At the same time, in the dark corner at the back of the secret room, Amane and Shisui crouched and watched everything inside.
"Hard to believe, isn't it?"
"We already knew Itachi was a spy, but seeing it with your own eyes would shake anyone."
Amane sighed and patted Shisui's shoulder.
Shisui gave a wry smile, then raised a finger for silence.
They were not far from the council table. Any noise might draw eyes. No one could explain this scene if they were caught.
"Relax. They cannot hear us."
Amane pulled a talisman from his robe. "Advanced Concealment Charm. Breath and sound both sealed."
There was such a thing?
Shisui stared at the plain slip of paper, clearly skeptical.
Reasonable. The charm was a reward from one of Amane's system tasks. People in this world would not know it.
To broaden Shisui's horizon, Amane grinned and suddenly bellowed toward Danzō.
"Danzō!"
"You're f—ing dead!"
The roar was loud enough to pop an eardrum. Shisui nearly clutched his head.
Up front, no one even flinched. They listened to Itachi's report as if nothing had happened.
"For someone so refined, you curse like a pro."
Shisui rolled his eyes, but the tightness in his shoulders eased.
Tail Itachi with maximum vigilance, never be noticed, and keep it up this long. It was not easy. He had trained Itachi himself, and Itachi now had that edge that surpasses the master.
Before he could add more, Itachi finished speaking.
Head low, shoulders heavy, he looked like a man whose heart had died.
Wearing two faces as a double agent, then laying his clan on the table for these men to weigh. The village heads thought they held every string. In Itachi's eyes they were pathetic. They did not grasp how much this public vivisection of the Uchiha hurt him.
"We must strike before they move."
Danzō spoke first, absolute certainty in his face.
Crush the Uchiha. Quick and clean. He had never measured his own weakness. He believed the Uchiha could be snapped like a twig.
Beside him, Hiruzen wore the same gentle mask. He drew on his pipe, narrowed his eyes at Itachi, and said, "The Uchiha were our comrades. I want to solve this through dialogue, not force."
"Danzō, leave the response to me."
Danzō said nothing. Everyone knew he would not obey.
"The Third is still as merciful as ever."
Shisui murmured.
Amane almost laughed aloud.
"You call that mercy and not hypocrisy?"
"Tell me, how long have Uchiha and Konoha crossed blades?"
"Even if we ignore the shadow war before the Nine Tails, it has been six years since Hiruzen returned to the seat."
Amane tilted his head, staring at Shisui.
"You think he truly did not know the Uchiha were seething?"
"Do not be naive."
"He knew. Some of it he even helped along."
"Take the forced relocation of the clan. Without his tacit nod, since when does a mere Root chief have that kind of power?"
"And these six years, did you see him do anything real to cool the Uchiha's anger with dialogue or policy?"
"I did not. I saw him work in step with Danzō."
The words fell like cold water over Shisui's head.
He froze.
Right. The conflict did not start today. The Hokage could not have been blind.
If he knew and still said this, then he did not want a solution.
"Hazy?"
Amane's gaze was sharp. "He is talking for Itachi's ears. If Itachi leans toward the village, this makes him believe the Hokage truly wants peace, not suppression. It wins Itachi's favor, keeps him selling his soul for Konoha."
"You know the man we saw at the old shrine? Who he runs with?"
"The Akatsuki of Amegakure. A mercenary syndicate from the war years."
"Hiruzen wants Itachi's goodwill, then once it is done, brand him a rogue and push him into that group as an undercover blade."
Shisui went slack.
What mind could hold that much calculation?
Third Hokage... was this your true face?
"Come on. Roof. The next act is spicier. See what your former commander really is."
"And for the record, I still do not get how you devoted yourself to Danzō."
Amane hopped on Shisui's back again. One silent leap carried them to the roof.
A little while later, Itachi left the chamber. Danzō stepped into his path.
"What now?"
Shisui asked.
"Easy guess. Itachi has almost made up his mind. A final shove remains."
"For Itachi, that shove is not pride in the clan or any grand cause."
Amane tapped his chest and sighed.
"It is his two younger brothers."
"Danzō knows. He will squeeze."
"Watch."
Below, voices rose.
Danzō wore his death-seeking stare. His tone dripped inducement. "Do not be fooled by the Third's fine words."
"When it matters, he will protect the village without hesitation."
"So choose. Join the coup with your clan, die with your family."
"Or stand with Konoha, and before their revolt, spare only your brothers, then help slaughter the Uchiha."
"To protect the village, we must suppress this before chaos erupts."
"And the only shinobi who can do it is the double agent of Uchiha and Konoha, namely you."
"No one else can."
"Will you accept this mission?"
He said... what?
"Slaughter the Uchiha?"
On the roof, Shisui's mouth hung open. "Lord Danzō... is he insane?"
"Itachi will never agree."
Silence answered him.
Knowing Itachi as he did, Shisui felt the chill. In this fork, Itachi would likely take the latter road.
"Do not freeze. Sense it."
"I want to know if Danzō used Kotoamatsukami on Itachi."
Amane tugged Shisui's sleeve. Murder lit his eyes.
He had never said it aloud.
There was another plan to save the clan and Itachi, a different route entirely.
Now was the moment to choose it.