On the other battlefield.
The sounds of fierce clashes had long since vanished, leaving only deathly silence.
Uchiha Fugaku knelt on one knee.
His vision had already blurred beyond recognition.
He had never expected Itachi to be so ruthless.
He had lost.
Lost completely and utterly.
Not because he lacked strength, but because, as a father, his heart had softened.
Uchiha Fugaku hesitated.
And what greeted him was Itachi's merciless killing intent.
The child who had once followed behind him, timidly calling him "Father," had grown into a rebellious son capable of bringing down the butcher's blade upon his own father without hesitation.
Uchiha Itachi's killing footsteps slowly drew closer.
Uchiha Fugaku struggled to raise his head. Through his blurred vision, he saw Itachi's expressionless face and the kunai in his hand, gleaming with a chilling light.
Is this the end?
Perhaps that was for the best.
Dying by his own son's hand might even be a kind of release.
Just as that kunai was about to pierce his heart.
Time seemed to have been paused.
Uchiha Yao had somehow appeared between Uchiha Fugaku and Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi stared fixedly at the man who should not have been here.
How was this possible?!
Orochimaru, Kakuzu, and that masked man who called himself Uchiha Madara.
How could Uchiha Yao have dealt with them so quickly?!
"You..."
Itachi had just been about to question him.
But Uchiha Yao could not even be bothered to say a single word to him.
When dealing with traitors, he had always used only the most direct method to deliver his judgment.
Crackle—!
Blue-white lightning, more brilliant and violent than ever before, erupted.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Uchiha Yao gave Itachi no time to react at all.
His words had not even finished ringing out.
Uchiha Yao's