Fugaku has gone mad; he's going to create a new Uchiha clan in Kirigakure.

The Ninja Cat Clan, a settlement.

In a bamboo forest, more than 300 Uchiha clan members were standing, sitting, or lying on the ground. Without exception, all of them had a look of confusion, anger, and exhaustion from surviving a disaster on their faces.

Because, not far away, Uchiha Hachiro, on the orders of Uchiha Fugaku, recounted what had happened in the village.

"So, Lord Yashiro..."

A young woman holding a baby gently patted her child while looking at Uchiha Hachidai standing in the crowd.

"Can we really never go back?"

"Um."

After saying all this, Uchiha Yatsuho sighed deeply, found a thick bamboo stalk, and sat down against it. He wasn't tired, but his heart was weary. In fact, he, like all the other members of the Uchiha clan present, was struggling to process what had happened.

After all, just a day ago, they were the Uchiha clan, the most powerful and prestigious clan in Konoha!

A day later, they fled Konoha like drowned rats.

"I've already made it very clear. That beast Itachi Uchiha was brainwashed by the Third Hokage and wanted to kill our entire clan. If it weren't for Lord Fugaku's timely intervention, we would probably all be dead by that beast's blade by now..."

"What about the rest of the tribesmen?"

"He's probably dead."

Uchiha Hachimoku let out a few cold laughs.

"Those militant faction members are obsessed with coups and seizing power. They won't listen to any advice. If Lord Fugaku leaks the plan in advance, they will only rebel prematurely and be wiped out by Konoha. Even we won't be able to escape."

"But that's two or three hundred lives..."

Among the crowd, some people seemed to have a good relationship with the militants, and couldn't help but say something.

"That's the path they chose!"

Uchiha Hachimoku looked at that person coldly.

"How many times has Lord Fugaku tried to persuade us over the years? And what did they do? They called the clan leader weak, and they called us, who just wanted a peaceful life, a disgrace to the Uchiha! Look at yourselves! Look at the children around you! If Lord Fugaku hadn't acted decisively, you would all be corpses by now!"

"And one more thing you must always remember: because of you, Lord Fugaku lost two sons!"

...

"You have a good subordinate."

Inside Granny Cat's séance room, the roar of Uchiha Hachiho could be clearly heard from afar.

Hearing this, Granny Cat, sitting cross-legged behind the low table, puffed on her pipe and joked, then slowly exhaled a puff of smoke—not the usual kind, but something that smelled like catnip...

Sitting opposite him, Fugaku Uchiha was pale. He didn't answer Granny Cat's question, but Mikoto Uchiha, whose eyes were already red and swollen, reddened again upon hearing those words...

"When they were kids, Itachi and Sasuke often came to the 'empty zone' outside the village."

Grandma Cat spoke slowly.

"Itachi was such a quiet kid, he always helped me organize the scrolls, and then... this happened."

"Life is unpredictable. I let him join Konoha's Anbu so he could see how Konoha dealt with the Uchiha clan. But he didn't even realize that his best friend, the genius of our Uchiha clan, Uchiha Shisui, had his eyes gouged out by Konoha. I can only say..."

Finally, Fugaku Uchiha raised his head and let out a long sigh.

"I can only say that I overestimated the intelligence of this so-called genius son. He never thought that if the Uchiha clan really had any rebellious intentions, the Nine-Tails' attack back then would have been the best opportunity. On such a chaotic night, if we really wanted to take action, how much damage would Konoha have to suffer?"

"He hadn't thought about it."

"Hiruzen Sarutobi never thought of that either. No... he might have thought of it, but he didn't mind. For the stability he saw, he was willing to sacrifice everything. The Uchiha clan was like that, as was Hatake Sagumo..."

"Of course, I'm the same way. I didn't dare to fight, and I didn't want to surrender, which is why I ended up like this..."

"So, Chief Fugaku, what do you plan to do?"

Granny Cat looked at Uchiha Fugaku with surprise in her eyes, but quickly understood. The Uchiha Fugaku she knew was indeed just as he himself described: indecisive and hesitant. However, the Uchiha Fugaku before her seemed vastly different. The reason was simple: people can teach people a thousand times and still not learn, but experiences teach people, and you'll learn in one go...

"Although this place is a place of spiritual communication, compared to the Three Sacred Sites, it's like the difference between the capital of the Land of Fire and a small village. To put it bluntly, I'm just an old woman who keeps cats. When I was young, I was lucky enough to encounter a few spiritual cats and thus acquired this little place. It's not difficult for Konoha to find this place, especially since Shimura Danzo's Root is the best at tracking. There's no point in hiding here."

