Yo, shinobi-in-training!
You've read through intense battles, emotional flashbacks, and probably a few secret forbidden jutsu…
But you still haven't ADDED this story to your COLLECTION, left a REVIEW, or launched a POWER STONE like a Rasengan?
Even Naruto left a shadow clone to drop one.
Sasuke looked back just to judge you.
And Kakashi? He's silently disappointed behind that mask.
Every collection adds chakra to my reserves.
Every review is like unlocking a new jutsu scroll of motivation.
And Power Stones? That's basically Sage Mode fuel—don't leave your author stuck in Genin-level energy!
Be a true comrade—support this humble story so it doesn't vanish like a filler arc!
— Your ever-grateful, totally-not-controlled-by-a-cursed-seal Author
ADD TO COLLECTION | LEAVE A REVIEW | DROP POWER STONES
Or Orochimaru might recruit you next. Just sayin'.
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Let's rise up the rankings together!
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In response, Uchiha Haru merely nodded, saying nothing further on the surface, though in his heart, his disdain only deepened.
Danzo and the Root organization were clearly about to move against the Uchiha clan.
Yet the so-called "rebellion" from the Uchiha had no real plan, no clear direction.
How could something like this possibly succeed?
After that, Uchiha Fugaku made a few rousing declarations in public.
The clan's elites and core members responded with excitement, fired up by his words.
But Haru remained utterly uninterested.
Everything Fugaku said was nothing more than hollow bravado and unrealistic fantasy.
Eventually, under the heated atmosphere, the meeting came to an end.
Many Uchiha elites tried to invite Haru out to eat and drink with them afterward.
Now that Haru had officially joined the rebellion, he was someone worth befriending. After all, this was a man who had slain Raiga—one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist—on his own.
Such power demanded attention.
But Haru refused them all.
He had zero interest in mingling with this group. It was pointless. Just a waste of time.
Naturally, some of them felt a bit slighted by the rejection.
But considering Haru's usual solitary, quiet nature, no one pressed the issue. It wasn't out of character for him.
That evening, Haru returned home.
This time, he didn't sense anyone tailing him.
Just when he began to think that the masked man and Danzo might lie low for a while, he noticed a figure standing silently near his front door, leaning casually against the wall.
The boy wasn't very old—thirteen or fourteen, maybe.
He wore the traditional Uchiha attire and carried a short katana across his back.
His face was handsome, his features delicate.
Long black hair tied in a loose ponytail.
Two tear-like lines etched down his pale cheeks.
Uchiha Itachi.
At the sight of him, every muscle in Haru's body tensed instinctively.
This was no ordinary reflex—he had fought this very boy in life-or-death scenarios dozens of times in the simulation.
But he quickly reminded himself: this was reality.
He forced himself to relax, letting the chill return to his demeanor.
He met Itachi's gaze.
"Are you waiting for me?"
"Yes," Itachi answered calmly. "Do you have a few minutes to talk?"
Haru didn't refuse. He could tell—Itachi bore no hostility.
The two of them walked inside. Haru brewed a pot of tea, and they sat down across from each other.
"You've heard about what our clan plans to do," Itachi said, getting straight to the point.
Haru's eyes flickered slightly. He feigned ignorance while pouring tea. "What are you talking about?"
"Rebellion," Itachi said plainly.
The teapot paused midair in Haru's hand.
He lowered it slowly and sat back.
As the patriarch's son and a renowned prodigy, it wasn't surprising that Itachi knew.
What was surprising was that he came to speak with Haru—someone he'd never interacted with before—about it.
They weren't close. They weren't even acquaintances.
Haru waited a beat, then said evenly, "Shouldn't it be called an uprising?"
"Maybe," Itachi replied with a faint frown. "But does it matter what we call it?"
His expression was a rare mix of struggle, hesitation, pain.
"For the Uchiha, it's an uprising—to reclaim fairness and status. But to Konoha… it's rebellion."
"There will be a battle, no matter what. Two tigers can't share one mountain. No matter who wins, it won't come easy."
"And the other villages?" he continued. "They'll seize the chance to strike. It could spiral into another Great Ninja War."
As a child, Itachi had seen war firsthand. The blood, the chaos, the death.
It had marked him deeply. He didn't want to see that nightmare repeat.
Haru's voice was cool. "This is a conflict between the Uchiha and the village. Changing it won't be easy…"
"But what if I can change it?" Itachi cut him off.
His eyes flickered with inner torment, yet behind them, a quiet expectation.
Haru lifted his teacup and took a slow sip, his expression unreadable.
Most wouldn't have caught the implications.
But Haru understood exactly what Itachi meant.
He wasn't talking about resolving the conflict peacefully.
He was talking about preventing it from escalating into mutual destruction.
He was talking about… the Uchiha Massacre.
For Itachi—someone bound by blood to the Uchiha and loyalty to the village—it meant picking up a blade and turning it on his own clan.
No wonder even someone like him—calm, calculating, cold—wore such an expression.
"If another ninja war breaks out, innocent people will die. Countless lives lost…" Itachi muttered, his voice heavy.
Just like Haru had guessed—he and Itachi had no relationship. Nothing connected them but a shared surname.
This visit wasn't about brotherhood. It was about validation.
Itachi had already made his decision. Logic told him it was the right path.
But… even the strongest minds sometimes sought assurance.
If Shisui were still alive, he might've given that answer.
But Shisui was gone.
So he came to Haru.
The one who kept to himself, never meddled, never tried to get close.
And yet, both Fugaku and Shisui had spoken highly of him.
Itachi wanted to know what Haru would do in his place. He wanted to hear it—to feel justified.
But Haru said nothing.
Not a word.
Itachi had been raised on Konoha's inherited creed—"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and new leaves will grow."
Words like that couldn't change what was coming.
And they wouldn't stop the massacre.
Haru offered him no absolution.
After a long silence, Itachi stood up slowly.
"Sorry to bother you."
He turned and walked away.
Yes.
This was a choice only he could make. How could someone else answer it for him?
He exhaled and stepped into the night.
The sky had gone dark.
All around him, shadows swallowed the light.
Just like the path ahead.
Hard, uncertain, filled with blood and ash.
But one thing was clear.
He had chosen.
And he would not turn back.
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This Week Bonus Chapter - 150 Power stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
Drop a review and Power Stone so it can reach broader audience 📈📈
Fellow cultivator!
You've journeyed through treacherous plot twists, deadly cliffhangers, and emotional tribulations…
So why haven't you added this story to your COLLECTION, left a REVIEW, or tossed a POWER STONE into the author's begging hands?
Are you trying to achieve immortality without helping others along the way?
That's demonic sect behavior.
Every collection strengthens the author's Qi.
Every review is like a heavenly elixir—minus the weird taste.
And Power Stones? Those are spiritual artifacts that fuel more chapters (and maybe prevent the author from Qi-deviating into insanity).
So do your part, noble Daoist!
Support this humble work, and your karma shall flourish like a phoenix reborn from a spicy hotpot!
— Your ever-grateful, totally-not-possessed-by-a-writing-demon Author
ADD TO COLLECTION | LEAVE A REVIEW | UNLEASH POWER STONES
Or the Sect's Spirit Beast will eat your snacks.
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