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The road was quiet again, but Itachi's thoughts were not.
The caravan neared the border to Fire Country proper, and with it, his mission is about to come to an end. Gennosuke Mugen would be escorted safely back to Fire country, and from there, political operatives would take over... smoothing trade contracts, filing diplomatic reports, closing the loop on yet another invisible mission that saved Konoha from quiet disaster.
But Itachi did not feel peace.
His Sharingan no longer burned in his eyes, but a storm brewed behind them. For all his skill, all his training, all the ruthless clarity he had gained from serving under the Third Hokage's shadow... he couldn't shake it.
The rogue Uchiha.
He didn't know who it could be. There were too many. Uncles. Cousins. Former academy students. The Uchiha clan was large, proud, and close-knit... but only in the ways that served themselves. Their pride did not allow transparency. Their eyes all burned red, but they never looked inward.
And Itachi knew better than anyone that a single Uchiha with ambition could be catastrophic. He had been observing the distress in the clan.
His mission was almost over. But his purpose had only sharpened.
He rode in silence beside the last cart. Gennosuke, smugly content with his own survival, had begun to drink more liberally from his flask. The guards were lax now. They believed the danger had passed.
But danger wasn't always blades and ambushes.
Itachi clenched his fists.
Gennosuke had made an unrecorded delivery before departing Konoha... claiming it was a private transaction, covered by diplomatic immunity.
He delivered the weapons. Chakra-reactive. Seal-ready. Compact and deadly. Not to mercenaries. Not to outside forces.
To someone inside Konoha.
Itachi had every reason to believe they went to someone within the Uchiha compound.
And that tore a hole in him.
For a time, he considered confronting Gennosuke again. Interrogating him. Forcing him. But ANBU code was strict. You do not harm the client. You do not betray the mission's frame. And you do not prioritize suspicion over protection.
But...
What if they're already planning it? What if they're already in motion?
What if, while I'm here escorting this man, my clan is preparing for something that could break Konoha apart?
Itachi's hands trembled.
His breath caught in his throat. Rage and sorrow and duty collided.
Even if I have to break the code of a ninja, he thought, I will do everything in my power to save Konoha from any disaster.
He moved that night, when the guards were sleeping and the fires were low.
He found Gennosuke alone near a crate, inspecting one of the ledgers by moonlight.
With a single gesture, Itachi cast a subtle genjutsu... so refined, so efficient, it slipped past Gennosuke's mind like a breeze. His eyes glazed, his body relaxed. He remained standing.
Itachi stood before him, heart steady now.
"Who did you deliver the weapons to in Konoha?"
Gennosuke spoke automatically.
"To the south compound. To an Uchiha. I don't know his name. Young. He came with two others. Told me to speak to no one. Left no record."
Itachi's stomach dropped.
"Describe him."
"Tall. Sharp eyes. Spoke little. Red eyes. Scar on left hand."
Not Shisui. Not Father. Not the elders.
Someone else.
Someone acting in secret.
"What did he say?"
"That these weapons were to protect the Uchiha from betrayal. That Konoha would one day turn on them. That we must be ready."
Itachi stepped back. The genjutsu faded, leaving Gennosuke blinking and unaware.
He bowed politely and returned to his tent. But Itachi could not sleep. He could not breathe.
Why? Why was it always the clan? Why must it be them?
He had spent his life trying to serve both. To find the balance between Konoha and Uchiha. But balance was not something the clan desired. They wanted control. Safety. Dominance.
Or maybe they just wanted to be heard, he thought. And no one ever listened.
The next morning, the caravan rolled through the official Fire Country border. Mission success. He could leave at this point.
But Itachi's heart was in turmoil. He collected every detail from mugen and bring it back to Hokage-sama.
**
He had already made his decision. When he returned to konoha. He would investigate this on his own. Quietly. Precisely. Without emotion.
And if the Uchiha were planning a coup... If they were preparing to ignite a war from inside the Leaf...
Then he would stop them. Even if they were his blood. Even if they were his family. Even if it meant becoming the very weapon they feared.
The stars were cold. He looked towards the direction of konoha.
"I will protect konoha. I will protect my brother"
His eyes flared red. "No matter the cost."
--
All guards were relaxing as the mission was about get completed. Inside the caravan, Gennosuke Mugen was in his world. Legs propped up on his desk, eyes gleaming, lips curled into a lazy smile. The journey had been long, but fruitful... not just in trade, but in unexpected prospects.
