Reborn in Naruto As Madara's grandson

by Masami Naoki

A medical student died because of negligence of the authorities. Later, he is granted a second chance in life with some boons. But being an Otaku and Naruto fan, he chooses to live in the chaotic world of Naruto. The story will follow canon for the initial part with a new plot. Major changes will reflect in the later part as our MC grows up. The story has strong AU elements op Mc

26. Aftermath

Bam…

Hiruzen slams theAdamantine Staff on the barrier. The barriershakes a little from the force of the attack.

Swoosh…

The recoil force of thebarrier pushes him back.

Argh…

The Adamantine Staff transform back into Monkey King Enma. He grimaces in pain and rubs his fur.

"This barrier is very powerful. It is almost impossible to break it from outside unless you apply enough force to overcome the repulsive force of the sealing formula."

Enma remarks. It is an advanced version of 'Summoning: Quintuple Rashomon' used by First Hokage Hashirama Senju. Hiruzen the enemy is quite powerfulthis time around.

Hiruzen nods to Enma and remarks.

"That Uchiha boy, I told you about is inside the barrier. I hope he will be able to search for a way to deal with this barrier."

"So, that's how it is. Then I will be going, Hiruzen. You should also take care of your old bones." Enma disappears in a poof of white smoke.

"Humm…" Hiruzen nods and stares at the barrier.

"I hope everything will turn fine. Konoha has already weakened a lot inthis past decade."

--

Inside the barrier,

Izuna stares at the barrier. He raises his eyebrows as he inspects the barrier.

"This is quite a high level, Fuinjutsu Barrier. If I remember correctly, it is the advanced version of 'Summoning: QuintupleRashomon'.

It requires a large amount of chakra to cast this barrier. It has a formidable defense that can equally distribute the force of an attack around the entire barrier."

Izuna activates his Sharingan and studies the barrier. He scans multipleFuinjutsu seals on the Rashomon Gates.

"The barrier has two defense layers. The first defense layer is the Green energy barrier and the second layer is the Dark Iron Demonic Rashomon Gates. Unless you destroy the inner Rashomon gates, thebarrier will continuously regenerate the outer energy layer by sucking the chakra and the life force of the trapped people.

This makes this barrier self-sustaining. That means, there is no needfor the caster to maintain the barrier, quite a sinister barrier indeed. But it has a fatal weakness, if it concentrates the force of the attack at a point, then I can destroy the Rashomon Gates before they regenerate."

Izuna concludes the weakness of the barrier.

'I can destroy this barrier in two hits if I go full power. Otherwise, it will take 5 or 6 hits to destroy this barrier.'

Izuna turns towards the masked man.

'But I guess he won't giveme the time. Let's deal with him first.'

Swoosh…

Izuna appears besides Akira and Aiko. He confronts the masked man.

"Mom and Dad, leave himto me. I will deal with him."

Akira retreats. Aiko hesitates for a while, but she retreats nonetheless.

"Izuna dear! He is very strong. Take care while fighting him." She warns him.

"I will keep that in mind." Izuna nods to Aiko and turns towards the masked man.

The masked man releases his hands and makes some more hand signs.

"Who are you?" Izuna questions him.

"Wind Release: ExtremeWind Bullet Barrage"

The masked man sucks an extensive amount of air and fires multiple wind bullets at Izuna. Izuna twists his body in the air and easily dodges the bullets.

The wind bullets punch multiple holes through nearby houses and blow them away.

'The power of this B-rank jutsu is enhanced to an A-rank jutsu. I have never met with such a strong wind user before. Who is he exactly?'

Izuna frowns.

"Lightning Release: Kaminari's wraith"

The masked man fires multiple concentrated bolts of lightning at Izuna. The bolts travel extremely fast towardsIzuna and surround him.

Crackle… crackle…

The ground cracks from the lightning blast. Izuna raises his right hand and coats it in the wind chakra.

"Dark Release: Chakra Absorption"

Two dark red overlapping Diamond marks appear on his right palm. Izuna absorbs the lightning jutsu throughthe mark.

He directs the palm towards the masked-man.

"Dark Release: Judgement"

He fires the lightning jutsuback towards the masked man.

Tch…

The masked man clicks his tongue and makes some more hand signs.

"Fuinjutsu: Kama Barrier"

A green barrier appears in front of him and blocks the lightning bolt. He immediately jumps back and avoids the attack from Izuna.

Boom…

An enormous crater appears at the previous position of the masked man. A spiraling thunderstorm engulfs theentire crater. The thunderstorm calms down after a while, and purple lightning flickers through the crater.

'He dodged my Vanishing Purple Lightning Rasengan.' Izuna warily glances at the masked man.

"Izuna Uchiha! Today will be your last day. After I kill you, I will kill your entire family and send them to the afterlife with you."

A raspy voice greets Izuna.

"Let's see, if you have thepower to make that possible."

'Swift Release: Sonic Steps'

Izuna disappears and immediately appears in front of the masked man.

He clenches his fist and infuses a large amount of chakra in them.

"Power Release: Destruction Fist"

His fist glows with an orange color and smashes into the masked man.

Bam…

The punch pushes the masked man a little. The masked man regains his balance and delivers a punch of his own.

The masked man's fist glows with white light.

Bam…

Izuna crosses his arms infront of his chest.

'Metal Release: Adamantine Skin'

He blocks the punch, but the force flung him away. Izuna somersaults in the air and regains his balance.

He quickly makes some hand signs and concentrates a large amount of chakra in his palms.

"Radiation Release: Nuclear Devastation"

He fires a condensedgreen orb of chakra towards the masked man. The orb quickly closes on the masked man.

"Release"

Izuna claps his hand. The orb expands immediately and detonates on top of the masked man.

"This can be a little bad."

The masked man formsa multi-layered green barrier to protect himself.

Boom…

An enormous explosion engulfs him. The explosion rises into a large pillar of green light and slowly vanishes into the air. A massive gap appears on top of the barrier.

--

Outside the barrier,

Hiruzen and the rest of the elders stare at the explosion with wide-eyes.

A gigantic ripple travels across the 'Sensing Sphere' and the water of the sphere boils.

Sweat glides down the forehead of the 'Senser Corp' members. They immediately infuse chakra in the sphere to stabilizethe barrier.

The barrier stabilizes and stops boiling, but the ripples continue to fluctuate on the barrier. The Leader of the Corp wipehis forehead and report to Hiruzen.

"Hokage-sama, this explosion is very potent. It has enough power to obliterate one-third of Konoha." The Leader gulps his saliva as he imagines the effect of jutsu on the village.

Hiruzen continues to stare at the explosion as he mutters,

"What kind of fight is happening inside the barrier? Such powerful ninjutsu. It is at the level of a 'Forbidden Technique'."

"Quickly the earlier explosion opened a hole in the barrier. We have to immediately breach the barrier and inspect thesituation inside the barrier." One of the Dragon Unit members notices the large hole in the green barrier.

Multiple Anbus jumps towards the hole and tries to enter inside the barrier.

Swoo…

The demonic eyes on the gates lit up. They immediately fire a green beam at the breach. The barrier starts to repair itself.

"Quick! Enter inside before it repairs."

The Anbu members increase their speed.

Fwoosh…

The barrier closes and many Anbu members slams into the barrier.

Aaah…

Their body catches fire and turns into ashes. The rest of the Anbu member stops their track and jumps back.

"The regeneration rate of this barrier is ridiculous. It requires a large amount of chakra to sustain this barrier?"

The Leader of the 'Barrier Corp' scrutinizes the barrier.

"Oh! You are finally here, Kakoi. Can you find a weakness of this barrier?"

Hiruzen greets the newcomer.

The newcomer wears a 'Shinto' priest robe. He has shoulder-length brownhair and unique marking under his eyes. He wears a pointed hat with the 'Barrier Team' symbol above his forehead protector. Kakoi bows before Hiruzen.

"I will try my best, Hokage-sama."

"Good!" Hiruzen nods to Kakoi and turns towards the barrier.

Kakoi instructs other members of the 'Barrier Team' to aid the 'Sensor Corp'.

--

Inside the Barrier,

The dust and debris from the explosion settle down. The masked man walks out of the crater. His body has scorch marks and there are multiple third-degree burns on his body.

The blast destroys the green barriers around his body. Parts of the barrier flickers for a while before they dissipate.

There is a strange purple symbol on the masked man's chest.

The masked man makes some strange hand signs and taps the symbol on his chest.

A white glow coats the masked man's body. His wounds and burns regenerate quickly. The white glow heals thewounds at a rapid rate.

Izuna activates his Mangekyo Sharingan and closely inspect the white glow.

"This is… this is Light Chakra. But how?"

Izuna's eye widens in surprise.

Bzzzt… whish…

The masked man's wounds heal rapidly. He cracks his neck and clenches his fist.

"Aah! This sensation. I really like this new body. Now… now it's time to have my revenge."

Izuna inspects the entire process through his evolved Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

"That's… that's the Light chakra. How? How could he use this chakra?" Lots of questions and doubts appear in Izuna's mind.

'Guess I have to beat him up to know my answers.'

'Swift Release: Sonic Steps'

He swiftly appears in front of the masked man and draws out his blade and infuses dark chakra. Silver-black flames cover the blade and slash it towards the masked man.

