At dawn.
Uchiha Itachi returned home, carrying Sasuke, who had fallen into a deep sleep due to lack of Chakra.
His solitary figure stood at the entrance for a long time, his steps slightly hesitant.
The short ten meters from the courtyard gate to the front door felt like an insurmountable chasm.
He truly did not know how to face his mother, or how to face Sasuke after he woke up.
In this timeline, he no longer had the option of simply leaving, which would have absolved him of all responsibility.
But even if he didn't go in, could he truly escape the things he had already done?
Uchiha Itachi thought this, his eyelids gradually drooping.
In the end, he pushed open the door.
Regardless of whether anger, hatred, disbelief, or something else awaited him.
Even if his mother killed him with her own hands, Uchiha Itachi would accept it.
"Creak."
However, after he pushed open the door and stepped into the entryway, the room was eerily quiet.
Uchiha Itachi was startled.
His mother, who was also a Jonin, naturally couldn't have been unaware of his father's coup.
Immediately after, he seemed to realize something, and without even taking off his shoes, he rushed into the main hall.
"Whoosh—"
He pulled open the room door.
The dawn sunlight streamed in from outside.
In the dark, confined main hall of the room, at the intersection of light and shadow, his mother's pale face was illuminated.
She lay quietly on the ground, her hands clasped in front of her abdomen, her expression serene.
On the table in front of her, a suicide note and an empty bottle were neatly placed.
Uchiha Itachi's figure was as if nailed to the spot, his eyes lifeless as he stared at this scene, unable to recover for a long time.
After a long while, his body, as if frozen, slowly began to move. He sat down formally in front of the table, opened the envelope in his hand, and read silently.
After an unknown amount of time, a difficult, suppressed, hoarse sob echoed in the dark room.
For the Konoha Leadership, the balance between Konoha and the Uchiha was a struggle for power and security.
But when the perspective gradually shifted to each individual executing this civil war, it became a series of senseless tragedies.
Not just Uchiha Itachi's family.
Similar scenes were unfolding in many Uchiha households.
The only thing worth celebrating was that, although the coup faction was completely annihilated, all the surviving Uchiha 'won'… "—They are the pride of Konoha. What is reflected in their Sharingan is the dawn of the Ninja World. Even in the deepest darkness, Konoha, protected by them, still remembers: the sacrifice of the Uchiha Clan is the best embodiment of the Will of Fire."
"Hereby, I swear in the name of the Hokage, that I will forever remember all the contributions you have made to Konoha."
"Hokage's Office, respectfully announces."
Uchiha Shisui sat at the head of the Uchiha Clan meeting room, calmly reciting the obituary published by the Hokage's Office in the Konoha Daily.
At the top of today's headlines was the news: 'Last night, our Konoha Village was attacked by remnants of the Sky Ninja Village, and the Uchiha Military Police Force fought desperately, suffering heavy casualties.'
Yes.
In this obituary, the Uchiha Clan members who initiated the coup were portrayed as heroes who fought to the death to resist the enemy.
Not only them, but the Ninja who died fighting the coup faction last night were also given the same status.
Everything was like a child's play.
Although any discerning person could tell at a glance that this news was nonsense, and everyone clearly knew what had happened last night, the black and white words in the newspaper still stated it as such.
The reason was naturally simple.
The Third Hokage chose to stop here.
Furthermore, all the public opinion waves against the Uchiha were suppressed.
Konoha Village once again returned to its prosperous appearance.
This was also what he had once promised Uchiha Shisui.
At the same time, if one thought deeper, it became even more intriguing.
Now that the Konoha Leadership finally had their hands free from the Uchiha incident, which force would they plan to deal with next?
It was truly hard to guess.
However, Uchiha Shisui was not in the mood for guessing.
The reason for urgently convening the Uchiha Clan meeting in broad daylight, gathering the remaining surviving Uchiha Clan members, was very simple.
He held up the newspaper, looking at everyone present with excitement, and declared loudly:
"Did you hear that, everyone?"
"This is the eternal peace we have reclaimed for the Uchiha!"
"From today onwards, the Uchiha will become the most important part of Konoha. We are no longer enemies!"
"…"
However, his excited voice was not met with applause from below.
The entire secret room remained as still as stagnant water, everyone silently looking at him.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Uchiha Shisui's emotions gradually faded.
