Rengoku's long blade continuously pierced through Itachi's cheek.
Itachi was also trapped in this loop. He only knew of this forbidden technique, but had never learned it.
The reason forbidden techniques are called forbidden is because the price is great, and the effects are extremely strong.
Rengoku also kept asking Itachi repeatedly, "Shisui died twice. Besides being brainwashed by the Third Hokage every day, what have you done?"
"You were clearly just as arrogant and short-sighted as the other clansmen. Apart from completing the Third Hokage's missions, you didn't put in any effort."
"Shimura Danzo, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado only needed to threaten you a little, and Sarutobi Hiruzen added a few nice words,"
"And you were easily coaxed."
In Rengoku's repeated questioning, Itachi said not a word.
But after dozens, even hundreds of cycles, Itachi couldn't hold it in anymore.
"At this stage of the situation, this was the only way I could protect Sasuke's life."
Rengoku snorted coldly, "Bastard! What right do you have to decide the fate of the other Uchiha?"
"For Sasuke, everyone else deserves to die?"
"You still refuse to admit your failure, to admit you simply couldn't fulfill Shisui's will?"
Itachi's whole face twisted. After experiencing over a hundred loops, his mentality had collapsed.
He twisted his face and laughed maniacally, "As long as the Uchiha clan is destroyed! Then I will have successfully stopped the civil war!"
"Konoha's strength won't be weakened, so war won't break out!"
"Ha ha! I won't fail! This bloody sin, let me bear it alone!"
"Even Shisui would understand me!"
Rengoku looked at Itachi's twisted, laughing face, and naturally could sense the madness in Itachi's heart.
But no matter how mad, it was useless.
Because this was within the loop of Izanami.
After Itachi finished laughing, another new loop began.
"You've already failed. You being trapped here means you couldn't destroy the Uchiha."
"Shisui told you to protect the village, and also the Uchiha name."
"If all the Uchiha are dead, where does the Uchiha name come from?"
"In the clan, there's you, Fugaku, and me, three Mangekyō Sharingan users."
"As long as we don't rebel openly, Konoha wouldn't dare to go to war with us."
From Itachi's initial silence when falling into Izanami, to his hysterical madness, he endured over a hundred cycles.
Under Rengoku's repeated forced coercion, it took another hundred loops for him to calm down from his madness.
After more than two hundred loops, all of the pressure in Itachi's heart was completely released.
In Itachi's pair of eyes, visible exhaustion appeared.
No matter what he said, or what he did, Sasuke's tender scream would ring out, followed by Rengoku slicing open his cheek, and the cycle would begin again.
Finally, at the start of the 474th cycle, when Sasuke screamed again and Rengoku once more sliced open his cheek, Itachi's legs gave out, and he knelt to the ground.
"Can we and the village really coexist?", Itachi's eyes were already vacant, and he uttered something almost like delirium.
"Can the Uchiha name really be passed down?"
In this world of constant combat cycles, physical fatigue could be reset, but mental exhaustion had already broken him.
Rengoku sheathed his blade, and placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder, "Don't worry, I won't let Konoha wipe out the Uchiha."
"Shisui's will shouldn't be guarded by you alone."
A faint light seemed to return to Itachi's eyes:
"Senior Rengoku, you're right. I'm a failure. My ability alone is limited."
Rengoku said earnestly, "No matter how strong you become, never try to shoulder everything alone, that's a guaranteed path to failure."
"So, let me stand with you and hold up this clan."
Saying this, Rengoku extended a hand toward Itachi.
Itachi looked at Rengoku, then grasped his hand.
Crack!
Like the sound of glass shattering.
The entire space broke apart. In the next moment, Itachi finally emerged from the forbidden technique of Izanami.
Standing before him was precisely Rengoku.
At this moment, Rengoku had just swapped his own eye, and his eyes were closed.
Itachi felt somewhat guilty, because of him, Senior Rengoku had lost an eye.
Noticing Itachi's gaze, Rengoku touched his eye, then slowly opened it, "Heh, don't worry, the one I sacrificed wasn't my own eye."
Itachi noticed that Rengoku's eyes weren't greyed out either, and his heart relaxed.
But Itachi quickly got back into a serious mode, "Senior Rengoku, I have another ally, he…"
Rengoku raised a hand, signaling Itachi not to speak, "I know. That one calling himself Uchiha Madara, I'll handle him."
"You go meet with Danzo right now. Tell him the Uchiha clan is already prepared, has started internal chaos, and then…"
———
[At the Fugaku Residence]
The Great Elder and Fugaku had been talking for a long time.
When it comes to delaying time, there are plenty of methods.
Of course, the Great Elder used a very legitimate excuse, discussing how to stage a coup with the least casualties among the clan.
Although Fugaku dreamed of a bloodless revolution, he hadn't mentioned that Itachi was acting as a double agent.
He hadn't even considered the possibility that if Itachi defected to Konoha, the Uchiha might be wiped out.
Be it Fugaku, or Itachi, even Sasuke, they were all the same.
Their personalities were all cut from the same cloth: stubborn, self-righteous, and arrogant.
Charging ahead on a path they believed to be right.
But in the end, things completely strayed from expectations, and instead of correcting the course, they either went with the mistake or gave up entirely.
Though from a family perspective, Fugaku offering his neck was to preserve Sasuke.
But from the standpoint of a clan leader, this surrender-before-even-fighting move, was undoubtedly ugly, shameful, and irresponsible.
A clan leader's duty is naturally to lead the clan to strength.
When danger comes, one must fight to preserve the clan's fire.
But Fugaku, when facing extinction, didn't think about saving a few more clan members.
He just stayed with Mikoto, putting on a tragic act with Itachi.
Other Uchiha clansmen: Thanks for nothing, your whole family.
Fugaku's discussion with the Great Elder, at the beginning, was serious.
But as time dragged on, Fugaku began to grow annoyed.
Because he firmly believed Itachi could control the Konoha upper echelon at the right moment.
And ultimately achieve a bloodless revolution.
To him, the Great Elder's plans were overly paranoid.
They had been talking for a long time.
Fugaku also pinched his brow, "Great Elder, let's stop here for today. I think the timing still isn't right."
The Great Elder estimated the time and said with meaning, "Yes, things are always changing. We can talk again later."
Saying that, he also stood up.
The Great Elder, in terms of seniority, was Fugaku's clan uncle. Even though Fugaku was the clan head, he also stood up and saw him off.
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