"Kenjutsu: Uchiha Style: Dance of the Sun Halo"

With a quick gesture of his hand, Izuna slashes his sword multiple times. He unleashes a multitude of sword strikes together with waves of silver-black flames at the masked man.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique"

Splash…

The masked man makes some hands and expels a large volume of water in the shape of a vortex. The vortex devastates everything in its way and collides with the flame waves.

The flames die down as Izuna slashes at the masked man.

Clank…

The masked man blocks the sword with a kunai. Izuna jumps back and avoids a slash from the masked man.

Swish…

He deflects multiple kunais with his sword. Izuna frowns as he stares at the masked man.

'Who is he? I have never met anyone this strong before. He can go toe-to-toe with me at my one-third power, and I feel like he is still holding back a little.

Also, what's the deal with that strange Fuinjutsu seal? It reminds me of the seal I saw on one of those old scrolls in Mount Myoboku.'

Whoosh… whoosh…

Izuna dodges two large Fuma shurikens and turns his attention to the masked man. Izuna makes some hand signs and stomps his feet on the ground.

"Shock Release: Seismic Seizure"

A mini-earthquake shakes the ground and the Rashomon barrier tremble from the shock. The ground beneath the masked man tore apart.

The masked man jumps in the air and takes a foothold on one of the Rashomon Gate.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave blast"

The masked man takes a deep breath and fires a wide-area wind jutsu. The wind current rotates horizontally and crushes everything in its way.

"I have played enough. Time to end this farce."

Izuna claps his hand. He absorbs a large amount of Nature energy and enters Sage Mode. A cyan chakra cloaks his body. The cloak has a giant tomoe on its front and back.

"Sage Art: Storm Release: Fang of light"

Izuna fires a sharp, thin stream of light from his mouth.

Flash…

The beam travels at almost light speed. It easily cleaves through the wind vortex and splits the masked man in half.

Crack… crack…

The mask splits in half and falls apart to reveal the face of the masked man.

"This… this can't be. How… How is this possible?"

Izuna's eye widens in surprise. He points his finger and question.

"How can it be you? Impossible!"

Kuku…

"It is indeed me. Are you surprised? Haha…."

--

Inside Shikkotsu Forest,

Tsunade slowly opens her eyes. There are black markings around and under her eyes. The Strength of a Hundred Seal overlaps with the markings and forms a Diamond marking on her forehead.

Tsunade jumps from the giant tree and crashes to the ground. She brushes off the dust and jumps in the air.

Tsunade clenches her fist and infuses large amounts of Nature energy in her fist.

Haah…

Her fist glows with cyan chakra as she smashes it in a nearby hill.

Bam….. Rumble… rumble….

The hill quakes and split apart. Almost half of the hill crumble from the attack and the nearby terrain changes. Dust and debris settle to reveal a narrow valley between the two sides of the hill.

Tsunade looks at the valley with wide-eyes.

"Amazing, Tsunade-Sama." Katsuyu slithers over to Tsunade.

"Congratulations, Tsunade-sama, you have finally mastered the Sage-mode. It took you close to nine-months to learn the Sage Mode. But you have mastered the perfect Sage Mode."

Katsuyu applauds Tsunade.

"Katsuyu, I never thought 'Sage Mode' would be this powerful. It has almost increased my physical strength by tenfold or even more.

I can even feel the dead cells of my body getting rejuvenating from the Nature energy."

Tsunade points to her skin as it turns glossy.

"Now, I can maintain my beauty for as long as I want." Tsunade inspects her body closely.

"Uh… uhum… Tsunade-sama, it would be better if you focus more on your Nature energy control. You will be able to enter Sage Mode for much longer."

Tsunade stops and complains,

"You are such a grouch Katsuyu. I am only looking at the effects of Sage Mode on my body. I have to be aware of all side-effects of Sage Mode to completely master it."

Katsuyu sweat drops and her tentacles shake in frenzy.

Ehh…

Suddenly, Katsuya's optical tentacles rise sharply as she freaks out. Her expression turns grim, and she turns towards Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama… there is an emergency Tsunade-sama. The village is under attack, Tsunade-sama. The Uchiha clan… the Uchiha clan is…"

"What?" Tsunade immediately turns to Katsuyu and question her.

"What happened? Tell everything in detail. I want every piece of information."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. Shizune just summoned a smaller clone of mine and reported the condition of the village. Through my clone, I saw the entire Uchiha clan shrouded in a giant barrier.

The village is troubled and is unable to breach the barrier. Even Hokage-sama failed in his attempt." Katsuyu explains everything to Tsunade.

"What?...such a thing happened in the village. I have to return to the village immediately. Katsuyu let's go." Tsunade's expression turns serious.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade jumps on top of Katsuyu and makes some hand signs and slams her hands.

Fwoosh…

Both of them disappear in a puff of smoke and appear inside Konoha. The summoning smoke clear out and Tsunade looks around.

She spots the Giant green barrier and notices the squad of Anbu and other ninja surrounding it.

Hiruzen raises his head and turns towards Tsunade. Tsunade walks towards Hiruzen and questions him.

"Sensei, what's the matter? What is this all about? Can you explain everything in detail?"

"Very well," Hiruzen sighs and explains everything to Tsunade.

"This barrier is almost unbreachable. All of our attempts to destroy this barrier went vain." Hiruzen rubs his forehead.

"Hokage-sama!" Shikaku flickers in front of Hiruzen and greets him.

"Oh! Shikaku. Finally, you are here. I need you to take a look at the situation and figure out a feasible solution." Hiruzen requests Shikaku.

"Hmm…" Shikaku surveys the barrier.

"Inoichi, can you tell me the exact number of people trapped inside this barrier? I want a rough estimate." He turns towards Inoichi.

"Let me give it a shot."

Inoichi walks towards the 'Sensor Corp'. He places one of his hands near the 'Sensing Sphere' and the other hand on his forehead. Inoichi closes his eyes to sense the chakra fluctuation.

"Mind-Body Sense Extension Jutsu"

Inoichi extends his senses inside the barrier and surveys inside for a while. After a few minutes, he opens his eyes and turns towards Hiruzen.

Inoichi gulps his saliva and report.

"There is bad news, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen's expression turns grave, but he still nods to Inoichi to continue.

"The Uchiha clan… the Uchiha clan. Almost half of the members of the Uchiha clan have lost their life. I can't sense their chakra anymore and also…"

Inoichi takes a deep breath before he continues.

"Also, this barrier is draining the chakra of the rest of the members. If we don't destroy it immediately, then we will lose the Uchiha clan." Inoichi drops a bombshell.

"WHAT?" Tsunade shouts in disbelief.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Inoichi nods in affirmation.

"No, we have to break this barrier. I can't allow this." Memories of the past few years spent with Izuna and his family flashes in her mind.

In these past few years, she had considered Izuna as a family, and the love she received from his family has slowly closed the gap in her heart.

Tsunade jumps on top of Katsuyu and claps her hand. She closes her eye and meditates.

Hiruzen questions Katsuyu.

"Katsuyu, what's going on? What is Tsunade trying to do?"

"Hokage-sama, Tsunade-sama is a Sage now. She will be able to do something about this barrier." Katsuyu replies to Hiruzen.

"What?"

It is Hiruzen's turn to get surprised.

"You mean, she had mastered the same Sage Mode as Hashirama Sensei. But that… that's impossible, right?

Even Tsunade's father wasn't able to master the Sage Mode, then how could Tsunade learn it." Hiruzen has disbelief written over his face.

"Tsunade-sama is such a genius. She modified the technique of Mito-sama and now she learned the same Sage Mode as Hashirama-sama." Katsuyu praises Tsunade.

After a while,

Tsunade opens her eyes and jumps in front of the barrier.

"Yoshaa…"

Tsunade bumps her fists and infuses chakra into them. Hiruzen stares at Tsunade with wide-eyes as the figure of the first Hokage flashes in his mind.

"Are you looking at her, sensei? Your Tsuna has already surpassed me." Tear drip from his eyes.

Hiruzen quickly wipes his tear and looks towards the Hokage monument.

"Da… Da… Danzo! It's you. How could it be you? How are you still alive?" Izuna questions in frenzy.

Izuna recalls his memories of when he killed Danzo.

'I sealed him inside the Shinigami's stomach and I destroyed his body. How he is still alive? I am sure he even used his last Izanagi in the fight.'

Izuna calms down his emotions and scrutinize Danzo's body with his Mangekyo Sharingan. He activates his "Eye of Insight" and checks the changes in Danzo's body.

Throb… Throb…

The strange Fuinjutsu seal located in Danzo's chest is pumping out an enormous amount of chakra in his body. Izuna can see the 'Nature energy' rapidly getting converted into chakra.

'Is it because of this seal? Is this the reason Danzo is still alive? No, there seems to be more to it.'

The Sin seal on his hand heats up. The Grimoire pops out from its separate space and shows its hostility to the seal.

Izuna frowns from the strange reaction of 'Sin Seal'

"I have an iota of the idea, who did it? But to be on the safe side, I will kill Danzo again and will investigate this matter later."

Danzo's body regenerates and joins again.

Haha…

"Surprised? Aren't you? Seeing me alive and stronger than ever. Huh!

You killed me and sealed my soul inside the Reaper. I suffered inside that dark place for who knows how much time? My soul was suffering from endless pain and agony.

There wasn't a single moment when I wasn't tormented. In that darkness, a hand stretched out to me; the hand of a demon. I sold my soul to the demon and made a contract with him.

He gave me this new body and this power. I am stronger than ever. Even First Hokage Hashirama Senju isn't a match for me now. You are nothing but a measly worm whom I will kill easily with a snap of my finger.

