Everyone's eyes were fixed on Uchiha Yao.
They waited for him to name the traitor.
The air before Naka Shrine seemed to freeze in that instant.
Uchiha Yao's gaze slowly swept across the stunned, furious, disbelieving faces below.
"This traitor was no nobody."
"Quite the opposite."
"He was once the pride of our Uchiha."
"A genius in the eyes of countless people."
Uchiha Yao's gaze finally settled on a small figure in the crowd.
Second Pillar.
At that moment, Sasuke was looking up at Uchiha Yao on the platform with utter admiration, imagining that one day he too could lead the Uchiha toward glory.
He had no idea that the words to come would completely shatter his entire world.
"This traitor who betrayed us all."
"His name is..."
"Uchiha Itachi."
Dead silence.
Several seconds of deathly silence.
Then—
Boom—!!!
The crowd exploded.
"Impossible!"
A young Uchiha ninja cried out in shock.
"Clan Head! Have you made a mistake?! How could Lord Itachi be a traitor?!"
"That's right! Lord Itachi is a once-in-a-century genius of our Uchiha Clan!"
"Brother..."
Second Pillar stood there blankly, his little face drained of color.
He looked helplessly at the clansmen fiercely protesting around him, then at the expressionless Uchiha Yao on the platform.
"No..."
"You're lying!"
Sasuke shouted with all his strength.
"My brother isn't a traitor! You're all lying!"
Yet his voice was quickly swallowed by an even greater uproar.
Uchiha Mikoto's body trembled slightly as tears rolled uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.
"No... impossible..."
Second Pillar simply could not understand why that name had appeared here as that of a "traitor."
That was his brother.
The most perfect, strongest, gentlest brother in his eyes.
The genius the Uchiha Clan took pride in.
How could he possibly be a traitor?
"Clan Head