Chapter 2: I'll Make You Regret This
Moonlight lay thick as mercury across the Hokage Tower's roofline.
The Third Hokage had been standing at his office window for hours, the embers in his pipe flickering on and off, casting dancing shadows across the deep-lined face beneath his hat.
He gazed into the distant darkness where the Uchiha compound remained deathly silent.
A good sign. Everything proceeding according to plan, no complications.
Yet he couldn't relax, dreading that any moment explosions might erupt and flames pierce the sky.
Behind him in the shadows, ANBU operatives stood motionless as statues, invisible and soundless.
But he knew with a single command, these loyal guards would deploy as reinforcements to suppress any potential rebellion.
The Third released a heavy sigh, his heart filled with helplessness and pain.
This wasn't what I wanted. How did things spiral to this point?
Such a waste. Itachi possessed the qualities of a Hokage. Despite loving Konoha, showing unwavering loyalty, he could now only live as a rogue ninja.
He drew deeply from his pipe, his sorrow deepening.
Time crawled forward. The moon rose gradually from the east, then descended slowly toward the west while Konoha remained peaceful and quiet.
"Sir!"
An ANBU suddenly appeared in a body flicker, kneeling to report: "Hokage-sama, the Uchiha clan has been eliminated."
"Phew..." Everyone simultaneously exhaled in relief. The oppressive atmosphere shattered instantly, and the office mood lightened considerably.
The Third's suspended heart finally settled. He knocked his pipe against his palm with a heavy sigh, frowning as he asked, "You're certain?"
"Well..." The ANBU hesitated before reporting truthfully: "After counting the bodies, except for Uchiha Yasushi's family, all known Uchiha clan members have been confirmed dead."
"However, at Uchiha Yasushi's home, we found blood belonging to four people. Based on blood volume, all four should be dead, but someone removed the bodies."
"Someone took the bodies?" The Third paused, asking strangely, "Did Itachi do it?"
"Currently uncertain. Also..." The ANBU quickly glanced up at the Third. "Uchiha Sasuke is dead too."
"What?" The Third was so shocked his pipe nearly fell from his lips. "Impossible! How could Itachi kill his beloved brother?"
"What's impossible about it?" A dark voice spoke from the doorway. "He's an evil Uchiha too! He murdered his parents and entire clan. What's one more brother?"
The Third turned to see Danzo wrapped in bandages, leaning on his cane with a grim expression as he entered from outside.
Tonight marked the critical moment for eliminating the Uchiha, so naturally he'd been on site to ensure no one escaped. Now he'd returned.
"Hmph!" The Third's eyes blazed as he regarded Danzo, his displeasure growing.
Things needn't have escalated this far with the Uchiha clan. This bastard's constant provocations had led to this outcome.
If not for their long friendship and the continued usefulness of him and Root, the things he'd done warranted execution a thousand times over.
"Sasuke was just a child who knew nothing. Why kill him?"
"Itachi's only concern was his brother. He feared that after leaving, Sasuke would be bullied in the village."
"I personally promised Itachi I'd care for his brother after he left."
"Sasuke was Itachi's bond to the village. Now you've killed him. How can we prevent Itachi from hating you? How can we maintain his loyalty to Konoha?"
"I didn't kill Sasuke!" Danzo shouted with a dark expression.
Facing his old friend's unreasonable accusations, fury filled Danzo's single eye.
"When we arrived, Sasuke was already dead!"
"Itachi clearly did it himself to sever all ties with Konoha, avoiding leaving a weakness in the village!"
"What obsession with his beloved brother?"
"He played us all for fools!"
"He was pretending the whole time to deceive us!"
Realizing he'd thought he was manipulating Itachi when he was actually the one being played, Danzo burned with humiliation, trembling with rage.
"Impossible!" Having long understood Danzo's habitual blame-shifting, the Third grew even angrier seeing this lack of accountability.
He pounded his pipe on the desk, roaring: "Danzo, don't think your iron grip on Root means nobody knows what you've done!"
"I know exactly what kind of person Itachi is!"
"He would never do such a thing!"
"Itachi's loyalty to Konoha is beyond question!"
"Beyond question?" Danzo looked at him with bitter disappointment. "He's an evil Uchiha, unworthy of trust!"
"If truly loyal, he would've left Sasuke as a hostage for the village!"
"If truly loyal, he wouldn't have taken Fugaku's eyes!"
"Those evil eyes evolve most easily under life-or-death stimulus!"
"With the entire clan massacred, Fugaku's eyes likely transformed into the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan!"
"You've seen the village intelligence. You should understand what it means that Itachi took those eyes!"
"Fugaku's eyes?" This new information gave the Third pause. He instinctively looked at the reporting ANBU.
The ANBU smiled bitterly. "I hadn't gotten to report it before Elder Danzo arrived."
The Third fell silent, the political creature within his Hokage role gaining dominance over his thoughts.
He slowly placed his pipe in his mouth, drew deeply, then exhaled gradually.
After a long moment, he finally spoke slowly: "Fugaku's eyes are only a possibility. After all, very few people have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan over the years."
"Moreover, the disappearance of Uchiha Yasushi's family bodies is suspicious."
"Perhaps they didn't die. Someone may have rescued them."
"Issue a bounty. Declare Uchiha Yasushi a rogue ninja. The charge is... murdering his village comrade, Uchiha Sasuke!"
Having worked closely with the Third for years, Danzo understood his methods perfectly. Hearing this, he immediately realized the Third still suspected he'd killed Sasuke, but was framing Yasushi to prevent the exiled Itachi from losing faith.
"Hmph!"
"What we should be doing isn't worrying about some insignificant figure like Uchiha Yasushi, but moving quickly. Before Uchiha Itachi fully integrates Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, we should capture him and retrieve Fugaku's eyes!"
Just imagining possessing a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan himself, and the Wood Release from First Hokage cells balanced by the Mangekyo's Yin Release, made Danzo's body tremble with excitement. He kept urging the Third, trying to persuade him to give the order.
But the Third refused without mercy, shaking his head repeatedly. When Danzo's pestering grew tiresome, he slammed the desk.
"Danzo!"
"I am the Hokage!"
"I forbid you from moving against Uchiha Itachi!"
Seeing his prize about to slip away, Danzo shook with fury.
"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"
He struck his cane forcefully against the floor, turned angrily, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.