"By now, the remaining militants in the village should have been completely wiped out."

Fugaku's voice was calm, even though his body was still trembling slightly.

"After Konoha confirms this, they will definitely send an action team to hunt us down, but it doesn't matter. Things are still under my control. The premise is that I need you to provide enough supplies, mainly soldier rations, or any secret medicine that can increase chakra."

"Also, I suggest that you and the Ninja Cat Clan also come with us and move to a different territory."

"Why do we have to leave too?"

The one speaking was the girl next to Granny Cat; she was Granny Cat's granddaughter, Huan.

Fugaku Uchiha also knew about this little girl. She was probably not Granny Cat's biological daughter, but an adopted orphan. In the original work, she seemed to have married one of the twelve Konoha 12 in the end. He only had a vague impression of this kind of marginalized person.

"The Uchiha clan and the Ninja Cat clan are deeply intertwined."

Fugaku Uchiha looked at Tamaki. The little girl's experience was too shallow, and there wasn't even a hint of tension in her eyes.

"If all the Uchiha were dead, Konoha might spare you, but now that half of them are still alive, Konoha will never allow 'allies of the Uchiha' to continue to exist. Whether I come or not, your grandmother's cat-ninja clan will definitely be wiped out."

"How could this happen!"

"Ninjas have always been like this, Tamaki..."

Granny Cat sighed. Clearly, compared to Tamaki's naiveté, this slightly aged woman was more sensible. Then, she looked at Uchiha Fugaku again.

"Using the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to take away so many people, and afterwards only being exhausted, the Uchiha clan's Mangekyou Sharingan is truly bizarre and unsolvable. Following you, the Ninja Cat Clan has really found a powerful ally..."

Fugaku didn't explain. For a ninja, information is life itself. If Jiraiya had known about the Rinnegan back then, he might not have been able to defeat the Six Paths of Reincarnation alone, but he should have been able to escape unscathed. The same applies to him. Information about his eyes is currently the top secret.

"Then so be it, Grandma, you can order Shinobu to start preparing."

Fugaku Uchiha stood up, took Mikoto Uchiha's hand, and the two slowly walked toward the open space in front of the settlement.

"Mikoto."

Suddenly, Fugaku spoke softly.

"Sasuke will be alright. Although Itachi was brainwashed by the Third Hokage and turned into a beast who planned to kill his parents, his love for Sasuke is greater than yours or mine."

Upon hearing this, Mikoto's lips trembled slightly, while Fugaku Uchiha continued speaking.

"He will negotiate with Konoha, using his 'loyalty' and 'value' to secure Sasuke's safety. More importantly, even without Itachi, as long as we are alive, Sasuke will be safe, and might even... live a very comfortable life with many wives and concubines..."

"Huh?"

---Divider line

Konoha, Naka Shrine

Or rather, it is the ruins of the Nanga Shrine.

The Nanga Shrine no longer exists in this world; only charred ruins remain, along with the stench of burning flesh that permeates the air...

Itachi Uchiha sat on a rubble beside the ruins, breathing heavily. Two dried tears of blood streamed down his face, creating a strangely beautiful scene...

"Lord Hokage."

Suddenly, Itachi Uchiha lightly leaped down from the rock, because four people were approaching from a short distance away—the four highest-ranking and most distinguished figures in Konoha at the moment...

"The entire Uchiha clan's fighting faction has been wiped out."

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent.

His gaze swept across the ruins, over the charred corpses that were barely visible, over the still-burning black flames, and finally landed on Itachi's face, on the two lines of dried blood tears.

"The Mangekyou Sharingan..."

He felt this way.

Through the magic of the crystal ball, he and the three people behind him watched the entire battle.

Uchiha Itachi first used genjutsu to control the guards outside the shrine, and then he and the masked man sneaked inside.

When all the core members of the martial arts faction gathered in the main hall, Itachi suddenly launched an attack. His kaleidoscope spun, and black flames ignited from the void, instantly sealing off all exits.

Amaterasu.

This is the ability of Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan, which can summon flames that will never go out until the target is burned to ashes.

Within the shrine's unique terrain, coupled with Amaterasu's eerie, inextinguishable, and undefendable power, the militant faction, despite their numerical and strength advantage, were largely trapped and burned to ashes inside the shrine...

Then, Itachi activated that...

Susanoo.

Although it was only in skeletal form, the sense of oppression could be felt even through the crystal ball.

The massive skeletal arm swept across, smashing everyone who tried to escape through the side wall back into the fire. The fluctuations in chakra even interfered with the crystal ball's view, and for a few seconds, the image was completely blurred.

