The setting sun was gradually swallowed by the night, leaving only a final hint of afterglow.
Uchiha Itachi's silhouette was stretched long by the red light. His steps carried an indescribable weariness, but his physical fatigue was far less than the heaviness in his heart.
"Kohinata Mugen..." he murmured softly.
After tomorrow, Kohinata Mugen would be on a month-long leave. Itachi and Shisui, having learned this from Danzō Shimura, had already decided to make their move tomorrow. Even though he hadn't shared his thoughts with anyone, Danzō Shimura seemed to have anticipated everything. Both his mission schedule and Shisui's had been subtly cleared. This meant Danzō had paved the way for this assassination. Tomorrow was the best opportunity—the chance to kill a fellow villager.
Although the target was a traitor, he was still a compatriot, still a comrade from the village. To say he had no hesitation would certainly be a lie. But this was the most important mission he had undertaken since becoming a shinobi, far more important than any he had experienced before. Uchiha Itachi knew this was a test. Therefore, he could not refuse, nor should he.
"Kohinata Mugen secretly contacted Kirigakure, consistently leaking crucial village secrets. He is a traitor, a spy, no longer a comrade..." Uchiha Itachi repeatedly recited the words of the intelligence report in his mind, finally managing to suppress the surging guilt in his heart. Cold logic replaced his last shred of sentiment.
"Hmph..."
Unconsciously, he had reached his doorstep. He exhaled a slightly chilled sigh and pulled open the door. The living room's light was dim, but a figure could be seen sitting in the shadows.
"You're back?"
A deep, low voice entered his ears, causing Uchiha Itachi's body to stiffen. A mix of resistance and irritation quietly began to brew in his heart. Undoubtedly, it was his father, Fugaku Uchiha. When did being alone with his father start to feel so suffocating and impatient?
"Mm."
Uchiha Itachi replied, his voice flat and expressionless. He didn't stop, wanting to walk directly through the living room to his room, away from the gaze that made him uncomfortable.
"Wait." Fugaku's tone was unyielding and stern, his deep gaze seemingly substantial in the dim light. "I have something to tell you."
"..."
Uchiha Itachi stopped, turning to silently face his father. The light outlined Fugaku's defined profile, his eyes especially sharp in the shadows.
"It's tomorrow, isn't it?" Fugaku Uchiha asked calmly, yet his words struck Itachi's heart like a boulder. Father, how could he know? Itachi's breathing hitched almost imperceptibly. He struggled to maintain a calm expression, but his entire body instantly tensed.
How much does Father know? And from whom did he hear about the mission? The source of information can only be Danzō, but why would Danzō leak the mission to Father? Doubts entangled him like a spiderweb, making his mind a mess.
"Heh heh."
Fugaku Uchiha let out a soft laugh, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of pride: "As expected of my son. How long has it been since you joined the Anbu, and you're already going to execute such an important mission." His words made it sound as if Itachi was embarking on a glorious path leading to the core of power, not an assassination mission with an uncertain outcome.
Uchiha Itachi remained silent, his lowered eyes growing increasingly gloomy.
"Itachi, it seems the village elders truly value you." Fugaku's voice dropped even lower. "As long as this mission succeeds, you will gain their trust."
"This is an unprecedented opportunity for our clan."
Uchiha Itachi raised his head in astonishment, meeting a pair of burning eyes, blazing with the very flame he least wished to see. Why? Why even Father, who used to maintain a neutral stance...
"We have always dedicated ourselves to the village, yet we have not received the recognition we deserve." Fugaku's voice was heavy as he slowly said, "The clan has been enduring, but this endurance has now reached its limit."
Enough. Stop it. Don't say any more, Father... Uchiha Itachi opened his mouth, but his throat was gripped by an invisible force, unable to utter a sound.
"I am prepared to endorse Yashiro and their approach. I have decided to gain the Uchiha clan's rightful voice through struggle." Finally, Fugaku Uchiha's words came out, each one like a cold shackle, tightening around Itachi until he could barely breathe.
The things he most detested reappeared before him. Meaningless conflict. Meaningless war. Meaningless death.
"Itachi." Fugaku Uchiha called his son's name again. But Itachi felt like an outsider, listening indifferently as his own name was called.
"I need you to gather intelligence within the Anbu and report back to us." Fugaku continued, staring at his unresponsive son, "The intelligence you bring will affect the fate of our clan."
Traitor... Spy...
Two cold and familiar words hammered into Itachi's mind, making him feel as if he saw Kohinata Mugen's face, as if a strong wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him. They were comrades from the same village, yet he would be transmitting one side's information to the other. How was this action any different from Mugen's?
"Will I become like Mugen?" Itachi asked himself.
No, he joined the Anbu never to realize the Uchiha clan's ambitions. From the moment his father took him to the battlefield and he witnessed the tragic consequences of war, he swore to become a shinobi who could change this world and eliminate pointless conflict. He detested meaningless conflict and death. Joining the Anbu was just a small step towards his goal.
And Konoha was already deeply embroiled in the mire of war. If the village descended into internal strife at this time... Moreover, the Anbu was currently monitoring the Uchiha clan twenty-four hours a day; their every move was under the village's watchful eye from beginning to end. Therefore, the path his father and the others had embarked upon was destined to fail.
"Itachi."
Seeing Itachi's prolonged silence, Fugaku Uchiha's voice was very low, almost pleading.
