Ryosuke felt a dull ache of disappointment settle in his chest.
Even after mentioning Izumi—someone Itachi clearly cared about—it still wasn't enough to shake his blind faith?
Itachi's mind was more thoroughly soaked in the Will of Fire than Ryosuke expected. This wasn't simple indoctrination. This was devotion. A zealot's conviction.
For a normal person, the choice was obvious:
Your childhood sweetheart or a village of strangers?
There wasn't even anything to hesitate over.
But Itachi wasn't normal.
Itachi was the type who believed he was born to sacrifice himself—body, feelings, even family—for some grand ideal.
Ryosuke exhaled and shook his head.
He wasn't Naruto.
He didn't have the legendary power of Talk-no-Jutsu.
Even so, he wanted to say one more thing.
"Uchiha Itachi," Ryosuke said quietly, "think about this carefully."
"Is Konoha still Konoha… without the Uchiha?"
Itachi didn't answer.
His eyes narrowed, the faintest shadow of irritation twitching at the corner of his brows.
Ryosuke didn't stay. He was tired—body aching from training, mind drained from a conversation that seemed to lead nowhere. He had only lingered because Itachi appeared… and Ryosuke wanted to save this boy before he drowned in the village's propaganda.
Because if Itachi refused to turn back…
Then on the night of the massacre, Ryosuke would eliminate him.
He was an Uchiha now.
And if Itachi chose the same path as in the original timeline, Ryosuke had no intention of showing mercy.
He turned and walked away.
Behind him, Itachi's expression grew colder.
To Itachi, the answer to Ryosuke's question was simple—obvious, even insulting.
Of course Konoha was still Konoha without the Uchiha.
Konoha wasn't the property of one clan.
It belonged to all who lived there.
Ryosuke's thinking, Itachi concluded, was arrogant and narrow.
"Wherever the leaves dance, the fire burns," Itachi whispered to himself, recalling the words of the First Hokage.
"The fire's light will guide the village… and cause new leaves to sprout."
To Itachi, Hashirama was the ideal shinobi—someone who gave everything to protect the village, even his life.
Itachi wanted to be that kind of hero.
A few minutes later, Izumi returned, carrying her recovered kunai. She paused in surprise at seeing Itachi alone.
"Itachi? Ryosuke-nii already left?"
"He did," Itachi said softly. Then his tone sharpened.
"Izumi… stay away from Uchiha Ryosuke. He's dangerous. I don't want his thoughts influencing you."
Izumi blinked, confused.
Dangerous?
Ryosuke?
"He seems like a good person to me," she said honestly.
Yes, Ryosuke had been colder before, but lately he felt warmer, more approachable. He smiled more. He spoke kindly. Aside from occasionally looking at her too intently, she didn't dislike him at all.
If Itachi didn't exist… she might have liked Ryosuke.
But someone as handsome as Ryosuke wouldn't lack admirers anyway. There was no need for her to worry about him.
Itachi hesitated before speaking again, eyes serious.
"Ryosuke is too self-centered. Too focused on the clan."
Izumi frowned slightly.
Was that… wrong?
To be born a Uchiha meant the clan was your family. If the clan fell, where would they go? Who would protect their children? Clan loyalty meant caring about people like her—Izumi, her mother, their neighbors.
If Ryosuke didn't care about the clan, he wouldn't care about her at all. She and her mother would be left with nothing—not even sympathy.
So she couldn't understand what Itachi was criticizing.
Itachi noticed her confusion and his brows creased.
Had she already been influenced by Ryosuke?
He lowered his voice, speaking slowly.
"As shinobi, we shouldn't place the clan above all. We must put the village first. That is the true responsibility of a ninja."
Izumi nodded politely…
but in truth, she didn't understand at all.
Put the village first?
Why, when the village showed them hostility every day?
Ninjas and civilians alike regarded the Uchiha with suspicion.
Kindness was rare.
Cold glances were common.
To Izumi, Itachi's logic felt upside down.
But because Itachi said it with such seriousness, she simply couldn't bring herself to argue.
Itachi saw the confusion beneath her polite nod and felt a stab of disappointment.
Very few people understood him.
Only Shisui truly shared his ideals.
He sighed, letting the matter rest.
The two resumed training, though the atmosphere had changed. Izumi felt a faint distance between them. Itachi wasn't focused on her anymore—his mind had wandered far away, tangled up in Ryosuke's words.
Ryosuke's question kept echoing in his skull.
Is Konoha still Konoha without the Uchiha?
If the clan's distrust of the village leadership deepened…
If tensions escalated…
If conflict erupted…
If the clan truly rebelled…
Itachi's path was already decided.
He might stand with the village.
He would stand with the village.
The thought chilled him.
The Uchiha were too radical—too obsessed with clan pride.
They were blinded by tradition.
But he was ANBU now.
Protecting Konoha was his duty.
He wouldn't be like the others.
Still… Itachi reassured himself that none of this would come to pass.
The Third Hokage was a compassionate leader.
Surely he would ease tensions and resolve the conflict.
Surely.
Right?
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