The Uchiha district no longer looked like part of Konoha.
It was a graveyard wearing the skin of a home.
Blood drifted in the wind like rain-falling soil. Doors hung from broken hinges. The moon poured pale light over streets that only yesterday had been filled with laughter and children's footsteps.
Now it was silent. Too silent.
Danzo Shimura walked through the ruins with the measured calm of a man who believed he'd done something righteous. His cane struck the stone path rhythmically. The Root ANBU that followed him didn't speak; they moved like shadows without breath.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Finally," he murmured, almost to himself. "No more Uchiha. The village will be safe."
He said it softly, but the words echoed through the dead streets like a curse.
---
A gust of wind tore through the alleyway as an ANBU dropped to one knee before him.
"Lord Hokage! There's a survivor!"
Hiruzen's voice was firm.
"Get him to the medical unit. Now."
The ANBU vanished with the injured survivor, leaving only the two elders standing among the ruins.
Hiruzen's eyes, dark with sorrow, turned toward Danzo.
"Hear me, Danzo. I can't allow you to act on your own authority anymore. You've gone too far."
"Hiruzen—"
"Enough!" The Third's voice thundered through the empty street. "I'm stripping you of all operational control. You will remain under watch. Effective immediately."
For a moment, Danzo said nothing. His hand tightened around his cane.
When he finally spoke, his tone was deceptively calm.
"A small price… to achieve peace."
He turned and walked away, the faintest tremor in his fingers betraying the calm mask on his face.
---
That night, as the rain thickened, a masked Root operative appeared before him. The man's voice was quiet but precise, his posture too steady for an underling.
"Lord Danzo. The body count doesn't match."
Danzo frowned. "What's that?"
The ANBU tilted his head, and beneath the mask, Danzo caught the faint glimmer of blood-red Sharingan.
"I witnessed everything," the man said. "And I will continue to watch."
His voice dropped to a whisper that cut deeper than a kunai.
"If you so much as touch Sasuke, I'll pass classified village intel to every enemy nation."
And before Danzo could speak, the figure vanished into swirling crows.
Only then did Danzo realize his hand was trembling. He forced it still, breathing slowly.
"Damn you, Itachi," he hissed. "I never intended to honor the promise. But before killing that brat, I'll have to eliminate you first."
But even as he spoke, his words carried no conviction. Deep inside, he knew—Itachi Uchiha was beyond his reach.
---
Morning came grey and hollow.
Itachi knelt before Hiruzen Sarutobi in the Hokage's office. The rain outside had softened to a whisper, but the silence inside was heavier than thunder.
Hiruzen looked down at the boy—no, the man before him—and felt the weight of a thousand unspoken sins.
"Forgive me, Itachi. I never imagined Danzo would twist things this far."
Itachi said nothing. His head remained bowed. The faint tremor of exhaustion ran through his body, but his voice, when it came, was steady.
"The deed is done."
Hiruzen's breath caught.
"You should never have been forced to choose between your village and your clan. I'll honour your final request. I'll protect Sasuke. I promise."
Itachi's eyes—those deep, endless Sharingan—lifted just enough for a flicker of gratitude to appear.
Then he turned away.
---
Hours later, he found himself walking without direction, through forests still wet from the night rain.
Every step echoed louder in his mind than the one before. He didn't know where he was going until he felt it—a familiar chakra pulse, faint but unmistakable.
He ran.
The forest opened into a cave, hidden beneath an overhang of moss. Inside, a small fire flickered weakly.
A shadow sat against the far wall, breath shallow, presence steady.
Itachi's eyes widened.
"No… it can't be."
Itachi took a step forward, disbelief cracking through his composure.
"Shisui…?"
"Good to hear your voice again." The man tilted his head, the empty sockets where his eyes had once been now scarred and closed. "Can't see you, though. How are you, my friend?"
Itachi's throat constricted. "You—how did you survive?"
"I washed up downstream. Guess I was too stubborn to die." Shisui smiled faintly. "But it seems I wasn't the only one who survived something he shouldn't have. You sound tired, Itachi. Tough mission?"
"Yes, I am."
He told him everything—the coup, the slaughter, the deal with Danzo, the burden he'd chosen to carry. By the end, his voice was barely a whisper.
The silence that followed was unbearable.
When Shisui finally spoke, his voice trembled with restrained anger.
"Itachi… you killed them all?"
"I had to."
"No," Shisui said softly. "You believed you had to."
Itachi's lips tightened, but no argument came. They sat there, two ghosts of the same clan, listening to the storm.
After a long time, Shisui sighed.
"You forget, my friend—you may be a genius, but you're still just a boy. You shouldn't have done that."
Itachi's voice cracked. "If you'd come back sooner, we could've stopped it together."
Shisui shook his head. "There's always another war, another hate waiting to grow. We can't erase it. Not yet."
"…So what now?"
"The poison is spreading through my chakra system," Shisui said quietly. "A year. Maybe two, if I'm lucky."
Itachi stared at him. Then, without a word, he reached into his cloak and drew out a small vial. Inside gleamed a single Sharingan—Shisui's.
The older man's breath hitched. "My eye."
Itachi nodded. "It belongs to you."
