In Year 48 of Konoha, on the Night of the Nine-Tails, Uchiha Itachi held Sasuke as he dodged falling rubble.
Suddenly, a figure appeared before him, leaning against a wall and panting heavily. Before the figure could move, a huge rock fell and crushed him flat.
Uchiha Itachi did not know who it was, but he felt a pang in his heart:
The Uchiha Clan Crest. Looks like he just graduated. Sigh...
When he returned home, he saw Fugaku sitting in the living room, drinking with worry written all over his face.
"Father, what's wrong?"
Fugaku managed a faint smile. "Nothing. Itachi, grow up quickly. Perhaps the Uchiha Clan will flourish in your hands."
"Father, are you worried about the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes? Perhaps we could advance to secure a retreat. In adversity, we must know when to advance and when to retreat. When it's time to advance, we must..."
Uchiha Itachi froze halfway through. He could not understand why he had said those words when he was clearly still a child.
Fugaku froze too. Those words seemed so familiar, yet he could not remember where he had heard them.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage took a deep drag, his face full of worry:
"Konoha suffered devastating losses tonight. We must guard against an invasion by the other Four Nations. And then there's the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes. Whether the Uchiha Clan did it or not, the villagers will believe they did.
"If the Uchiha Clan rebels, how should we deal with it?"
"Strike first. We should seize this opportunity to wipe out the Uchiha before they cause trouble later!"
The Third Hokage shook his head. "That won't do. We must take things slowly. Don't act unless we have absolutely no choice. War is