It wasn't until he returned home that the ease of the party gradually faded, and the pressure of reality slowly settled back on his shoulders. Uchiha Itachi once again displayed his heavy-hearted demeanor.
His mind was filled with the complex expressions of Sōsuke-senpai and Kakashi-senpai, who seemed to have something to say but remained silent.
What exactly happened to Kakashi-senpai in the past?
And whose subordinate was the 'mouthpiece' Sōsuke-senpai mentioned?
Uchiha Itachi suddenly realized that this Village he was familiar with might be far more unfamiliar than he had imagined.
However, neither his father, his mother, nor Shisui had ever told him before.
The problems laid before him, the ones he was allowed to know, seemed to be only the superficial layer—the Clan and the Village.
This made him feel a mix of anger and confusion.
It turned out that he, who thought he was already a qualified 'adult,' was still an immature child in the eyes of those true adults.
Twelve-year-old Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but clench his fists.
Just as he was standing silently in the entryway, a thumping sound suddenly came from the upstairs corridor.
"Onii-chan!"
He had just looked up when he saw Sasuke peeking his small head out from the top of the stairs, looking at him with a delighted expression, then quickly running down the stairs and crashing into his arms.
Uchiha Itachi was startled at first, then instinctively changed his somewhat heavy expression to his habitual gentle smile:
"Sasuke, why are you still awake so late?"
Little Sasuke pouted, burrowed into his arms twice in dissatisfaction, and mumbled, "Mom and Dad said you should be back today, but you weren't home even by dinner time…"
"So you were waiting for me?"
Uchiha Itachi smiled gently, instinctively mimicking Sōsuke-senpai's gesture, and ruffled his small head: "I'm sorry, I made you worry."
Little Sasuke pouted again, somewhat displeased with the gesture meant to appease a child: "I wasn't worried. Onii-chan is so strong, a mere mission is definitely no problem… It's just, you promised me that we would train together when you came back!"
"Sorry, sorry…"
Uchiha Itachi apologized repeatedly, his heart feeling a little warm.
Even if it was just to protect Sasuke's peaceful life, he had to work even harder.
The two brothers mumbled in the entryway for a while. Uchiha Mikoto also heard the noise and pushed open the door from her room. Seeing Itachi, a gentle smile appeared on her beautiful face:
"Itachi, you're back."
"Have you had dinner? There's still food in the kitchen; would you like me to warm it up for you?"
"I already ate with friends, Mom."
Compared to his gentleness with Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi's expression was noticeably more reserved when responding to his mother.
Uchiha Mikoto was a little surprised: "Did Shisui-kun also participate in your mission this time?"
In her impression, Itachi seemed to have only one friend.
"Uh, it was other senpai."
Perhaps sensing his mother's implied meaning, Uchiha Itachi felt a subtle awkwardness for a moment.
Mikoto looked at his strange expression, then suddenly smiled, saying with a hint of relief: "Did you make other friends? You should get along well with everyone."
"Yes."
This child Itachi, whether in talent or ability, had never caused her, as a mother, to worry from a young age. Only in terms of social interaction was he too withdrawn and liked to think alone, always making people worry that he might go down a dead end.
Especially in the current situation, the pressure on that child was also growing.
But now it seemed that Itachi-kun was also slowly beginning to grow.
Mikoto felt a little reassured.
However, she had no kind words for little Sasuke, who was still awake. Mikoto immediately put on a stern face:
"Sasuke, if you're late for school tomorrow, Mom won't wake you up."
"Eh—?"
Listening to the sounds from behind him, a faint smile appeared on Itachi's face.
However, as he entered the living room and saw his father sitting at the table, his expression gradually became more reserved, turning somewhat serious.
Uchiha Fugaku, holding a teacup, turned to look at him: "Has the matter with Orochimaru been handled?"
"What was the outcome?"
"Yes, Father."
Uchiha Itachi knelt opposite the table and calmly said: "Based on the existing clues, even if the Third Hokage can suppress it for a while longer, once Orochimaru appears elsewhere next time, he will likely be branded a rogue Ninja."
