The Root base was a massive underground structure located on the outskirts of Konoha, with its entrance resembling an open-air atrium leading down to a sprawling, circular subterranean cavern.
After evading the guards near the entrance, Uchiha Itachi stealthily moved through the shadows, quickly and carefully dodging personnel along the circular corridors as he descended deeper.
Even within the Root, surveillance equipment and alarm barriers were countless.
Uchiha Itachi pressed himself against the ceiling, quietly observing research personnel, each with a faint pattern tattooed on the inside of their wrists, lining up to enter a passage ahead. Every person had to undergo a specific Chakra detection.
Fortunately, his Earth Release mastery was not too bad. After sinking his entire body into the wall, he slowly melted into the deep darkness.
Even though it was late at night, there were more people working in the base than he had imagined.
However, he wondered if it was just his imagination.
Compared to the information Uchiha Itachi had received in the Anbu, he felt that the security here seemed somewhat sparse.
'Were they dispatched to monitor the Uchiha Clan Compound?'
He thought this, carefully and thoroughly passing by the doors of one secret room after another.
He only stopped abruptly when he saw an unmarked iron door in the distance.
'This must be it.'
Uchiha Itachi quietly gazed at the large door and the Root Ninja hidden by the Invisibility Jutsu on both sides of the entrance, a line of coldness flashing in his scarlet Sharingan.
After an unknown period of waiting, a figure in a white lab coat finally hurried down the corridor towards the door.
Judging by his ID badge, he appeared to be a senior researcher.
Uchiha Itachi's heart leaped, and his figure silently glided past him.
"Clink."
Faintly, the researcher seemed to hear a subtle metallic sound.
He keenly turned his head to look.
He saw a blurred red light flash across the mirror-smooth wall.
The next moment, his body froze instantly.
In just a moment, he resumed his steps as if nothing had happened.
Soon, he arrived at the door of the historical archives.
"Beep."
Under the watchful eyes of the Root Ninja, who remained hidden on both sides of the door, the researcher calmly strode into the archives, raising his wrist to undergo Chakra detection.
There was no abnormality.
However, they did not notice.
Simultaneously with the faint detection sound, the air beside the researcher rippled with an extremely subtle disturbance for a moment.
The door closed.
Upon entering the secret room, Uchiha Itachi first used his Sharingan to quickly inspect the seals and barriers inside, and only after confirming there were only two slightly concealed alarms did he slightly relax.
He immediately revealed himself and began to search for secret intelligence regarding Konoha's dark side at the fastest possible speed.
He focused on investigating the deeds of the Konoha Leadership, the major Ninja Clans, and Konoha's deceased famous Ninja.
As for the researcher controlled by the Sharingan, he stood quietly to the side, with no unusual expressions or movements.
Only the rustling of turning pages remained in the secret room.
However, Uchiha Itachi did not notice.
Almost as soon as the door closed, a shadow hidden along the edge of the door produced a momentary, subtle ripple.
Just as he was fully engrossed in flipping through the documents, memorizing them as quickly as possible.
The sharp blade of a gleaming short sword silently rested against his neck from behind.
It wasn't until the cold touch of metal was about to press against his skin that he suddenly snapped out of his concentration, his body involuntarily tensing.
'Who's there?!'
Uchiha Itachi subconsciously formed a Substitution Jutsu, while turning his head sharply, attempting to control the opponent with his Sharingan.
However, before he could complete the hand seal, the opponent's hand had already gripped his shoulder, and the tip of the blade was already resting at the point where it would soon graze his eyeball.
Their movements suddenly froze.
In just another instant, the blade would have pierced Itachi's pupil.
Until a familiar voice spoke from behind him.
"It's me."
Uchiha Itachi was stunned by the words.
The tall man behind him slowly pulled back the mask on his face, revealing a somewhat stern expression.
It was Uchiha Shisui.
"Shisui-kun?"
"Itachi, what are you doing here?"
Unlike his usual gentle and approachable demeanor like an older brother, Uchiha Shisui's expression was unusually serious, his face taut as he stared at Itachi before him.
Even now, the Ninja blade in his hand showed no sign of lowering.
"I..."
Seeing Shisui's grave expression, Uchiha Itachi subconsciously wanted to explain something.
But very quickly, he suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit today.
