**Chapter 72: Slaughter Without Mercy**

"Spread out!"

The captain of the ANBU squad barked a sharp order.

As soon as Itsuki stopped moving, he sensed that something was wrong.

But!

He never expected that Itsuki would be so eager to attack!

They had just left the village, and he was already planning to kill them.

Wasn't he worried that Konoha's sensory ninjas would notice something was off?

Once they did, Uchiha Itsuki would undoubtedly be labeled a rogue ninja, dragging the entire Uchiha clan down with him.

This guy was clearly insane.

**Shing!**

The ANBU squad scattered to various positions, keeping a close watch on Itsuki.

"Uchiha Itsuki!"

The ANBU captain spoke in a low voice, "I'll give you one chance. Surrender, or you'll be declared a rogue ninja and hunted by the entire village."

Itsuki grinned. "Why are you pretending? Isn't it exhausting?"

"Didn't you receive orders to take me out?"

He stretched his body, smiling slyly. "I stomped on the faces of the Third Hokage and Danzo, grinding them into the dirt. They must hate me to death, right?"

"Or are you waiting to make your move until we reach the Hidden Cloud Village?"

The ANBU captain retorted coldly, "Have you forgotten about the Uchiha clan? Your actions will drag them down too. The village might even wipe them out."

"Then go ahead," Itsuki replied nonchalantly. "From what you're saying, it sounds like the village could just eliminate the Uchiha whenever they want. Are we really that powerless?"

No one's guiding you.

Fugaku isn't surrendering.

You think you can quietly wipe out the Uchiha?

Go eat dirt!

If you dared to strike, I'd at least call you men!

Do you really think the strongest clan just sits around doing nothing?

Itsuki chuckled. "Oh, by the way, let me ask you something."

The ANBU captain said nothing.

Not that Itsuki expected a response. "Are you afraid of me?"

"What?"

"You're not afraid of me?" Itsuki asked with a sinister smile. "If you weren't afraid, why are you standing here, talking so much? Shouldn't you have attacked already?"

"Hmph!"

"Thanks for waiting, though. It gave me time to complete this technique!"

Itsuki formed a series of hand signs, smiling as he said, "Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes!"

At some point, his eyes had transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"You…"

The ANBU captain was horrified. He tried to react but was shocked to find that he couldn't move.

He couldn't even turn his head to look at his comrades.

"Don't try to move."

Itsuki smiled. "I knew from the start that you were planning to kill me. Oh, you're denying it? Whatever, then. Just think of it as me planning to kill you from the beginning."

"Since I was already thinking about murder, I had to be prepared."

"I'm a master of genjutsu. I can cast illusions not just through my eyes, but also through sound."

"Even this perfect body of mine can do it!"

Itsuki's smile grew deeper, more sinister.

The ANBU captain's eyes widened in rage and fear.

He was indeed afraid of Uchiha Itsuki and had hesitated to attack.

When Itsuki had wiped out so many of the Foundation's ninjas, he had been watching from the sidelines.

He and his current subordinates weren't much stronger than the Foundation members back then.

They might even be weaker.

Who could have guessed that this hesitation would give Itsuki the opportunity to strike?

"It's over!"

**Snap!**

Itsuki snapped his fingers.

"Mmpphh!"

The four ANBU members made muffled noises as their heads twisted on their own, snapping their necks.

**Swish! Swish!**

Just as Itsuki turned his gaze to the remaining ANBU, two kunai and shuriken flew at him.

"Huh, so there's someone hiding in the shadows?"

Itsuki was a bit surprised. He casually took a step back, effortlessly dodging all the attacks.

Two more ANBU appeared.

"Wait a minute!"

Itsuki said, puzzled. "There were supposed to be sixteen of you, plus the captain makes seventeen. Where did you two come from?"

"Uchiha Itsuki!"

The newly arrived ninjas shouted, "We've already sent word to the village. You can't escape now."

"Did I ever say I was planning to escape?"

Itsuki's Mangekyō Sharingan spun slightly.

**Crack!**

"Mmph!"

Four more ANBU members' necks were snapped.

"Damn you!"

The two ANBU members roared in anger, launching a fierce attack.

"Dance of the Crescent Moon!"

They both used the same technique, creating three clones each, all wielding swords, attacking from different angles.

Two ninjas, six attacks.

The flurry of strikes covered all of Itsuki's escape routes, leaving him nowhere to run.

"Swordsmanship?"

Itsuki raised an eyebrow. "Crescent Moon? Uzuki Yugao? Hayate Gekkō?"

A sickly ghost and a beautiful woman?

More like Beauty and the Beast.

At least the beauty is afraid of the beast, while the sickly ghost is just despised.

As for the attack, Itsuki didn't take it seriously.

Everything was laid bare under the Sharingan.

**Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!**

Itsuki's figure seemed to leave afterimages as he effortlessly dodged all the incoming attacks.

Whether real or fake, none of them stood a chance of hitting him.

Taking this opportunity, the ANBU captain used all his strength, desperately trying to break free from the genjutsu.

But!

Itsuki's power system was centered around genjutsu. Breaking his illusions wasn't going to be easy.

"Die!"

The two ANBU continued their relentless assault on Itsuki.

One of them let out a roar and swung his sword down with all his might.

**Bang!**

Itsuki lifted a foot and kicked him away, sending him flying.

"Watch out!"

The ANBU captain shouted in panic.

"Hurry up!"

Another ANBU member gritted his teeth. "We can't hold on much longer."

The captain's face twisted with anxiety.

"Don't overthink it!" Itsuki watched him with interest. "Do you really have any other tricks up your sleeve? Even if you do, it's useless. In front of me, wouldn't it be better to die peacefully without experiencing pain?"

"You should know very well that we're on different levels."

Standing tall, he looked down at the remaining ANBU, spreading his arms with pride. "Dying under the power of the Uchiha is an honor for you."

Yes, I'm the ultimate villain!

Now, this feels right!

"Uchiha Itsuki, don't get too cocky!"

The ANBU captain shouted, "Attack! Don't hesitate!"

**Swish, swish, swish!**

Three more figures rushed out.

"Huh?"

Itsuki paused, surprised. "Three more ANBU? Just how many members does your squad have? Is this a reinforced unit?"

A standard ANBU squad, including the captain, had only seventeen members.

But this was already the twenty-second.

The captain's face remained cold, but he was internally baffled.

His squad was a standard formation of seventeen.

The Hokage, worried something might go wrong, had assigned him two additional members.

But where did this extra one come from?

As this thought crossed his mind, he witnessed something unbelievable.

The ANBU who had been kicked away by Itsuki.

The ANBU who had attacked with the Dance of the Crescent Moon.

And one of the three who had just appeared, all suddenly turned on the other two, launching an attack.

"Ahhh!!!"

In an instant, the two newly arrived ANBU were sliced into pieces.

Then, the three ANBU who had initiated the attack silently stood before Itsuki.

"You… you…"

The ANBU captain felt a chill run down his spine.

Even among the ANBU, there had been a betrayal.

They had turned against the Hokage and sided with the Uchiha!

(End of Chapter)