Chapter 114: The Web of Betrayal
The brief moment of levity was gone, swallowed by the heavy history Ren was about to recount. Sasuke, now free from his bonds, stood silently, his earlier rage replaced by a tense, apprehensive stillness. He was finally listening.
"After the endless fighting," Ren continued, his voice low and steady, "the Senju clan proposed a truce. Our clan, weary of the bloodshed, agreed. The two most powerful clans in the world joined forces. They signed a treaty with the Fire Daimyo, and thus, the system of one village per nation was born. Konohagakure. Other nations soon followed, and for a time, the world knew a fragile peace."
He paused, letting the image of that hopeful beginning settle before shattering it. "But that peace was threatened from within. By a single question: who would lead the new village?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "The Hokage."
"Exactly. As you know, the title went to Senju Hashirama. The Uchiha, once equals, were pushed further and further from the center of power. Madara saw this as a betrayal. He believed the only way to protect the Uchiha was for us to dominate the village. He challenged Hashirama for control."
Ren's expression turned grim. "But the Uchiha clan itself was tired of war. They saw Madara not as a savior, but as a warmonger who would drag them back into conflict. They rejected him. Betrayed by his own people, Madara left Konoha. He became an avenger, and was eventually presumed killed by Hashirama in the battle that created the Valley of the End. And so, Uchiha Madara was erased from history."
He leaned forward, his gaze intense. "But the clan's choice to side with the Senju that day came with a price. A hidden one. The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was wary of us. To 'honor' the Uchiha, he established the Konoha Military Police Force."
A cold, mocking smile played on Ren's lips. "An 'honor'? It was a gilded cage. It gave us authority within the clan district but systematically excluded us from the village's central government. It was a way to keep us under constant surveillance. Some in the clan saw through it—a faction arose, inheriting Madara's will—but it was too late. The Senju's power was cemented. The Uchiha, the glorious co-founders of Konoha, had been reduced to glorified watchdogs."
Sasuke listened, his brow furrowed. The proud history he'd been taught was cracking, revealing a foundation of suspicion and political maneuvering.
"And our fate was sealed by a single event," Ren's voice dropped to a near whisper. "Thirteen years ago. The night the Nine-Tails attacked."
Sasuke's breath hitched. "What does that have to do with us?"
"Who is the only clan in history known to be able to control the Nine-Tails with their ocular power?" Ren asked pointedly. "The village leadership believed the attack was an Uchiha plot. Our clan was immediately placed under even heavier surveillance, our compound relocated to the village's outskirts. We were isolated. Pariahs."
A look of dawning horror and anger spread across Sasuke's face. "So that's why..."
"Only the Third Hokage argued for restraint. But he was overruled by the council and the leader of Root, Danzo. The distrust festered. And that gap of suspicion eventually became a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Uchiha clan, cornered and disenfranchised, began planning a coup d'état to seize control of the village."
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. "A coup? That's... impossible!"
"Is it?" Ren's voice was icy. "When a people are pushed too far, they push back. And Konoha's leadership knew it. They planted a spy within the Uchiha to monitor the conspiracy. That spy was our brother, Itachi."
The color drained from Sasuke's face. "Itachi... was a spy?"
"Hehehe," Ren laughed, a dry, hollow sound. "The gates of hell were now open for him. Our father was one of the coup's leaders. Itachi, as an Anbu captain, was the perfect double agent. But instead of spying on the village for the Uchiha, he was spying on the Uchiha for the village. Can you imagine the burden?"
"Why?" Sasuke whispered, his voice cracking. "Why would he betray his own clan?"
"Because of war," Ren said simply. "Itachi was only four years old during the Third Great Ninja War. He saw death on a scale you and I can't imagine. It made him hate war above all else. He became a man who valued the village's stability over clan loyalty. He believed a Uchiha civil war would tear Konoha apart, plunging the entire ninja world into a Fourth Great War. To prevent that unimaginable bloodshed... he was given a mission. An impossible mission."
Ren looked directly into Sasuke's horrified eyes. "The only way to stop a coup led by the Uchiha was to eliminate the Uchiha. The mission was... the complete annihilation of our clan."
Sasuke staggered back as if struck. His face twisted in agony, a low groan escaping his lips. The world he knew was collapsing.
"I can't imagine what Itachi felt," Ren said, his voice softening for the first time with genuine emotion. "Forced to choose between his family and his village, with the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance. If the Uchiha rebelled, countless would die. Innocents. It would be a catastrophe. So, he made his choice. He chose the path that would save the most lives, even if it meant staining his soul forever." Ren's gaze was unwavering. "Sasuke... if you were in his place, what would you have done?"
Sasuke had no answer. He could only stand there, trembling, as the monstrous, heroic, tragic truth of his brother's actions finally began to sink in.
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