The faint dawn light pierced the clouds, illuminating Konoha's bustling streets, banishing the dark.
For civilians, it was another ordinary day.
ANBU had swept the battlefield near the Uchiha grounds, setting up a perimeter. Without orders, they couldn't clear the district itself, but some infiltrated, surveying from rooftops, fortifying defenses.
On the main street, Itachi carried Sasuke toward the exit. Elite ANBU ignored them.
Itachi's mind drifted, crafting lies to shield Sasuke, each rejected in his heart. Sasuke shouldn't have fainted early, not per his plan.
"Stop!" a familiar voice called.
Itachi looked up, seeing a fox-masked ANBU and two familiar figures blocking him.
Behind them, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado approached, their gazes cold, exuding authority, blind to the civilian corpses littering the street.
"Stand down," Hiruzen ordered the ANBU.
Before the fox-masked ANBU left, Itachi stopped him, passing Sasuke over. "Kakashi-senpai, please watch Sasuke for me."
Kakashi paused, sighed, and took Sasuke, retreating with Yamato.
The street held only four.
Koharu cut to the chase, stepping forward. "Uchiha Tsukikage massacred the Uchiha clan and led a rogue Uchiha squad out of Konoha. Itachi, you don't have to leave."
Itachi's scattered thoughts sharpened, his gaze shifting to Hiruzen beside the old woman.
He grasped their intent.
Hiruzen met Itachi's questioning eyes, sighing. "I'm sorry, Itachi. I couldn't find a better solution. What are your thoughts on staying?"
To the trio, the Uchiha's fall could be pinned on Itachi or Tsukikage. Hiruzen now leaned toward Tsukikage.
The advisors were right—Konoha needed talent.
Seeing Itachi's silence, Koharu pressed, "Tonight's truth is known only to us three, you, and the late Danzō."
"Danzō's dead?" Itachi's bloodshot eyes locked onto Koharu, the news exploding in his mind.
The architect of the Uchiha's doom, Shimura Danzō, dead? How?
A wild thought struck him—Uchiha Tsukikage.
Koharu's eyes narrowed, breath catching, a chill running through her. In that instant, Itachi's gaze held a kunai of killing intent, piercing her.
She nodded, unflinching. "Tsukikage killed him."
Itachi's pupils shrank, thoughts spiraling. He took a deep breath, reassessing Tsukikage's threat.
Facing Hiruzen, he spoke, voice trembling. "The Uchiha Police Force… Tsukikage took them out before I acted."
The trio's hearts surged with shock.
Tsukikage annihilated the Police Force, then returned to assassinate Danzō?
A shinobi capable of both warranted an S-rank rogue status, akin to Orochimaru.
"This…" Koharu's pupils shook, swallowing her words.
Hiruzen steadied first, calculating. Only his three disciples could pull this off in Konoha.
Even with a Mangekyō, Tsukikage couldn't have the chakra to slaughter the Police Force and then kill Danzō, whose strength they knew well—not even the Sannin could instantly kill him.
Silence fell.
Itachi broke it. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. For Sasuke's sake, I can't stay. I'll handle the rogue Uchiha squad for the village. