Evil Uchiha Itsuki

Sarutobi Hiruzen!

The Third Hokage!

The Hokage who served the longest term in Konoha!

The only person in the ninja world to become Hokage twice.

He was known as the "God of Shinobi " and the "Professor."

He was proficient in over ten thousand types of ninjutsu and knew all non-secret techniques of his era.

Shimura Danzo!

The darkness of Konoha!

The most deeply hidden person in the ninja world!

The only one who almost became Hokage multiple times, only to miss it.

His darkness was something even other Kage couldn't ignore.

And to achieve his goals, he used any means necessary.

In the end, he even modified himself.

He incorporated the powers of both the Senju and Uchiha clans.

Unfortunately, he couldn't fully master either power and could only balance both forces for partial use.

Now, these two faced each other.

Once the closest of friends, they finally tore apart their relationship.

Of course, they still had something in common—age!

They were both very old.

To be honest.

Ichiki never understood what was on Mifune's mind during the Five Kage Summit in the original story.

Recommending Danzo?

Even if he was controlled by Danzo's Kotoamatsukami, he said he would still have chosen Danzo otherwise.

Compared to others, Danzo seemed advantageous.

For instance, the Kazekage was too young!

The Mizukage came from the village that produced the Akatsuki, so she wasn't trusted.

The Tsuchikage had too much history with the enemy and was quite old.

The Raikage was too hot-tempered.

That reasoning was ridiculous.

Did Danzo have no history with the Akatsuki?

The Tsuchikage was old?

Come on, Danzo was only a few years younger!

The Raikage had a short fuse? That might be true, unlike Danzo.

However!

Choosing anyone else over Danzo seemed more logical!

Normally, the Mizukage, Mei Terumi, should have been the choice!

She was young, strong, and one of the Five Kage.

The claim of mistrust was baseless; even as commander, the others would still have a say.

If they didn't trust her, they shouldn't have let her participate.

Letting her in a high position and then claiming distrust was nonsensical.

The Tsuchikage being too old?

But they still let him on the battlefield. What was that about?

If he could fight, why couldn't he lead?

Ridiculous!

The Raikage was explosive?

But they still let him fight?

Weren't they worried he'd mess things up?

Same with the Kazekage!

If he was so young, how could they let him fight?

If Ichiki had been there, he'd have mocked them thoroughly.

"Boom!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo had officially started fighting.

Two old men, with explosive tempers, fighting for their own reasons—once inseparable companions now at each other's throats.

Fire Release!

Wind Release!

Summoning Technique!

Unsealing!

Both were going all out, displaying Kage-level power.

Their subordinates were also fighting.

Of course!

Sarutobi's side held the advantage.

They were the attackers and well-prepared, catching Danzo's forces off guard.

However!

Once Danzo's people blocked the first wave of attacks, they began to find an opening.

His other subordinates, though not immediately present, weren't far away, and quickly came to support.

They struck from behind, catching Sarutobi's people off guard.

Afterward.

Danzo's reinforcements kept coming, wave after wave.

The battle began to escalate.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had the Sarutobi clan.

Shimura Danzo's Shimura clan, though weaker compared to the Sarutobi clan, had the support of the Root division.

While Sarutobi's ANBU had mostly been disbanded, Danzo's Root was still intact.

They had all been branded with the Curse Mark of Absolute Obedience; even if they were offered to someone else, what good would they be?

Who would dare take them?

Together with the Root, the Shimura clan faced Sarutobi head-on, evenly matched.

Ninjutsu raged!

Blood flew!

Both sides were relentless, and the scale of the battle was no smaller than the recent civil conflict.

"Kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The massive battle quickly drew attention.

The people of Konoha were stunned.

What was happening?

Were they insane?

After such a short time, another civil war had erupted!

Was Konoha really seeking its own destruction?

Many Jonin hurried over, and upon seeing the fighting sides, their expressions turned strange.

"What the hell!"

"What's going on?"

"Sarutobi and Shimura? How did those two start fighting?"

"Aren't they brothers?"

"Yeah, brothers from different parents!"

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Uchiha Itsuki! Don't look at me like that; haven't you noticed? Many things Uchiha Itsuki says are quite interesting."

"Shut up! Where's the Hokage? Why aren't they here for such a large battle?"

"How would I know?"

"Quick, go find them!"

Several Jonin immediately went to look for Kakashi.

First, they needed him to handle the situation.

Second, they were worried—did Sarutobi and Shimura do something to Kakashi?

No way!

Absolutely not!

Soon!

Kakashi's location was found.

The Hokage's office building!

Surrounded by a barrier.

Kakashi and the top brass of Konoha had been trapped.

This outcome left many people in shock.

The Hokage and his advisors trapped within Konoha?

Had Konoha fallen to this level of decay?

"Just in time!" 

Kakashi had just dispelled a genjutsu and was about to attack the barrier when he saw the approaching Jonin. He immediately ordered, "Break the barrier, quickly!"

"Yes!"

The Jonin looked at the four who had set up the barrier.

They saw that it was the ANBU directly under the Hokage!

"This is bad!"

The lead ANBU's face sank, and he looked at the other three.

They all nodded.

"Buzz!"

A secondary barrier appeared around the four ANBU.

This one was to protect them.

However, the barrier trapping Kakashi and the others was clearly much stronger.

The one surrounding the Konoha shinobi was slightly weaker.

Still!

Breaking that barrier was no easy task.

After all, these were four Jonin!

Sure enough!

The Jonin of Konoha tried every possible means, but every attack against the barrier was repelled.

"Kakashi!"

Shikaku's deep voice rang out, "We must break the barrier immediately."

Then, they needed to stop Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo.

Although their intervention might not have much effect, it was better than doing nothing.

"I know!"

Kakashi responded in a low voice and looked towards Akimichi Torifu. "Torifu-sama, can you use the Expansion Jutsu to strike with all your strength?"

"No way!"

Before Torifu could say anything, Nara Shikaku had already firmly refused.

"Hokage-sama, the barrier created by four Jonin can't be broken by just one person, not even Torifu-sama. We need to think of another way!"

Shikaku's reasoning was simple.

The barrier set up by four Jonin wasn't something easily broken.

What if something happened to Torifu? He's part of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio's trump card! Though the civil war was over, Shikaku still had significant distrust of others.

Moreover—

Now that it seemed like the civil war might break out again, letting Torifu act recklessly at this time would be madness!

Kakashi turned his head and gave Shikaku a deep look, sighing helplessly, "Shikaku, I have no other choice. If we don't break the barrier soon, what will happen to the Leaf Village?"

Shikaku's face was heavy, but his expression was resolute.

What did other people matter to them? If they could save others, fine; if not, it wasn't their responsibility.

They were the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, so naturally, they prioritized their trio first.

"Then let's use our ninjutsu together!"

Seeing Shikaku's insistence, Kakashi decided it was useless to argue.

"Alright!"

Shikaku immediately agreed.

He exhaled in relief.

As long as he wasn't forced, it wouldn't create more issues between them.

He failed to notice the faint smile forming on Kakashi's lips.

Normally, Shikaku wouldn't have been this careless, but too many recent events had been entirely unexpected.

Even Shikaku was struggling to keep up.

On top of that, he had just rejected Kakashi and subconsciously avoided looking at him—otherwise, he might've realized something.

"Boom!"

"Rumble!"

"Crackle!"

Numerous ninjutsu attacks flew towards the barrier—some from outside, some from inside.

The four ninja holding the barrier felt tremendous pressure immediately.

But!

They were still holding on!

Also…

Was it an illusion? It didn't seem like the force of the attacks was as overwhelming as expected.

It must be an illusion—they had never before tested this kind of barrier against so many attacks.

…

"Wow, impressive! So impressive!" Itsuki laughed heartily after hearing the news.

He never imagined something so entertaining could happen in the Leaf Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi versus Danzo Shimura?