With trembling fingers, Shisui pressed it back into its socket. A faint pulse of chakra filled the room, dim but alive.
He exhaled slowly. "You look terrible."
Itachi smiled faintly. "You too."
Then his expression hardened.
"I need a favour."
"Anything."
"Take care of Sasuke. Train him. Make him strong enough… to kill me."
The cave filled with rain and silence again.
"You're serious," Shisui whispered.
"Yes."
"You know I can't go back. The village still thinks I'm dead."
"You won't have to. I'll bring him to you."
Shisui's single eye widened faintly. "And you?"
"There's an organization. Akatsuki. I'll join them—watch their movements from inside."
"Trading one nightmare for another," Shisui muttered. "You've already given up your soul, Itachi. What else is left?"
Itachi's gaze was distant. "Whatever remains… belongs to him."
Shisui closed his eye. "Then so be it."
Later, both men met with Hiruzen one final time in secret. The Third listened in silence. When they finished, he only said:
"Go. Raise the boy far from here. The world will think he's dead."
---
Next day.
Deep in the forest near the Fire Nation border, Shisui and Itachi found an abandoned safehouse near the Waterfall Village. The air there smelled of rain and moss, untouched by war.
They laid Sasuke—still unconscious from Itachi's genjutsu—on a small bed. The boy's face was peaceful, too young to bear the curse of his lineage.
Itachi stood beside him for a long time, the candlelight flickering across his tired face.
"As a brother, I wanted to protect him from everything," he whispered. "But I became the one who hurt him the most."
Shisui placed a hand on his shoulder.
"He'll understand one day."
"No," Itachi said quietly. "He mustn't. I made him hate me. Let it stay that way. If he ever learns the truth, he'll carry a pain worse than mine. I want him to live for the village. To be its hero."
Shisui nodded slowly. "Then I'll keep the secret, for as long as I live."
"Thank you."
They both looked at Sasuke, sleeping under the soft light.
"Should we release the genjutsu?" Shisui asked.
"Not yet. Let him rest one more day."
"What did you show him?"
Itachi hesitated. "Everything. Over and over."
Shisui frowned. "That's too cruel for a child."
"He needed to hate me."
Shisui sighed. "Then you've succeeded."
Itachi's gaze softened, pain flickering in his eyes.
"Take care of him, Shisui."
And then he turned and disappeared into the night—his cloak vanishing into rain, leaving only silence behind.
---
Back in Konoha, dawn came thin and cold.
Hiruzen sat alone in his office, staring at the empty desk.
"It's better this way," he whispered. "At least Sasuke will be safe."
With heavy hands, he performed the seals of a forbidden jutsu. From the faint remnants of Sasuke's chakra, he created a body—a perfect replica. A lie strong enough to fool the world.
Two days later, the funeral was held.
The incense smoke curled into the sky, carrying the scent of loss. Every clan head stood in silence. Even the air seemed to mourn.
"Today," Hiruzen said, his voice steady but hollow, "we mark the fall of one of Konoha's founding clans. The Uchiha are no more."
Shikaku stepped forward. "Lord Hokage, there are rumours Fugaku's son survived. Is that true?"
Choza nodded grimly. "The child, Sasuke. What happened to him?"
Hiruzen closed his eyes.
"He was caught in Itachi's genjutsu. He… didn't make it."
The crowd lowered their heads. No one spoke.
When the assembly dispersed, only Hiruzen, Danzo, and the two elders remained in the room.
Hiruzen's face hardened. "You got what you wanted, Danzo."
Danzo's voice was controlled, but his hand trembled on his cane.
"I did what had to be done."
"You destroyed an entire clan," Hiruzen said. "And in doing so, you nearly destroyed the soul of this village."
Koharu's voice cut through, sharp but shaking slightly.
"We all did what was necessary, Hiruzen. The Uchiha were dangerous—"
"Enough!" Hiruzen slammed his hand against the table. "You speak of necessity as if it justifies murder. Itachi did what none of us had the courage to do, and now he carries our sins alone."
Homura swallowed hard. "Then… what about him now? If he returns—"
They didn't finish. The mere thought of Itachi Uchiha entering that room silenced them all. Fear lingered, unspoken.
Danzo looked away first.
Hiruzen's voice softened.
"He's no traitor. Remember that. He's the reason this village still stands."
Danzo's voice trembled with fear. "Now that his brother is dead… you know the deal, Hiruzen. Itachi is dangerous. If he comes to the village, we have to kill him! If he learns about his brother, he'll come with vengeance."
Homura added, "Yes! Danzo, let's send your strongest ANBU team after Itachi!"
"Be quiet, you fools!" Hiruzen thundered. "Nobody's killing Itachi!"
Koharu cried, "Hiruzen, stop this! They're right. We have to kill him! That kid was the only anchor that held him sane. Now he's dead—Itachi will stop at nothing!"
"I'll take care of Itachi!" Hiruzen roared. "Your involvement will only make him mad!"
Homura hesitated. "But—"
"That's an order. Get out of my sight, you old fools!"
Everyone left.
Finally, Hiruzen turned to the window. Smoke still drifted faintly from the Uchiha compound in the distance.
"Rest easy, Mikoto. Fugaku. Your son is safe. I swear it."
**End of chapter 2*"