"How about it? Are you willing to make the deal?" Kaito smiled, his voice edged with silk and steel, gaze flicking between the two standing across from him—Itachi and Obito.
The mirror space around them thrummed with tension, shadows curling unnaturally at the edges, the ground itself pulsing with residual chakra distortion. A faint coppery scent of blood mingled with the acrid tang of scorched chakra, the air thick with iron and dread.
"Now that Sarutobi Hiruzen has lost a significant amount of blood, and Danzo is on the brink of death... If you don't decide soon, they'll meet their end," Kaito added, his tone casual yet laced with cruelty.
Itachi's eyes narrowed, his lips thinning. "Oh? Do you think I'm unaware of your intentions?" he shot back, voice like frost.
Kaito tilted his head slightly, the faintest chuckle escaping. Itachi continued, stepping forward, shadows cast by his form stretching unnaturally.
"After such an intense battle, your chakra must be nearing its limit. You're hoping to distract us and slip away, but do you truly believe I'll be deceived?"
Kaito raised both palms, as if surrendering. "That's correct. My chakra has indeed been rapidly depleted. There's not much left."
The admission sent a ripple through the air, a sudden shift in pressure.
"However," Kaito said, his smile hardening into something more dangerous, "even with what little I have remaining, I can still deal with all of you."
His words dropped like a blade.
"But leaving with these clansmen? That will pose a challenge. So, consider this a transaction—two choices. A multiple-choice question, if you will."
At this, Itachi's complexion paled slightly. His muscles tensed, every nerve on alert. Sweat gathered at his temple.
Kaito's smile turned wolfish. "Of course, let's set aside your brother this time, lest you accuse me of targeting you."
His voice was mocking, like oil on fire.
"Now, listen carefully to the options," Kaito said bluntly. His tone dropped, steely and final.
"First, if you choose not to surrender Shisui's eyes, then all of you will perish. I will lead this group out of Konoha. We may suffer significant losses, but I will succeed."
"Second, if you hand over Shisui's eye, we all walk away unharmed. I exit this mirror space immediately. No harm comes to any of you."
"Simultaneously, you save your father, and these two dying elders."
He paused, letting the weight of his words press down like a vice.
"Now... make your choice."
Itachi's lips were pressed into a hard line. His fists clenched so tightly that his nails bit into his palms. Blood welled slightly at the edges.
He was gambling.
Refuse, and he and Obito would be forced to confront Kaito head-on. But the crushing memory of Kaito's power loomed in his mind—the ability to distort time and space, shrug off harm, and wield techniques beyond reason. The thought stirred an all-too-familiar sense of helplessness.
He bit his lip. A thin trail of blood smeared across it.
Kaito's chakra may be low, but his tactical edge remained intact. And now, he held the lives of Sarutobi, Danzo, and Fugaku in his hands.
The weight of the moment bore down on Itachi. His vision blurred for a second as memories flickered—his mother's gentle smile, his father's rare praise, Sasuke's laughter chasing butterflies in their garden.
It felt like a knife twisting in his gut.
"Tonight," he thought, "I owe my parents and Sasuke too much to make a decision I'll regret."
His shoulders relaxed. He took in a long, shaking breath and exhaled slowly.
"The future is uncertain, but right now... I must protect them."
Then, with a final breath, he raised his head and declared, voice sombre but resolved:
"I choose to make the exchange."
Kaito's expression softened slightly, his satisfaction hidden behind that ever-present smirk.
"A wise decision," he said lightly. "Then hand it over."
Itachi didn't hesitate. Hands flashing through seals, he slammed them to the ground with a sharp slap. A summoning seal glowed red beneath him.
A jet-black crow emerged, wings rustling with eerie precision. In its left eye glimmered Shisui's Sharingan, three tomoe spinning with haunting grace.
"Give it to me," Kaito commanded, voice low and firm.
A pulse of invisible force yanked the crow into his grasp. Kaito's hand moved with practised cruelty, plucking the eye free with a wet, squelching sound that echoed in the silence.
He held the eye aloft, its glow gleaming against the crimson backdrop.
"With this... the collection of Mangekyo Sharingan is complete!"
Kaito exhaled, satisfied. Reaching into his pocket, he drew three small preservation bottles. With clinical care, he deposited Fugaku's bloodied eyes into one, and Shisui's into another.
"Two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan," he murmured, eyes shining with ambition, "enough to unlock the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
He looked up, addressing Itachi directly. "You've given me the eyes. I will now keep my promise."
Itachi nodded, cold and distant, but there was the slightest softening in his eyes. Relief, maybe. Or a moment's reprieve.
Kaito's hands flew through a complex sequence of seals. The air around them vibrated, shadows rippling as space distorted. A low hum built up into a resonant thrum as three distinct spatial layers merged into one, forming a corridor of refracted light.
His figure shimmered and vanished—then reappeared beside Uchiha Tekka and the assembled clansmen.
Tekka, bloodied but standing, broke into a smile. He stepped forward and clapped Kaito firmly on the shoulder.
"I knew you'd win," he said, voice hoarse but proud.
Kaito chuckled. "You protected me once. Now it's my turn to protect you."
He turned to the others, his voice rising with authority.
"Get ready. I'll be taking you all out of Konoha soon."
Tekka gave a solemn nod. "We discussed it among ourselves. We've decided—you'll be our new patriarch. We'll follow your lead."
Kaito's expression turned sharp, his Sharingan flashing briefly in response.
"Don't worry," he vowed. "I'll lead the Uchiha to new heights."
And behind him, the distortion in the mirror space continued to hum—an omen of upheaval yet to come.