Capítulo 61: It Begins
Jun and the others ate very late that fateful night of Hazuki's death. They were exhausted. Kazuma had fallen asleep on the couch, and Karin barely seemed to be able to stand up. The meal was meager and not very lively. But no one seemed to want it to end and go home. Neji probably didn't want to go back to the Hyugas. Jun and Karin had to cross the neighborhood to return to their apartment. Izumi was dreading the idea of going to bed knowing their mom's room would never be occupied by her again.
It was dark outside. The moon was full and the sky cloudless. Everything was calm. There wasn't even the slightest wind coming from outside. Jun was thinking of proposing they all sleep here tonight when Karin suddenly dropped her bowl. It fell to the floor and made a noise that seemed deafening contrasting with the earlier silence.
Everyone flinched. Kazuma woke up hurriedly. Karin didn't seem to notice. She was very pale. She turned her head towards the window. Her eyes were wide open as if she saw in the distance something invisible to them. Jun had a bad feeling.
"Karin?"
"Several chakras signatures are fading away. I had a hard time realizing it, but it's…There are already many dozens that have disappeared… And it continues, sensei! People… They're being killed." The young Uzumaki blurted out.
"What? Where?" Izumi yelped as she jumped to her feet.
Karin pointed in a direction with a trembling hand.
"This way… At the edge of the village."
Jun was shocked when he realized what was going on.
"The Uchiha District…"
Izumi, Neji, and Kazuma started talking at the same time. Kazuma was afraid that the village was under attack. Izumi panicked. Neji suggested that they told someone. Karin, her eyes unfocused, grew paler by the seconds. Jun was frozen in place.
He had been afraid the massacre would take place sooner. But he had never imagined that it would be right now. Had Fugaku panicked because of the threat to disband the Police? Had Danzo freaked out? Itachi was already on the move, killing his clan members. Was Obito helping him?
"Can you isolate the chakra signature of the attackers?" The teenager asked Karin.
"To do what?" Kazuma asked in a fearful voice.
"To find out if they're coming this way. They are attacking the Uchihas. It may be related to mom's death. Apart from the clan members, the only people with the name Uchiha are in this room."
Izumi's face turned pale. She wasn't the only one. Seeing their fear made Jun's panic disappear. He had to be calm down to be able to protect them.
"Stay together. If the attackers come this way, head toward the Hokage building. I will hold them back. Karin, did you find them?"
"Yes, I believe so. But…"
"What is it?"
"There is only one person." She said with her eyes closed, concentrating intensely.
So Obito wasn't in the village? Jun's thoughts were racing, trying to figure out why things were different from the story he knew. Itachi might not have met him yet. In a way, it was better.
"He keeps killing them. No one can stop him… There are so many people… He's already killed more than half of them." Karin said in a horrified voice.
"In a few minutes? That's insane!" Neji blurted out with a hint of hysteria in his voice.
"The Uchiha aren't prepared to fight at home. Most of them are only at the chunin level. If their attacker is a jonin level or higher, they will all be slaughtered like sheep taken by surprise."
"Who could do such a thing?" Izumi muttered, her eyes wide in fear.
Things may have been different if the attacker was an outsider. The Uchihas may have been able to mobilize. But facing the clan heir charging at them, all the Uchihas were bound to hesitate for a moment, confused. That brief moment was more than enough for their prodigy to kill them. They had no chance. Itachi Uchiha was on the loose.
"We have to tell someone," Kazuma shouted.
Jun's thoughts returned to the present moment.
"No, can't do that. If I leave to warn someone and he comes here while I'm gone, what do you think will happen? We need to stay here together. The ANBUs are probably on their way."
"Then let's go together. We can't sit here doing nothing." Kazuma protested.
Jun hesitated for a moment. If they went to get help, they couldn't go very fast because the children weren't fast enough. But if Jun went alone, the ANBUs would be notified. The Uchihas might be saved. But was it worth taking a chance on his siblings' safety?
