"Why did you kill Father and Mother? I'm asking you why!"
Sasuke shrieked hysterically.
"Sasuke..."
Itachi felt a rare sense of helplessness.
According to his plan, Sasuke should have fallen unconscious by now, his mind overwhelmed by the Tsukuyomi. By the time the boy woke up, Itachi would have already finalized his agreement with the village elders and departed as a rogue ninja to act as a spy, gathering intel on the Jashin Religion and the Akatsuki.
Furthermore, the village high-level advisors were supposed to pin the blame for this incident entirely on the Jashin Religion and a few disgruntled clansmen. This would preserve the overall reputation of the Uchiha, allowing Sasuke to grow up within the village.
"Why are you here, Sasuke?" Itachi questioned, his gaze stern.
Sasuke stared back at him, his newly awakened one-tomoe Sharingan fixated on Itachi.
"You haven't answered my question."
Sensing the obsession radiating from his brother, Itachi let out a cold, disdainful laugh. "Those people in the clan, including our father and mother, were nothing more than narrow-minded fools trapped by their own clannishness."
"They didn't understand the Will of Fire at all, nor did they understand how to protect the village. Their heads were filled with nothing but the so-called glory, power, and authority of the Uchiha!"
"They only wanted to satisfy the clan's selfish desires, never considering the interests of the entire village!"
"Only Shisui and I are the true heirs to the Will of Fire!"
"Everything I have done was to carry out the Will of Fire and protect the village!"
"So, because of that, you could personally kill Father and Mother?!"
Sasuke suddenly cut him off. His hands were clenched tight, his eyes wide with fury, the deep crimson of his Sharingan looking as though it might actually bleed.
"For the sake of the Will of Fire, you can abandon your clan, your family, the father who taught you, and the mother who cooked for you?!"
Sasuke demanded an answer once more.
However, to Itachi's ears, these questions sounded utterly... ridiculous.
"Sasuke, compared to the village, I can abandon everything—family, friends, and even myself."
The darkness in Itachi's eyes grew even heavier.
"So, does that include me?"
"Am I just another part of what you can discard?"
Sasuke trembled uncontrollably. In his gaze toward Itachi, there was a tiny flicker of hope buried beneath the rage. He seemed to be wishing that the brother he had always idolized would deny his words, telling him there was some hidden reason and that he hadn't killed their parents willingly.
Unfortunately, Itachi's next words shattered that hope completely.
"That's right, Sasuke. You are also part of what I can discard."
Itachi's face remained as calm as still well water, devoid of any ripple of emotion.
"Then are you going to kill me too, Brother?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.
"Heh."
Itachi let out another cold laugh. The crimson Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes began to spin again, and a surge of ocular power flooded into Sasuke's brain.
Tsukuyomi.
The scene before Sasuke's eyes shifted rapidly. The sight of his father's death resurfaced, and his mother appeared before him, lying in a pool of blood. But unlike the previous Tsukuyomi, this time, the brother he once admired finally turned his blade toward Sasuke himself!
Slap!
Suddenly, a hand patted Sasuke gently on the shoulder.
A massive amount of chakra instantly poured into Sasuke's body, disrupting his internal flow. At the same time, a powerful force drove out Itachi's ocular power.
"And you are?"
Itachi looked at the man standing before him with a look of extreme caution and gravity. The newcomer wore a black robe and a swirl mask identical to the other one. Tsukuyomi was no ordinary genjutsu; anyone capable of breaking it so quickly must have a mastery of genjutsu that rivaled his own!
Moreover, that mask...
Itachi slowly turned his head toward the masked man who claimed to be Madara Uchiha. The latter was currently trembling slightly, as if trying his best to restrain himself.
"Yo, Tobi. You're wearing this mask too? If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered."
"Simu Kamizuki, what on earth are you doing?!"
Even while trying to pose as Madara Uchiha, Obito found his composure breaking. Just how many misdeeds was this guy going to commit while impersonating him? And he actually called him "Tobi" in front of Itachi?