I am immortal at this point. As long as my soul is fine, I won't die no matter how many times you kill this body."

Haha…

Danzo laughs maniacally and makes some hand signs,

"Fuinjutsu: Devouring Demon Chains"

He slams his hands on the ground and various dark black chains erupt from the ground from a purple-colored portal and chase Izuna.

Clank… clank…

Izuna deflects the chain, but they continue to chase after him like a homing missile.

Tch…

'These chains are so annoying. Every time I contact them; they suck my chakra and vitality.'

Izuna clicks his tongue and looks at the chains in annoyance.

'Let me try to freeze these chains.'

He jumps back and makes some hand signs.

"Ice Release: Snow Dragon Blizzard"

Izuna launches a giant dragon of ice towards the chains. The dragon attacks the chains and freezes them.

Danzo clasps his hand and infuses more chakra.

Rattle… Rattle…

The chains rattle and break free from the constraints of ice.

'Looks like Ice will work... but I have to use a stronger jutsu. Let me put that new Kekkai Tota to test.'

Izuna stops in his chase and confronts the chains. He claps his hands and infuses Ice Release and Fire Release chakra in his left and right hand.

"Artic Release: Freezing flames of Nothingness"

He releases large amounts of blue flames from his hands.

Sizzle… sizzle… Shoom…

The flames immediately cover the chains. The chains burn with blue flames for a while before freezing right in front of Izuna's face.

'Whew… it worked.'

Snap…

Izuna snapped his finger.

Crack… crack…

The chains trembled before shattering into countless pieces of Ice flakes. The chains turned into nothingness and it leaves not even a fragment of them behind.

The snowflakes cover the ground and the temperature drops below the freezing point.

'This jutsu is quite potent, but I am still not proficient in its uses. I want to use only one hand to manipulate all the Nature Transformations in the jutsu.

Well, that is quite difficult for current me. The complexity involved is way behind my reach, at least for now.'

Danzo's jutsu shatters and the Fuinjutsu seal formula breaks. His eyes widen and a hint of surprise appears on his face.

"This… this jutsu! What kind of jutsu did you use? How are you able to use such a powerful Ice Release technique?

As far as I know, you shouldn't be able to use any Kekkai Genkai except your Sharingan and Swift Release? How… how can you use so many nature transformations?"

Danzo questions him in a frenzy.

"Yes… this will do. Once I kill you, I will ask Orochimaru to study your body. All of your secrets will be mine. Haha…

Besides, my only task is to kill you, and I will be free from my restraints. The Demon only wants your soul, he has no use for your body."

Danzo chuckles in madness.

--

Somewhere in Land of Sound,

Inside an underground experiment facility,

There are multiple humans sealed inside many giant experiment tubes filled with nutritional liquid.

Orochimaru walks in front of one of the tube and presses some buttons. It drains the nutritional liquid from the tubes and the tube opens.

A white snake grabs the man by the waist and lay him on a table.

Hmm…

'This test subject is in optimal condition. Now, let's start the experiment.'

Orochimaru ponders to himself. He injects many strange serums inside the man's body.

The test subject's body trembles for a while before it explodes into a mess of flesh and blood.

Orochimaru wipes the blood from his face. A wide grin appears on his face.

Kuku…

"Hiruko, you fool. Did you think that by modifying the crucial step into your experiment log, you will be able to fool me? I have succeeded, I have finally found a method to gain immortality."

Orochimaru looks at the puddle of flesh and blood.

"Looks like I need a potent body to sustain my chakra and life force."

Image of Izuna appears in Orochimaru's mind.

"No, he is too powerful. I can't take the risk."

Then the image of Itachi appears in Orochimaru's mind.

"He is quite young, with lots of potentials. If I can get his body, then I will be able to grow even more powerful."

Orochimaru licks the blood on his face and walks towards another test subject.

Slither… slither…

A small white snake coils around Orochimaru's leg and reaches to his ear.

Flicker… flicker…

The snake flickers its forked tongue near Orochimaru's ear while Orochimaru is pouring some liquid in one of his test tubes.

"Oh! Looks like that little toy of mine has information for me. What was his name… hmm… Kabuto, was it? Let's meet with him."

Orochimaru prepares to walk out of his hideout.

Achoo…

He sneezes violently.

'Looks like someone is talking about me behind my back.'

--

'So, I was right. That purple cloaked guy is still alive. But a demon, I never expected him to be a demon.

Well, Danzo could be wrong since they termed all the horned beings as Demons and even Otsutsukis have horns.

If he is after me, then why would he help Danzo and send him after me? He is powerful enough to bitch slap me and take away the 'Grimoire'.

Well, I can think about that later. For now, let me kill Danzo again. This time, I will erase him from existence. Time to go full power.'

Izuna claps his hands together.

'Limbo Hengoku'

'Power Release: Chakra cloak'

Some orange chakra flames rise from Izuna's body and empower his Senjutsu cloak further.

Haa…

"It's a futile attempt. Give up, Izuna Uchiha. Accept your fate."

Danzo stretches his hands in front of his chest. The strange marking extends to his hands and forms two Diamond Shape marks in the middle of his palm.

Light chakra gathers in his palms and forms a blinding sphere of light. Danzo directs it towards Izuna and shouts,

'Light Style: Salvation Bomb'

Shoom…

The light bomb travels extremely fast towards Izuna. Izuna looks at the light bomb aiming for him.

'Looks like my conjecture is correct. Danzo received quite a help from that figure. But if he thinks I will go down this easily, then he is sorely mistaken.'

Izuna infuses darkness chakra in his palms. The black chakra rotates in his hand form a compressed spiral of chakra.

'Darkness Style: Blackout Rasengan'

Izuna throws the Rasengan at the light bomb.

Boom…

Both jutsus collide with each other and their respective elements clash with each other. The polar opposite elements create a violent reaction where one side turns dark and the other side shines brightly.

Bzzzt…

Black and white lightning crackles around their center and the jutsu collapse in itself. The blast releases a violent shock wave, which pushes them back.

'Earth Style: Rock Dome'

Izuna creates a dome to block theshock waves of the attack. Danzo is blown away by the blast. He grabs holds of the Rashomon gate and takes a foothold on it.

--

Outside the barrier,

The Sensing Sphere distorts from the massive amount of chakra. Its shape distorts to that of a funnel before the sphere collapses. The Sensor Corp' tries their best to prevent it, but the backlash from a sudden Chakra outburst pushes them back.

Some 'Sensor Corp' members even bleed from their nose. Their vision is blinded by a radiant display of light.

Rumble… Rumble…

The brilliant display of blinding light is followed by a massive earthquake. Hiruzen and others manage to stabilize their footing during the shock waves.

Sigh…

"At this point, I really want to know what's actually happening inside this damn barrier."

Hiruzen curses in frustration.

Swoosh… Fwoosh… Stab…

A dark blade coated in Darkness chakra stabs through Danzo's heart.

Barf…

Danzo pukes out a mouthful of blood. The darkness chakra corrodes his body and eats away his organs.

Argh…

Puss leaks from Danzo's body as he winces in pain.

"What? How… how is this possible?"

Danzo stares at the blade pierced through his chest. Black fumes rise from the blade.

"That previous jutsu didn't finish you off. How… how did you survive?" Danzo questions Izuna in a frenzy.

Rubble… rubble…

Izuna pushes away the nearby rubble and walks out from the Rock dome. Danzo's eyes widen as he points at a finger at Izuna.

"If you are here, then who attacked me?"

Izuna slowly walks towards Danzo.

"Death! Huh! You miraculously defied death once. But will you be able to defy it again?"

Izuna smiles at Danzo and draws another blade and pierces it through Danzo's guts.

"Don't worry! You won't be returning this time. I will obliterate your soul for once and all."

Stab… stab…

Izuna ignores Danzo and continues to stab the darkness coated blade through various parts of Danzo's body.

'I hope this darkness infused blade will be able to keep his regeneration factor at bay. If I remember correctly, his regeneration is similar to that cloaked guy. So, it uses Light-based chakra to heal from fatal wounds.

But Darkness Chakra can interrupt this healing. I have to separate his soul from his body and to do that I have to first destroy his body.'

Aaah…

Danzo riles up his chakra.

Throb… throb…

The Fuinjutsu seal on his chest beats violently. It jumps out of Danzo's chest and targets Izuna.

"What the fuck?" Izuna jumps back in surprise.

He manages to avoid the assault of the seal. An eye opens up on the seal and flashes a yellow light on Izuna. Strange curse marks appear on his body.

"What is this? I am sure I avoided that freaking thing."

The seal extends all over his body and paralyzes him.

Clank… clank…

The 'Sin Grimoire' shakes furiously. Strange markings appear from the 'Sin Seal' and they start to neutralize the paralyzing seal.

Haah…

Danzo frees himself from the bindings of Limbo and quickly arrives in front of Izuna.

"This seal will be able to hold you for a few moments. It is enough time to end you for once and all."

Haha…

"Finally, I will have my revenge."

Danzo grabs the strange seal eye and slams it towards Izuna's chest.

'I will be a goner if that hit me. Think Izuna... think. I have to think of a solution to escape this predicament.'

Izuna churns the gears of his brain.

'Got it. I am an idiot. Why I never thought of this before?'

Izuna clicks his right molar.

'Substitution Jutsu'

Swoosh… Shoom… Slam…

Danzo slams his palm on Izuna's chest. Various sealing formula erupts from the seal and binds Izuna's body.

