Night fell heavily over the Forest of Death.
A thin mist curled around the trees, and the sound of a small river murmured in the darkness as Uchiha Itachi stepped into the meeting place. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun slowly, searching for even the faintest movement.
A sudden flare of light broke the silence.
From the depths of the forest Hyuga Neji appeared, a torch in hand. The pale glow painted his face in gold and shadow. He halted ten meters away, his Tenseigan blazing an eerie blue.
"Itachi," Neji said quietly, "you finally came."
"I came for answers," Itachi replied, his eyes never leaving Neji's. "What will become of the Uchiha?"
Neji paused, then spoke with deliberate calm. "If your death could save the Uchiha, would you give your life?"
A cold premonition tightened in Itachi's chest. "Don't tell me," he said, voice sharp, "that you called me here to kill me."
Neji nodded once. "If you hadn't come, I would have found another way. But I was right—you came."
Itachi's breath hitched. "Why?"
"Because your death will unite your clan. Fugaku will finally abandon his illusions about the village and lead a coup. When the Uchiha move, the Hidden Cloud will have its chance."
Neji's voice was devoid of emotion. The clarity of the scheme chilled Itachi more than any threat.
In an instant, the truth struck him. Neji had never entered Konoha merely for the Chunin Exams. His purpose was to fracture the fragile peace between the Uchiha and the village, to drive them toward rebellion and leave Konoha weak for the Cloud to destroy.
Before he could speak, a low female voice carried through the trees.
"You said enough, Neji."
A tall figure stepped from the darkness—a woman with a long ponytail and the fierce eyes of a hunter. Yugito, the Two-Tails jinchūriki, dragged a limp body behind her. The corpse wore a leopard-masked Anbu or Root helmet.
Itachi's heart sank. If he died here beside a dead Root operative, the delicate balance between the Uchiha and Konoha would explode into chaos. War would be inevitable.
Alone, he might have escaped. Against both Neji and a jinchūriki, there was no path out.
"No," Itachi whispered to himself. "I can't die here. I have to stop them."
He spun and sprinted for the river path.
Yugito moved like lightning, killing intent flashing in her eyes. The forest erupted with the shriek of metal and the hiss of cutting wind. Kunai sliced through the night, their whistle like ghostly cries.
Two kunai arced toward the back of Neji's head.
His Tenseigan flared with bright blue light. The blades froze in midair as if caught by invisible hands, then clattered harmlessly to the ground.
---
The battle that followed rattled the forest.
Moonlight pierced the canopy in shards of silver as Neji, hands clasped calmly behind him, stepped into the fight.
When silence finally returned, only the cold wind whispered through the branches.
By dawn, a Konoha patrol found Uchiha Itachi's corpse.
A kunai pierced his skull; blood streaked from empty sockets where his eyes had been torn away. Nearby lay the body of the masked ninja.
The gruesome sight sent a chill through every member of the patrol.
---
News of Itachi's death hit the Uchiha compound like a thunderclap.
Uchiha Fugaku stormed into the Hokage's office with the full Military Police Force behind him. His crimson Sharingan burned.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi," he said coldly, refusing any honorific. "Explain this."
The Third Hokage removed his hat and met Fugaku's gaze without flinching. "The masked ninja found with Itachi was indeed a member of Root," Hiruzen said. "But listen to me—if Root had planned this, they would never have left a body behind. Someone is trying to frame them."
Even as he spoke, Hiruzen's presence—stooped with age but straight as a pine—made the room tense.
Fugaku's voice cut through like steel. "Or perhaps Root wished to deceive us, leaving the corpse as a false trail. Only days ago, Uchiha Tekka vanished on patrol. And now Itachi is dead. Tell me, Hokage, who else within the village could kill a prodigy of his strength? Who else dares?"
Silence weighed heavy.
Could Danzo be behind it?
The thought flickered through Hiruzen's mind, but he dismissed it. Even Danzo would not risk a catastrophe that could destroy the village.
Before Hiruzen could answer, a young voice broke in.
"Hokage-sama."
Uchiha Shisui stepped forward, eyes hard. "Whatever the explanation, Itachi's death is a failure of the village."
Hiruzen studied Shisui, the loyal prodigy who had always carried the Will of Fire. If even he questioned the Hokage, the clan's anger was deeper than anyone feared.
"Shisui," Hiruzen said carefully, "less than twelve hours have passed. Investigate the scene yourself. If a Root ninja is guilty, I swear the punishment will be absolute."
Shisui inclined his head slightly and left.
---
The Forest of Death was eerily quiet when Shisui arrived.
Caution tape fluttered around the crime scene.
He examined the ground: a charred tree, scattered kunai and shuriken, and a dark, frozen pool of blood. No sign of a struggle.
Itachi, strong enough to match an elite jonin, had barely resisted.
His death meant the attacker was of Kage level.
Shisui's crimson Mangekyō Sharingan spun as he inspected every inch. Something glimmered beneath the dried blood—a small stone with faint scratches. He pried it free and found a circle drawn in blood, marked by a tiny tomoe on the right side.
"A single Sharingan," he murmured. "Right eye."
Not Kakashi. His Sharingan was in the left.
"Danzo?" The name formed like ice in his mind.
Danzo's right eye had been blind for years—perfect for an implanted Sharingan.
Shisui's heart pounded. "If that's true, Danzo is the killer."
He clenched his fist. Itachi, your death won't be in vain.
---
Back at the Hokage's office, Hiruzen faced Danzo Shimura with Fugaku present.
"Danzo," Hiruzen said evenly, "a Root corpse was found at the scene. Explain."
Danzo scowled. "You suspect me? This is a setup. Root has protected the village from the shadows for years, making many enemies. Someone is using the Uchiha to strike at me."
Though he despised the clan, even Danzo knew that killing Itachi now would ignite a war the village could not bear.
Hiruzen considered the point but said nothing.
The door burst open.
Shisui strode in, eyes blazing.
"Shisui," Fugaku said urgently, "what did you find?"
"The killer is tied to Root," Shisui said flatly.
Relief softened Hiruzen's face for a heartbeat. Fugaku's Sharingan brightened with restrained fury.
"I told you," Danzo began with a sneer—but the words died as Shisui vanished and reappeared before him, faster than the eye could follow. His hand shot toward Danzo's bandaged right eye.
None of them—not even Danzo—had time to react.
Danzo grabbed Shisui's wrist and roared, "Uchiha Shisui, do you mean to rebel?!"
But the world around Danzo warped.
A split second of genjutsu disoriented him—and in that instant Shisui's strike landed. Pain lanced through Danzo's face as Shisui ripped away the bandage and plucked free the blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan hidden beneath.
"You—!" Danzo staggered back, clutching the bleeding socket.
Gasps filled the room.
Fugaku's own eyes shifted, three tomoe swirling into the pinwheel of the Mangekyō Sharingan. He had kept this secret even from his clan.
"Fugaku, calm yourself," Hiruzen warned, chakra flaring. "We will handle this."
Shisui's voice cut through the tension, cold as a blade. "This is the Uchiha clan's Sharingan. Hokage-sama, do you know where Danzo stole it?"
He dropped the blood-stained stone onto the desk with a sharp crack.
"Hokage-sama," he said, eyes burning, "Danzo Shimura murdered Uchiha Itachi. What will you do about it?"
---
The room fell into stunned silence, the weight of accusation hanging heavier than the dawn mist outside.
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