Uchiha Clan Infighting?

Squelch!

A cold flash of Hikari swept past!

Pain pierced Uchiha Izumi's chest. Her clear black-and-white eyes widened as she stared at Uchiha Itachi, whose eyes glowed scarlet and whose face was cold. She murmured:

"Itachi... why?"

As she spoke, she activated her Sharingan. Its three Tomoe turned feebly.

"...Why?"

Uchiha Itachi held his Tachi as blood dripped from its fuller. "The clan, the clan... All you ever cared about was the clan. You overestimated your strength and knew nothing of the terror you couldn't see. You stood on the brink of despair without even realizing it. My abilities... I'm disappointed in this tedious clan..."

"Whether it's Shinji Uchiha or you, neither of you knows what you're about to face... It's because you cling so fiercely to something as small as the clan that you show such ugly faces. It sickens me. I hate it!"

Looking at Izumi's beautiful, despairing face, Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan turned. "The ghost of the Uchiha still wanders the Shinobi World, while you... all of you! Stay lost in your childish fantasies forever!"

Squelch!

He pulled out the Tachi. Blood sprayed beneath the moonlight, then spilled and spread across the ground.

Bloody tears streamed down Uchiha Izumi's face as she collapsed into a pool of blood.

The spinning Three Tomoe slowly faded...

Late that night, flames erupted throughout the Uchiha Clan Compound, and explosions rang out without pause!

Screams and the sounds of battle filled the night!

Konoha was shaken!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence.

Bang!

Mitokado Homura burst through the door, panting. Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his eyes and sat up, already moving to form Hand Seals.

Then he recognized the figure before him.

"Homura? What are you doing?!"

"Hiruzen! Something terrible has happened to the Uchiha!"

"What?!"

At the word "Uchiha," Hiruzen Sarutobi's drowsiness vanished. He threw on a coat and rose to his feet.

"What happened?! Was it Shinji Uchiha? Has he finally launched a rebellion?! Damn it! That inherently evil Uchiha Clan!"

Mitokado Homura stared at Sarutobi's furious expression.

For a moment, he faltered.

Then he shook off the absurd thought that had crossed his mind.

"No!" Mitokado Homura said urgently. "The Uchiha have turned on each other! Our people can't get in, so we have no idea what's happening inside!"

"...?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi froze, his hands slowing as he tied his belt. "You're saying there's infighting within the Uchiha Clan?"

"...If our people can't get in, how do you know it's infighting?"

Mitokado Homura ignored his strange tone. "The Uchiha Compound is burning! There are explosions and screams everywhere, and the smell of blood has spread across half of Konoha! The flames have turned the whole sky red! If it isn't infighting, then who's attacking the Uchiha?"

"Is that true?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi finished dressing and armed himself. "Where are Shinji Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha? What about Fugaku? What's happening with the Konoha Military Police Force?"

"And Uchiha Itachi! Can we contact him?"

Mitokado Homura paused. "Uchiha Itachi has disappeared. So has everyone else. The Konoha Military Police Force... not a single member is there."

"!!!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened. "Quick! Put all ANBU and Root personnel on alert! Be ready for any rebellion or unrest!"

"Yes!"

"Go on ahead!"

After Mitokado Homura left, Hiruzen Sarutobi paced twice across the room and clenched his fist.

"Kakashi!"

"Lord Hokage!"

"Gather the Hokage Guard. Come with me to the Uchiha Clan Compound!"

Soon after,

Hiruzen Sarutobi led elite ANBU and Root members to surround the Uchiha Clan Compound.

As he watched flames rise in the distance, houses burn, and people scream, his breathing quickened.

Had the Uchiha really descended into chaos?!

Kakashi, meanwhile, could make no sense of it.

He had sparred with Shinji Uchiha that afternoon. The others' respect for Shinji had bordered on fanaticism.

And now

they were fighting among themselves?

What kind of joke was this?

Hiruzen Sarutobi could wait no longer. He strode forward and asked what was happening, citing his concern for the clan's safety.

He also requested permission to enter the compound and intervene.

But from the Three Tomoe elites posted every ten paces along the compound's edge, he received only a four-word message.

"This doesn't concern the village!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed his urge to act and fell into thought. "Something isn't right... If this really is infighting, where are Shinji Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha? Where are the Konoha Military Police Force members? Why have they all disappeared?"

"Are they..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed toward the blazing Uchiha Clan Compound. "Who exactly are they fighting? Or is it really infighting? Kakashi, what do you think?"

Kakashi paused. "Lord Hokage, I don't know."

Kakashi's answer left Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts in turmoil. One part of him insisted this was a rare chance to eliminate the Uchiha threat for good.

But another urged caution. Shinji Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha had not shown themselves all night, and he knew nothing about what was happening inside the compound!

This could be a trap!

A trap aimed squarely at him!

Danzo already had one foot in the grave. If something happened to the Hokage at this crucial moment, the village's future would be unimaginable!

Sarutobi moved with extreme caution. He dared not act rashly, much less lead everyone into the Uchiha Clan Compound himself.

To him, the compound was a Dragon's Pool and Tiger's Den. In its shadows lurked a beast that could swallow everything...

The thought made him shudder.

And so

the chaos in the Uchiha Clan Compound continued until dawn.

Konoha's major clans watched.

And speculated.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained outside the Uchiha Clan Compound all night. He dared do nothing more than wait, without a moment of sleep.

At last, the long night ended.

The first pale light appeared on the horizon.

To Hiruzen Sarutobi's surprise, everything in the Uchiha Clan Compound seemed normal. People went about their usual lives, as though nothing had happened the night before.

Women carrying children emerged from the compound and headed into Konoha, chatting and laughing.

Children ran through the streets and alleys.

Members of the Konoha Military Police Force headed to work early. As they passed, they gave him odd looks, and a few offered perfunctory greetings.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew increasingly grave.

"Kakashi?"

"Yes!"

"Did we dream everything that happened last night?"

"..."

Kakashi had no answer. "Lord Hokage, I... don't know."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's unease deepened.

He felt...

as if he had missed a golden opportunity!

He questioned a member of the Uchiha Self-Defense Force again. "Has your Clan Head still not returned?"

But

the answer overturned that feeling and left Hiruzen Sarutobi baffled all over again.

"The clan head went out early this morning, heading toward the Konoha Military Police Force. Thank you for waiting all night, Lord Hokage."

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest rose and fell sharply.

Fuming, he led his people away.

Konoha Military Police Force headquarters.

Inside the chief's office.

"A plan? This was your plan?"

Shisui looked at the lifeless girl lying on the bed and frowned deeply. "...You went too far."

Shinji's face was expressionless. "There's that familiar attitude of yours..."

Anger filled Shisui's voice. "Who did this? Who killed a fellow clan member for the sake of some so-called plan? How are you any different from Shimura Danzō if you gave that order?!"

"Why didn't you tell me before carrying out the plan? I... I could at least have kept her alive!"

Shinji gave him a speechless look. "If I told you everything, there'd be no damn point in having a plan. The whole world would know by now... Besides, are you blaming me?"

"Who? Who carried it out?"

"Uchiha Itachi."

Shisui stared blankly. "He... how could he do that?! What do we do now? Heavenly Rock Cave won't work on the dead!"

"That's a problem."

Shinji murmured the words.

He stared at Izumi's pale face, then opened his eyes wide. His Mangekyo Sharingan appeared.

"Good thing I kept an eye on what he was doing. I was afraid he might... Never mind. From now on, she can't go around using Uchiha Izumi's name or identity..."