Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 181: Brothers Reunited, the Uchiha Civil War

"Uchiha Itachi!"

Upon seeing Uchiha Itachi again, Sasuke found himself not as enraged as he had imagined. On the contrary, he felt extraordinarily calm, though his killing intent had not diminished in the slightest.

Facing the cold stares of over a dozen Sharingan, Itachi's expression remained unchanged. Stepping into the hall, he immediately looked at Sasuke, scanning him up and down before calmly stating, "Sasuke, you've grown quite a bit."

Sasuke replied in a cold tone, "You, on the other hand, haven't changed at all. Your eyes are still as indifferent."

"Is that so?" Itachi observed the now still Sasuke with slight surprise, remarking, "You're not shouting and rushing at me recklessly like last time."

The last time the brothers had met was in a corridor of an inn outside of Konoha. A memory flashed through Sasuke's mind. Back then, seeing Itachi had ignited a fury within him, leading him to attack impulsively, only to have his Chidori easily deflected.

But now...

Sasuke chuckled coldly and said, "Indeed, you don't understand me at all. That was then; now, I've found my own path. Uchiha Itachi, prepare to face our wrath!"

"Our wrath?" Itachi's gaze finally shifted, surveying the others present.

"Uchiha Itachi!"

Uchiha Kei, Uchiha Heng, and Uchiha Kanagi, among others, glared at him with deep-seated hatred.

Just as they were about to say more, Itachi ignored them, his eyes swiftly scanning the room until they paused momentarily on the somewhat unfamiliar yet familiar face of Uchiha Izumi. Quickly, he returned his focus to Sasuke, stating, "So, your reliance is on these people? A group of Uchiha survivors who barely escaped death and have been hiding all these years?"

"Uchiha Itachi! We've waited all these years for this moment, to finally kill you here!" Uchiha Kei exclaimed in fury.

In response, Itachi shook his head calmly, "You should have found a quiet place to live out your lives instead of coming here to die, squandering the luck that saved you."

"Our mother is dead, our grandmother is dead, our friends are dead, our clansmen are dead. If we don't avenge them, what purpose do we have in living?" Uchiha Izumi, eyes red with tears, glared at Itachi, speaking each word with resolve.

Itachi remained silent. He did not look at Izumi. After a brief pause, he simply said, "Living is the purpose."

With that, he turned his attention back to Sasuke, saying, "I told you that when you possess the same eyes as me, you can come to me. But now, it seems you are still unworthy."

"Kill your closest friend to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan? I am not you. I have no interest in such vile methods." Sasuke scoffed, gripping his sword hilt, "I don't need the Mangekyō to take your life."

"Left and right, you keep mentioning 'we'. Sasuke, you truly have changed."

Itachi's eyelids lowered, briefly masking a fleeting sense of gratification. When he raised his eyes again, they were icy as he said, "I wonder if you'll awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan once all these 'we' are dead."

Clang!

Sasuke's face darkened as he drew his blade, saying coldly, "You won't get the chance!"

"Oh, really?"

Itachi's tone changed, rare fervor and greed seeping in, "Though more have joined, it's still beneficial. Sasuke, I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"

"Your eyes, I will take them!"

Crackle!

In response, Sasuke's blade crackled with lightning as he retorted, "I've been waiting for this day too! I don't need your eyes, just your life!"

"Kill Uchiha Itachi!"

"Revenge for our clansmen!"

"At any cost!"

Other Uchiha clan members drew their weapons, their killing intent palpable.

At this moment, the Sharingan of more than a dozen Uchiha members blazed with murderous intensity within the shrine.

The Uchiha's war of revenge had begun.

Clang, clang, clang...

From that moment, the high-pitched clashing of steel rang continuously throughout the hall, the ferocity of the battle even reaching Kisame at the collapsed torii gate.

"Has it begun? Another civil war within the Uchiha clan."

Kisame was no stranger to internal strife. In the Mist Village, coups and infighting were as frequent as drinking water. Disillusioned by reality, he had eagerly joined the Akatsuki upon hearing "Uchiha Madara's" Eye of the Moon Plan.

Unlike other Akatsuki members who only knew the surface-level tailed beast weapon plan, Kisame, trusted deeply by "Madara," knew more of the truth.

Even so, he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret regarding Itachi's likely fate.

"Can he win?"

Aware of Itachi's physical condition and vaguely understanding his resolve, Kisame still listened intently with some hope.

As he unconsciously stepped forward, trying to hear more clearly, an unfamiliar voice sounded behind him, "If I were you, I wouldn't take another step."

Kisame froze, not turning around, but his hand immediately reached for his Samehada, "Oh? Why not?"

"Because... if you take another step, Samehada will have a new owner," the voice said flatly.

Kisame's hand paused, but he gripped Samehada tightly before finally turning to face the speaker.

He saw a young man with black hair and black eyes, who bore a slight resemblance to an Uchiha. However, the man's simple white robe bore no Uchiha clan crest, only two crescent moon symbols on his shoulders.

"Wait! Crescent moons... The Hagoromo clan?!"

Thanks to the resurgence of the "Hagoromo" name over the past two years, the Hagoromo clan's crest had become as recognizable as the Uchiha's.

Kisame was one of those who knew it well. His pupils contracted, and he immediately recognized the young man's identity.

"Hagoromo Gengetsu!"

Uchiha Itachi had been defeated by him, and even "Uchiha Madara" held him in great fear.

Moreover, Uchiha Sasuke and the rumored surviving Uchiha had reportedly joined this man's ranks.

With all these people here, Gengetsu's presence made perfect sense.

Realizing this, Kisame immediately abandoned any thought of conflict. He released his grip on Samehada and respectfully addressed the newcomer, "Hoshigaki Kisame, at your service, Hagoromo-sama."