UTBW: Ch. 39

Inside a house soaked in fresh blood, an Uchiha clan member with three-tomoe Sharingan clutched the blade in his chest and asked with great difficulty.

"Why…"

Shhhk!

Itachi mercilessly drew his blade out, the friction tearing the man's heart apart completely.

"You… clearly have the power to save everyone…" The man looked into Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan as he slowly collapsed to the ground, his eyes full of anger and confusion.

Itachi watched as the life left his body.

Only then did he slowly speak, "I am saving everyone. It's just that… the 'everyone' I'm saving is this village."

With that, he turned and walked away. Back on the street, he glanced one last time at the house behind him. From top to bottom, a family of seven, all slain by his blade.

The youngest was only one year old, just starting to talk.

I'm sorry… A flash of sorrow passed through his eyes, but soon his expression became resolute again, But this is for Konoha, for peace.

The Uchiha were the greatest destabilizing factor. By eliminating the Uchiha clan, Konoha can finally have lasting peace.

He took a deep breath, pushing down all hesitation and pity in his heart. For the peace of the village, he had already steeled his resolve, even if it meant killing his own family without hesitation.

Itachi walked toward the next home.

And at that home's entrance, the owner of the house had already been waiting. A withered hand gripped a ninja blade tightly.

"Why resist…" Itachi looked at him and sighed. "You're so old now, you don't even have enough chakra left for a single jutsu."

"Why struggle? Wouldn't it be better to quietly let me send you off?"

Ahead of him, the elderly Uchiha let out a scornful laugh, his eyes full of contempt and ridicule, "An Uchiha would rather die standing than cower in fear."

"Honestly…" Itachi shook his head, eyes growing cold. It was this kind of stubborn pride that had led the Uchiha to their downfall. Why couldn't they understand?

Following the Third Hokage's leadership and fully integrating with the village, that was the right path!

"Then let me use these eyes to send you on your way," he said as his Mangekyō Sharingan surged with overwhelming visual power.

---

Deeper in the clan grounds, at the home of the current clan head, a man stood in the courtyard, his expression sorrowful.

"It's begun… The Third Hokage has finally made up his mind to wipe out the Uchiha clan."

"Fugaku…" Mikoto's face was filled with sadness as she embraced him from behind.

Sigh…

Fugaku let out a long sigh, a whirlwind of emotions churning inside him. He still remembered how full of vigor and ambition he had been when he took on the role of clan head.

He restructured the clan, nurtured the next generation, and resolved internal conflicts. Under his leadership, the Uchiha clan's situation had greatly improved, nearly returning to the golden era under Kagami.

But then disaster struck.

The Nine-Tails was unleashed. The Fourth Hokage perished.

That one event destroyed the decades of progress he had built.

Minato had been one of the rare Hokage who held no prejudice against the Uchiha clan, even taking Obito as his student.

Obito might be dead, but his eyes lived on in another student, Kakashi.

That connection was strong and firm.

Back then, Fugaku could almost see it: a future where the Uchiha members fully integrated with Konoha, maybe even contending for the next Hokage position.

But in an instant, that dream was shattered.

To this day, he still didn't know who the true culprit behind the Nine-Tails' attack was.

"Power…" He clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His heart was filled with bitter regret.

If only he had greater power, if only he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, maybe he could've changed the outcome of that fateful night.

Perhaps things wouldn't have spiraled so hopelessly out of control like they have now.

But now, no matter what he said, it was already too late.

"Itachi… and Sasuke, they've worked so hard." Fugaku let go of his clenched fist, exhausted, and turned to embrace Mikoto.

"Sasuke…" Mikoto's tears finally spilled over. Her voice choked with sobs, making her nearly unintelligible. She could already imagine the bleak futures awaiting both of her sons. But at the very least, they would survive.

Unlike the rest of their clan, who were fated not to see the dawn.

"Don't worry. The Third will take care of Sasuke." Fugaku gently patted his wife's back, comforting her. This was the unspoken agreement between him and the village leadership.

As a pacifist who had always worked toward integrating the Uchiha clan into Konoha, his efforts had not gone unnoticed. Even his exceptionally gifted eldest son had been entrusted to the ANBU, under Hiruzen's direct supervision.

That was Fugaku's desperate final gamble when facing ruin.

In the end, he failed. But even in failure, as a former "friend," he was granted a small shred of dignity and consideration.

Which meant, his younger son, Sasuke, could survive as the seed of a new Uchiha future.

"Sasuke, you must live well." Mikoto said through her tears.

Fugaku nodded firmly and promised, "He will. Sasuke will live well. There will be many watching over him."

It wasn't trust in the Third Hokage and his people. It was trust in interests.

The Uchiha's Sharingan was one of the most powerful bloodline limit in the shinobi world, and the Uchiha clan members were founding members of Konoha.

Both emotionally and logically, the village leaders wouldn't allow this power to vanish completely.

---

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, at the floor-to-ceiling window, two elderly men calmly looked toward the Uchiha compound, their expressions showing absolute control over the situation.

"It's begun," the first one said softly.

"Yes," the other one nodded with a fervent gleam flashing in his eyes.

The damn Uchiha—finally, they were being wiped out. And the Sharingan he had long coveted, he could now harvest a great number of them and dive deep into his research.

At that thought, he casually touched his right arm.

That arm had been implanted with special cells, but the integration had never gone smoothly.

Orochimaru had proposed a solution: Use restrained Yin Release power to suppress the overly active Wood Release.

And the most suitable form of Yin Release for that, was, of course, the Sharingan. The Uchiha and Senju clans had been at war for over a thousand years. Now the Senju were gone. The Uchiha were destroyed. Then let the thousand-year feud continue, within his arm.

Heh heh…

A twisted smile curled at the corners of his lips as he hummed to himself in satisfaction.

Beside him, the first elderly man cast him a quiet glance and shook his head slightly.

This old friend of his was competent in many ways, but far too greedy. He lacked self-restraint. Those dark, power-hungry thoughts were practically written on his face.

Still...

He chuckled inwardly.

Precisely because of that obvious flaw, his old friend was easy to control. He had wielded him like a blade for decades, and that grip remained tight.

With that in mind, he looked out leisurely toward the Uchiha compound and thought silently, Itachi… is also a fine blade.

---

At the same moment, in Junichi's home, a tall, burly man, as strong as a bear, appeared seemingly out of thin air.

He slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the familiar living room around him.

A faint smile rose on his lips.

"I'm back."