"This is the power that Madara Uchiha once possessed..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag of his cigarette, suppressing his apprehension.

"You've worked hard, Itachi. Konoha will remember your resolve. Also, you said the militant faction was wiped out, what about the moderates?"

"Lord Hokage, my father used the Reverse Summoning Technique to leave Konoha with the moderates."

"nonsense!"

Danzo Shimura suddenly took a step forward, slamming his cane heavily on the ground.

"A reverse summoning technique that can carry over three hundred people? Even the First Hokage couldn't do that! If Fugaku Uchiha had that ability, he would have rebelled long ago, why wait until today!"

His anger was genuine. The Root members had been lying in ambush outside the Uchiha clan's territory, waiting for the massacre to end so they could go in and harvest the Sharingan. But what happened? Amaterasu set it ablaze, burning it completely! Not a single one was left!

If he hadn't witnessed the whole thing through the crystal ball, he would have suspected it was a self-directed and staged ploy by the Uchiha clan.

"Lord Danzo, my father has also awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan."

"Itachi said calmly."

"He knew about the plan in advance and made thorough preparations."

"A kaleidoscope? Yet another one?"

Mitokado was somewhat surprised.

"The Uchiha clan produces geniuses one after another."

"Turn to the next room," Xiaochun said softly, her tone filled with complex emotions.

"Where did your father go?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"It should be the séance site of the ninja cat clan."

After a moment's hesitation, Itachi Uchiha replied.

"The 'empty zone' outside Konoha was a place that Konoha designated for people from other villages to do business. It was around that time that the cat ninja clan, led by Granny Cat, signed a summoning contract with the Uchiha clan. However, the place for reverse summoning should not be the 'empty zone.' When I was a child, Granny Cat told me that her cat ninja clan also had its own so-called 'sacred ground.'"

"I see."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

"From now on, Konoha will issue warrants for your arrest, Fugaku Uchiha's arrest, and all other Uchiha clan members who have fled. However, Sasuke, who remains in Konoha, will be protected. This is our agreement. Now, you may leave..."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Itachi lowered his head, and then disappeared from the spot...

...

"Actually, you should have kept him; he was already at his last gasp."

Suddenly, Danzo Shimura spoke up from the side.

"Danzo..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around and looked at his old friend.

"Always staying in the dark, your vision has become short-sighted."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the ground, seemingly wary of the possibly omnipresent Akatsuki spies, and after a moment's hesitation, he spoke.

"Let's not talk about Itachi Uchiha's loyalty to Konoha. The facts are there: Fugaku Uchiha ran away. So, as long as the remnants of the Uchiha clan are not wiped out, we cannot turn against Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha. On the contrary, we should make Sasuke Uchiha get married and have children, several, a dozen, dozens of children..."

"Otherwise, if Fugaku Uchiha successfully defectes to another major power with those three hundred-plus people, then in the future, it will be Konoha that will have to worry about how to deal with the Sharingan. At that time, who will deal with them? You?"

"snort..."

"Hiruzen, that sacred place about tracking the Ninja Cat Clan..."

Xiaochun, who was sitting nearby, asked.

"What holy land? They don't even deserve it!"

With nowhere else to vent his anger, Shimura Danzo could only unleash it on the ninja cat clan.

"He's just an old geezer who got lucky and picked up a few ninja cats. It's not even an independent space; it's just a run-down village deep in the mountains."

"Do you know where there?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo Shimura.

"How could I not investigate when doing business with Konoha? Of course I know."

"Then this matter will be left to your root division. Send people to track down and hunt him down."

"good!"

Upon hearing this, a smile finally appeared on Shimura Danzo's face. After all, this meant he still had a chance to collect other Sharingan, even Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan. After witnessing Itachi Uchiha's battle, he had gained an understanding of the Mangekyou Sharingan; it was indeed strange and troublesome, but not as terrifying as the legendary Madara Uchiha. He felt that his Wind Release combined with kunai could even slice through that Susanoo...

"Hiruzen, sending him to hunt down the remnants of the Uchiha clan is like a mouse falling into a rice jar."

Watching Shimura Danzo leave the ruins with the speed of the wind, Koharu Utatane couldn't help but frown.

"If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it some grass."

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled a few times, then looked at Homura Mitokado beside him.

"Yan, you're in charge of informing the ninja legions on the border to keep a close watch, especially on the four great nations. Once they receive this information, they're very likely to contact Fugaku Uchiha. We absolutely cannot allow any remnants of the Uchiha clan to join other villages!"

"clear."