Upon hearing Uchiha Mikoto's call, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Tekka suddenly realized there was a third person in the house.
Moments later, a sound came from outside, as if someone had just jumped down from the second floor. Standing near the door, Fugaku could hear a conversation between Itachi and Mikoto.
"Sorry, Mother, I need to grab a few more tools. I want to train a bit longer today."
"It's fine, Itachi. Is your father done talking?"
"I'm not sure, Mother. I climbed up to the second floor from outside to avoid disturbing him."
"Honestly, next time just use the stairs. You're his pride and joy—how could you possibly disturb him?"
As the voices faded into the distance, Fugaku sat back down and shook his head at Tekka.
"Let's leave it at that for now, Tekka. Our clan alone cannot decide whether war will break out—it depends on the village's stance. But the Uchiha have lived in Konoha for over fifty years. Many clan members see this place as their home."
Fugaku sighed. The Uchiha had been in Konoha for nearly sixty years, even bringing their greatest secrets here. At this point, even the elders had long forgotten their original homeland.
Leaving the village had never truly been an option in Fugaku's mind—at least, not yet. And the background of the Hyakusa Trade Association was anything but simple. From the intelligence he had gathered, there seemed to be another figure behind it, someone who was the true mastermind.
Due to Itachi's unexpected arrival, their conversation was cut short. Now, all that was left was to wait for their guest to visit in person—then Fugaku could probe their intentions directly.
"But lately, Itachi has been acting a bit different... staying home more often than before."
That thought briefly crossed Fugaku's mind, but Itachi's behavior otherwise remained unchanged. The only notable difference was that his mission frequency had slightly decreased.
It was probably nothing.
Fugaku dismissed the thought. Itachi was the pride of the Uchiha, a genius on par with Kakashi Hatake in his youth. Fugaku had high expectations for his son, so whenever Itachi requested guidance in training, he would put aside his responsibilities in the police force to personally instruct him.
Sasuke, on the other hand, never received the same treatment. Although he had also asked Fugaku for training, his talent was nowhere near Itachi's, so Fugaku eventually withdrew his expectations of him.
The events in the Land of Rain were not made public by the Uchiha, but Itachi had overheard some details.
At the time, he hadn't dared to get too close—both his father and Tekka were powerful shinobi of the clan. If he had Shisui's abilities, perhaps he would have risked eavesdropping, but as it stood, he was merely a strong Chunin, perhaps nearing Tokubetsu Jonin level. Compared to two veteran warriors, he was still too inexperienced.
Even so, Itachi had managed to gather valuable information.
Two days later, after confirming that his father wasn't monitoring him, Itachi met with Shisui and relayed everything he had overheard.
After listening, Shisui furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
The clan head and Tekka were planning something—sending people out on unauthorized missions, making secret connections with outsiders, and even mentioning "war."
Shisui had no doubt that Itachi had heard correctly. If there was even the slightest uncertainty, Itachi wouldn't have brought it up.
"Itachi, what should we do? Should we report this to the Hokage?"
"Not yet. I already have a rough idea of what's going on—I'll gather more details first."
Shisui shook his head. Based on Itachi's information, he had already identified a few clan members who might be involved. Now, he needed to confirm his suspicions.
He couldn't allow the clan head to continue down this path. Accepting missions outside the village's jurisdiction was a direct violation of Konoha's rules—shinobi were required to take assignments through the village. Otherwise, it would undermine the entire system.
And war...
Shisui thought back to the recent clan meetings, where the voices advocating for an armed takeover of Konoha had grown louder.
He couldn't let it happen.
He had to pay closer attention to the clan's movements—especially any dealings with outsiders.
"Itachi, stop trying to spy on the clan head for now. If you get caught again, you'll be suspected immediately."
"Shisui, I—"
"Listen to me, Itachi. Just focus on your regular missions for now and build up your record."
Before Itachi could protest, Shisui interrupted him.
"I'm going to recommend you for the ANBU to the Hokage. You're not quite qualified yet, so you need to complete more missions while you still have time. I'll vouch for you when the time comes."
"The ANBU..."
Itachi's eyes lit up. He had refused to join the police force and had taken the Chunin Exams on his own. But ANBU—this could help him grow much stronger.
"I understand. Thank you, Shisui."
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rain, Konan wandered through the streets alone after seeing off Keikou Sanmoku.
The commoners here lived exactly as Sanmoku had described—earning just enough each day to feed their families was considered a good life.
A decade ago, this was the norm. And even after the Akatsuki took over Amegakure, it hadn't changed.
Walking through the city, Konan began to wonder: if Nagato's dream came true, would it really improve the world?
The Land of Rain hadn't seen war for years. Even during the Third Shinobi War, it had remained uninvolved.
Yet despite the peace, the people were still struggling. Nothing had changed.
Shouldn't their vision for the future be better than this?
"If Nagato's plan succeeds, won't it just extend the Land of Rain's current situation to the entire shinobi world?"
The thought suddenly struck Konan, surfacing after seeing the state of the people.
She quickly pushed it aside. She shouldn't doubt Nagato, nor the Akatsuki's dream.
But as she passed by starving children begging for food, her mind drifted back to her own childhood.
The Ten-Tails might bring an end to war, but it wouldn't bring hope to the people of the Land of Rain.
This realization solidified her resolve to collaborate with the Sand Federation and the Hyakusa Trade Association.
If true peace came to the world, it had to be accompanied by a better life for the people of the Land of Rain. They needed hope, not just the absence of war.
Otherwise, she would be unworthy of the title "Angel" they had given her.
With her decision made, Konan turned and headed back to Amegakure. She would send a team to the Sand Federation to negotiate with Keikou Sanmoku and finalize the reconstruction agreement.
It was time to start rebuilding.
(End of Chapter)