"Farewell, Izuna Uchiha. This is what you said to me right. I will throw them back at you."

'Haha! Now I will be the sole leader of Konoha. No! the entire shinobi world. All five nations will bow before my might. I will deal with Hiruzen after this, and I will force other clan leaders to submit to me. Haha…'

Danzo fantasizes about his sunny days.

"Darkness Release: Big Blackout Rasengan"

Slam… Bam…

A giant fuming black Rasengan smashes into Danzo.

Shoom…

The Rasengan hurls Danzo in the air and explodes. An enormous amount of Darkness chakra invades Danzo's body and corrodes it inside out.

Gwaah…

Danzo pukes out black blood and weakly stares at Izuna.

"How?"

A weak shriek comes out from Danzo's throat. Izuna slowly walks in front of Danzo. The light chakra continues to heal Danzo's body whereas the Darkness chakra erodes it.

Stuck in an endless loop of agony and torment, Danzo weakly questions Izuna.

"I have already fought with your so-called... Demon before."

Izuna slowly reaches near Danzo's body. He makes some strange hand signs and hovers his hand above Danzo's head.

'I hope it works. If not, I will haunt Fukasaku for providing me with 'Fake Scrolls.'

"Soul Art: Soul-body separation"

Izuna draws out a transparent apparition from Danzo's body. The apparition takes the form of Danzo. He surveys the apparition.

'Hmm… so this is how a soul looks like on closeup. This jutsu is similar to the Naraka Path power of Rinnegan. Naraka Path is more efficient, I have to say.

Well, I have to do it with this make-shift jutsu. If it works... it works.'

"No… Argh… no… don't kill me. No… don't."

Danzo's soul pleads hysterically.

"Did you spare the people you killed just now? You partnered with Akatsuki and slaughtered almost the entire clan, and now you expect me to spare you. Dream on!"

Izuna makes some more hand signs and claps his hands together.

--

Outside the barrier,

Tsunade clenches her fist and infuses a large amount of Senjutsu chakra in her hands.

"Sage Art: Heavenly Spear Punch"

Tsunade focuses almost all of her sage chakra on tip of her fist. The concentrated takes shape of a cyan spear.

Bam…

Tsunade punches the barrier with all her strength.

Crack… crack…

Various spiderweb-like cracks appear on the Green barrier.

Snap…

The green barrier shatters into countless shards. Tsunade continues to punch through the barrier. Her fist collides with the 'Demonic Rashomon' Gate.

Bam…

A giant dent appears on the gate as it protrudes out from the back.

Swoo…

The demonic eyes shine brightly and start to repair the gate.

"Not so fast!"

Haah….

Tsunade pushes forwards as she applies more force in her attack.

Bang… fwoosh…

She successfully blows away a giant hole through the Rashomon Gate.

Swee…

The light in 'Demonic Eyes' dims down.

Poof…

The gate disappears in a giant puff of smoke, and the barrier disperses.

Tsunade senses Izuna's chakra and quickly runs in his direction. Hiruzen and other Anbu members and clan leaders follow her.

All of them arrive before Izuna. His back is turned towards them as he held Danzo's souls.

"Are you alright, Izuna? You aren't injured, right?" Tsunade quickly questions him.

Izuna turns around and faces them. It surprises him to see the entire village gathered here.

"I am fine, Tsunade. Please quickly check on my clansmen. They need your medical expertise, Tsunade."

Tsunade nods her head and claps her hand.

"Katsuyu!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"

'Immense Network Healing'

Tsunade infuses a large amount of chakra and sync with Katsuyu. Katsuyu splits into multiple smaller clones and spread throughout Konoha.

Tsunade heals the injured Uchiha clan members.

Hiruzen sighs and looks at the death and destruction around him.

'Uchiha clan is almost on the brink of extinction. I never thought such a thing will happen to one of the most powerful clans of Konoha.

Hiruzen turns towards Izuna and questions him.

"Izuna-kun, do you know the culprit behind this massacre?"

"I do!" Izuna kicks the corpse of Danzo in front of Hiruzen.

"Your old and most trusted friend Danzo is the culprit. He joined hands with Akatsuki and slaughtered my clan."

"What… what are you talking about? Don't spout such nonsense and defame one of Konoha's elders." Koharu and Homura defend Danzo.

Izuna reveals his Mangekyo Sharingan to them and replies,

"You won't believe me, even if you see it with your eyes. Your blind trust in Danzo encouraged him to commit such treacherous crimes.

You may have spared him, but I won't spare him."

'Genjutsu: Sharingan'

"Watch his filthy deeds with your own eyes. Look at how atrociously he orchestrated a genocide in my clan."

Izuna grabs the soul of Danzo and shouts,

"Soul Art: Yin-Yang Release: Death to All Creation"

A formless power grabs hold of Danzo's soul. The pressure from the technique encompasses nearby onlookers. It forces all of them to bow on the ground. The elders caught off-guard face plants on the ground. The technique slowly erases Danzo's soul from existence.

The frantic shouts of Danzo deafen their ears. Hiruzen weakly looks at this scene and sighs.

"You reap what you sow, my friend. Perhaps I am a failure as a friend too. I wasn't able to pull you from Darkness and instead I pushed you into it."

Danzo's soul vanishes from existence.

Huff… huff…

Izuna pants from exhaustion. The previous fight has taken a toll on his body, especially the Yin-Yang technique.

'I am still far from 'Six Paths Power'. Only a single 'Yin-Yang' technique is my limit for now. Yin-Yang technique requires balance in all things, and so it is fundamentally different from elemental techniques.

My affinity for Yin-Yang allowed me to push this technique. But this is how far I can go without proper training.'

Izuna slumps on the ground. Tsunade immediately catches him and hugs him tightly.

'Aah! This is a blissful end at least for now.'

Izuna passes out in Tsunade's embrace.

--

Itachi silently lies on a bed as he stares at the fitful silvery crimson moonlight. Many dense, turbulent clouds will occasionally float by and block the moonlight.

Itachi stretches his bandaged arm towards the sky as he gazes out of the window.

"Life is meaningless."

Itachi clenches his fingers into a fist and contemplates.

"Every life dies... one day. There is no eternal life."

Itachi sits up and removes the IV drip from his arm and continues to stare at the starless sky.

"What am I living for? Is it for my friends…"

Happy memories of Izumi, Tenma, and Shinko flashes through his mind.

"Is it for my family…"

Happy memories of Izuna, Shisui, and Naruto flashes through his mind. Itachi further clenches his fist tightly.

"Is it for my loved ones…"

Happy memories of his time with Father, Mother, and Little brother Sasuke flashes through his mind. Itachi further clenches his fist.

Blood leaks from his fist. Itachi ignores the blood and continues to question himself,

"If I am living for them, then I want to protect them. But why?... why am I so weak? I saw my entire clan getting slaughtered in front of me and… and I was powerless to do anything."

Bang…

Itachi slams his palm on a nearby table as tears flow from his eyes.

Sob… sob…

Itachi silently sobs to himself as he continues to cry.

"Let it all out."

Itachi raises his head and notices Shisui resting against the window wall.

"Let all of your emotions, hatred, grief, sorrow out. Let out everything. You will feel much better."

Shisui walks up to Itachi. He pulls out a bandage from a nearby drawer and wraps it around Itachi's palm.

Shisui nods to Itachi and jumps out of the window.

Hah…

Itachi wipes his tears and slowly gets up. He slowly walks towards the window and looks at the night sky.

Swoosh…

Itachi jumps out from the window and flickers away.

"Mmm… the air is listless and dreary today, just like that day." Shisui takes out a pale green scarf from his pocket. There are some blood-stains on the scarf.

He silently caresses the scarf and looks at the distant horizon.

Tip-toe…

Itachi noiselessly walks up to Shisui and lies beside him. Shisui notices Itachi but ignores his presence for a while.

"Itachi!"

The sudden address from Shisui startles Itachi.

"Ye… yes, Shisui nii-san." He replies erratically.

"So, have you calmed down a little?" Shisui asks Itachi.

"Yes, I have calmed down a lot. But… but I am lost now. I can't see a path forward. What should I do now? I want to protect my family, but I feel that I am not strong enough to protect them." Itachi tells his dilemma to Shisui.

Shisui raises his eyebrow when Itachi mentions this. He sighs and replies to Itachi.

"I also went through the same phase as you."

Shisui shows the torn and tattered scarf with blood stains to Itachi.

"This is a gift from my friend. Seven years… it has been seven years since I parted with her. We were on a mission with Izuna nii-san.

The mission was a trap laid for us and we feel for it. In that mission, I lost two of my teammates, Kazuko and Mami. It was her who made this scarf for me with her clumsy hands."

Shisui tucks away the scarf and turns towards Itachi. He activates his Mangekyo Sharingan and shows them to Itachi.

"These eyes… Itachi. These eyes are a symbol of our failure. Whenever an Uchiha loses something very precious to him, his body triggers a change. The greater the feelings, the greater the change."

Shisui looks towards Itachi and notices his expression. Itachi is listening attentively to Shisui. Shisui nods his head and continues.

"These emotions release a strange chakra in our Optic nerves and change our Sharingan. It is at this moment, we awaken the greatest cursed power of the Uchiha clan, the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Itachi's eyes widen in surprise as he comes to know the truth behind Mangekyo Sharingan.