Who was Tobi? He was Madara Uchiha!
Sure enough, upon hearing Simu address the man as "Tobi," Itachi's expression became thoughtful.
Simu scratched his mask and said in a dissatisfied tone, "Tobi, you should call me Senior Simu. How can you just call me by my name?"
Hearing this, Obito could only grit his teeth and reply, "Yes, Senior Simu. Then may I ask what you intend to do this time?"
Having received the answer he wanted, Simu finally said with a smile, "I am currently selecting a suitable candidate for our Jashin Religion to cultivate."
Obito narrowed his eyes. Selecting a candidate? Wasn't that exactly what he was doing?
"And tell me, Senior Simu," he asked guardily, "have you found your candidate?"
Simu chuckled and patted Sasuke's shoulder. "This little guy isn't bad. I plan to make him the Divine Son of our Jashin Religion."
Itachi, standing nearby, felt his face darken the moment he heard those words. "What did you say?" he asked coldly.
Simu seemed oblivious to Itachi's displeasure. "I'm planning to make this little guy the Divine Son of our Jashin Religion."
He rubbed his hands together with glee. "The Divine Son of the Jashin Religion... that's someone who can directly inherit the power of Lord Jashin. They might even have the honor of becoming the vessel for Lord Jashin's descent into the shinobi world. What a glorious thing that would be!"
Though Simu's face was hidden, Itachi could feel the piety and madness radiating from him.
"Impossible. I will never allow Sasuke to become your religion's Divine Son!"
Itachi immediately took an adversarial stance, his hand moving to the hilt of his blade, ready to strike at any moment. Even if he didn't understand this "Jashin," the name alone suggested it was nothing good. As a brother who cherished Sasuke above all, Itachi could never accept his brother becoming a vessel for some evil god.
Meanwhile, Obito simply watched Simu, waiting to see what the man was actually up to.
"It seems Mr. Itachi has a big problem with my idea?"
Simu shrugged nonchalantly. "Unfortunately, you shouldn't really count as Sasuke's relative anymore, right? You don't seem to have the right to make decisions for him."
Itachi was momentarily speechless. If he, who had just slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, still claimed the right to be called Sasuke's relative, it would be absurd—an absurdity even he recognized.
Seeing Itachi silenced, Simu turned his head and tapped the child beside him. Sasuke's consciousness gradually cleared from the genjutsu. The moment he saw Itachi, a burning rage filled his chest like a wildfire.
"Unforgivable!"
"Itachi Uchiha, I will definitely kill you!"
Sasuke wanted to rush forward immediately, and Itachi prepared to restrain him instantly. However, before Sasuke could take a single step, Simu easily hoisted him up.
"Kid, what's the difference between rushing in like that and seeking death?"
Only then did Sasuke realize a stranger had appeared beside him. The man wore a mask identical to the one worn by the person standing next to Itachi. Was this some mysterious organization?
As Sasuke's thoughts raced, Simu spoke again. "Kid, I see you have extraordinary potential. If you join the Jashin Religion, I'll give you the power to kill Itachi Uchiha right now. What do you say?"
"Is that true?"
Sasuke was tempted almost instantly.
"Don't do it, Sasuke!" Itachi shouted.
Unfortunately, the current Sasuke was no longer his cute, obedient little brother. He was an avenger whose entire clan had been wiped out, desperate for power.
"What right do you have to stop me, Itachi Uchiha?!"
Sasuke clenched his small fists and spoke to Simu without hesitation. "As long as you can give me the power to kill him, I'm willing to join the Jashin Religion!"
"It's a deal."
Simu gave a satisfied smile. But Itachi wasn't going to let this continue.
"You don't mind if I kill this guy, do you?" Itachi asked first, since the opponent was also a member of the Akatsuki.
However, given Itachi's current posture, Obito felt that if he expressed any objection, Itachi would likely include him as a target as well. Naturally, he wouldn't do that.
