The Naka River, a great river that ran through Konoha.
This river had witnessed far too much.
The meeting between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha in their youth.
The founding of Konoha, when the first ninja village was built here.
On the eve of the Night of the Uchiha Massacre, a prodigy of the Uchiha Clan had fallen into this river and met Chiba Tetsuya.
And now, it would witness another momentous event.
The Naka River Shrine had once been the Uchiha Clan's secret meeting place.
But with the destruction of the Uchiha Clan, it too had been abandoned.
Beneath the shrine lay a hidden underground chamber.
Dressed in white, Sasuke Uchiha sat on a stone chair in the chamber, with a longsword beside him-the Kusanagi Sword.
After learning that Sasuke was going to fight Uchiha Itachi to the death, Orochimaru had taken a train to the Land of Grass and given Sasuke his own Kusanagi Sword.
He had offered Sasuke plenty of other things as well, but Sasuke had refused them, accepting only this Kusanagi Sword, which felt better in his hand.
On the wall directly behind Sasuke hung the Uchiha Clan's crest.
"Uchiha Itachi, you're finally here."
Sasuke opened his eyes, having been resting with them closed. Three tomoe gleamed black within his scarlet eyes.
A figure appeared at the entrance.
He wore the Akatsuki's standard black cloak with red clouds, and a Konoha forehead protector marked with a slash.
Uchiha Itachi looked at Sasuke sitting on the stone chair, momentarily dazed.
He had not seen Sasuke in years-not since his fierce battle with Shisui on the Night of the Uchiha Massacre.
He had initially thought that the enraged Shisui had killed Sasuke, but on reflection, Shisui was not that kind of person.
Shisui must have hidden Sasuke