Evening.
Leaving the Hokage's office building, Uchiha Itachi, preparing to head home, recalled the Hokage's admonishment in his mind: "Itachi, don't go back openly today. It's best not to let anyone see you, especially not members of the Uchiha Clan."
Uchiha Itachi understood the Hokage's thoughtful considerations, and he felt a slight touch of emotion in his heart.
He could feel an endless amount of malice shrouding him.
But at least, the Hokage trusted him.
Uchiha Itachi followed Sarutobi Hiruzen's advice. He waited until night had completely fallen before returning to the Uchiha Clan.
He returned to his family's doorstep as quietly as possible.
However, the moment he tried to enter, he hesitated.
"Sasuke..."
Uchiha Itachi murmured.
If the entire village was spreading rumors about his "Future Evil," then Sasuke must have heard about it too, right?
How would Sasuke look at him now?
Would he still cling to him as always?
Or would he question him angrily?
Or would he be distant from him?
...
Unable to figure it out, Itachi gave up thinking. He walked into the house, and the first person he saw was his mother.
"...Itachi." Uchiha Mikoto forced a gentle smile, her eyes filled with mixed emotions as she looked at her eldest son. She said in a low voice, "Dinner is ready for tonight."
Uchiha Itachi walked into the house in silence, until he saw Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Sasuke sitting at the dining table.
He keenly noticed that Sasuke's eyes were a little red.
Uchiha Itachi's heart immediately clenched.
"Let's eat." Fugaku broke the silence with a dull tone, without any interest to say "I will start" first. He didn't even look at Itachi when he walked in.
Sasuke, however, couldn't eat anything.
He looked at Itachi blankly, his voice carrying a hint of hope and pleading, "Brother, that's all fake... right? Something like that couldn't happen... right?"
Uchiha Itachi sighed in his heart. Looking at Sasuke's expression, which was on the verge of tears, Uchiha Itachi's gaze gradually shifted from initial hesitation and heartache to firm resolve.
"It's true."
He said expressionlessly, "If someone wants to destroy Konoha's peace, then such things will inevitably happen."
Uchiha Mikoto paused.
Fugaku's chopsticks stopped.
Sasuke froze on the spot.
"Why... we... we're a family! Father, Mother... they aren't bad people, they're family..." Sasuke tightly gripped the hem of his clothes, his voice trembling with choked sobs as he broke the new silence.
Uchiha Itachi gazed at his younger brother, gradually realizing that with Sasuke's overly dependent and weak mindset, he would not be able to grow into an excellent ninja in the future.
Since his future self spared Sasuke alone during the process of killing the entire Uchiha Clan.
It meant that his future self wanted Sasuke to inherit his will to protect Konoha.
But Sasuke's current capacity seemed too weak, too cowardly in Uchiha Itachi's eyes.
Uchiha Itachi stifled his softheartedness, his voice icy as he spoke word by word, "Sasuke, you don't truly know me."
Sasuke's eyes widened, his face filled with confusion.
"I don't have the concept of family in my heart. I have things I must do. No matter who tries to stop me, I will kill them in the end." Uchiha Itachi, who had just sat down, stood up again.
He turned and left without looking back, adding a few final words: "Once that time comes, you will be no exception, Sasuke. Because the future will change according to my will. I won't be like what Uchiha Chisen said, 'leaving you alone'."
"Sasuke, you are too cowardly. You are just a tagalong who has always stuck by my side, clinging to me all day. Your pitifully weak capacity offers no possibility of stopping me."
"Foolish little brother, live through this last year of your life with this fear and unease."
"In a year, I will..."
— Slap!!!
Uchiha Itachi couldn't finish the last two words because Uchiha Mikoto had decisively slapped him across the face.
The force of the slap was light, much lighter than Izumi's slap.
"Itachi, take back everything you said... and apologize to Sasuke."
Uchiha Mikoto gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes. Her vision was blurred. Her own flesh and blood, at this moment, seemed incredibly unfamiliar to her.
Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath. He didn't apologize but said slowly, "Father knows why I made that choice. Mother, although you don't understand me now, when that time comes... you will definitely understand me."
Sasuke stared blankly at everything that was happening.
Only after seeing his brother's back disappear into the darkness outside, and under the impact of countless negative emotions, did Sasuke's small head feel dizzy and disoriented.
Before his consciousness faded, he faintly heard his mother call his name in a bit of panic.
Then he lost consciousness and fainted.
...
Meanwhile.
Root Base.
Danzō received bad news from a Root ninja—none of the subordinates he sent out today to guide the negative public opinion against Uchiha Itachi had returned!
He had dispatched eight Anbu ninjas, with the weakest being elite Chunin level, and several Special Jonin among them.
Moreover, the mission they were given wasn't particularly dangerous.
And yet, they had all disappeared without a trace, silently?
Danzō's expression turned grim as he furrowed his brows tightly.
The smug satisfaction of secretly smearing the Uchiha Clan was completely gone. He gritted his teeth and ordered his subordinate, "Why aren't you investigating quickly? Bring them all back to me!"
"Yes, Lord Danzō!"
"Wait!" Just then, Danzō stopped his subordinate because he thought of a possibility.
This made his expression even more grim.
Danzō's forehead veins twitched, and he gritted out word by word through his teeth: "Go directly to the Yamanaka Clan to investigate!"
The Root ninja was stunned: "The Yamanaka Clan..."
Danzō gritted his teeth fiercely and said, "I suspect this matter is inseparable from that inherently evil Uchiha brat! Since that brat has the power to see through the evil of the past and future, my subordinates are probably nowhere to hide in his eyes. No matter how meticulous the disguise, he can see through it at a glance."
Danzō strongly suspected that the eight missing Root ninjas had become eight corpses!
According to the killing habits of that evil Uchiha brat.
Anyone killed by him would definitely be handed over to the Yamanaka Clan.
This was because Uchiha Chisen, most of the time, didn't bother with interrogation procedures and directly executed those he deemed evil.
And for the Konoha Military Police Force to find evidence of the deceased's crimes, they could only rely on the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques.
...
Danzō guessed correctly.
Inside the Yamanaka Clan's compound, Yamanaka Inoichi looked at the eight corpses lying on the ground, covered with white cloths, with a headache.
"Sigh..."
He sighed heavily, feeling like he would be forced to learn many secrets he didn't want to know tonight.
Yamanaka Inoichi also didn't know what was going on.
Ever since Uchiha Chisen carried out his [Absolute Justice] in Konoha, the Yamanaka Clan had actually become the ninja clan with the best relationship with the Uchiha Clan.
Even if it was just business dealings at most, and they were only acquaintances on weekdays.
It was still much better than the relationship other ninja clans had with the Uchiha.
-----------
Machine Translation by: beta.randomtranslator.com
Read 1400+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: www.randomtranslator.com