Because the relationship between Konoha's high command and the Uchiha clan had long been strained, the end of the war did not bring peace between the two sides. Instead, the conflict moved into the shadows.
Using the Nine-Tails' attack as a pretext, Konoha's upper echelon deliberately spread rumors throughout the village, subtly shifting the blame onto the Uchiha clan. They claimed that the Nine-Tails had been controlled by an Uchiha, turning the tragedy into an internal conspiracy.
Most shinobi understood the truth of the matter, but ordinary villagers did not. What they knew was that someone named Ash had once displayed a mysterious dōjutsu capable of controlling the Nine-Tails. To civilians who knew nothing of chakra theory or political manipulation, this was more than enough. In their eyes, Ash became a traitor—and by extension, the Uchiha clan became suspects.
As resentment grew, the Uchiha were gradually pushed to the margins of the village. Eventually, Uchiha Fugaku, the clan's patriarch and Itachi's father, could no longer endure the oppression. He began contemplating the seizure of the Hokage's position.
However, Uchiha Itachi, who had witnessed the cruelty of war from childhood and personally experienced the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' disaster, refused to let another catastrophe unfold. Determined to prevent civil war, he chose a path of sacrifice.
Itachi became a double agent.
In secret, he fed false intelligence to the Uchiha clan, delaying their plans. At the same time, he relayed critical information about the clan's movements to Konoha's leadership, hoping to buy time for a peaceful resolution.
His closest ally in this endeavor was Uchiha Shisui.
Unfortunately, Shisui fell into the hands of Danzo Shimura.
Danzo was the kind of man who would rather kill a thousand innocents than let a single potential threat escape. He placed no trust whatsoever in the intelligence Shisui provided.
Shisui's Sharingan was famed for its unparalleled prowess in genjutsu. With his three-tomoe Sharingan, he could subtly manipulate shinobi of comparable strength. Combined with his unmatched Body Flicker Technique, his illusions were almost impossible to defend against—earning him the title "Shisui of the Body Flicker."
During a later mission, Shisui awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Only two people knew of this secret: Uchiha Itachi and Danzo.
Upon witnessing Shisui's Mangekyō, Danzo was reminded of the dōjutsu power once used to control the Nine-Tails. Greed overtook caution. Danzo extended his hand toward Shisui.
After a fierce struggle, Shisui's left eye was stolen by Danzo. Gravely injured, he barely escaped and sought out Itachi. Only then did Itachi fully comprehend how dire the situation between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership had become.
Entrusting his remaining eye to Itachi, Shisui chose death.
He leapt into the river, ending his life.
Watching his closest friend die with his own eyes, Itachi's heart shattered—and in that moment of overwhelming grief, he awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, becoming the fourth Uchiha in history to do so.
The order of awakening was as follows:
First, Uchiha Madara.
Second, the Masked Man.
Third, Ash.
Fourth, Uchiha Shisui.
And finally—Uchiha Itachi.
To prevent the escalating conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha from tearing the village apart, Itachi made a choice from which there was no return.
He accepted the mission issued by Konoha's upper echelon: the annihilation of the Uchiha clan.
In exchange, he demanded only one condition—that his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, be spared.
After the massacre, Itachi joined Akatsuki, serving as Konoha's hidden spy within the organization.
"The Uchiha compound is divided into four sectors—A, B, C, and D."
Standing before a detailed map of the clan's residence, Ash calmly assigned roles.
"Kakuzu and Hidan will handle Area A.
Orochimaru and Itachi are responsible for Area B.
Kisame and Zetsu will take Area C.
Sasori and I will deal with Area D.
As for Tobi… is that acceptable?"
No one raised an objection. To them, the location made little difference.
"Move quickly," Ash continued. "There's a deal in place with Danzo, but that doesn't mean he won't betray us at the last moment. Be vigilant. That man will do anything to achieve his goals."
With a wave of his hand, the Akatsuki members scattered to their assigned sectors. Ash, Sasori, and Deidara rose into the sky, flying toward Area D above Konoha.
"What's going on?" someone muttered. "Who set up this barrier?"
"It's a large-scale genjutsu barrier," another replied. "This isn't Konoha targeting us."
A massive black barrier had already enveloped the Uchiha district.
The clan's residence was located far from Konoha's bustling center, and with the illusion masking it entirely, even passersby would never notice what was happening inside.
"They really are a bunch of fools."
Standing atop a low wooden rooftop, Ash looked down at the Uchiha clan members below with undisguised contempt.
"The relationship with Konoha has already reached the point of irreconcilable hostility, yet their defenses are still this lax. I don't know whether that's confidence in their own strength—or sheer arrogance."
"So?" Sasori asked impatiently, excitement flickering in his eyes as his hand hovered over a puppet scroll. "Do we start now?"
"Mm." Ash let out a lazy yawn. "Let's clear out some trash first. Saves us the trouble of chasing survivors through the flames later."
As his words fell, Ash's hands moved rapidly, forming seals at blinding speed.
At the same time, Sasori raised both arms, summoning his own forces. In midair, nearly two hundred puppets unfolded and hovered silently, their joints clicking softly like the breathing of beasts.
A moment later—
Boom!
A massive wave of flames erupted, instantly swallowing District D of the Uchiha compound. Fire roared through the streets, reducing buildings to ash and turning the night into a hellscape of heat and smoke.
"What—?!"
"Ahhh!!"
"Fire—!"
Screams echoed everywhere.
The sudden inferno caught the clan completely unprepared. Many Uchiha were severely injured on the spot. Those who had yet to become shinobi—civilians and academy-aged children with only basic endurance—were killed outright, their bodies consumed by the flames.
As the firestorm subsided, Sasori stepped forward.
"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets."
With those words, the core compartment of his body opened.
A puppet with dark red hair emerged into view—Sasori's true form. He had long since abandoned flesh, transforming his own body into a puppet.
The cover on the right side of his torso slid open.
In an instant, hundreds of chakra threads shot forth, connecting to every puppet in the air. The lifeless figures moved as if alive, descending upon the burning district with mechanical precision.
Blades flashed. Hidden weapons fired.
The puppets swept through the chaos, mercilessly harvesting lives amid the screams of the Uchiha clan.
"I knew your real body wasn't human anymore," Ash remarked calmly as he watched the slaughter unfold, "but I didn't expect you to turn yourself completely into a puppet."
Sasori's voice was flat, emotionless.
"Only something eternal can be called true art," he replied. "This body… makes me an existence that will never decay."
...
TN:
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