Perhaps out of guilt or reluctance, he did not continue. Itachi Uchiha's eyes flickered as he spoke in a low voice. "Can we really eliminate all the radicals quietly with just us?"
"Many of them have been on missions outside the village for years, with uncertain whereabouts. To clear them all out, we would need task adjustments like the ones Danzo Shimura used before, which requires help from the village leadership."
"And even if we succeed, the remaining clan members will eventually discover it. When that happens, how will you and I face their anger?"
Hearing this, Shisui Uchiha was still somewhat dazed, but he fell into long silence after being reminded. If he used the ultimate power within the Mangekyo Sharingan, he was confident he could kill all the radical members at once.
However, as Itachi said, gathering everyone together was nearly impossible. Even past clan meetings had many absentees.
Especially since Akatsuki and ANBU were watching the clan, Shisui understood the consequences of forcing a full assembly. Before they could act, Konoha Leadership would likely sense something wrong and suspect a coup, striking at the Uchiha Clan first.
"So in the end, do we still need to tell the village leadership?" Shisui hesitated inwardly.
The Shisui Uchiha of the past might have chosen to trust the leadership. But after witnessing the eerie effect of Kotoamatsukami, even he felt chilled by its power, let alone figures like the Third Hokage.
This was no longer about trust. Anyone who saw this power would feel fear, and suspicion would spread without restraint.
No one could accept their will being altered by another. Even killing one's own closest family would not bring hesitation.
The night wind passed through the courtyard, lifting a few dead leaves that brushed together with soft rustling sounds. The quiet pressed down on them, almost suffocating.
Just then, a low and aged laugh filled with undisguised mockery sounded above them.
"Heh heh heh…"
Itachi Uchiha and Shisui felt their hair stand on end. Almost by instinct, they sprang away like startled cats, moving into the open courtyard.
The scarlet Sharingan activated as they stared toward the source of the sound. Under their tense gazes, the empty air above the roof twisted as if grasped by an unseen hand.
A long-haired figure wearing an orange, single-eyed mask appeared out of nowhere, completely silent.
Without hesitation, several flashing Kunai flew out, carrying the killing intent of Shisui and the others, aimed at the figure's throat and heart. Yet the Kunai passed straight through his body as if through empty air, with no blood and no resistance at all.
"What is that?" Itachi Uchiha's expression shifted.
At the moment the weapons passed through, Shisui's Sharingan narrowed sharply. He clearly caught a flash of red beneath the mask.
Those eyes were unmistakably Sharingan. And that pattern…
"Mangekyo Sharingan!"
Shisui's heart pounded as he stared at the masked man. "Who are you? How do you have the same eyes as me?"
Beside him, Itachi turned his head sharply, shock written across his face. Within the Uchiha Clan, besides Shisui, there was another Mangekyo Sharingan?
Without question, the newcomer was Obito Uchiha, returning to his old role.
"Hmph."
Obito Uchiha let out a snort and looked down at them, mimicking Madara Uchiha's tone. "Kid, you seem to have misunderstood something."
"It is not that I have the same eyes as you. It is that you have the same eyes as me."
At those words, Shisui Uchiha's eyes narrowed, then his pupils shrank slightly as realization struck. After awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, he had studied countless ancient records and knew that in the past century, only one person besides himself had awakened it.
"My name…"
Obito Uchiha lifted his chin slightly, his voice carrying indifference shaped by time. "Madara Uchiha."
A crushing sense of absurdity and deep-seated chill seized both of them.
"Impossible!" Itachi Uchiha blurted out. "Madara Uchiha is already dead!"
"Hmph, how naive." Obito Uchiha spoke with mocking control. "Has my appearance robbed you of the ability to think calmly?"
"Or are you truly no better than this?"
Hearing that, Itachi Uchiha forced himself to calm down and stared at the figure. A sense of familiarity surfaced, bringing back memories from three years ago.
Three years ago, because of the deaths of his teammates and teacher, because of fear and his own helplessness, he awakened the two tomoe Sharingan. The one who killed them was this very person.
"So it was you." Itachi Uchiha's voice was hoarse.
Beside him, Shisui frowned and asked, "Itachi, you know him?"
Itachi nodded. "He is the one I told you about before. The man who killed Tenma."
It had been a long time since Itachi Uchiha awakened the two tomoe Sharingan. Over the past three years, he had repeatedly thought about the true identity of the masked man he encountered back then. He had seen those Sharingan with his own eyes, so he concluded the man had to come from the Uchiha Clan.
Yet during those three years, Itachi Uchiha had met every male in the clan, and no one in Root possessed a space controlling Ninjutsu. No one had the same voice or the same presence. It was as if that man did not belong to Konoha at all.
Since the founding of Konoha, the Uchiha Clan had always lived within the village. He had never heard of anyone outside the Uchiha Clan possessing the Sharingan. During war, if a member of the Uchiha Clan died on the battlefield, other Ninja would retrieve the Sharingan according to the rules, so enemies could not steal it from a corpse.
Even if a precious Kekkei Genkai like the Sharingan or Byakugan truly went missing, it would be a major incident. Konoha and the clan would certainly have records of it. There were also no rumors of the Sharingan flowing to other villages.
That left only one final possibility.
The masked man was a clansman who had left the Uchiha Clan in the past.
When Itachi Uchiha first considered this, his instinct was to reject it, even after feeling the overwhelming pressure and power from the masked man. Since the founding of Konoha, only one clansman had ever left the Uchiha Clan and departed the village alone. That person was Madara Uchiha.
But Madara Uchiha had already died at the hands of the First Hokage.
Today, however, this most unlikely guess was suddenly confirmed.
Not only Itachi Uchiha, but Shisui Uchiha also calmed down and fell into deep thought. He carefully assessed what he had sensed just moments ago, forcing himself to stay rational. The situation before them demanded it.
"An unrecorded Mangekyo Sharingan, and Dojutsu Power several times stronger than mine," Shisui thought, cold sweat forming on his forehead. As described in ancient records, after using Kotoamatsukami at full power once, he could already feel his eyesight declining. Yet from the masked man's casual use of Dojutsu, it was clear that he did not care about the consumption of Dojutsu Power, something only the legendary Madara Uchiha was said to be able to do.
"I hope you have thought it through, or it would truly be disappointing," Obito Uchiha said coldly as he looked down at them. "From the beginning to the end, I have been watching you, watching your childish plan full of holes."