Uchiha Itachi was wearing an Akatsuki robe, his legs crossed, his right hand grasping the left hand that stretched out from the collar of th
Uchiha Itachi was wearing an Akatsuki robe, his legs crossed, his right hand grasping the left hand that stretched out from the collar of the Akatsuki robe, and he sat on a stone chair with his eyes closed, looking relaxed and peaceful.
A sound of footsteps came, and Itachi slowly opened his eyes. "My foolish Otōto. How far can you see with those Sharingan?"
"Sorry, you've got the wrong person. I'm not your foolish Otōto."
The footsteps approached, and a figure wearing the same red cloud black robe walked out of the darkness. It was Fujiwara Kirito.
"It's you?" Itachi's pupils shrank, and his calm expression shifted. He stood up and adjusted his robe. "Where is Sasuke?"
"Don't look at me like that. Whether it's you, Sasuke, or anyone else, if I want to kill, no one walks away alive." Kirito said.
"Anyone?" Itachi noted his tone, realizing he didn't even consider Pain or Obito a threat.
"Yes. Anyone," Kirito replied calmly.
"So, are you here for our brotherly showdown?" Itachi asked.
"Yes and no. To be exact, someone wants to see you before you die. I just brought her here." Kirito turned his head to the entrance of the passage. "Come in, Mikoto-san, Chika."
As his words fell, two figures, one tall and one small, walked slowly out of the darkness, holding hands. Their similar beautiful features revealed them as Mikoto and Chika.
"Mother."
Though Itachi was almost blind, he recognized her by silhouette and chakra. The cold facade on his face melted away. Words caught in his throat, he stood speechless.
"Itachi..."
Seeing her eldest son after so long, Mikoto's eyes welled with tears. She let go of Chika's hand and was about to step forward, but Kirito stopped her. "The current Itachi doesn't see you as his real mother. He might think this is a genjutsu."
"If you get too close, I might kill him before he realizes."
Sure enough, just as Kirito finished, Itachi's expression turned cold again. "What's going on?"
"What else?" Kirito shrugged. "Just like the night of the massacre—when you thought you killed me and Izumi, you only killed crows. After I took care of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, I visited your father."
"Fugaku saw I was alive—and that I killed Sarutobi and Shimura. So he begged me to protect your mother and younger brother in exchange for his bloodline. He even asked me to spare you, knowing you'd come for me one day."
Itachi fell into silence, Kirito's words making too much sense.
With Kirito's thirst for vengeance, sparing him was unthinkable—unless...
Itachi shifted his gaze to Chika. Kirito continued, "Yes, she's your sister. Fujiwara Chika. Half-sister. Your father left your mother in my care."
He wrapped an arm around Mikoto and stroked Chika's head. "Remember how I teased Sasuke to call me 'Dad'? Well, I can be your father too. Step-father, that is."
"Fugaku's last wish was to revive the Uchiha. He might have known I liked your mother long ago. So before dying, he wrote a divorce letter."
"And maybe because I lost my mother early, I've always been drawn to mature, capable women like Mikoto."
"And your mother—who lost her husband, her clan, and can no longer see her youngest son—needed support too. We fell for each other naturally. And the red envelope I gave you... wasn't from Izumi's child. It was Chika—our daughter."
"If you think about it, Izumi was too young then to have a child. It wouldn't have made sense."
Kirito stroked his chin with satisfaction. Being a filial son's dad really hit different.
"Mother... is this true? Did he force you?"
Itachi didn't want to believe the man who ruined everything had touched his mother.
Mikoto hesitated, but finally nodded, tears rolling down. "No. Kirito has been good to Chika and me. You can rest assured."
"I see... that's good." Itachi unexpectedly relaxed. As someone who had wronged his mother deeply, he had no right to interfere with her life anymore.
Besides, Kirito's devotion to family was evident.
Letting his mother and sister live under Kirito's protection might be the safest future for them.
Bowing his head respectfully, Itachi said, "Kirito, I leave my mother, Sasuke, and... sister in your care."
Kirito raised an eyebrow. "Wow, the sun must be rising from the west. You bowed. But still not calling me 'father'?"
Itachi's face twitched. But swallowing his pride, he lowered his head and muttered, "Father..."
"That's more like it. Don't worry—these are my wife and daughter. Who else would I protect if not them?" Kirito smiled and patted Chika's head. "Right, Chika?"
"Yup!" Chika replied without hesitation, cheerful as ever.
"Alright. Sasuke will arrive soon. Your time is short. I've already hit the Yin-Yang escape clone hiding nearby with a genjutsu—they can't see me, Mikoto, or Chika. As for Sasuke, I'll intercept him for a bit."
Kirito turned his back to Itachi and added coldly, "You've got half a stick of incense to talk. This is for Mikoto and Chika's sake. Otherwise, I would've killed you already."
"And one more thing. I know you like scheming. Be warned—I left a backup plan for Mikoto and Chika. If you dare to harm them..."
"Not only will you die, but I'll make sure your brother—the one you slaughtered your clan for—joins you. You know I can do it."
"Letting you die by your brother's hand, on your deathbed... that's the last kindness I'll give you."
(End of this chapter)
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