Seeing that Itachi understood his meaning, Yun turned to Shisui and asked, "Since you're here, does that mean the Police Force issue has been resolved?"
Shisui smiled faintly, "When the Hokage returned to the village, he said that with the Hyūga Clan taking the lead in agreeing, the other clans who sympathized with the Uchiha during this war followed suit. The problem's mostly solved."
Yun nodded, "Our goal has been achieved, the Uchiha have reintegrated into Konoha's elite faction. But all of this was built upon the lives lost by our clansmen in this war."
He glanced toward Itachi, who had been quietly listening.
'This lunatic had been redeemed because of me, but… what about his own madness?'
'This was a twisted world, whether it was Kumogakure or the Uchiha, the upper echelons' ambitions always meant the middle and lower ranks had to pay with their lives.'
'So… how could people with such extraordinary abilities ever live in peace together?'
'In a world where power determined the right to speak, politics alone wasn't enough, you needed strength too.'
Shisui sighed from the side. "I'll be staying here from now on. Things should improve. Even Kumogakure is starting to hesitate."
'Hesitate?'
"Heh…"
Yun gave a cold laugh, suppressing his irritation. "Itachi killed that Samui woman, Kumogakure probably wants more than just the Byakugan now. Are they also demanding Itachi's Mangekyō?"
Shisui nodded awkwardly and added, "The Hokage thinks that statement was just testing the waters, not to be taken literally. But if Kumogakure insists on fighting next, I imagine both sides will be eager for a decisive battle."
'A decisive battle…?
'If that Fourth Raikage appeared too…'
Three months later.
Just as Shisui and Minato had predicted, Kumogakure's movements became much more subdued over the past three months.
The skirmishes along the border were kept somewhat in check, but casualties still occurred, and were slowly mounting.
Uchiha En was dead.
A reconnaissance mission a month ago had turned into an unexpected clash, leaving heavy losses on both sides.
From that month onward, the kid who used to follow Yun and Kakashi around was gone.
That same day, Kakashi had handed Yun a scroll.
"Just developed yesterday, an A-rank Lightning Style jutsu, Chidori. Perfect for that Uchiha kid."
Yun accepted it, glanced at Kakashi, and sighed. "I don't think… he'll ever get the chance to use it now."
Silence fell between them.
Though the boy had been annoying at times, his sudden disappearance made the battlefield feel emptier somehow.
En's body would be returned to the village. From that day on, the Memorial Stone would bear the name Uchiha En.
Villagers would mourn, families would grieve.
October 10th, nightfall.
Inside a quiet tent, Yun took out ten vials of Uchiha Itachi's fresh blood.
[ Intelligence Exchange initiated successfully ]
[ Rule Replication function initiated successfully ]
[ Medium activated ]
[ Target lock available: Uchiha Itachi ]
Target locked: Uchiha Itachi
[ A-rank ninja locked: Uchiha Itachi ]
[ Adjusting spatial-temporal flow rate of Exchange space ]
[ Enable Shadow Mode? ]
'Enable.'
In an instant, time in the real world seemed to stop, and the scenery around him shifted rapidly.
Konoha, Hokage Rock.
The shadow form of Uchiha Yun looked at the newly arrived Itachi and, before he could react, said, "The rules of this space are already in your mind, just think about them and they'll appear."
Itachi paused, then felt the flood of information in his head, and was shocked.
From his reaction, Yun could tell Shisui and the Fourth Hokage had never mentioned this exchange space to him.
After all, neither Kakashi nor Itachi knew about Obito's true identity.
Then-
Buzz!
The pattern of the Mangekyō flared in Itachi's eyes, but the next moment… nothing. No pain from using his dojutsu, no Tsukuyomi space.
Yun's shadow scratched his head. "Why is a ninja's first instinct always to attack? I'm just a businessman. In this exchange space, even if you were a god, you couldn't harm me in any meaningful way."
Itachi nodded slightly and asked, "Where is this? Konoha?"
"Yes and no."
Yun pointed down below the Hokage Rock. "This is a space that manifests the place most important to you. It could be the Uchiha compound, Konoha… or your mother and younger brother."
Itachi's expression hardened instantly.
Yun continued calmly, "Enough talk, you were lucky to get in here. Ask me what you want. I can tell you anything about this world."
Anything about this world?
Itachi's mind raced, but one question, one that had haunted him since childhood, surfaced first.
"How… can this world remain peaceful forever?"
Yun shook his head. "You can't afford that answer."
Itachi froze. 'Couldn't afford it?'
'Even the Mangekyō wasn't enough?'
It made sense, how could the power of just one Mangekyō bring eternal peace?
It was too broad, involving far too much.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Can this space guarantee the truth of the information you give?"
Yun nodded. "No scrolls, no eye-gouging, just agree to the contract. If the proof this space gives is false, then you've only signed a false contract. No harm done."
He smiled. "Maybe you want to ask about the true identity of your father's killer. Or maybe… about the condition of your younger brother's body."
"Both questions are well worth the price."
For the first time, Itachi, usually calm and composed, looked rattled.
'Sasuke's body?'
'What was wrong with Sasuke?'
In his heart, concern for Sasuke outweighed even the matter of his father's death.
After a moment, he regained his composure. "How much for these two questions?"
Yun held up two fingers. "Two chips. One per question. No cheating."
Itachi shook his head. "The Mangekyō's abilities, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, should be worth two questions by themselves."
Yun looked toward the Uchiha compound below and smiled. "No. You're different from my other clients. You have an essential need. Whether it's your brother or the killer's identity, you desperately want to know."
"Especially now that you have power, you must want revenge. And your brother… will always be your weakness."
"What's inside Sasuke could shape his entire life. Don't you… want to know?"
"So now… those two questions will cost you three chips."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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