I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI

Uchiha Spring

After witnessing someone effortlessly evade his sneak attack and assessing his own abilities in mere moments, Obito Uchiha's expression darkened beneath his mask. His gaze on Shisui Uchiha grew more serious.

Obito had long moved within the Uchiha clan's shadows, yet he had never realized that such a formidable individual was among them. Now, dealing with the situation Itachi had warned him about was proving to be more troublesome than expected.

While Obito hesitated, the Uchiha security force had already completed their formation, their Sharingan gleaming as they activated their Genjutsu.

In response, Obito phased out of reality using Kamui, nullifying the illusion's effects. He immediately lunged forward, attempting to drag a Jōnin into his dimensional space. However, just as he was about to succeed, a blade pierced his head—Shisui's swift counterattack had forced him into his intangible state.

After several failed attempts, Obito's frustration grew.

With Kamui's teleportation speed, most Jōnin wouldn't even have time to react, yet this Uchiha was easily predicting his every movement. The precision reminded him of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage.

Relying on his intangibility made him untouchable—but only for a limited time. Dealing with the Uchiha security force under such watchful eyes would require exposing even more of his power.

With that in mind, Obito raised his arm, and wooden tendrils, created from Mokuton (Wood Release), shot forth at alarming speeds toward the security force below.

One of the Uchiha officers was struck. Vines erupted from the wound, constricting him as he let out agonized screams.

The surrounding Uchiha widened their eyes in shock.

Their attacker not only possessed the Sharingan but also the Wood Release of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Was this some secret weapon the village had prepared against them? How could such a monster exist?

Shisui, too, momentarily considered the possibility—but quickly dismissed it.

He knew the masked man's identity. This was almost certainly the one responsible for the Nine-Tails Attack. There was no way he was a village-sanctioned ninja. If Konoha had a Wood Release user, it would have been publicly known long ago.

But why would he attack now, on the night of the coup?

Wait…

A realization flickered in Shisui's mind, but before he could act, Obito seized the opening and teleported beside him. A swirling vortex formed in his palm, threatening to drag Shisui into the Kamui dimension.

One second, two seconds…

Just before he was sucked in, Shisui activated his Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin no Jutsu), disappearing in an instant. Dozens of afterimages materialized across the rooftops, each striking at Obito with deadly precision. Meanwhile, Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan radiated an ominous red glow.

It was a trap—Shisui had feigned vulnerability to bait Obito in.

"Is this… Shisui of the Body Flicker?" Obito muttered. "You are Uchiha Shisui."

Recognizing the danger, Obito immediately distanced himself, vanishing into the Uchiha Security Building without a second thought.

His Mangekyō Sharingan granted him an overwhelming advantage against standard Sharingan-wielding Jōnin. One-on-one, he could systematically eliminate them. However, if his opponent also had a Mangekyō, the risk increased exponentially.

Victory would be far more rewarding than secrecy.

After sensing Obito's chakra disappear, Shisui exhaled deeply and turned toward the other Uchiha.

Had Obito continued his assault, Shisui wasn't certain he could have held out. In the worst case, he would have been forced to use Izanagi—but at the cost of permanently losing one of his Sharingan.

The other Uchiha also sighed in relief. At least they still had Shisui.

Among them, a girl named Izumi Uchiha approached, her brows furrowed. "Brother Shisui, who was that man?"

Shisui didn't hesitate. "I'm not certain, but I strongly suspect he was the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Attack. I never expected him to resurface."

"The one behind the Kyuubi's rampage?!"

A dangerous glint appeared in the eyes of the Uchiha around him. Their clan had suffered greatly in the aftermath of the Nine-Tails Attack. Ever since that night, they had been ostracized and placed under suspicion, leading them to consider rebellion.

Without that incident, the tensions between the Uchiha and the village might never have reached this breaking point.

Shisui sighed. There was no point in explaining further. "Our plan needs to change. Instead of distracting Konoha's leadership, we should focus on securing an escape route for our people."

The Uchiha present exchanged grim looks.

They knew all too well the threat posed by Kamui. If they stuck to their original plan, the masked man could pick them off one by one. Even their non-combatants, whom they had planned to evacuate, might be slaughtered.

The Uchiha were truly running out of options.

But when Shisui and the others reached the Uchiha district, their expressions turned to stone.

The streets were littered with bodies—Uchiha who had been tasked with evacuating the women and children. The air reeked of blood.

Yet there was no sign of the murderer.

As more corpses were discovered, the weight of the situation pressed down on them. Words became meaningless in the face of such loss.

Shisui clenched his kodachi.

"Form teams of four. Get any survivors out of here. The rest of you—come with me. We're finding the killer."

"Yes, Shisui-sama!"

The further Shisui walked, the more lifeless bodies he encountered.

So many of his kin, gone.

If he hadn't acted to secretly evacuate the children weeks ago, the Uchiha might have been completely annihilated tonight.

Near the outskirts of the district, Shisui's heart sank at the sight of a woman lying motionless in a pool of blood.

She bore a striking resemblance to Izumi.

"Izumi…" Shisui turned, but she had already seen.

Uchiha Izumi dropped to her knees, her body wracked with sobs.

The dead woman was her mother—an ordinary civilian who had never even awakened the Sharingan.

Shisui placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. We have to keep moving."

Izumi wiped her tears and nodded, but her gaze fell on something nearby—a kunai.

Her breath hitched. "Shisui… this kunai… It's Itachi's."

Shisui's blood ran cold.

Only Itachi used kunai like these.

Had he fought the attacker here?

Had he lost?

Or…

"Shisui," Izumi whispered. "Why did Itachi kill my mother? She never did anything wrong…"

Shisui stiffened. Izumi's words shattered his last hope.

The wounds on the bodies—they weren't from the masked man.

They were from Uchiha Itachi.

As for why he had done it… only Itachi himself could answer that.

Taking a deep breath, Shisui's expression darkened. "Let's go. We need to find Itachi."

Izumi picked up her mother's headband, tucked it into her pocket, and silently followed.

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