"These eyes grant their user enormous power in exchange for their vision. The more you use this power, the greater the loss of vision. So, you have to pay a price to use such great power."

Shisui sighs and turns towards the sky.

"This is what big brother Izuna told me? Sigh… I always wonder how he figured out such secrets that are unknown to most of the members of our clan."

"Itachi! Find your own Ninja way. Your family doesn't need your protection, what they need is your attention and love.

Mangekyo Sharingan is a power that relies on our emotions. If you fail to control your negative emotions, this power will consume you. I am sure Izuna nii-san will agree with me."

Shisui closes his eyes and gets back to his contemplation. Itachi stands with firm resolve.

"I think I have figured out the direction. What is a Ninja? Why do we fight?… I may not have reached the depth of these questions, but one day I will find my Ninja way?" Itachi mutter to himself.

He turns towards Itachi and bows to him.

"Thank you, Shisui nii-san."

Shisui pats Itachi's back and laughs.

"We are family, right? Why do you need to thank me? It is my duty to take care of my family."

Itachi flashes a smile at Shisui and flickers away. Shisui smiles at the retreating back of Itachi.

Sigh…

"Looks like it will be another sleepless night. I have to get stronger too. I can't allow Itachi to leave me in the dust."

Shisui stands up and looks at the vast expanse of the village.

--

In Mount Myoboku,

The Great Toad Sage opens his eyes from his long meditation.

"Substantial changes are coming in the future. I can see multiple children of prophecy in my divination. Looks like one child of prophecy isn't enough for the chaotic future."

Great Toad Sage looks at the stars in his skies and spot a star shining brighter in the center of many bright stars.

"Looks like fate has gathered all children of prophecy around him."

Great Toad Sage closes his eyes again and return to his meditation.

'Should I reveal the identity of the masked man to Kakashi?'

Izuna ponders for a whilebefore shaking his head.

'Kakashi is not ready yet. He may have overcome the grief... but deep down I can still feel a guilty conscience from him. If I reveal Obito's identity to him, then I am sure just like canon Naruto... Kakashi will chase after Obito.

Things are different for Obito. He is being manipulated by Zetsu, but Sasuke was different. I think it is not viable to reveal the truth yet.'

Sigh…

Izuna sighs and looks towardsKakashi.

"Kakashi!... Danzo hired Akatsukiforthejob. Akatsuki is full of S-rank criminals and above.

In the future, we will have to face themagain. I want you to grow stronger. So, if you meetthem in the future, you will be able to fightevenly against them."

"This… Captain… are Akatsuki membersreally so strong? The village doesn't have much intel on their members." Kakashi asks him.

"Yes, they are very strong. You can not fight them alone." Izuna throws a scroll towards Kakashi.

Kakashi catches the scroll and reads it. His expression turns ugly as he reads the scroll. Kakashi returns the scroll to Izuna.

Sigh…

"All of them are monsters. The Akatsuki members are powerful. I never expected this. They have a god, zombie, and undead on their side. What a drag!"

Kakashi sighs and finishes the apple.

"…"

Izuna speechlessly looks at Kakashi.

'Looks like he has picked my habit of using words from my former world. But what's with this Nara clan's verbal tic.'

"Kakashi! You lazy bum. You should train, otherwise I will inform Uncle Sakumo about your new hobby."

Izuna pulls out a book from Kakashi's rearpocket.

"Icha Icha Paradise! Quite a weird hobby you have picked Kakashi."

Kakashi immediately snatches the book and caress it.

"I am a man of culture, and this book is the holy grail for every man of culture. It is such a great book by the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya…"

"..."

"… it is a complex book involving the adventures of a brave hero. How the hero falls in love with his heroine? How both of them confess their first love to each other and how their adventures entail with many ups and down?" Kakashi explains the plot of the book as he has a perverted expression on his face.

"Really…"

Izuna remarks with disinterest and disapproval.

"That pervert Jiraiya has come up this. Should I inform Tsunade about it?"

"No… don't do it or I will expose your dark secrets to the entire village." Kakashi immediately shouts at Izuna.

"My dark secrets! What dark secrets?"

Kakashi reaches near Izuna's ear and mutters something. Izuna's expression turn ugly.

"No! you don't Kakashi. Don't you dare reveal it to anybody?"

Izuna screams in fluster.

"Ok! Ok! I won't. This is a promise between man. You won't do anything to my holy grail, I won't reveal your secrets." Kakashi smirks.

"You got me, Kakashi Hatake. Fine, it's adeal, but keep your end of the promise. Also, let's meet up in Training ground 7 for more training at a later date."

Whistle… whistle…

Kakashi walks out of the room while whistling.

'Damn! How did this jerk found about that?'

Izuna chomps down an entire apple to release some of his frustration.

"The matters of village politics hasgot nothing to do with me. I want to ask the elder council, especially you two…

Izuna points fingers at Koharu and Homura.

"Why haven't you announced the name of the instigator of the Uchiha Massacre event yet?"

Bam…

The table breaks from the force exerted by Izuna. Fugaku looks at Izuna andwonders.

'It was worth it to bring him here. He can voice his opinion and thoughts much more openly than me.'

Atthe Leaf Village Cemetery,

The remainingmembersof the Uchiha clan are silently mourning the death oftheir loved ones. Fugaku Uchiha silently standsat the front of the clan as his eyes are closed.

'My clan has met with such anunfortunate incident and I was powerless to do anything.'

Fugaku clenches his fist as he stares at the gravestone of his friends and clan members.

"Almost sixty percent… almost sixty percent of Uchiha clan members died in this incident."

Fugaku remembers the tally of dead clansmen.

"Seventy people were slaughtered in this attack. They were assassinated silently and most of them were killed in gruesome ways."

Nerves popped out in Fugaku's hand as he clenched his fist harder. Blood leaks from his palm.

"Our once noble clan of eliteshas fallen to such a down crest position. Most of the remaining members are non-shinobis and only a handful of them are ninjas."

Mikoto pulls Fugaku's hand and shakes her head. Fugaku sighs and closes his eyes.

The remaining Uchiha clan silently prays for the rest of the dead as tears flow from their eyes. Izuna silently mourns the death of his clan members as he remembers the faces of some clan members.

'Many of them were so kind and friendly to me. But I allowed them to die such anunfortunate death.

Some things still happened despite my presence. But I never expected Danzo to be alive and hire Akatsuki to start a slaughter.

Next time, if I see any Akatsuki member; I will kill them with no hesitation. There will be no mercy for them.'

Tears flow through his eyes as herecalls the state of many corpses. Most of their eyes were missing. Some corpses have even their heart stolen and some of them were dismembered beyond recognition.

--

Crunch… crunch…

Izuna lifts his head as he hears the sound of footsteps crushing the gravel in the cemetery.

"It was an unfortunate turn of series; all of you have my condolences."

Hiruzen and the rest of the elder council members slowly approach the Uchiha clan and stand beside them.

They close their eyes to pay homage to the dead.

"Uchiha clan has fallen out of grace. With their downfall, they are no longer a part of the noble clans of Konoha."

Koharu closes her eyes as she mutters these words.

"Looks like some subtle changes are going to happen in the power scale of the village…."

Homura remarks as he closes his eyes.

Izuna raises his eyebrows as he hears the content of the conversation.

'These pairs of old bones are playing politics at such an occasion. I have to somehowkick them out of the elder council. Theyhavecorroded the village together with Danzo.

It's time for some new people to join the council. I have to think of a way toinstate Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage.

Sigh… But she won't abide by my request. I have already asked too much from her.'

Izuna looks at the carving of Minato on the Hokage Monument.

'Minato, Kushina, I will revive yousoon. Just wait a bit longer.'

"Koharu, Homura!... let's leave the political matter for the later meeting. We arein the middle of a funeral." Hiruzenreminds them.

Koharu and Homura stop their conversation and closes their eyes.

--

After the funeral ceremony,

The Uchiha clan members slowlydisperse as they tend to the graves of their loved ones.

Fugaku slowly walks in front of his family. Sasuke is holding Mikoto's hand ashe silently stares at the grave of an old woman.

"Sasuke! Let's give some company to Grandma Furi." Mikoto carries Sasuke towards one of the grave.

Fugaku stares at Izuna, Shisui, and Itachi for a while before a sigh escapes from hismouth.

Sigh…

"You three are the hope of the Uchiha clan. With so many capable ninjas gone, the Uchiha clan will suffer from further prejudice and scorn.

The nine-tails incident had already soiled our reputation with false rumors andthen the Coup d'état."

Fugaku stares at Shisui and Itachi.

"You were aware, father!" Itachi gulps his saliva.

"Who do you think am I? I already suspected you as a double agent when I saw you snooping around near various elder's house."

Fugaku activates his Mangekyo Sharingan and shows it to Itachi. Shisui and Itachi are surprised to see his Mangekyo..

"During the third Shinobi war, I lost a close friend of mine and gained the power of Mangekyo."

Izuna activates his Mangekyo Sharingan and shows Fugaku.

"You aren't the only one who lost afriend in the third war, Fugaku-san."

Shisui and Itachi also activate their Mangekyo Sharingan.

"What?" Fugaku's eyes widen as he stares at the group.

"I expected Izuna-kun to have thepower of Mangekyo. But Shisui and even you Itachi?"

"Father! I awakened my Mangekyoin this massacre." Itachi replies sadly.

Sigh…

Fugaku sighs and pats Itachi's shoulder.

"You have gone through a lot recently. I don't want Sasuke to go through similar things. So, let's try to protect that smile ofhis."