At the same time, as if he had connected some dots, his gaze towards Shisui unintentionally carried a hint of distance, and even his tone became somewhat subdued:
"I came to find archives related to Sakumo Hatake."
"Hatake...?"
Uchiha Shisui was subconsciously a little confused, but before he could finish saying the person's name, the identity that name represented suddenly came to mind—and the many unspeakable things that lay behind that name.
Seeing Shisui's hesitant expression, the large stone in Uchiha Itachi's heart finally shattered.
Shisui-kun indeed knew.
Not only did he know, but as an important member of Root, he clearly knew more than Itachi did.
However, he had never told Itachi anything.
After a moment of silence, Shisui's voice changed the subject somewhat stiffly:
"Itachi, do you even know what kind of place this is? If you hadn't met me today, and you were discovered by someone else, how much turmoil would that cause?"
The eldest son of the Uchiha Clan head infiltrating a crucial Konoha base to steal classified intelligence.
Just imagining it made it clear it would be big news.
Uchiha Itachi quietly looked at his distressed expression, and a somewhat bitter smile appeared on his still-youthful face:
"If I didn't come looking myself, Shisui, you probably wouldn't have let me know any of this, would you?"
"The dark side of the Village."
Uchiha Shisui's voice paused, and he pursed his lips in silence for a moment:
"Itachi... it's just not the right time."
"Because I don't have your eyes?"
Uchiha Itachi's tone grew calmer: "Or because my strength is still decent, but I'm still too young to understand so much?"
"You know I don't mean that..."
Uchiha Shisui still wanted to argue, but the place they were currently in, and the lines of scarlet records documented here that Itachi had just reviewed, made his explanation seem incredibly pale.
So, Shisui just looked at him, falling into silence.
Uchiha Shisui admitted that his initial interactions with Itachi-kun indeed had a certain purpose.
Although he wasn't from a Clan Head family like Itachi-kun, he was also from a noble lineage within the Clan, a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, the disciple of the Second Hokage in his younger years. Their branch was the most stable dovish faction within the entire Uchiha Clan.
Having received education from his father and grandfather since childhood, he naturally accepted the idea that the Clan should obey the Village.
After discovering that the eldest son of Clan Head Fugaku possessed exceptionally outstanding Ninja talent, practically assuring him as the next Clan Head, he began to draw close to Itachi, trying to influence his ideals and plan for the future of the Uchiha Clan.
Thus, he became Uchiha Itachi's only and most important friend within the Clan.
During the formation of Uchiha Itachi's worldview, his role as a friend was extremely significant.
However, precisely because he hoped Itachi-kun would lean towards the Village and love Konoha, Shisui naturally had his own bias when exerting influence.
To the extent that he himself didn't even realize this thought had already profoundly influenced him through subtle indoctrination—even the ability of his manifested spiritual eye, Kotoamatsukami, was to distort others' thoughts.
If everything had developed normally, after Itachi-kun's ideology had solidified, many things could, of course, be fully disclosed to him.
But now... After a long while, Shisui spoke in a low voice:
"I'm sorry, Itachi."
Uchiha Itachi stared fixedly at him, then at the Ninja blade he had not yet put away.
Suddenly, he smiled with a sense of relief.
"No."
"I should be the one apologizing."
—So foolish, so naive, yet so easily entrusting complete trust to a stranger.
At this moment, deep within Uchiha Itachi's heart, a certain already crumbling belief finally collapsed entirely.
As for the truth of the things he wanted to know... was there still any need to ask further?
"Anyway, hurry and leave." Listening to his seemingly helpless sigh, Uchiha Shisui didn't dare to look at him any longer, instinctively averting his gaze, "I'll clean up the mess here for you."
"Today, just pretend you were never here."
Uchiha Itachi glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to control the still-standing researcher, leaving through the door again.
It wasn't until he had returned the same way and was far from the Root that Uchiha Itachi finally looked at the gradually brightening sky, his heart suddenly feeling empty.
Throughout the entire Village and Clan, there wasn't a single person he could fully trust.
So, what should he do next?
Uchiha Itachi became increasingly lost.
But as he pondered, the figure of Kakashi-senpai suddenly appeared in his mind.
And... that simple man he had only met once, who seemed enthusiastic, righteous, and had no hidden motives—Sōsuke-senpai.