The next day, Naraku arrived at the Naka River.
This was the location where he and Shisui had agreed to meet.
Ironically, this place held unfortunate significance for Shisui.In the original timeline, it was near this very river that Shisui had been ambushed by Danzo, who desired his Mangekyō Sharingan.To prevent Danzo from taking his second eye, Shisui had chosen to end his own life—by plunging from the Naka River waterfall.
But now, the situation was different.
Naraku and Shisui had a good relationship.They had worked together often during the Third Ninja War and continued to carry out joint missions after the Nine-Tails incident.
In fact, among Naraku's two main teachers, one specialized in genjutsu—Kurenai—and the other was Shisui.
After a short wait, Naraku saw Shisui approaching from afar… with a child by his side.
"Naraku-san, this is the Itachi I mentioned yesterday," Shisui introduced.
"It's an honor, Naraku-sempai," Itachi said formally.
His voice was quiet and cautious, and his posture was almost mechanical—a sign of strict and disciplined upbringing.
At only nine years old, Itachi was already a Chunin.There were two faint tear-trough grooves on his cheeks—scars of emotion more than battle.
Naraku observed him closely.
And Itachi, too, silently studied Naraku.
Eventually, the young Uchiha broke the silence.
"Naraku-san… I want to ask—who attacked you yesterday?"
"Ninjas from the Shimura Clan, the Nara Clan, and another from the Aburame Clan," Naraku replied without hesitation.
"Surely Fugaku-sama knows by now that the Root organization was behind the attack," he added, his voice dry.
"I don't understand…" Itachi bit his lip, his expression turning pale.
Even at his age, Itachi was far more perceptive than most adults.
Naraku's tone, his certainty—none of it suggested deceit.There was no hesitation, no evasion.
The attackers hadn't been Cloud spies.
They were Root ninjas.
"Could it be that Danzo acted on his own?" Shisui offered weakly.
Then, trying to preserve the illusion, he added, "Maybe some Root shinobi made the decision themselves…"
Naraku chuckled coldly.
"Shisui," he said, "you can dream, but even dreams should have a limit."
"You know what Root shinobi are. Do you think they make their own choices?"
"They're machines, not men. They follow Danzo's orders without thought or hesitation."
Shisui tried one last theory: "Then maybe Danzo acted independently, without informing the Hokage?"
Naraku tilted his head.
"Then how did the Third Hokage arrive at the battlefield so quickly?" he asked.
Shisui's mouth opened, but no answer came out.
"He knew," Itachi said quietly, his eyes dimming.
"He already knew."
"That's why he rushed to the scene… not to save Naraku-san, but to destroy any evidence. So no one could connect the battle to Root."
"And once that was done, the narrative would be easy: Kumogakure spies were responsible."
The words spoken by Fugaku at the clan meeting yesterday returned to Itachi's mind like puzzle pieces falling into place.
"Hokage claimed a spy tried to kill Naraku-san… but that was a lie."
"His true plan," Itachi continued with clarity that shocked even himself, "was to pretend he came to rescue Naraku—but arrived just a moment too late."
"And with that, he could paint himself as caring and dutiful… while Naraku-san lay dead. Killed by 'foreign spies.'"
"That's how he would cover up his political failure from the previous council meeting."
Shisui flinched.
"Itachi!" he cried. "What are you saying?!"
Even though he knew Itachi was intelligent beyond his years, such a cold, accurate breakdown from a nine-year-old left Shisui shaken.
Clap!
"Excellent," Naraku said calmly, offering a slow, deliberate applause.He smiled.
Itachi had unraveled everything.
Despite his youth, his intuition was razor-sharp.The truth, buried beneath layers of deception, had been drawn out by a child.
"I… I just…" Itachi stammered, sweat now trailing down his back.
Only now did he realize the full weight of his own words.
"These thoughts were already inside you," Naraku said gently. "You just didn't want to believe them."
"No… that's not…" Itachi murmured weakly.
But he couldn't deny it.What he had said was logically flawless.
"But why would the Hokage do this?" he finally asked.
Naraku didn't answer directly.
Instead, he asked a question:
"If the Hidden Cloud demanded your surrender to prevent a war, what would you do?"
"I'd turn myself in," Itachi said instantly.
His voice was firm.He meant it.
Shisui nodded beside him.
They both shared the same ideology: if peace could be achieved through sacrifice, they'd be willing to pay the price themselves.
Naraku smiled slightly.
"But," he continued, "if you were Hokage… and the Hidden Cloud demanded the life of an innocent villager, what would you do?"
"Absolutely not!" they both said in unison.
"There's the problem," Naraku replied with a knowing look.
Itachi clenched his fists.
"If I were Hokage, I'd never hand over someone innocent… Especially not because the Hidden Cloud wants the Byakugan. If we surrendered someone now, it would only encourage more demands. They'd see Konoha as weak."
He paused.
"But still… why would the Hokage—"
Naraku interrupted.
"Because Hiruzen doesn't have the strength—or the courage—to solve this crisis. So he manufactures a convenient solution."
"But… wasn't he always described as the strongest Hokage?" Itachi asked quietly, recalling his textbooks at the Academy.
Naraku's face darkened.
And he said nothing.
Because some truths… are clearer in silence.