He knew in his heart.
As the only Mangekyo Sharingan user in the Uchiha Clan, he chose to become a dog of Konoha, raising his blade against his own clan—how could such an action be met with applause?
However, everyone also clearly saw the insurmountable gap in combat power between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha Village through this civil war.
Throughout the entire battle, the coup faction didn't even catch a glimpse of the Hokage's shadow before being wiped out by the Anbu, Root, and a coalition of Shinobi Clans.
Konoha, this behemoth, was no longer something a mere clan could contend with.
Therefore, those who survived chose to submit.
The silence lasted for a long time until a calm voice came from one side of the seats:
"Next, please vote on the recommendation of Uchiha Shisui Jonin as the Clan Head."
Uchiha Itachi's expression was cold.
After that night, after personally burying his parents' bodies, he seemed to have completely changed.
Although he was equally uncommunicative before, everyone could sense the fluctuating emotions hidden within the child.
But at this moment, this twelve-year-old boy was like a cold machine, completely devoid of human emotions.
However, as the son of the former Clan Head and the most outstanding genius of this generation of the Uchiha Clan, these auras bestowed upon Uchiha Itachi still gave him far greater persuasive power than ordinary people.
After the two people at the top of the entire Uchiha Clan both became Konoha's dogs, the Uchiha Clan had indeed preserved the lives of the entire clan, hadn't they?
Moreover, the vast majority of the survivors present were former doves.
"Alas."
Someone sighed, and then the previously dead silent Uchiha Clan meeting finally returned to its usual track.
As votes continued to be cast, the first Uchiha Clan meeting after the 'Bloody Night Incident' proceeded smoothly.
Uchiha Shisui successfully took on the role of the new Clan Head… "Thank you, Itachi."
After the Uchiha Clan meeting ended, Uchiha Shisui, as before, came to the forest outside with Uchiha Itachi, his tone grateful:
"If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
"I can understand everyone's dissatisfaction with me, but I really didn't know how else to keep everyone alive besides that method."
"Fortunately, Third Hokage didn't go back on his word as I feared in the worst-case scenario, otherwise…"
Despite having just gone through such a brutal battle, Uchiha Shisui seemed to have shed all burdens, chattering to Itachi about his innermost thoughts.
After everything ended, he seemed to have become optimistic and cheerful, holding immense hope for the future.
Uchiha Itachi listened silently, without any response.
He looked at Shisui beside him, and suddenly had a strange realization.
In Aizen-sama's eyes, his past self was probably this naive and foolish, right?
At this moment, he had a very strong urge.
He wanted to tell Shisui-kun that the beautiful future he imagined would not actually come.
As long as we still exist, as long as the power of the Uchiha Clan still exists, as long as there is still a profession called Ninja in this world that can be commanded with money, then such conflicts will occur again and again as contradictions accumulate.
But in the end, he forcefully held back.
"Ah, is that so?"
Uchiha Itachi responded to Shisui's rambling.
Hearing his response, Uchiha Shisui seemed to be stunned for a moment, and then suddenly reacted, showing a somewhat apologetic expression:
"I'm sorry, Itachi."
"I forgot to consider your feelings and only focused on… In short, I'm very sorry."
In Shisui's eyes, Itachi, who fought alongside him that night, had already proven his loyalty to Konoha with his blade.
What was there to doubt about such a person?
Naturally, his tone was incredibly sincere.
Only Uchiha Itachi could truly grasp his own pain from the contrast between Shisui's optimism and cheerfulness.
Compared to him, what exactly did Uchiha Shisui's so-called 'sacrifice' entail?
Unlike the casual parting of ways before.
At this moment, an insurmountable thick barrier truly separated him and Shisui.
"It's fine."
"This is the path I chose."
Whether it was to destroy the Uchiha, or to destroy Konoha, or to completely eradicate the existence of Ninja from its Root.
"This afternoon, my parents' funeral will also be held. I still have some things to attend to," Uchiha Itachi said in a flat voice.
Those who have truly determined their goal do not shout and proclaim it like children.
They just work silently.
Uchiha Shisui's expression grew more somber. He seemed to want to offer some compensation and said in a low voice:
"I'll come and help too."
Uchiha Itachi glanced at him, his voice becoming even calmer:
"…"
"No need."