Karin closed her eyes and suppressed a terrified sob. Jun made his decision. They had to try. He wanted to protect his family, but there were also innocents children within the clan. He didn't want them to die. He was angry about what had happened to his mother, but he didn't want all Uchihas to be murdered. He couldn't live with himself if he did nothing and just stood there while people were getting killed.
Jun had always imagined the massacre by imagining himself as a victim. But now, he could do something about it. He wouldn't sit back.
"Alright. Follow me. Kazuma, I'll carry you on my back to go faster. If I order you to disperse, Kazuma will go with Neji in one direction and Izumi and Karin will flee together in another." Jun declared.
The children nodded in understanding. They exited the apartment and began running. Jun realized it wasn't midnight yet. The day wasn't over. His mother had died several hours ago and now this.
The teenager led the way and headed straight for the Division headquarters. It was the closest building to them. It was late but considering the mess of this day, Shikaku must still be working. Jun focused on his running. He was going as fast as he could without outrunning the kids. Had he been that slow at their age? They were running at full speed, but Jun may as well be jogging. There were too slow. Jun was fuming. If only he knew the Kage Bunshin or a summoning technique…
He took a shortcut over the rooftops, barely taking the time to slow down to grab Neji and Karin by their collars before jumping up. He could sense their fear; he could even smell it. It was like acid and an icy odor that clung to their skin. Izumi controlled it better, but Kazuma was on the verge of tears.
Jun didn't slow down. He continued to run, leading the terrified kids. They had covered some ground, but the kids were starting to slow down. How long had it been? He had no idea. If he was alone, Jun would have arrived a while ago. Maintaining the kids' pace in an emergency was torture.
They kept running. Jun anxiously counted the passing seconds, expecting to see Itachi or even a ninja belonging to the Root appear at any moment. The streets of the village were strangely deserted. There were usually a few night owls, but Konoha looked like a ghost town. They were almost there when Karin let out a horrified yelp.
"He's coming! He's coming right at us!"
Jun gulped. Can he beat Itachi? He had no choice now. There was no other way.
"We follow the plan. Kazuma, come down. I want to have my hands free in case. Whoever is coming is an enemy, but don't try to fight him. Just run away. Try to get help. Try to survive. Leave the fight to me. Understood?"
They all nodded. Kazuma slipped from his back to cling to Neji's hand. They were pale and terrified. But Neji and Izumi looked determined. They began running again. Jun felt the familiar chakra signature of Itachi approaching. There was no doubt now. It was him. He accelerated. They arrived in front of a deserted market square. Their destination wasn't that far away, but Itachi was rapidly closing the gap.
Suddenly, using the Shunshin no Jutsu, the Uchiha appeared in front of them. His katana came crashing down on Izumi.
It all happened in a split second. One moment the street was clear, and the next a blade was going for his sister's neck. Jun didn't have time to draw a weapon or throw a jutsu. He used the Body Flicker technique and hit Itachi head-on. He headbutted him and almost impaled himself on his sword. But it worked. The force of the impact threw them back, and they rolled to the ground. The shock had been so violent that Itachi lost his sword. But they were both jonins. They got back on their feet in an instant.
They stared at each other for a moment, seeing the incredulity on their faces. Itachi looked like he didn't expect Jun to fight back. Jun was having a hard time dealing with what just happened. He had tried to kill Izumi. There was no doubt about it. If the teenager had been a split second late to react, his sister would have been beheaded.
Izumi stood motionless. She held a hand pressed against her neck, where a thin gash was visible. Long locks of brown hair had fallen to the floor. Her hair had been cut clean at the neck's level.
"Itachi?" Izumi called.
She saw Itachi covered with blood and made the connection with what was happening. Misunderstanding turned into a horrifying realization. Her face crumbled. Her irises turned crimson, and a tomoe appeared in each eye.
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