"That red-eyed boy... terrifying, no doubt. But also an opportunity," he muttered to himself, twirling a half-full glass of plum wine. "A walking embodiment of Konoha's future. I'm sure he'll put in a good word for me to that scary boss... and when he does, the high-end requests will pour in. The Mugen Company... the sole merchant to handle Uchiha affairs. Heh... the money will flood in."
Greed coursed through him like a slow, rich poison. He could hardly wait to unravel the latest scroll... the secret red-ring scroll that had arrived from that person who received the weapon goods before the journey began from konoha. If this new mission was anything like the last, he would find himself negotiating not just weapons, but the very economy of war.
"Who cares if there's a coup... or a war," he whispered, grinning. "I make money either way."
The caravan reached the gates of the Fire Country with little resistance. Mugen's reputation preceded him. No questions, no checks... his merchant mark was enough.
Itachi, still only ten, sat silently, gaze locked outward. His mind had not known peace from past 2 days.
A rogue Uchiha... planning a coup?
It gnawed at him.
Despite being an ANBU, despite years of accelerated maturity and missions soaked in blood, Itachi was still a boy who believed in peace. The idea of his own clan preparing for rebellion made his stomach twist in knots. He couldn't sleep well during the journey. Not with the weight of Konoha's peace on his small shoulders.
He had broken protocol already. He had used genjutsu on Mugen, violating the code that forbade manipulating clients. But he had to know. He had to. And what he learned broke him further.
The weapons had gone to the Uchiha.
"This way," Mugen said with a fake grin, snapping Itachi out of his thoughts.
They stepped into the Mugen Merchant Company's headquarters, passing through layers of guards, chattering clerks, and import-export ledgers.
Mugen led him into his private office, more lavish than necessary, and unlocked a crimson-stamped drawer.
Itachi's eyes instantly locked on the scroll Mugen pulled out...red-ringed, sealed with a specific wax insignia. Mugen handled it with reverence, like a priest with sacred text.
Itachi tried to hide the tension that spiked through him. Normally, he would have let the matter go... a client's affairs were not his concern. But now, everything was different.
Mugen caught his gaze on the scroll and smiled. "Impressive, right? One of a kind."
"Where is the boss?" Itachi asked flatly.
"Haven't seen him since he gave me that previous red ring scroll. That was... ten days ago. According to the instructions in that scroll, I fulfilled the deliveries during our journey."
Itachi's mind sharpened. He nodded, voice cold but steady. "It is only natural for you to not see the boss. He is... very busy with other arrangements. He sent me to oversee the transactions for a day or two. I came under the guise of the mission."
Mugen blinked. That made sense. He smiled wider.
"Let's read the contents and finalize things," Itachi added. "Better to finish quickly before we attract unnecessary attention."
Mugen unsealed the scroll, laid it on the table. The words were clear:
"In a month's time, deliver the goods to the Moonlit Ridge outskirts of konoha.
1200 crates of high quality Senbon, Tanto swords, Explosive tags. Standard specs. Unmarked crates. We have high hopes for you - G.M.
"
Mugen groaned. "A thousand two hundred? In a month? And they want to go unnoticed? What are they, mad?" But he chuckled, regaining his pride. "Still, they chose me. That means something."
He began rapidly sketching outlines in his ledger: shipment routes, black market sourcing, possible bribes.
Itachi stood frozen.
This much firepower... it's not a rebellion. It's a war.
He kept his expression neutral, though his nails dug into his palms. Every part of him wanted to act. To end Mugen here and now. A clean kunai, a silent step, a severed artery. The coup would stumble. Konoha would be safe.
But he didn't.
Because Mugen was still a registered client of Konoha. Because the Mugen Company provided essential foreign goods to konoha. Because even if he ended this man, another would take his place. Maybe one smarter, quieter, and more loyal to the Uchiha.
This was a battle of shadows, not swords. Itachi's fists trembled beneath his cloak.
Mugen looked up, still scribbling. "I think I'll hire double guards for this one. Don't want to risk bandits. Not with that much product."
Itachi said nothing.
"Tell your boss I'm the man for the job," Mugen added, self-satisfied. "And if he ever needs to move something bigger... you know who to call."
Itachi nodded slowly.
As he left the office, each step felt heavier. The hallway echoed with the sound of paper, pens, greed.
Konoha... Father... Mother... Sasuke...