The Day of the Clan Massacre

Another beautiful day!

Uchiha Yoru stretched.

He had slept straight through to noon, and it felt wonderful.

For some reason, neither his father nor his mother had woken him today.

"Slacked off for a day as an elite Jonin. Reward: one Chakra Fruit!"

A pale pink fruit appeared in Uchiha Yoru's hand. As usual, he swallowed it in one bite.

It was not the fruit borne by the God Tree. It was a reward for taking it easy every day, and it increased his Chakra a little. A month of uninterrupted idleness earned a bigger prize, and a full year earned an even greater one.

"I helped plan the night of the clan massacre, didn't I? How come that didn't count against me?" Uchiha Yoru swallowed the fruit and felt his Chakra increase slightly.

"Rewards will be calculated after the night of the clan massacre."

"Okay!"

Too bad he would miss out on this month's reward.

Daily check-ins only give things like Chakra Fruits and specially made Kunai. The big monthly prize might be a Kekkei Genkai or some Ninjutsu!

He had not given much thought to the yearly reward; he had only earned one back when he was a baby. But he could still work toward a monthly reward.

Uchiha Yoru opened the door, ready to go out for lunch.

"Ah!"

"Itachi, have you been waiting outside my door this whole time?"

"Mother said you don't like being disturbed while you sleep, so I waited here," Uchiha Itachi said.

The figure suddenly appearing before him as soon as he stepped out gave Uchiha Yoru a fright.

"We're brothers! You could've just called out to me!" Uchiha Yoru managed to drape an arm over Itachi's shoulder and led him into his room.

"Yoru, could you take Sasuke and stay somewhere else for a while?" Uchiha Itachi asked.

He did not want his younger sibling caught up in this. If they failed, staying away might let Sasuke escape.

Has the night of the clan massacre begun? Will things turn out differently this time, now that Itachi has sided with the Uchiha Clan?

It's a shame about Shisui, though. Danzo has already taken his eye! Kotoamatsukami, the strongest Genjutsu... I wonder if Itachi would give it to me if I asked.

"Sure! Once Sasuke gets out of school, I'll pick her up and stay at a hotel with her!"

Uchiha Itachi: (O_O)?

What's Kotoamatsukami? Since when did I have that eye? Shisui's alive and well! I talked to him this morning!

That night, the clan gathered to discuss important matters. Shisui and Itachi had been invited too.

"Murata, how are your preparations?"

"The Kunai and Explosive Tags are ready!"

"Honda, what about you?"

"We've located Sarutobi and the council elders!"

"Then today, we succeed or die trying!"

"We move at two in the morning. The rest of you may go. Uchiha Itachi, stay." Uchiha Fugaku dismissed the others.

"Father, what did you want to tell me?"

"I'm deeply moved that you've chosen to consider the clan's interests. But you will not take part in this operation!" Uchiha Fugaku's words hit Itachi like a bolt from the blue. He had only just overcome that hurdle.

He had even planned to save Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō to keep their losses to a minimum. But now...

"I don't know whether this coup will succeed. If it fails, the Uchiha Clan will be destroyed. I've already found someone to impersonate you. If we fail, take Yoru and Sasuke and leave immediately," Uchiha Fugaku said, guilt in his voice.

After all, the entire clan was staking its fate on this, yet he had arranged an escape for his sons first.

"But..."

"No buts. That's an order, Itachi. Obey it. You may go." Uchiha Fugaku's gentle manner turned stern in an instant.

Watching Itachi leave, Uchiha Fugaku murmured, "Brothers, if we fail, I'll spend eternity in hell begging your forgiveness."

Some of the Uchiha clan members who had been dismissed said goodbye to their families. Others silently wiped down their Ninja Blades...

No one noticed that the Uchiha Clan members patrolling outside had been replaced.

The replacements slipped into the houses. Blades flashed, and many people died in their sleep.

"We're under attack!"

Someone finally spotted them and shouted a warning with his last breath.

Damn it. Someone let word get out!

The Root Ninja leading the attack cursed inwardly. The other Root Ninja abandoned all pretense of stealth and struck with even greater abandon.

A man wearing the Spiral Mask moved through the gathering Uchiha crowd. No one's attacks touched him, while he pierced the clan members' bodies with ease.

"A monster! There's a monster!"

None of them had ever seen such terrifying Ninjutsu. Their attacks could not hurt him, but he could hurt them. It dealt a crushing blow to the Uchiha Clan's morale.

"Uchiha Style: Gale Sword!"

Flames wreathed the blade as it slashed at the Masked Man's head, as though it would burn through anything in its path. But the blade passed straight through him.

"I'll handle him! Go deal with the others!"

The sight of the renowned Body Flicker Shisui steadied the clan members at once. They went after the Root Ninja.

The Root Ninja had never expected their surprise attack to fall at the very time the Uchiha Clan had chosen for its coup.

They had planned to slaughter the Uchiha Clan in its sleep, but after killing only a few, they were discovered by clan members who were still awake.

"You have the Mangekyō Sharingan of Uchiha legend. Who are you? Why are you killing your own clan members?"

Shisui Uchiha had spotted the man's Mangekyō Sharingan at a glance.

"My name is Madara Uchiha!"

Shisui Uchiha shuddered at the words, then said, "Madara died long ago!"

Having the Mangekyō did not mean this man was Madara Uchiha, the Uchiha Clan's forefather.

Shisui Uchiha formed Hand Seals and created several Shadow Clones, which rushed the Masked Man at incredible speed.

An ordinary person's eyes could not have followed how many slashes the Shadow Clones unleashed.

Shisui's as terrifying as ever, the Masked Man thought.

He did not dare drop his intangible state. One lapse, and Shisui Uchiha's blade would run him through.

He's immune to physical attacks and Ninjutsu, but he can't attack while he's in that state! Shisui Uchiha quickly worked it out.

"Shisui, we'll meet again. If you come to hate this false world, you're welcome to seek me out!"

The space around the Masked Man twisted into a spiral, and he vanished before Shisui Uchiha's eyes.

Elsewhere, things were not going nearly as well. The Root Ninja had scattered, and all of them were elite Ninja chosen by Shimura Danzō. The Uchiha Clan was forced to race from one threat to the next.

They had killed some of the Root Ninja, but most were still roaming the Uchiha compound.