"I told you, his actions this time have nothing to do with our Akatsuki."
Obito immediately distanced himself from Simu.
"Very well."
Itachi's hands blurred into signs, and a violent blast of flame erupted.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
The surging fire dragon aimed straight for Simu and Sasuke. As the bright light of the flames danced across his mask, Simu calmly raised a hand.
"Launching an attack without a word... that's quite impolite, Mr. Itachi."
As he spoke, a wall of water surged up in front of him, easily blocking Itachi's fire dragon. The collision of fire and water instantly produced a massive cloud of steam.
Several shuriken suddenly sliced through the mist, flying at Simu from different directions. Simu looked up, and a powerful current of air exploded from his body, turning into a hurricane that blew outward, clearing the mist and knocking away the incoming shuriken!
"Tricks like these are useless against me, Mr. Itachi."
After Simu spoke, one of the shuriken that had been blown away suddenly turned into white smoke and transformed into Itachi. As expected, that shuriken had been Itachi using the Transformation Jutsu. Unfortunately, Simu had seen through it.
After all, before this battle even began, Simu had been using his black beetles to observe Itachi's every move. His fighting style, his small tricks, his movements, and even the micro-expressions on his face had been integrated into data and recorded in Simu's mind.
By observing, Simu could practically predict Itachi's next move. It was as if he were seeing the future. Furthermore, a vast number of black beetles were attached to the surroundings of the battlefield. These beetles acted as Simu's eyes, providing him with views from multiple angles. Some had even evolved infrared vision, thermal imaging, and scent perception.
Every move Itachi made was within Simu's control. Taking him by surprise was nearly impossible.
Itachi was equally shocked. In the brief exchange just now, Simu had released two ninjutsu without making any hand signs. This meant his understanding of ninjutsu and his control over his own chakra had reached a terrifying level.
This was a formidable enemy!
Itachi looked up, trying to see Simu's eyes through the single hole in the mask to trigger Tsukuyomi. However, the eye hole was pitch black; he couldn't see the man's eyes at all.
As an opponent who had gathered so much intel on Itachi, Simu was not foolish enough to expose his eyes. To him, eyes were optional anyway. Even without them, he could see the opponent's actions through the black beetles scattered everywhere. Thus, Itachi's Tsukuyomi was useless against him.
During the gap while Itachi analyzed the battlefield, the ground beneath Simu suddenly cracked open, and a figure reappeared before Itachi.
It was none other than Inabi Uchiha, whom he had just killed. He appeared before them now, once again completely unharmed.
Before Itachi or Obito could comprehend what was happening, Simu spoke. "Sasuke, close your eyes."
Although Sasuke didn't really want to listen to this stranger, his inner thirst for revenge made him grit his teeth and close them. Then, Inabi Uchiha fell to his knees before Simu, seemingly losing control of his body.
As Simu pressed a finger lightly against Inabi's forehead, a black cursed seal consisting of a circle with a triangle inside rapidly emerged. With the seal as the center and accompanied by Inabi's painful screams, all the formulas attached to Inabi's body receded like a tide, gathering back into the cursed seal. Simu then extracted it as a mass of black energy and turned toward Sasuke.
"Stop right there!"
Itachi shouted in anger, lunging toward Simu with maximum speed.
Simu was prepared. An Evil-Faced Ghost Snake with three heads suddenly burst from the ground, blocking Itachi's path. Itachi almost instantly summoned Susanoo.
But the Evil-Faced Ghost Snake was faster. Its three heads condensed Fire, Wind, and Lightning chakra, respectively, and spat them out simultaneously.
"Combined Ninjutsu: Roar of the Wind and Thunder Gods!"
The flames became even more violent with the reinforcement of the hurricane, and the surging lightning turned golden within the firelight, bringing judgment! The towering pillar of fire, entwined with lightning, slammed heavily into the Susanoo, knocking the unprepared Itachi and his avatar back more than ten meters.
Then came a horrific explosion!