Itachi looks at the sad expression of Sasuke, who is praying in front of the grave.

"Yes, father! I will protect that smile of his."

Itachi turns to Shisui and speaks,

"Shisui nii-san, I think I have found my Ninja way. I don't have any big ambition or goals. I just want to protect the smile of my family. I don't want to feel the same sense of despair and helplessness again. So, I will grow stronger to protect that smile."

Shisui smiles at Itachi and pats hishead.

"Yes, you will. I will always have your back." Shisui places his arm on Itachi's shoulder."

"And I will have yours." Izuna hugs both of them.

Fugaku looks at their interaction and a smile replaces his ever-present frown.

'Looks like there is still hope for my Uchiha clan. But first, I have to deal with the dirty politics of the village.'

Fugaku frowns as he spots an Anbu member walking towards him.

Izuna and the rest notice him too. Izuna nods to Shisui and Itachi. Both of them flickeraway.

After relaying the message to Fugaku, the Anbu member flickers away.

"I will accompany you Fugaku-san." Izuna walks towards and stands in front of Fugaku.

Fugaku ponders for a while beforehe nods his head.

"That would be great. Let's go to the meeting."

--

Inside the meeting room,

Various elders of the village sit around a large round table. Hiruzen sits in the middle of the table with Koharu and Homura on his sides.

Many other clan leaders are also taking part in the meeting. Fugaku and Izuna enterinside the meeting room.

Koharu and Homura frown whenthey notice Izuna in this meeting.

"What's the meaning of this, Fugaku Uchiha? It is a meeting of council elders and clan leaders. Why have you brought a clan member in this meeting?" Koharu questions Fugaku.

Izuna stares at Koharu.

"It's fine, Koharu. Izuna Uchiha is an elite jounin of our village. His achievements are more than enough to grant him an elder position in the village council. If it wasn't for his age, I would have upvoted him for Hokage's position." Hiruzen interrupts Koharu.

'What?... This pervert old geezer has such a high opinion of me.'

Hmph…

Koharu snorts and ignores Hiruzen's remark.

'This granny wants an early retirement. She fricking lived till Naruto's reign as a Hokage and interferes in his rule. Soon, I will giveher a long vacation.'

Izuna takes a seat beside Sakumo and calmly looks at the rest of the clan leaders.

'Hmm… From their expression, I cansee that Hyuga clan, Aburame clan, Nara clan, Yamanaka clan, and Akimichi clan have no feud with Uchiha clan…'

He continues to stare at the rest of the middle-sized clan members.

'Huh!... Kurama clan leader seems to be excited a little. From his heartbeat, his erratic breathing, I can feel his excitement. Hmm… let's see what he has to say during this meeting.'

Soon, all clan leaders arrive for themeeting. Hiruzen raises his hand and signals the start of the meeting.

"Let's start the meeting."

Hiruzen stands up and walks to the center of the round table to address the clanleaders.

"As all of you know, the Uchiha clan was attacked two days ago. In the night's silence, Akatsuki members attacked the Uchiha clan and killed most of their members."

Hiruzen pauses and stares at the rest of the people. The clan leader nods their head.

"This attack placed a heavy burden on the power structure of the village. We have lost almost all of the Police Forcemembersand the security of the village is in jeopardy. So, I would like to…"

"I have something to say, Hokage-sama." Izuna interrupts Hiruzen.

Homura frowns and rebukes Izuna.

"Brat! We are still in the middle of our discussion. Don't interrupt the meeting and waste our time."

Hiruzen silently stares at their interaction as he awaits Izuna's response.

Bam…

Izuna smashes the table and stands up.

"The matters of village politics hasgot nothing to do with me. I want to ask the elder council, especially you two…

Izuna points fingers at Koharu and Homura.

"Why haven't you announced the name of the instigator of the Uchiha Massacre event yet?"

Bam…

The table breaks from the force exerted by Izuna. Fugaku looks at Izuna andwonders.

'It was worth it to bring him here. Hecan voice his opinion and thoughts much more openly than me.

Bam…

The table breaks from the force of the strike. Hiruzen frowns and pensively looks at Izuna.

Koharu and Homura's expression turns ugly.

"Brat! What is the meaning of this disrespect? You are in front of the elders of the village. You can't demean the prestige of the village elders with such blatant accusation."

Koharu remarks angrily. Izuna ignores her and turns towards Hiruzen.

"Hokage-sama, I am sure you know what I am getting at. It is pointless to act as a bystander in this situation."

Sigh…

Hiruzen sighs and rubs his forehead.

"Izuna!... I am aware of the entire matter. But revealing this matter to other villagers could have serious repercussions on the stability of the village.

I don't want this news to create distrust among various villagers and lose their faith in the village and its elders. So, we have to suppress the information of the instigator."

Izuna frowns and raises his eyebrow.

"Hokage-sama, this won't do. You want the village elders to get away scot-free from the Uchiha's clan massacre. Who should we hold responsible for the downfall of my Uchiha clan?

If you want to suppress the news of the instigator, then our Uchiha clan won't be part of such a village. Together with the remaining members of the Uchiha clan, we will leave the village and will settle somewhere else."

Izuna stares at Hiruzen's eyes. His body releases an invisible pressure as the temperature of the room drops.

Izuna secretly uses his 'Artic Release' to lower the temperature of the room. Some old council members shiver from the cold and tightly hugs their body.

"Audacious!..."

Homura stands up from his seat and yells at Izuna.

"… You have guts to blame the village."

Homura cleverly plays a word game by manipulating Izuna's words.

"Your Uchiha clan planes a Coup d'état against the village. The ambition of the Uchiha clan had grown to such an extreme that they even thought of overthrowing the Hokage."

Homura continues as he shifts the blame on the Uchiha clan.

"What?..."

Many clan leaders looked at Fugaku with shock. Fugaku ignores their gaze as he continues to look at Izuna.

"Enough! Homura."

Hiruzen tries to interrupt Homura, but he ignores Hiruzen's warning and continues.

"If not for this Uchiha massacre, the Uchiha clan would have started the Fourth Ninja war greatly harming the interest of village and other clans."

Koharu notices the ugly expression on the various clan leader's faces.

"… Not only that, many smaller clans of Konoha would have suffered extinction from the combined attack of other nations and the large clans probably would have been severely weakened." She continues Homura's words.

"Even you too, Koharu." Hiruzen stares at Koharu with a blank gaze.

Koharu and Homura calmly stare at Hiruzen and speaks.

"What Danzo has done might be wrong, but his opinion regarding you was correct. We have contributed our entire life to the welfare of the village.

We stood firm among all those ups and downs and now a brat who barely lived past 15 years is questioning our loyalty to the village?..."

Homura and Koharu walk up to Hiruzen and confront him.

"Tell us, Hiruzen. Is this how we get repaid for our years of service to the village? We are the elders of the village council. We have earned this position through blood and sweat. We went through so much toil and trouble only to get rebuked."

Both of them emotionally overwhelm Hiruzen, who backs down from their rapid assault of emotional speech.

Sigh…

Hiruzen sighs and stops.

'I am too soft. I was never suitable for the Hokage's position.' Hiruzen backs down in guilt.

Homura and Koharu look at each other and smirks.

'We have been ruling this village for so many years from the shadow. How can we allow such a brat to out do so in politics?'

Clap… clap…

Izuna claps at the heart touching speech of the elders and slowly walks in front of them. He faces against them and remarks,

"Looks like you two old senile geezers aren't aware of your misdeeds. Or rather, you deny them. You are just accepting your act of misdeed as the rightful benefit provided to you with your position."

Homura and Koharu's expression turns unsightly.

"Oh! That hit right on the sore spot. Both of your faces look like you have eaten a pile of shit just now."

"What… what are you trying to say, kid? Don't… don't falsely accuse us of such crimes. We… can forgive your earlier offense, but don't go overboard with your words."

Homura flusters as his voice breaks.

"Still living in denial. It's fine then, I also won't mind unearthing some dirty deeds of the so-called elders of the village."

Izuna turns towards the entrance of the meeting room and shouts.

"Kakashi… Shisui… Itachi!"

Three of them enter the meeting room and bows before Izuna.

"Yes, Captain!"

"Have you brought the things I asked you?" Izuna questions them.

"Yes, we have brought the proof."

Kakashi, Shisui, and Itachi takes out some scrolls from their pocket and hands them to Izuna.

"Good! Now stand aside and enjoy the show."

The three of them stand beside Izuna and stare at the elders.

Sakumo eyes widen as he looks at Kakashi.

'I never saw Kakashi with such a spirit. His easy-going nature is nowhere to be seen. I must ask him later about this matter. For now, I must focus my attention on this matter.'

Sakumo turns towards Izuna and ponders,

'Back then, this kid helped me recover from my sorrow and guilt. I felt something drawing me towards this kid.

In just a few years, he has grown to such an extent. It is almost dreamlike.'

Izuna opens the first scroll and reveals the scandal of the two elders.

"This scroll in my hands contains the detailed information of the money received by two of them as a bribe from many civilians of the village."

Izuna throws the list of all civilians and the amount towards Hiruzen.

"They have received almost 100 billion Ryo as a bribe in these past fifty years during their time in the elder council."

"What?..." The various clan elders are flabbergasted by this figure of number.

Hiruzen immediately skims through the scroll and his expression turn grave.

--

Achoo….

Outside the borders of Tanigakure,

Kakuzu sneezes as he rubs his nose.

