Naruto: Call of Cthulhu

"The civilians in the Third Street are under attack!"

"We've lost contact with the headquarters!"

"Vice-Captain, what should we do?"

In a makeshift command post set up in a civilian house, over a dozen Uchiha ninjas surrounded a stern-faced man. This man was Yusuke, who, though only in his thirties, held a high position in the Uchiha clan as the vice-captain of the Police Force.

He had been eating dinner at home when the power suddenly went out in the whole house. When he climbed to the roof to investigate, he realized that not only his house, but the entire Uchiha compound was dark.

He immediately sensed something was wrong and hurried to the power station in the compound alone. There, he found that the Uchiha clan members guarding the power station had been killed. Their bodies lay strewn across the ground, throats slit with surgical precision. The sight made his stomach churn.

Upon seeing this, Yusuke instantly knew what was happening. He rushed back into the village, organizing nearby Uchiha ninjas, and managed to gather about a dozen people.

"If I'm not mistaken, tonight we are under attack by Konoha's own ninjas!"

"Huh?"

"How is that possible?"

A young ninja, his face pale with shock, spoke up. "But how? We were patrolling just hours ago!"

Yusuke's words shocked the surrounding ninjas. After all, the clan members had been patrolling the village just fine during the day, and now they were under assault at night?

"Do not be surprised, nor doubt my judgment," Yusuke continued. "Konoha must have caught wind of our plans to rebel, and they've decided to strike first."

As a member of the hawk faction, he was well aware of what the recent death of Shisui signified. Shisui had always been something of an outlier in the clan—while extremely talented, he had always worked to mend the strained relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha.

He knew that a fight was inevitable and that peace between Konoha and the Uchiha was impossible. But he had tolerated Shisui's efforts because open revolt wouldn't guarantee a swift victory.

Shisui acted as a buffer, giving the Uchiha time to build their strength.

Yusuke believed that if they had one more year, the Uchiha would be ready for a coup d'état. However, with Shisui dead, that buffer was gone, and tensions between Konoha and the Uchiha escalated rapidly. Adding to that, the Fifth Hokage, much like the Second Hokage before him, harbored ill will toward the Uchiha and sought to eliminate them.

Thus, he wasn't surprised that Konoha had chosen to act now.

"Our enemies have been planning this for a long time. Earlier today, I happened to check the Uchiha clan's patrol schedule. Oddly, none of our ninjas or clan members are out in the village. Everyone is within the compound tonight."

"At first, I thought it was a coincidence... But I fear that Konoha intends to wipe us out tonight!"

Yusuke's words induced panic among the ninjas. Some of the younger ones started trembling in fear.

"Get a grip! There is no path left for us but war with Konoha. It's either them or us. Don't hold onto any illusions about Konoha. They have already made their move. They are our enemies now."

"They are slaughtering our people outside, and we cannot just sit here waiting to die. Even if we must die, we must die with dignity!"

His words roused the spirits of the Uchiha ninjas.

"For the honor of the Uchiha!" one ninja shouted.

Satisfied with their fighting spirit, Yusuke began issuing orders.

"The headquarters has likely already fallen, so we cannot expect reinforcements. We're on our own. Our only hope now is to regroup at the clan leader's home."

"Not only is Fugaku-sama there, but Itachi is also one of our top warriors. If we band together, we can break through the encirclement."

However, his plan did not mention the civilians. "What about the civilians on Third Street?" a young ninja asked hesitantly.

This question caught the attention of the older ninjas, one of whom, Hachidai, quickly interrupted, "Hey! Don't ask that."

The experienced ninjas knew the reality: the Uchiha had no time to protect civilians. Preserving their high-level combat forces was the priority. No one wanted to say it out loud, but the truth was clear.

Yusuke's motives were even more transparent. He knew that Fugaku had secretly awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, the strongest form of the Sharingan. Fugaku had also deciphered the secret inscriptions passed down in the Uchiha clan's stone tablet. Thus, he was essential to their plan; even if only he escaped, there was hope for the Uchiha to rise again.

We can't save everyone. The strong must survive.

"Alright, that's the plan. Once we leave, stick close to me. If anyone falls behind, I'm sorry, but we can't stop for you."

"May luck be on your side!"

"Yes!" the group replied in unison.

A group of Uchiha ninjas emerged from a nearby house. Yusuke led his comrades through the shadows toward the Uchiha clan leader's residence. Although moving across rooftops would have been faster, they likely were stationed with Konoha's ninjas.

Thus, he chose the slower but safer route along the ground.

The group silently slipped through one street and reached a crossroads.

"It's too quiet. Where is everyone?" a ninja whispered.

"Stay focused. Silence can be deadlier than noise," Yusuke replied softly.

He scouted the area and, seeing no ambush, signaled his team to move forward. The ninjas began crossing the street under the cover of night.

However, the last young ninja to cross caught a whiff of something—blood. It was stronger than usual, and for a moment, he froze.

On the other side of the intersection, the street was littered with the corpses of Uchiha civilians. Although their clothes remained intact, their skin had been entirely stripped away. Their exposed muscles and blood vessels still twitched. One skinless Uchiha civilian struggled to crawl toward him.

"Help... help me..." the civilian groaned. "It... hurts so much..."

Without eyelids, the civilian's eyes were on the verge of falling out, held only by frayed nerves. With each slow movement, the trail of blood and organs behind him grew longer.

At the center of the massacre stood two figures. Under the moonlight, the young ninja saw them clearly.

