"You actually think that the Uchiha family... is a destabilizing factor in Konoha?"
Uchiha Mikoto looked at Uchiha Itachi in shock.
There was deep disappointment and disbelief in her voice.
Over the years, the Third Hokage's faction had suppressed the Uchiha Clan, and as the clan leader's wife, she had seen it all.
She understood the pressure her husband was under to protect the Uchiha family.
But now, Itachi actually thought that the Uchiha family was a destabilizing factor and an obstacle to peace in Konoha.
This made her very disappointed, and she could hardly believe that Itachi would think this way.
"Brother, why?"
Sasuke glanced at his heartbroken mother, then at his brother who had betrayed the clan and upset their mother.
He looked at Uchiha Itachi with angry eyes.
At this moment, anger toward Itachi rose in his heart.
Uchiha Itachi could feel Sasuke's gaze, but he didn't dare look at him. Instead, he looked at Uchiha Fugaku and asked,
"Father, I want to know... was Brother Shisui killed by you?"
"Yes, Uchiha Shisui did die by my hand."
Uchiha Fugaku did not deny it.
"Why? Why did you kill Shisui-nii?"
Anger filled Uchiha Itachi's face. He glared at Uchiha Fugaku.
"He betrayed the clan, joined the Third Hokage, and lured you into betraying us too."
"He ambushed me and tried to control me with his eye technique, so I killed him."
Uchiha Fugaku said calmly.
"Just for that... you killed Brother Shisui?"
Uchiha Itachi's face twisted in rage.
"Isn't that enough?"
Uchiha Fugaku asked coldly.
"Those who betray the clan and ally with the Hokage deserve death by clan law."
"Not to mention, he tried to control me with his pupil technique. That alone is reason enough to kill him."
"…"
Eyes bloodshot with fury, Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath.
He stood up and prepared to leave the house.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Uchiha Fugaku stared coldly at him.
"I'm leaving the Uchiha clan and fully joining the Anbu."
Uchiha Itachi paused and replied.
"Still stubborn, even now. You're not going anywhere."
Uchiha Fugaku's expression darkened.
"You can't stop me. I also possess the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Uchiha Itachi turned around, revealing the three-blade windmill pattern in his eyes.
"You've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Uchiha Fugaku snorted.
"Do you think awakening it makes you my equal?"
"This is the village. If a fight breaks out, the Hokage will surely dispatch the Anbu quickly."
Uchiha Itachi said.
He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could defeat his father just by awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But since they were inside the village, he only needed to hold out for a while, and the Third Hokage would come with reinforcements.
"Mikoto, Sasuke, you've seen it. Even now, he clings to his delusions."
Uchiha Fugaku looked apologetically at Mikoto and Sasuke, then turned back to Itachi.
His eyes changed—Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Tsukuyomi—"
As soon as the Mangekyō Sharingan pattern appeared in Fugaku's eyes, Itachi, who had long been on guard, activated the Tsukuyomi in his left eye.
In a blood-red space, a crimson moon hung overhead.
Bloody light bathed the world, dyeing everything in a sinister red hue.
A cross stood upright, and Uchiha Fugaku was tied to it.
Itachi slowly approached him and spoke,
"You let your guard down and gave me the chance to use my eye technique first."
"Everything in this world—time, space, matter—is under my control."
"Are you sure everything is under your control?"
Uchiha Fugaku sneered.
The Mangekyō pattern in his right eye spun slightly, and the ropes binding him vanished.
He stood in the space, completely unrestrained.
"You broke free so quickly!"
Itachi's expression changed.
He had guessed that Tsukuyomi wouldn't hold Fugaku for long, but he hadn't expected him to break it so quickly.
"This eye technique is far inferior to Uchiha Shisui's."
Uchiha Fugaku said calmly.
Though Itachi's Tsukuyomi was powerful, it was no match for Kotoamatsukami—the strongest known genjutsu.
Moreover, Itachi had only recently awakened the Mangekyō and wasn't yet proficient with it.
"Don't mention Shisui-nii's name."
Itachi shouted angrily.
He appeared behind Fugaku in an instant, aiming a kunai at him.
"Futile barking."
Fugaku dodged in a flash, chuckled, and his right eye's pattern spun again.
Suddenly, the blood-red world collapsed, and both returned to the room.
Only, Uchiha Mikoto and Sasuke were no longer in the hall.
This was a world created by real illusion.
Not only had Fugaku broken free of Tsukuyomi, but he had also dragged Itachi into the space of real illusion.
"This… is an illusion?"
Itachi looked around in confusion.
The scenery had changed back to the room, but his mother and Sasuke were missing, making him suspect it wasn't real.
He used his eyes to analyze it and confirmed he was trapped in a powerful illusion.
He immediately attempted to dispel it but found it extremely difficult.
Even with his Mangekyō Sharingan, it was a struggle.
"Oh..."
Sensing Itachi's attempt to break the illusion, Fugaku sneered.
Uchiha Shisui had broken real illusion back when Fugaku's eyes were just Mangekyō Sharingan.
But now, they had evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, with over ten times the pupil power.
With such disparity, he didn't believe Itachi could break it.
Swoosh—
He vanished and reappeared beside Itachi, delivering a fierce kick.
Peng—
Itachi reacted quickly, crossing his arms to block the blow.
But Fugaku disappeared again and struck from behind.
Bang—
Unable to evade, Itachi was kicked flying.
Half-crouching, he stabilized himself to avoid falling.
Knowing Fugaku's power, he dared not hold back.
His right eye spun rapidly, and blood trickled from it.
"Amaterasu—"
The pupil technique Amaterasu was activated.
Wherever his gaze landed, black flames ignited—flames that wouldn't extinguish until their target was consumed.
This was Amaterasu.
(End of this chapter)