"Ran?!"
Uchiha Izumi stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar back before her, her eyes widening inch by inch.
Why Ran?
How could it be Ran?
Uchiha Ran was her little brother—at least, that was what he always called himself. Izumi had never openly acknowledged it, but deep down, she truly did see him as a younger brother.
They were close in age, with Ran only a year younger than her.
After Ran's parents died early, he was nominally raised by the clan. In reality, it was the nearby clansmen who took turns looking after him—and Izumi was one of them.
In her memory, Ran had always been that kind of little brother: honest, unassuming, with no real strength or ambition.
He spent his days writing novels, finishing several books over the years. Even though he had graduated long ago, he still hadn't awakened the Sharingan. He didn't go on missions, rarely participated in clan affairs, and had almost no presence at all.
And yet—
It was precisely this Ran who now stood firmly in front of her, blocking a fatal blow meant for her.
"Oh?"
Obito looked at the young man standing before him, the corners of his masked mouth curling into a cold smile.
"I didn't expect someone to jump out and help. Looks like Itachi's efficiency isn't quite good enough."
"Ran, run! You're no match for him! Go—go find Itachi quickly—!"
"Find him for what?" Ran cut in calmly before she could finish.
"So he can kill you with his own hands?"
"You… what did you say…?"
Izumi froze on the spot.
She had already heard Itachi's name from the masked man and knew that someone was slaughtering the clan—but she hadn't dared to believe it. She refused to believe it.
She thought the masked man was deliberately smearing Itachi's name.
"Itachi has gone mad. He's carrying out a massacre inside the clan grounds. Every clansman has been killed by him."
Ran's voice was low and steady.
"Sister Izumi, give up your illusions. Uchiha Itachi is the murderer."
Then, without warning, Ran exerted force with both hands and shoved Obito back. His blade flashed once, severing the chains in a single stroke and freeing Izumi from Obito's grasp.
"I'll answer whatever questions you have later. For now, you need to get somewhere safe."
As he spoke, Ran extended his right hand. A black substance surged out from his palm and merged with the shadow beneath his feet.
The next instant, the shadow under Izumi's feet erupted upward, wrapping around her entire body.
The shadow contracted—
And Uchiha Izumi vanished.
"What?!"
Obito's eyes narrowed sharply.
What kind of power was that?
"Who are you?!"
He barked coldly as he lunged straight at Uchiha Ran.
"Who I am doesn't matter," Ran replied, his expression icy.
"Everything you've done to the Uchiha, I'll return to you someday. Until then, you'd better live well—don't you dare die by someone else's hand."
Shadows surged up around Ran as well.
Before Obito's attack could reach him, Ran stepped into the darkness and vanished into the Shadow Space.
Obito's strike cut through empty air.
He immediately pushed his Sharingan to the limit, trying to track even the slightest trace.
But no matter how hard he searched, he found nothing.
"Could it be… a Mangekyō Sharingan technique?"
This power was clearly tied to space–time ninjutsu—and no one understood how troublesome such abilities were better than Obito himself.
"I never imagined someone like you was hidden within the Uchiha," he muttered coldly.
"Consider yourself lucky you ran fast. Next time, I won't let you escape."
---
Inside the Shadow Space, Uchiha Ran personally removed the remaining chains from Izumi.
A group of children quickly gathered around her.
Some she knew, some she didn't—but at this moment, every one of them instinctively treated her as someone they could rely on.
"Little Ran… what you just said… you said Itachi-kun…"
Izumi still hadn't fully processed what had happened. Her thoughts were stuck several seconds in the past.
"Yes," Ran said, standing upright.
"He's the one who slaughtered the clan. These children's parents were all killed by him. If you don't believe me, ask them yourselves."
Izumi looked at the children surrounding her.
No matter how unwilling she was to accept it, her heart slowly began to believe Ran's words.
"But why would he…?"
She suddenly noticed the shadows gathering around Ran again.
"Wait—where are you going?"
"I still have one more thing to do."
The darkness crept over Ran's body.
"As for why Itachi did this… I'm sorry. I don't know either. If you really want answers, maybe you'll have the chance to ask him yourself someday."
He paused, then smiled gently.
"For now, please help me take care of them… just like you once took care of me."
With that, he vanished into the shadows.
Uchiha Izumi looked at the frightened, confused eyes around her—at the small faces streaked with tears.
She forced herself to set aside her own pain and began comforting the younger brothers and sisters of the clan.
---
At the Clan Head's Residence, Itachi had already killed his parents.
He stood there, waiting for his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke.
He intended to plant hatred and the desire for revenge deep within Sasuke's heart.
From afar, Uchiha Ran glanced in that direction—then turned and walked the other way.
He had waited for this day for a long time.
Once he realized he couldn't change the overall course of history, he began making preparations, gathering capital for the future.
The long blade in his hand, and the Shadow Space itself, were the fruits of years of effort.
As for tonight's harvest—
Saving those with potential was only part of it.
The other part… was the eyes of the clan.
They were already dead. Who got the eyes didn't matter.
Rather than letting Obito and Danzo take them, it was better for him to do so.
"By giving them to me, I can even help you get revenge," Ran murmured.
"Even if you were alive, you'd surely agree… right?"
Whether they agreed or not didn't matter anymore.
As he collected eyes along the way, Uchiha Ran soon reached the edge of the clan grounds.
A river lay ahead.
He stepped onto the surface of the water and walked toward the opposite bank.
Farther away stood a small forest—
The place where his greatest harvest of the night awaited.
---
Deep within the forest, a group of ninja stood silently.
Suddenly, a dark figure descended from the sky and landed before them.
"My lord," a voice reported.
"The Uchiha clan has been completely wiped out."
"Are you certain there are no survivors?"
Danzo slowly opened his left eye.
"Yes. It has been confirmed."
"Very well," Danzo said.
"Prepare to move. Bring me all of the Uchiha's eyes—"
His expression suddenly changed.
"Who's there?!"
Danzo shouted sharply into the distance.
The surrounding Root ninja instantly drew their weapons.
From the shadows, a figure stepped forward.
Moonlight gradually illuminated Uchiha Ran's body as he emerged, one step at a time.
He said nothing.
He only raised the long blade in his hand.
"Shatter—Kyōka Suigetsu!"