"...Yes."
The pain in Uchiha Itachi's heart transformed into calm. He naturally spoke the lie: "I will do it."
At this moment, neither Uchiha Itachi nor Fugaku Uchiha truly perceived each other's genuine intentions. Fugaku Uchiha may have harbored a sliver of hope that Itachi would rise to the ranks of Konoha's elders, and his request for Itachi to bring back information was merely to stabilize the clan members. Currently, Konoha's prejudice against the Uchiha clan was deepening, with some even calling them a "hindrance." This made Fugaku Uchiha suspect whether it was the elders guiding this sentiment, which was why he needed Itachi to bring back intelligence—at least to confirm that the village elders did not intend to make a move against them.
Unfortunately, Fugaku Uchiha was still hesitant, just one step away from siding with the radicals, but in Uchiha Itachi's eyes, this was already tantamount to an act of betrayal. Not only was he being asked to gather intelligence on the elders, but his father also wanted to gain influence through conflict. What was this if not preparations for a coup? In his view, his father, who had always been neutral, had now also been blinded by hatred, unable to see the longer path.
Therefore, Uchiha Itachi had already made his decision in his heart.
At the same time, in a place neither of them noticed, two figures were hidden in a distant tree.
"Hmph." Obito Uchiha sneered. "Danzō's brainwashing ability is truly impressive. It seems we won't need to guide him; Uchiha Itachi will make his own choices." With that, he turned to the Black Zetsu beside him and asked, "Was Uchiha Madara's personality always so twisted?"
Black Zetsu's heart also felt somewhat peculiar. He hadn't expected the plan to progress so smoothly. This Uchiha Itachi was coldly rational to the point of being twisted, completely different from the emotional, impulsive, and clan-valuing Uchiha Madara.
However, this didn't mean Uchiha Itachi was without emotion. On the contrary, in Black Zetsu's view, this guy was the most extreme and fanatical Indra reincarnate he had seen in a thousand years. The more his emotions were suppressed by logic, the more intense they would be when they erupted.
"I am now certain," Black Zetsu said hoarsely. "He definitely has the potential to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Obito Uchiha, who had been half-skeptical, now had no doubts whatsoever. He merely asked, "The Mangekyo Sharingan isn't important. What's important is whether he can awaken the Rinnegan."
"Heh heh." Black Zetsu gazed at Uchiha Itachi in the distance, as if seeing the darkness in his heart, and chuckled softly. "That depends on how far our plan can go." He had to ensure Uchiha Itachi obtained the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and then, like Uchiha Madara before him, saw with his own eyes the stone tablet beneath the Naka Shrine that he had altered.
By then... Black Zetsu could already imagine himself regaining the Rinnegan.
Morning, a thin mist permeated the air, and the damp, cold scent of plants filled the forest.
Uchiha Itachi set out very early, arriving at the designated meeting point almost simultaneously with Uchiha Shisui.
"Itachi." Shisui greeted him first, smiling, "Are you ready?"
Uchiha Itachi nodded, his eyes exceptionally calm. Shisui, who knew him well, instantly guessed that Itachi must have encountered something after returning home last night...
"Itachi, what happened?" Uchiha Shisui's smile faded, his expression turning serious and grave.
Uchiha Itachi opened his mouth, but couldn't bring himself to speak. Shisui, seeing this, walked up to him and smiled, "You should understand, my feelings are the same as yours." Itachi, of course, knew this; they shared the same aspirations. The secret meetings held monthly at the Naka Shrine had become increasingly tense. Both believed that the clan's resentment and grievances towards the village had reached their limit. They had to prevent the clan's dissatisfaction from erupting completely, no matter what. If the Uchiha clan revolted, it would drag the village into conflict, plunging it into death once again. This was their shared belief; both had transcended the limitations of their clan and could see further.
"Father said," Itachi said solemnly, "that he intends to agree to the radical clan members' idea at the next meeting, to gain the Uchiha clan's influence from the elders through struggle."
At these words, Uchiha Shisui's expression shifted slightly. He frowned, saying, "How can this be? Wasn't Fugaku-sama always neutral before, trying to alleviate the clan's dissatisfaction?"
"It's because of me," Uchiha Itachi offered his guess. "I joined the Anbu, which gave Father hope. He wants me to gather intelligence on the elders, to coordinate from inside and out."
Hearing this, Uchiha Shisui fell silent. He knew very well that once Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, explicitly sided with the radical clan members, the already fragile balance within the clan would be completely shattered. The previously wavering clan members would also lean towards the radicals, and the Uchiha clan's coup could already be foreseen.
"Itachi, actually..." Uchiha Shisui's eyes flickered. He opened his mouth, about to say something.
Rustle, rustle.
It wasn't a deliberate concealment, but normal footsteps, treading on fallen leaves in the forest, approaching from afar. Itachi and Shisui instantly became alert, their gazes turning towards the source of the sound.
From the swaying shadows of the jungle, two figures slowly emerged. One of the men was nearing middle age, boldly carrying a sake bottle in his hand, his eyes revealing only a faint whiteness in their depths. This was the target of Shisui and Itachi's mission.
Kohinata Mugen.
And the other...
"Nice to meet you." He stopped, standing before the two, a slight smile on his lips, his tone gentle. "I am Hyuga Kawa, temporarily assigned by the Third Hokage to join this mission."