Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 341 The Masked Man

Sasuke was taken aback; judging from the surname, it sounded like someone from the Uchiha clan.

Izumi exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's him!"

Do you know him?

Sasuke said he had never heard of the clan's name before.

"I don't know much about him, I've only heard elders in the clan mention him. They say he's a genius with three bloodline limits..."

"Three bloodline limits..."

Sasuke's mouth dropped open in disbelief: "How can one person possess so many bloodline limits?"

Izumi explained, "It seems that both parents were bloodline limit ninjas, and it is very rare for them to inherit each other's bloodline limit."

Sasuke immediately expressed his doubt: "That's only two gates, isn't it..."

Izumi thought for a moment and said, "Hmm, there's another one, which seems to be a bloodline limit obtained through acquired training..."

"Bloodline limits can also be cultivated through training..."

Sasuke was taken aback; he had never heard of this before. He looked at his all-powerful older brother.

Itachi nodded: "Some bloodline limits can be obtained through training."

"Then how do you cultivate?"

"This is quite complicated, and it's too early for you to understand now..."

If Itachi continues, it feels like it will never end.

Sasuke puffed out his cheeks: "What's wrong with you? You always treat me like a little kid."

Izumi smiled and said, "But you're just a child..."

"Where is he?" Sasuke asked.

He's gone...

Quanmei's tone was tinged with emotion.

As a member of the Uchiha clan, I could still feel the prejudice against the Uchiha clan from the villagers to some extent.

Some older members of the clan would casually mention his name when chatting, saying that if he were still alive, the Uchiha clan would never be in this state.

Sasuke, a little slow to catch on, asked, "It's gone?"

Izumi further explained, "It means 'dead'."

"He's dead? Even a ninja as skilled as him can die?"

Just as Izumi was about to continue, Itachi interrupted, "Sasuke, aren't you supposed to be practicing your shuriken? If we keep talking like this, the whole day will be over..."

Itachi didn't want Sasuke to be exposed to such a heavy topic as death too early.

However, thinking about what was about to happen, Itachi couldn't help but feel utterly desperate for his younger brother.

When Aokiji is mentioned, Itachi wonders what the Uchiha clan would be like if he were still alive.

Aokiji will become the clan leader, his father will be relieved of the busy position, Itachi will spend more time with him, and their relationship will not be as strained as it is now.

Perhaps it wouldn't have ended up like this.

……

……

On a large, leafy tree, the weasel, using the darkness and the leaves as cover, quietly kept watch over the territory of the Nanga Shrine ahead.

Long ago, he had vaguely and keenly sensed that the Uchiha clan's coup was not as simple as it appeared on the surface...

Itachi stared intently at his surroundings, as if afraid of missing something.

Soon, the wait paid off.

A door opened, and a man came out, looking around suspiciously as if he was afraid of being discovered.

Itachi stared at the man's face.

He had a head of white hair, was quite old, and his eyes were squinted into slits.

Uchiha Hachiho...

What is he doing sneakily...?

After Yashiro left, Itachi put his question aside and ran with lightning speed into the place where Yashiro had just sneaked out.

Itachi's crimson three-tomoe eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. One area was noticeably cleaner than the others. Itachi quickly walked to this area, triggered a mechanism, and a staircase leading to the basement appeared below.

This is a place where the Uchiha clan often gathers, and deep inside there is a stone tablet engraved with the history of the Uchiha clan.

Itachi hesitated for a moment before rushing in, hoping to discover something, while also keeping a close eye on his surroundings to avoid being discovered.

The weasel charged unimpeded into the deepest part.

!! ?

A figure suddenly appeared before them.

Itachi quickly got into a fighting stance, ready to subdue the guy in front of him at any moment.

The man had long hair, his back was turned to me, and his exposed back gave me a perfect opportunity to strike.

"Hmph, you've noticed..."

As if he had expected it, the person with his back to Itachi spoke in a low voice.

"This is..."

Itachi's eyes widened, revealing a look of surprise.

Even after several years, Itachi still couldn't forget the owner of that voice.

It was the owner of that voice who killed all his companions, and it was because of this that he awakened his Sharingan.

He will never forget this unforgettable memory.

The long-haired man turned around, wearing an orange mask with patterns on it, just like the one from back then.

Upon seeing this man, Itachi clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly.

"Long time no see, Uchiha Itachi..."

The masked man raised his hands. "You've grown quite a bit since then."

Recalling the Eighth Hokage's furtive behavior earlier, Itachi's confusion instantly dissipated: "It was you who had been instigating the Uchiha clan, wasn't it?"

The murderous intent emanating from those scarlet eyes added a chilling atmosphere to the surrounding air.

The masked man responded nonchalantly: "Don't put it so harshly. I was just telling them the history of my people. It was their will that led them to do all this."

"What exactly are you planning, Uchiha Madara—!"

"Whoa..."

The masked man crossed his arms and rested his chin on his other hand: "That's quite surprising."

Itachi demanded, "Answer me."

Faced with this aggressive attitude, the masked man lowered his hand, saying to avoid unnecessary trouble, "Someone could come here at any time. Let's find another place to talk for a bit."

"Can."

Itachi wanted to see what kind of tricks Madara Uchiha was up to.

The two left the area, avoiding eye contact, and arrived at the Death Forest. Normally, no one would be here, let alone in the middle of the night, making it the perfect place to talk.

A bright moon hangs in the sky, casting a soft glow that illuminates the face of the weasel standing in the vast emptiness, and the masked man in the shadow of his scarlet eyes.

How did you know it was me?

The masked man, hands on his hips, asked Itachi, his words tantamount to admitting that he was Uchiha Madara.

"To be able to evade Konoha's security, and you even know the stone tablet at Naka Shrine, only the Uchiha clan could do that... plus you have the Sharingan."

"With just these...?"

The inner canthus of Madara Uchiha's mask is narrowed at the cutout area.

"I have investigated your deeds and analyzed the logic behind your actions... In this world, there are all kinds of ninjutsu. It is not impossible for a ninja like you to have survived to this day."

"...Hmph, you're quite perceptive."

Madara Uchiha chuckled twice and continued, "Since that's the case, you also know that I harbor hatred towards Konoha and the Uchiha clan, right?"

"..."

"So, are you trying to stop me?"

"No, I will help you take revenge on the Uchiha clan..."

In order to deal with the Senju clan, Madara Uchiha recruited clan members, but the clan members distanced themselves from Madara, who wanted to incite conflict. As the clan leader, he felt betrayed and, in his disappointment, challenged the First Hokage alone, but was defeated.

It was precisely out of resentment towards Konoha and the Uchiha clan that Madara Uchiha instigated the Uchiha clan to launch a coup.

Madara Uchiha narrowed his eyes: "This is truly interesting... What's your purpose?"

"You have to promise me that you won't harm the village or Sasuke."

"Sasuke..." Madara Uchiha murmured a few times, then suddenly realized; "Oh, he's your younger brother, isn't he? What a good older brother who loves his little brother."

"..."

"What will you do if I refuse?" Uchiha tilted his mask, revealing his scarlet eyes through the empty hole.

"Then you will be my enemy."

The three tomoe in Itachi's eyes spun rapidly, converging into a dart-shaped pattern.

(End of this chapter)