"From the experimental traces, only he could have delved into Wood Release to that extent."
"Wood Release, huh…"
Repeating the term, Uchiha Fugaku's gaze drifted, as if recalling the ancient texts he had read back then.
The true power of the God of Ninja.
Even their strongest ancestor could not contend with it.
What kind of sight must that have been?
Besides that, would the rogue Orochimaru also represent some potential aid for their Clan?
However, this thought only lingered in his mind for a moment before he dismissed it.
The Uchiha Clan already had enough troubles to face.
He looked at his eldest son sitting before him, his gaze carrying a hint of inquiry: "What? Are there any other questions?"
Uchiha Itachi hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice: "Father, I wish to inquire about Kakashi Hatake-senpai, or rather, some information related to him."
"Has a situation like the one the Uchiha Clan is currently facing ever occurred to others in the Village?"
"And who exactly is the person hidden behind the scenes…?"
Uchiha Fugaku was startled by the words, his gaze lingering on his eldest son for a moment before he let out a low sigh, as if shedding some burden:
"How did you know?"
"…"
Uchiha Itachi did not answer, merely looked at him quietly.
After a long while, Fugaku waved his hand: "Go find it in the Clan's secret library. That was nearly twenty years ago… It happened to Kakashi's father. His name was Sakumo Hatake."
"Thank you for your guidance, Father."
Fugaku did not reply, rising and leaving the room.
However, before pushing the door open to leave, his gaze lingered on Itachi's back for a moment.
Were these matters perhaps still too early for this complex yet simple child?
Fugaku couldn't find an answer... Itachi had always been a highly efficient person, and his dual identity as the Clan Head's son and the Clan's genius granted him almost limitless authority within this small area of the Clan.
With almost no inspection, he entered the Clan's secret library as usual.
However, unlike previous times when he came to search for Ninjutsu information and various inherited knowledge, this time, he walked directly to the historical records section as soon as he entered.
Based on Sakumo Hatake's death date and past life, he easily found files from the archives. After moving them to a small table, he quietly began to read.
He read for the entire night.
It wasn't until dawn broke outside the window that Uchiha Itachi, his eyes slightly red, finally slowly lifted his head.
Just one night, yet it gave him a sense of dislocation, as if his worldview had been completely overturned.
The information recorded in the Clan's secret library was not like the publicly available historical documents in the Hokage's Office Building, which avoided various parties and were unclear in their wording.
From Sakumo Hatake's numerous achievements in the Second Ninja World War, to his reputation gradually reaching its peak, being tacitly acknowledged by everyone in the Village as the best candidate for the Fourth Hokage, even surpassing the young Sannin of that time, then to a sudden mission failure, the joint pushing of various forces behind the scenes... The Third Hokage, Danzo Shimura, the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuga Clan, Ino–Shika–Chō, the Land of Fire Daimyo, and even the spy propaganda from enemy Ninja Villages.
In Itachi's eyes, Konoha, which had originally appeared harmonious except for the anomaly of the Uchiha Clan, had its superficial disguise easily torn away in this document.
Everything was laid bare before him in an almost cruel manner.
However, this document also clearly stated that initially, all parties were merely acting for their own purposes, to remove him from the Hokage candidacy, and had no real intention of harming him.
No matter what, he was still one of Konoha Village's leading figures.
However, at the end of this political turmoil, Sakumo Hatake, whose gentle and amiable character could be discerned from between the lines, brought an end to the chaos with an extremely resolute choice.
Self-termination.
Reading to the end, Uchiha Itachi's fingertips pressed on the somewhat messy handwriting at the end of the document, as if he could feel the disbelief of the recorder when writing that part.
Similarly, his fingertips were also subtly trembling.
"This is…"
"The truth?"
Uchiha Itachi's pupils seemed to solidify, subtly dilating.
Even after such a tragic event, where loved ones suffered and enemies rejoiced, Konoha still chose to treat the Uchiha Clan with its current attitude?
Then what outcome did they desire this time?