Whoever pulled this off had real guts!

Those two had been allies for decades, as close as could be.

And now they were fighting each other? Unbelievable!

Completely unexpected!

"Kakashi, was it you?"

Itsuki thought for a moment and then settled on a suspect.

Hatake Kakashi!

He had always harbored hatred for two men: Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.

It wasn't surprising!

Kakashi had grown up with his father.

His father was such a strong, majestic figure but was driven to suicide by Danzo and Hiruzen! 

That was a nightmare for Kakashi.

He was determined to get revenge for his father!

In the Leaf Village, he was the one most likely to achieve it.

"Kakashi?"

Itachi was shocked. "It's him? How could that be?"

"Why not?" 

Itsuki sneered. "If your father had been forced to take his own life, what would you do? Oh, never mind; I know what you'd do."

A dutiful son, he would act without hesitation.

There was no need to ask such a person.

Itachi: "…"

Damn!

What do you mean by that? You already think you know my answer, and it's clearly not a good one, right?

How much do you resent me to think that way?

Itachi, face dark, said coldly, "I assume you also played an unsavory role in all this?"

"This time, you're mistaken."

Itsuki smiled, saying, "I didn't get involved at all."

"Not at all?"

"Well, not exactly."

Itsuki admitted, "Before I left the Leaf Village, I had a conversation with Kakashi. He also asked for a bit of help, and I agreed."

Veins bulged on Itachi's forehead.

"So, before the Uchiha clan even left the Leaf, you were already manipulating Kakashi?"

"What manipulation?"

Itsuki replied indignantly, "All I did was tell him the truth about his father's death. Whether or not he chose to seek revenge was up to him."

"You just said you provided him some assistance."

"…"

Itsuki was momentarily speechless.

No matter how he spun it, he couldn't deny it.

He really did help Kakashi, after all.

It was just a bit of seed funding.

A few trustworthy people.

Some powerful secret techniques.

And a few weaknesses of Danzo and Hiruzen.

Does that really count? Hardly!

"Enough. Let's not talk about this anymore. No matter what happens outside, Hidden Fire Village should stay put for now, understood?"

Upon hearing this, Itachi gave Itsuki a strange look.

"What's wrong?"

Itsuki asked irritably, "I'm giving orders for the village to stay out of trouble and focus on development. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Itachi said indifferently, "Oh, nothing. Just amazed that aside from the Hidden Fire Village, you seem to control a lot of other forces. How did you manage all this? And when did you start planning it all?"

Itsuki: "…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Figure it out!" Itachi snorted. "With such a big event happening, if the Hidden Fire Village isn't taking action, then I assume you're using other forces. I'm just surprised—how can you be only a few years older than me and have set up so many moves already?"

Itsuki stared at Itachi for a long while.

"That just means you're useless."

Itachi: "…"

…

The Leaf Village was in civil war once again.

When the other ninja villages heard the news, they were stunned.

The former number one ninja village—had they lost their minds?

Of all times, they chose now to fight another civil war?

What were they thinking?

Were they tired of living?

They could think of no other reason except a death wish.

Especially when they heard that even the Hokage had been thrown into a barrier and sealed away.

They could only hold up three incense sticks, bow deeply, and shout, "Respect! Respect! Respect!"

This was insane.

What a bunch of characters!

Leaf Village really was full of characters!

So outrageous—did the First and Second Hokage know about this?

At least, when Orochimaru heard about it, he immediately accelerated his experiments.

He was going to revive the First and Second Hokage so they could witness the current state of the Leaf Village.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, upon hearing the news, almost choked.

He almost died on the spot.

He had just allocated funds to them, and this was how they repaid him?

Damn it!

Hiruzen Sarutobi!

Danzo Shimura!

Curse both of you.

If you want to die, fine—but don't come asking me for money!

What's this, then?

Getting one last sum before death—were they planning to take it with them to the afterlife?

What sin had he committed to deserve such torment?

(End of Chapter)