"I feel like I missed a hell lot of money."

He takes out a scroll from his pocket and tosses it in his hand.

"Anyway, I have made a haul on this trip."

"Your haul would have cost us our life, if not for the timely arrival of Zetsu." Fushin remarks.

"Shut the fuck up, bastard! Or I won't mind slicing you open." Kakuzu growls.

"Kakuzu is still as energetic as ever." White Zetsu remarks as he moves alongside them. Sasori silently follows behind as he mutters to himself.

'There will be more opportunities in the future. Fugaku Uchiha, one day I will certainly add you to my collection."

All of them reach outside a cave. Kakuzu and Sasori make some hand signs, and the giant boulder at the entrance moves aside.

All of them enter inside the cave and the entrance closes. Zetsu hands over rings to Akatsuki members and explains,

"These are the symbol of Akatsuki. You can lose your limbs, but you can't lose them."

Kakuzu inspects the ring and flips it in his hand.

"I will consider it worthy only if it has some value in money."

"Every ring is made of special chakra alloy cast from a star meteorite, and it would cost a fortune to get your hands on this alloy. There are only twelve of such rings in this world, so you can guess the value of this ring." Black Zetsu explains to them.

"What?"

Kakuzu's mouth opens wide as he shows his creepy stitches.

"Then I will never separate it from my body." He immediately wears the ring on the assigned finger.

"These rings are not just for show, they have a special use to them…

Black Zetsu explains to them.

"… Try to infuse your chakra in them."

Kakuzu, Sasori, and Fushin immediately infuse their chakra in the rings.

A hologram-like construct of chakra releases from their body.

"This ring acts as a communication device. You can contact other Akatsuki members through this ring. I will explain later the other uses of this ring." Black Zetsu remarks.

"Oh! This is quite handy." Fushin closely inspects the ring.

Bzzz… bzzt…

The ring produces some static noises. All of them infuse their chakra inside the ring. A hologram projection of Pain appears before them.

The image looks at them for a while before it opens its mouth.

"Looks like all of you have received the gift." He looks around and a frown appears on his face.

"Where is Dino? I can't see him around." Pain questions them.

"Dino is dead. The 'Shinigami' of Konoha returned to the village and killed him." Zetsu calmly replies.

"Hmm… that was unexpected. We made our preparations with 'Shinigami' in the account. So, how could such a miscalculation happen?"

"Dino, that maniac blindly engaged in a fight with the 'Shinigami' and got slaughtered by him." Sasori calmly replies to Pain.

"So, you are left without any partner, Sasori." Pain ponders for a while.

"I have a certain person in mind. Let's meet with him later."

Sasori nods his head, and the projection of Pain disappears.

Bam…

Hiruzen slams his palm on the table and snaps at Koharu and Homura.

"Is it true, Koharu! Homura?"

"We…we… it's not like what you think, Hiruzen. It is…

Bam…

Hiruzen slaps his palm on the table.

"Just answer my question. Is it true or not?"

Homura sighs and replies.

"Yes, it is true. But Hiruzen we dedicated 50 years of our lives to the village, we can't just…"

Bam…

"No buts. I don't want to hear any excuse from you two. I was a fool to trust both of you. I never expected in all these years... both of you and Danzo played me like a fiddle.

What expression would Sensei show when he learns about this matter? Both of you are a disgrace to Sensei's legacy. His students crushed his dream for a perfect village."

Sigh…

Hiruzen slumps down in his chair.

"Hiruzen, we can explain. It is not like how you think. Give us a chance to explain ourselves."

Koharu tries to protest.

"There is nothing left to explain. You two get out of my sight. I don't want to see your face anymore." Hiruzen waves his hand.

A few Anbu surrounds Koharu and Homura. One of them escort them out of the room,

"Please!"

Koharu and Homura silently walk towards the exit.

"Wait, a sec!"

A loud voice interrupts them.

"Since you have already learned of this matter, there is no harm in knowing more."

Izuna passes another scroll to Hiruzen.

"Hokage-sama, this scroll contains the information of all plots orchestrated by Danzo outside the village. Please have a look at it and decide yourself."

Hiruzen picks up the scroll with shaking hands while Izuna starts to narrate the incident.

"Let me start with the Second Shinobi War. Danzo collaborated with Hanzo of the Amegakure. He started a slaughter in Amegakure and killed many innocent civilians. He disguised his Root members as the shinobi of other villages and fanned the flames of war. It was him who was responsible for the death of many elite shinobis of Konoha."

Izuna throws another scroll towards Hiruzen.

"This is a proof of collaboration with Hanzo. I dug it out from his Root."

Izuna stares at various other clan leaders as he continues.

"I have an interesting piece of news for all of you. I don't know if you will like it or not."

"What is it... Izuna-kun?" Shikaku calmly asks him.

"I would also like to hear it." Shibi Aburame slowly opens his mouth.

Hmm… Hmm…

Choza Akimichi nods his head in agreement.

"Just spit it out, brat! Don't test our patience." Kurama clan leader gnashes his teeth.

Izuna frowns and stares at Kurama clan elder before turning away.

Kurama clan elder feels a chill running down his spine. The temperature around him drops and his blood starts to freeze. He anxiously rubs his hands to warm himself up.

'What's going on? Why am I the only one who is feeling so cold?'

"I won't waste your time. All of you must be aware of the fact that many talented ninjas of your clan either died in war or mysteriously disappeared."

Hmm…

They nod their head in agreement.

"So, what you mean to say is, all of it is related to Danzo, one way or another," Shikaku concludes.

"It's not related. It's him to be exact. Almost eighty percent of the time, he will either deploy his Root Anbus to get rid of them or will recruit them in his Root and will brainwash them to only serve himself."

Izuna throws a scroll containing the list of missing Ninjas towards Shikaku. Shikaku catches the scroll and skims through it. A frown appears on his face.

He passes the scroll to Yamanaka clan leader. One by one all of them read the content of the scroll and their expression turns ugly.

"What's the meaning of this, Hokage-sama?" Various clan leaders slam their hands on the table. The table crumbles under their strike.

"Wait… wait! It's not over yet. Let me finish my statement."

Izuna calms them down.

"So where was I? Ah! Yes… yes… after the Second Ninja war, Danzo wasn't satisfied with the result of the war. So, he cooked another scheme."

"What scheme?" all of them question him.

"Danzo would reveal the information of many important missions of the village to enemy villages through his spies deployed all over other nations.

He wanted to weaken the power of clans through this while strengthening his Root.

He schemed against my parents and almost got them killed. I even suspect he relayed information related to your mission to Kumogakure, Sakumo-san."

"What? It was Danzo who did it." Sakumo gnashes his teeth.

"Not only this, he even spread rumours about your failure in the village which almost lead you to commit suicide." Izuna continues.

Sigh…

Sakumo sighs and looks gratefully at Izuna.

"Now moving on, seeing all of his tricks and schemes fail; Danzo decided to use extreme methods. He joined hands with Orochimaru and conducted various experiments on human test subjects.

All of you must be aware of the information regarding missing persons spread in Konoha. Danzo quickly suppressed the rumours with his Root."

Izuna throws another scroll at them.

"What? You mean to say that Danzo was behind all of that. How evil could a person be to commit such heinous crimes? He conducted experiments on the very villagers he swore to protect.

Danzo is not a human, he is a demon in disguise. I have started to lose trust in the village. Our clan joined the village in hopes of finding a safe haven, but we never expected it to be the den of the devil.

Now, I have second thoughts about staying in this place."

Many clan leaders start to openly show their distrust and scorn for the deeds of the village elders.

Sigh…

Hiruzen took a deep breath. All of his hairs turns grey in an instant. He instantly aged ten of years as he weakly stares at the expression of various clan leaders.

'I have failed you, Sensei. I have failed you. Your dream to create a safe haven for young children is shattering right before my eyes. I can't see this happen before my eyes.

All of your hard work, blood and sweat are tainted in my hands.'

Izuna looks at their reaction and nods his head.

'I have successfully created a turmoil in their state of mind. Now it is time to raise the position of Uchiha clan in their heart and gain sympathy from all of them.'

"CALM DOWN EVERYONE!... Calm down…"

Izuna raises his voice to get their attention.

"The worst is yet to come. All of you must have wondered what was beneath the bandaged arm of Danzo at one point or another?"

"Yes!" All of them nod their head in agreement.

Swish…

Izuna takes out a shrivelled white arm from a scroll. There are many closed eyes on the arm.

"This is…"

All of them frown as they scrutinize the arm.

"It is the right arm of Danzo. And for your information, this arm is made from Hashirama cells synthesized by Orochimaru."

Izuna drops another bomb on them.

"WHAT? Hashirama cells… you mean the cells of the first Hokage."

"Yes, the cells of First Hokage. Danzo pilfered the grave of the First Hokage and synthesized his cells in the laboratory.

Now you might be wondering, what's the deal with all those closed eyes."

Izuna slowly opens one of the eyes to show the white sclera of the eye.

Fugaku frown as he notices the eye. He activates his Sharingan and closely stares at them.

'These are… these are Sharingans. But all of them are blind with no vision, it seems to be the effect of forbidden jutsu Izanagi.

Danzo that bastard! How many Uchiha clansmen did he murder to acquire so many Sharingans?'

Hiashi Hyuga activates his Byakugan to observe them.

"All of these eyes, they have different chakra colours. And from the look of it, this chakra colour matches with Uchihas. I have observed their chakra various times and I can't forget it this easily." He reveals the fact.

