Sensing the gravity of the question, Sasuke immediately turned to look at Itachi, his expression even more serious than Kaito's.
Life or death didn't matter to him.
He just wanted to know if his brother loved him the most.The two stood on either side of Itachi, their gazes fixed on him like knives, making Itachi, who wanted to remain impartial, feel a pang of unease.
At the same time, he couldn't help but feel exasperated at Kaito for stirring up trouble so early in the morning.
"Kaito, Sasuke…"
"I just got back from a mission and haven't even had breakfast yet."
"You two haven't eaten either, right?"
Sasuke and Kaito remained silent, their eyes locked on Itachi. The pressure radiating from the two brothers had Itachi Uchiha sweating bullets.
Sasuke's eyes shimmered with anticipation, waiting for his brother to say exactly what he wanted to hear.
Kaito frowned, standing still for a moment before suddenly letting out a light chuckle. Pretending indifference, he turned and walked toward the dining room.
Itachi exhaled in relief. After all, Sasuke was easy to handle—his other brother, however, was a different story.
But just then, Kaito's voice drifted lazily from the direction of the dining room. Though his tone sounded light, the sharpness of his question sent a tremor through Itachi Uchiha.
"Itachi."
"If you had to choose between the village and your clan…"
"What would you do?"
Itachi's gaze sharpened, his hands clenching at his sides before loosening again as he glanced at Sasuke.
He patted Sasuke's head, forcing a strained smile. "Sasuke, go eat first."
"Kaito and I need to talk."
Perhaps sensing the tension, Sasuke didn't throw a tantrum. He looked at Kaito, then at Itachi, and nodded firmly.
"Okay…"
"Don't fight."
For a moment, Sasuke was at a loss. He adored and idolized his older brother, that much was true.
But Kaito was his brother too.
Even if Kaito often teased him, Sasuke knew Kaito genuinely cared for him.
If Kaito and Itachi ended up arguing…
He really didn't know what to do.
"Oh, my foolish little brother~"
"As if Itachi could ever win an argument against me."
Kaito spread his hands and shrugged, his tone oddly playful, instantly provoking Sasuke, who had been glancing back every few steps, into storming off in a huff.
Itachi shook his head with a faint smile. Every time he saw Kaito teasing Sasuke, he never knew what to say.
But still…
His two little brothers were truly adorable.
After Sasuke left, Itachi led Kaito to the study. Once seated, the brothers remained completely silent, neither uttering a single word.
Outside the study, Mikoto and Fugaku pressed their ears against the door, their expressions deadly serious. They barely dared to breathe, afraid their eavesdropping might alert the brothers inside.
Worried about Kaito and Itachi after leaving, Sasuke had hurried to fetch their parents to check on them.
At this moment, Fugaku's emotions were complicated.
Hearing Sasuke's account, he immediately recalled his earlier conversation with Kaito about the clan's situation.
He could clearly see Itachi's stance gradually shifting toward the village.
Though he couldn't fully grasp Kaito's thoughts, it wasn't hard to tell the boy wanted to protect their family.
His stance…
Probably wasn't too different from his own.
The thought of Kaito's recently revealed talent, combined with his alignment, filled Fugaku with immense relief.
But…
Protecting the family… Was that really so easy to achieve?
Mikoto, as a mother, didn't overthink it. Her concerns were similar to Sasuke's—she simply didn't want her sons' bond to suffer over clan matters.
Just as the couple strained to listen, Kaito's astonished voice suddenly rang out from inside the study.
"What!?""One-Seven... Father has 100,000 ryo hidden in the kitchen!?"
Fugaku: !
Outside the door, Fugaku's face instantly darkened. He urgently cast a pleading glance at his wife, opening his mouth to explain.
Simultaneously, he mentally noted this grudge against his eldest son.
Mikoto glanced at her husband, then deliberately turned the back of her head to Fugaku as she walked straight toward the kitchen without looking back.
With this unspoken understanding, the two departed from outside, while inside the study, Itachi pressed his palm to his forehead and heaved a long sigh.
He knew Kaito had done this to make their parents leave.
But...
Did he always have to make Itachi take the blame?
After calming himself slightly, Itachi straightened up and spoke to Kaito with utmost seriousness.
"Kaito."
"It's time we had an open, honest talk."
Worried Kaito might not grasp his meaning, Itachi even added:
"Like... adults would."
Kaito nodded silently, waiting for Itachi to continue.
He too wanted to hear what Itachi wished to discuss.
"Father... he..."
"Told you everything?"
Itachi knelt formally before the tea table, hands on his knees, fists trembling slightly.
Clearly displeased that their father had shared clan matters with his younger brother.
This could endanger Kaito.
Kaito studied Itachi's eyes for a long while—several minutes—before bypassing this topic to bring up Shisui.
"One-Seven, can you promise me one thing?"
"Alright."
Itachi agreed without hesitation, not even asking what it was.
Of course.
If Kaito's request involved helping their father's coup—crossing that line—he would refuse.
"Protect Shisui."
Kaito's gaze turned so sharp even Itachi found it difficult to meet.
From Itachi's earlier reactions when questioned about the village versus the clan, Kaito already knew:
Itachi would still choose the village over stopping their father.
Saving Shisui wouldn't change the ultimate outcome.
But it could buy the Uchiha clan more time, delaying their desperate last stand against the village.
Itachi's brow furrowed as if realizing something, then nodded solemnly.
"I will."
"Kaito..."
"Don't you have anything else to say to me?"
Itachi couldn't understand why Kaito didn't confront him like their father had, making only this simple request.
"I hope you can keep your word."
Propping his chin on one hand, Kaito idly played with a teacup, appearing indifferent to Itachi's response.
He wasn't placing all his hopes on Itachi to save Shisui.
Nor dared he say too much—if he mentioned Danzo might target Shisui, he feared Itachi would report it to the Third Hokage.
That might only hasten Danzo's plans rather than prevent them.
"That's all."
"Honestly don't know how to carry you deadweights."
Kaito shook his head, muttering as he rose to leave the study.
"Kaito, we're still brothers, right?"
Itachi's sudden question didn't make Kaito pause, just as their opposing stances might have been irreconcilable from the start.
"For now."
"The future though..."
"Who can say?"After Kaito left, Itachi sat silently in the study for a long time before packing his things and heading straight for the Hokage's office.
He...
Intended to discuss with the Third Hokage, to see if there might be a gentler way to prevent the worsening relations between the village and their clan.
...