Watching Shisui leave, Itachi's emotions fluctuated. He sighed deeply, gazing at the distant mountains and forests.
Brother Shisui's eyes were the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, capable of rewriting the will of others.
If peace between the clan and the village could truly be achieved, Itachi had no objection to Shisui using it on his father.
However, the problem was not a single Uchiha harboring malice toward the village and its higher-ups—it was the entire clan. Due to declining待遇 and blatant discrimination, the clan as a whole had grown to hate Konoha's leadership.
Even if his father's will were altered, the rest of the clan would eventually rekindle their hostility toward the higher-ups.
This was nearly an unsolvable problem—unless the clan was willing to give up control of the Konoha Military Police Force and abandon its obsession with producing a Hokage. And that? Completely impossible.
Brother Shisui was simply too idealistic, imagining that the clan and the village could coexist in perfect harmony.
But Itachi was different. He had witnessed the conflicts between ninja villages firsthand. After seeing the darkness of the shinobi world, he abandoned unrealistic fantasies and chose instead to protect the light hidden within the darkness.
Leaving the cliff behind, Itachi set off toward Root, prepared to match wits and nerve with Shimura Danzō, the leader of the organization.
After traveling for some time, Itachi suddenly stopped. He looked toward a large tree not far away, where faint ripples appeared in the air.
Immediately after, a figure wearing a tiger-striped mask slowly emerged from the vortex, standing atop the tree and silently observing Itachi Uchiha—like someone admiring a particularly impressive work of art.
Itachi instantly went on guard, his gaze locking onto the masked man.
This man had once killed his teammate during a mission to protect the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, forcing Itachi to experience loss—and awakening his Sharingan.
There were not many shinobi bold enough to assassinate a daimyō, but what troubled Itachi more was the Sharingan hidden beneath the mask.
If that eye had not been stolen, then—like him—the masked man carried Uchiha blood.
But why had the masked man done this? Why help him awaken the Sharingan? Why appear near the village now? Was he planning to attack the Third Hokage?
Countless questions flooded Itachi's mind.
Unfortunately, the masked man had no intention of answering any of them. His figure vanished back into the vortex without a word.
This only made the masked man's motives even harder to read.
...
After Itachi left, the masked man emerged once more from the vortex, watching Itachi's retreating figure with an unreadable expression.
At that moment, a strange figure split between two Nepenthes-like leaves rose from the ground and looked up at him.
"Obito, did you come to Konoha this time just for that Uchiha brat?"
The masked man shook his head. "I didn't come for him. Still, his growth rate is… unexpected. He's only twelve, yet he detected my presence. Even when I let him go, he never lost track of me."
Zetsu rose fully from the ground, grinning. "Isn't that thanks to you? You killed his teammate to help him awaken the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. But it seems he later joined ANBU—and got mixed up with Shisui of the Body Flicker."
"Shisui?!"
At the mention of that name, Obito froze briefly, then his gaze turned deep and heavy.
Over the years, he had heard of the prodigy whose mere glance could force elite shinobi to retreat. Obito harbored a deep, instinctive fear toward this clansman of the same generation.
He even suspected that Shisui's dōjutsu had surpassed the Three-Tomoe limit and evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It was precisely because of this unknown and terrifying ocular power that Obito had reduced his appearances near Konoha and slowed his plans to weaken the village.
Yet according to Zetsu's intelligence, Konoha showed signs of internal conflict even without his interference.
It had to be said—Konoha was strangely talented when it came to tearing itself apart.
Pulling his thoughts back, Obito said, "That's enough. We've seen what we needed to see. It's time to return and report to Nagato. Today isn't a good day to attack Konoha."
"Why? Afraid?" Zetsu chuckled. "That doesn't sound like you."
Obito glanced sideways and replied coldly, "It's not fear. There's no one in Konoha who can defeat me."
"But if my appearance forces the Uchiha and the village to temporarily set aside their grudges, then there will be no civil war."
"Weakening Konoha to prepare for future Tailed Beast collection—that is our goal."
"I didn't expect you to be so cold toward the village—and the clan—that gave birth to you."
Obito snorted. "Black Zetsu, you're one to talk. You betrayed the village and unleashed the Nine-Tails on Konoha, causing our descendants to suffer discrimination for decades."
Black Zetsu, who claimed to be the embodiment of Madara's will, realized he had misspoken and chose silence instead.
Casting one last glance at Konoha's nightscape, Obito's eyes briefly softened with nostalgia—before freezing over once more.
"This boring world has nothing worth remembering," he said coldly. "I will create a world where Rin exists."
...
On the other side, Fugaku Uchiha left Naka Shrine and walked the streets alone.
The small meeting had discussed plans for a coup against Konoha's higher-ups. Whether the coup would be launched was uncertain—but preparing for it was absolutely necessary. This was the final option left to the Uchiha clan.
To seize, by force, what the Uchiha should have had all along.
There was no other reason—the village leadership had been far too stingy toward the Uchiha.
Whether by historical contribution or clan strength, the Uchiha deserved more benefits. Yet most of those benefits had been taken by the Senju-related factions, leaving the Uchiha with nothing but the thankless task of policing.
If this continued, discrimination would only deepen—and a Hokage from the Uchiha clan would never appear.
Soon, Fugaku returned home. Under his wife's care, he glanced toward Sasuke and Itachi's rooms, frowned, and asked, "Mikoto, where is Itachi?"
Mikoto gently stroked Sasuke's head. "He's on a mission."
Fugaku snorted coldly. "No, he's not. He went to leak information to Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō. He always prioritizes the village and never remembers that he's an Uchiha."
"The Uchiha are also part of the village," Mikoto replied softly. "Though… Itachi does lean a bit toward outsiders."
Hearing this, Fugaku's expression softened slightly. He then asked, "Is Sasuke asleep? He's doing well—he's even befriended the Jinchūriki. Though his talent isn't equal to Itachi's, at least he's loyal to the clan."
Mikoto nodded, then looked at Fugaku with mild reproach. "Sasuke is still a child. Loyalty and betrayal shouldn't be his concern. And Naruto is Kushina's child—he has a name."
"Does anyone in the village even know he's Minato's son?"
Fugaku scoffed. "Still, I support Sasuke befriending him. After Sasuke wakes up, tell him to invite Naruto to the clan sometime. The Uchiha will welcome him."
"Welcome him?" Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "You want to use the Nine-Tails to increase your bargaining chips."
Fugaku glanced at her and said in a low voice, "Sarutobi Hiruzen has been deceiving him—using the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki to stabilize his Hokage position. Naruto is nothing more than a pawn whose environment was changed."
"If I become Hokage," Fugaku said coldly, "I will at least tell Naruto the truth—that he is the son of the Fourth Hokage."
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