things at once, his brows tightly furrowed. "So, who do you represent?"

"I represent myself." Ning Qi crooked a finger at Itachi. "Come on. It's been a month since we last fought. Let me see how much you've improved."

Bang!

It was the sound of short weapons clashing.

Two figures flickered through the forest at astonishing speed, their forms impossible to discern. Only the sparks constantly flying from their colliding weapons declared this to be an exceedingly dangerous battle.

Konoha's Twin Prodigies.

From childhood to adulthood, they had been both friends and rivals, sharing no shallow bond.

They knew each other better than anyone and were more familiar with each other's fighting styles than anyone. Every move had a countermeasure, and so, when Itachi realized Ning Qi could still fight him to a standstill in close combat, he immediately understood something.

"You fought someone before blocking my path?"

"No. I've been waiting here for you the whole time and haven't fought anyone. I merely split off half my chakra earlier." Ning Qi's tone was casual.

In close combat, the Byakugan surpassed the Sharingan in dynamic vision, and Ning Qi's swordsmanship also surpassed Itachi's. Even after giving away half his chakra, he would not be placed at a disadvantage against Itachi in close quarters.

"You're being overconfident."

"More than enough to deal with you." Ning Qi was utterly arrogant.

After a clash of blades, Itachi used the momentum to leap backward into the air. Three kunai shot toward Ning Qi, only to be swept aside by his sword.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

Raging flames filled the sky, illuminating every corner of the darkness. Ning Qi drew his short blade back.

Water Sword Technique: Flowing Slash!

Azure chakra clung to the blade as a single stroke cleaved the entire fireball apart.

Amid the rising steam, a flash of white light came slashing straight down at Ning Qi from above.

The mist obscured their vision, but it made no difference to either Ning Qi or Itachi.

Ning Qi raised his sword to block, and their perilous, ferocious close-range battle erupted once again.

"Even if you stop me, they'll still fail tomorrow!" While their weapons strained against each other, Itachi stared fixedly at Ning Qi. "Other than exposing Konoha's internal turmoil and letting other ninja villages see an opening, it serves no purpose!"

"You underestimate your clansmen's initiative." Ning Qi chuckled softly.

Exposing severe internal strife and possibly provoking other ninja villages into launching a war after seeing it?

No.

That price was far too light.

It was not what Ning Qi wanted.

"You told the Uchiha Clan the intelligence?!" Itachi's mouth fell slightly open, and the longsword in his hand nearly flew from his grasp.

His expression darkened as his Three-Tomoe Sharingan instantly transformed into the shuriken-shaped Mangekyō Sharingan.

Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi!

Within the genjutsu space, the sky was blood-red, while everything else was black and white. Crosses stood everywhere, each one binding a Ning Qi. He shifted his gaze to Itachi before him and shook his head.

"You know this technique is useless against me."

Itachi drove the long needle in his hand into Ning Qi's body. Sure enough, Ning Qi showed no reaction.

"Genjutsu: Substitute..."

Ning Qi might have been far inferior to Itachi in genjutsu mastery, but he possessed a talent for developing new techniques that even Itachi envied. Genjutsu: Substitute was a genjutsu specifically designed to counter genjutsu.

It was a B-rank genjutsu. Its sole purpose was to help Ning Qi resist mental damage from genjutsu. It was an extremely rare defensive genjutsu, and highly practical.

Its inspiration came from the commonly used ninja technique—the Substitution Technique. Its genjutsu principles were not complicated: it collected and stored normally dissipating spiritual energy as a "substitute," which would bear damage directed solely at the mind in place of the user's true body at a critical moment.

Ning Qi had created this technique specifically to avoid being instantly defeated by genjutsu such as Tsukuyomi, using his analysis ability to develop it.

As one of Konoha's Twin Prodigies alongside Itachi, he could not possibly fail to withstand even one of Itachi's techniques, could he?

"How many substitutes do you have?" Itachi took a deep breath.

"How many times can you use Tsukuyomi?" Ning Qi countered.

A substitute required roughly a week to collect the dissipating spiritual energy needed for its formation. Only one could be stored at a time, and each could resist a genjutsu only once.

But for Ning Qi, that was already enough.

Leaving aside whether Itachi could endure the burden of using Tsukuyomi repeatedly, once Ning Qi had lost his substitute and become alert, there was no way he would be caught in Tsukuyomi again.

Itachi abandoned the meaningless act of stabbing Ning Qi with the long needle and instead demanded, "What exactly are you trying to do by stopping me?"

"Didn't you say it yourself?" Ning Qi, unable to move upon the cross, grinned with bright red lips and white teeth.

"I want Konoha in chaos."