One figure was also skinless but standing as if unaffected, with a third eye on its forehead scanning the area. The other was a woman in exotic clothing, her large mouth stretched unnaturally wide as she gnawed on an Uchiha civilian's skull, sucking out the brain.

We need to run!

Noticing the young ninja watching her, the woman grinned playfully and spat out the brain.

"Oh my," she teased in a girlish voice. "Looks like someone saw everything."

"What are you doing? Hurry up and get over here! Tenjin, come here quickly!"

By the side of the road, Hachidai noticed that Tenjin had suddenly stopped right in the middle of the street. Confused, he quickly whispered sharply at him. What's wrong with this kid? We can't afford delays.

But Tenjin seemed oblivious to Hachidai's voice. His previously tense body relaxed, and his arms hung loosely by his sides as he began walking lightly toward a side street.

"What are you doing? We're not going that way! Damn it!"

Just as Hachidai was about to give up on Tenjin and leave, a shadow darted out from beside him. It grabbed Tenjin around the waist and pulled him across the street. Once they stopped on the other side of the street, he realized it was Yusuke who had rushed out to save the boy.

Tenjin was still in a dazed state, struggling to get up from the ground, and attempting to walk back in the same direction.

We don't have time for this!

"Enough already!"

Yusuke punched the boy, knocking him to the ground, finally bringing the young ninja to his senses.

Tenjin blinked, feeling the sting on his face. A sharp pain spread across his cheek, and he couldn't help but wince.

"Ouch! What happened to me?"

"I should be asking you that," Yusuke snorted coldly.

"I…"

Tenjin recalled what he had just seen.

A beautiful woman had been standing in the street, holding a black folding fan. She had called out his name in a voice so gentle and sweet, like an angel's song. The sound was irresistible.

Not only that, but she had begun to slowly unbutton her clothing with her delicate hand, revealing a glimpse of her décolletés. This temptation was deadly for him, who was still young and inexperienced. Even now, despite having been snapped out of it by Yusuke, he felt a sense of regret.

However, he reported that he had seen two enemies on the street, slaughtering many civilians. He spoke of it lightly, as though he had completely forgotten the gruesome scene of the massacre.

"There were two enemies on the street. They... they were killing civilians," Tenjin said.

Yusuke frowned, noticing the young ninja's strange demeanor. "And? What else did you see?"

"The woman... she was beautiful."

It was clear how deeply that mysterious woman had affected him in just a moment. She had taken up so much space in his mind that he had even forgotten the brutal deaths of his fellow clan members and the fact that the woman's mouth could open wide enough to swallow a person's head.

At that moment, the sound of light footsteps echoed from the side street. The Uchiha ninjas at the crossroads immediately tensed up, listening closely.

"Something's coming. Get ready!" one of the ninjas whispered urgently.

"Hey boys, can you come out?"

"Come out and play with me?"

A sultry female voice rang out on the street, completely out of place with the tense atmosphere of the night.

Yusuke knew that they had been trapped. To reach the clan leader's house, they had to cross the street, but if they stepped out now, they'd be easy targets for the unknown enemy. With no other option, he needed to divert the woman's attention.

"Are you from Root or ANBU?"

As he spoke, Yusuke made hand gestures to the others, signaling for them to leave while he held off the threat.

Hachidai understood the signal and quickly leaded the other Uchiha ninjas to leave.

"Good luck, Vice-Captain. We'll regroup at the clan leader's house," Hachidai whispered before disappearing into the shadows with the others.

Now, only Yusuke, Tenjin, and the mysterious woman standing at the street corner remained.

"Root? ANBU? What are those? Never mind that, boys, come out and play."

"Hey, don't you think my body... Isn't it beautiful?"

"Aren't you craving it? Come on, boys..."

Hearing this, Tenjin's heart tightened, and the image of the alluring woman flashed once more in his mind. Her curvy figure was the most beautiful he'd ever seen. Her fair skin shimmered, a glow so striking that even the darkness of night couldn't conceal it.

Such an incredibly beautiful woman — of course Tenjin wanted her. He craved her.

He wanted to possess her.

To have her entirely for himself.

These desires grew stronger in his mind. His breathing quickened, and his body began to tremble slightly. But this tremble was not from fear; it was from excitement.

Just then, Yusuke noticed his rapid breathing. He firmly placed his strong hands on Tenjin's shoulders. Though he said nothing, he gave the young man a steadying look. His eyes conveyed a clear message: Stay focused. Don't let her get to you.

Tenjin's conflicted gaze met his. I'm trying, but it's so hard...

Yusuke found the whole situation odd. Why was this woman in the Uchiha compound at this hour? And from her words, she didn't seem to be a Konoha ninja. But her behavior was suspicious.

No matter. Whoever stands in my way is an enemy! I need to eliminate her quickly and head to the clan leader's house.

Having made up his mind, Yusuke tightened his grip on his katana. The Uchiha clan also had a sword-fighting tradition. Though not as established as the Gekko clan, many Uchiha trained with the katana, which, when combined with their Sharingan, became a powerful weapon. And he was particularly skilled and had even earned the praise of Fugaku for his mastery of the sword.

At that moment, his eyes transformed, shifting from their normal black to the three-tomoe Sharingan. But just as he prepared to charge, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower back.

What? An attack? But from where?

He turned and saw that a kunai was lodged in his back.

"Tenjin? What are you doing?"

"I…"

"I won't let you hurt my goddess!"