"What? You mean to say that all of these eyes were stolen from the Uchiha clan." Inoichi exclaims in surprise.

"Yes, Danzo head hunted our Uchiha clan members, and he murdered many Uchiha clan members to construct this arm. Paired with Hashirama cells, he was almost unstoppable."

Izuna takes out a small flask from his pocket. There is an eye inside the flask as it is floating in a solution.

"These eyes…" Fugaku looks at Izuna.

"These are the eyes of my ancestor Kagami Uchiha. Danzo pilfered them from his grave and replaced his right eye with them.

Not only this, he even manipulated the village using the power of these eyes. He even disgraced my ancestor through the sinister use of his power."

Hiruzen falls from his chair as he listens to this.

"Oh! My friend Kagami. I have even sinned against you and your descendants. I don't know how will I ever be able to make for it.

You sacrificed your life to preserve mine and yet here am I soiling your legacy."

"This is not the end yet.

"This is not the end yet."

"Hum... you mean to say there is more." The clan leaders turn towards Izuna.

Izuna throws another scroll towards them.

"All of you must be aware of the dispute at borders before the Third Ninja War."

Shikaku nods his head.

"Yes, Iwa and Kumo started the war when their shinobis infiltrated our borders and killed most of our Patrol teams.

In response to that attack, Hokage-sama and Danzo sent a team of Anbus to intercept the invaders. We were successful in repelling the invasion but lost many Shinobis in the confrontation." He slowly explains the turn of events.

"Exactly!" Izuna exclaims.

Shikaku frown as a pensive expression appears on his face.

"Isn't that normal, Izuna-kun? The enemy invaded our land, so we have to intercept them. Danzo was power hungry, but he was not a fool. He won't allow Konoha to get invaded by enemy nations. So what are you trying to say, Izuna-kun?"

"Shikaku-san, you are already aware of the ambitions of Danzo, right?"

Shikaku nods his head and replies,

"Hokage-sama mentioned the possibility of involvement of Danzo in his assassination attempt. But we were busy with the peace treaty with Kumogakure. So, at that time, we have to put the matter at the back of our mind...

Izuna-kun, you mean to say that Danzo has higher ambitions."

Izuna nods his head and explains,

"Danzo not only coveted the position of Hokage, he even coveted the power of Hidden Village. Danzo started this war to deal with all Hidden Villages in one fell swoop."

Izuna stops and looks at them. Shikaku frowns and question him.

"Why would he start a war and disrupt the peace in the village? I highly doubt Danzo would do such a reckless move unless he is sure of the outcome."

"There is no benifit in war, only needless causalitites and waste of resources. I don't think it is valid of a reason, there must be more to the matter then it seems." Shikaku and the rest start to contemplate.

Hmm…

The clan leaders ponder over the matter. After contemplating for a while, they shook their head and turn towards Shikaku.

"Shikaku! You are the only person with the most gifted mind among all of us. You must have a clue regarding the situation." (A/N:-Big Brain Imposter Among us. Recently started playing among us. Hook me on discord if you are interested.)

"What a drag!..." Shikaku silently mutters.

Izuna hears the remark and muses.

'These Nara clan fellows are as lazy as usual. If not for the harsh life of the shinobi world, they would have turned into NEET or Geek by now. Come to think of it, I haven't gotten a chance to visit them in all these years. I will visit them when I have spare time.'

"To think, he started a war to gain more power and control. I wonder how he planned to gain control over all Hidden Nations. I doubt he is strong enough to take on all Nations alone." Inoichi raises a question.

"Yes, Konoha is strong but we aren't strong enough to engage all hidden village at the same time. Unless Danzo has developed some sort of Kinjutsu, I doubt he had any chance." Hiashi speculates.

"He did joined hands with Orochimaru, so it is quite possible. But I am still skeptical of the possibility." Shibi states his opinion.

Shikaku puts his hand on his forehead and enters in deep contemplation. He ponders for a while before replying,

"I think I have figured out the answer."

"As expected of a Nara, Shikaku must have figured out something." The clan leaders perks up their ear.

Shikaku turns towards Izuna and explains his speculation.

"To gain control over all the nations, Danzo needed a power far greater than them."

Hu… hu…

The various clan leaders nod their heads in agreement.

"Now there aren't many powerful things which surpass the might of the Hidden Villages. But…"

"But…"

"… the tailed-beast can surpass the power of a village."

"Hum… that makes sense." Choza nods his head.

"Yes, only tailed beast possesses enough power to single-handily annihilate a hidden village."

The Nine-tails incident freshens up in their memory.

"Now, what if someone is able to control all the tailed beasts…" Shikaku continues.

The clan leaders frown as the Kurama clan leader remarks.

"Then won't he gain enough power to rule all Shinobi Nations? But such a thing is impossible right. Up till now, except First Hokage Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha; no even came close to wield that amount of power."

"Yes, that's true. First Hokage was the 'God of Shinobi'. He single handily overpowered Eight out of Nine-tailed Beasts."

The rest of the leaders agree with him.

"That's it. This is my point. What if someone possesses the power of the 'Wood Release' of the First Hokage and the Sharingan of Madara Uchiha? Wouldn't he be capable of achieving the same feat?" Shikaku drops a revelation on them.

"Wait!... you mean to say that Danzo was aiming for such a thing." All of their expression turn unsightly.

Shikaku points towards the shriveled hand made of Hashirama cells with many Sharingan in it.

The clan leader notices the hand, and it dawns on them.

Cough... cough...

"Let me explain…"

Izuna gathers their attention.

"Danzo wanted to gain control of the Nine-tails and slowly take over the Village. He got this idea from the fight of First Hokage and Madara Uchiha…

So, when Mito Uzumaki sealed the nine-tails inside the Kushina Uzumaki, Danzo viewed this as an opportunity. He secretly informed Kumogakure of her and then hatched a plan to kidnap her from the village.

The Root Anbus secretly waited at the borders, ready to ambush Kumo ninjas and capture Kushina. But thanks to Minato-san's interference, this plan never succeeded…"

"Come to think of it, everything adds up. But he failed in his attempt." Sakumo nods his head.

"... Danzo attempted to capture Nine-tails several times in the future, but Minato was always present with Kushina. So, he could only give up helplessly and turn to the Uchiha clan.

So, he kidnapped many Uchiha clan members during and after the war. He plucked out their Sharingan and created this synthetic prosthetic to strengthen himself." Izuna continues his explanation.

Humm…

All of them nod their head in agreement as they listen to the explanation.

"But he lacked a certain thing…"

"What?"

".. he lacked… he lacked a fully Mature Mangekyo Sharingan to control the Nine-tails.

The previously stolen eye of Kagami Uchiha was failing. It had lost the vision and most of its visual prowess. So, Danzo needed a replacement for his right eye and so he targeted me.

He lost against me and escaped the village only to return later and slaughter the Uchiha clan." Izuna calmy replies to them while his eyes are seething in rage.

Sigh...

The clan leaders sighs in relief.

"If Danzo would have succeeded in his ploy, then most of our clans would have to bow before him in servitude."

They turn towards Izuna in gratitude.

"You have our gratitude, Izuna Uchiha. The Uchihas suffered the conspiracy of Danzo and suffered such a tragic fate...

It may not amount to much compared to the loss, but we will help Uchiha clan to overcome some of it's loss."

The clan leaders strecthes a helping hand towards the Uchiha clan.

Fugaku places a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Izuna takes a deep breath and turns towards Hiruzen.

"So, Hokage-sama! What's your stance on this matter?"

The rest of the clan leaders stares at Hiruzen, waiting for his response. Hiruzen weakly stands up from his chair.

One of the Anbu members supports him to stand up.

'He must be Konohamaru's father. I can sense a similarity in his and Hiruzen's chakra.'

Hiruzen takes support against the wall and replies in a weak tone.

"I will… I will take responsibility for all the misdeeds of Danzo and the rest of the elders. It was my incompetency that leads to such a situation, so I will resign as a Hokage.

Also, all the information regarding the evil deeds of Danzo excluding the involvement with other villages will be revealed to the public."

'So, he is still prioritizing village over anything else. I don't mind though as long as my Uchiha clan does not suffer injustice.'

Hiruzen turns towards Izuna and remarks.

"You have opened my eyes, Izuna Uchiha. From today onwards you will be excluded from the jurisdiction of the elder council and Hokage. You are free to take any sort of mission and no one will be able to order you around.

It is my way of expressing gratitude on behalf of the village. As for the Uchiha clan, I will listen to all of their requests as long as they don't interfere with the collective interest of the village.

This injustice was caused because of a lack of insight on my part. At least, I would be able to repent for some of my sins."

The rest of the clan leaders agree with the notion. Kurama clan leader hesitates for a while before eventually agreeing with the decision.

Izuna turns towards Fugaku.

"It is your turn to speak, Fugaku-san. My task is over, I will take my leave."

He signals Kakashi, Shisui, and Itachi. They follow him out.

"You have a fine seedling in your clan, Fugaku. I can't even imagine the extent to which the Uchiha clan will prosper in the future. With so many geniuses in your clan, it will be able to surpass its previous prestige in few more years."

Hiashi sighs and enviously look at Fugaku.

'If only my clan wasn't restricted by the conservative thoughts of old elders.'

Hiashi sighs and turns his attention to the meeting. The Anbu members replace the chair and tables.

The real meeting starts now.