Inside each house, the screams turned to silence, and corpses lay in pools of blood, gradually losing their warmth.
The blade in his hand never stopped, and the coldness in his eyes remained unwavering, all the way to the home where he had lived and grown since birth.
Once a decision is made, one will not regret one's actions; this is the standard of a ninja—not being swayed by emotions.
'The most crucial enemy in this battle is my father, the Uchiha Clan Head Fugaku Evil Eye.'
' Uchiha Huayue has been restrained by numerous high-ranking officials of Konoha, but unexpected situations are inevitable, so a swift victory is essential!'
Having made up his mind, Itachi sneaked into the house and carefully searched the area, eventually pinpointing the quiet room where he used to discuss matters with his father.
Step by step, just a few steps away from the quiet room, Fugaku's voice suddenly came from inside.
"Itachi, come in. There are no traps here. I don't want to set traps for my own children."
After a long silence, Itachi pushed open the door and saw his parents sitting together with their backs to the child who was once their pride but was now about to wield a butcher's knife against them.
"In the end, you still chose to stand with them."
Fugaku said in a low voice, "I just can't understand why Itachi would stand on Konoha's side. Is it just because of the Will of Fire mentioned by the Third Hokage?"
"Someone has to bear the burden. Rather than letting the Uchiha be seen as a disgrace after the rebellion failed, it's better to let the Uchiha maintain their current reputation and let me take responsibility for everything."
Once the words were spoken, there was no going back. Mikoto's eyes were filled with tears, and her voice trembled slightly.
"Itachi, Sasuke to Huayue's care. After we die, do not linger in the Uchiha clan territory. You are no match for him."
"I'm sorry, Father, Mother."
With a slight tremor in his hands, Itachi had never felt the long sword in his hands so heavy.
"That's enough. Once the current Uchiha disappears, the new Uchiha will be like that spotless bud, and one day it will become a towering tree in Konoha."
"Do it, Itachi. No matter what, we will always be proud of you."
After a long while, two blood flowers bloomed, and with tears still wet in his eyes, Itachi staggered away from home.
A series of light footsteps suddenly sounded, seemingly intentionally. When Itachi raised his head, those exquisite and intricate eyes, which were countless times more powerful than his own eye power, met Itachi's gaze.
"Do you really believe that this will bring peace to Konoha and eliminate the conflict of the entire Ninja World in one fell swoop?"
"I'm only doing this to protect the Uchiha name. You are to handle the Uchiha bloodline's continuation. This is Father's wish; he hopes the new Uchiha can be completely integrated into Konoha..."
Itachi muttered to himself, but the expression in his eyes held a strange mockery.
"Integrating into Konoha will bring peace? No, that's just self-deception. The underlying logic of the Ninja World dictates that as long as ninjas exist, the world will never embrace peace."
"The underlying logic of receiving rewards for completing missions is like the most basic unit of a war machine, which also determines that ninjas will do anything for their missions."
The voice paused slightly, and the determination in Itachi's eyes wavered slightly.
"To stop war, you must do what you're doing now: uproot the deep-rooted systems..."
"Uproot it completely? Your goal is...!"
Its form was ethereal and hazy, and it vanished from the spot in an instant.
"You still have time to linger here. Uchiha Sasuke going home. No matter how you try to justify yourself, the blood on your hands cannot be washed away, and the mistakes you have made are destined to be unforgivable."
The moonlight was like a wash, and the red veil was hazy. Uchiha Itachi remained silent. Had he really made a mistake?
No, I did nothing wrong. The ones who were wrong were the Uchiha members who wanted to start a war, and my father was wrong. I was just correcting that mistake and protecting the reputation of the Uchiha Clan!
Trapped in a cognitive loop, Uchiha Itachi gradually strengthened his resolve, regardless of right or wrong, and no matter how twisted the road ahead might be.
As long as Sasuke can understand his good intentions, as long as he can fulfill his best friend's wish, and as long as Sasuke can grow up safely, that's all that matters.
The hatred in his heart will dissipate with the wind after his death, and he will eventually return to Konoha to live a peaceful life.
For some reason, the thought of those exquisite and intricate Mangekyō made Itachi's heart tremble. It seemed that things were far more complicated than he had imagined.
Down in the street, young Sasuke towards his home. The quiet street around him sent chills down his spine.
Looking around, he spotted the two bodies lying on the ground and rushed over.
"Grandma, what's wrong? Blood!"
"Uncle, uncle, it's impossible, how could this be? Who would be so cruel? Father, Mother!"
Looking at Sasuke, who was running wildly towards his home, Itachi couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, but the die was cast and he had no choice but to proceed.
Late at night, the Konoha high-ranking officials, along with Uchiha Huayue who was surrounded, rushed back to the Uchiha clan's territory.
Uchiha Sasuke, who had already fainted from the shock, was sent to Konoha Hospital. Sarutobi Hiruzen around and, even though he was a veteran of many battles, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
"How so?"
"Who knows? Perhaps they lost themselves in the carnage, unable to distinguish between the old and the young. Even an excellent ninja like Itachi could..."
Danzo sighed, but then heard a sneer in his ear.
"This is completely different from what you said, Third Hokage. In other words, can I consider this as Konoha unilaterally breaking the treaty?"
His exquisite and intricate eyes lit up again, as if Sarutobi Hiruzen's answer had failed to satisfy him, and that the Konoha High Command leadership would be annihilated in an instant.
" Danzo, Itachi is only one person. Even if he wanted to eliminate the pro-war faction, he wouldn't have enough manpower. In other words, you've been interfering in secret, haven't you!"
The surrounding Danzo was silent and desolate. Danzo remained silent, choosing to acquiesce.
"Considering your contributions to Konoha, effective immediately, you are stripped of your position as the Chief Instructor of Anbu Training and your status as Hokage Advisor. Root will be reorganized and merged into Anbu. What do you think?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flickered, and he subtly gestured to Utatane Koharu, to speak up for the sake of Konoha's future.
However, Kurenai turned a blind eye. Being tricked into coming to the Hokage Advisor's side was never her intention in the first place. Even if Konoha had a dark side, it was still too much to kill innocent villagers!
"Tomorrow, Uzumaki Naruto will move to the Uchiha Clan territory, otherwise I can't guarantee what might happen that you don't want to see."
"I hope that when the time comes for you to sacrifice yourselves, you will also be willing to risk your lives for Konoha, hehehe..."
With a series of cold laughs, Huayue's figure disappeared at the end of the street. Anko and the other two looked at each other and silently followed.
Meanwhile, outside Konoha, in a hidden corner unknown to most.
In the pale blue Culture Vessel, a woman with long, black hair reaching her waist, a gentle face, and tender eyes trembled slightly, her tears glistening.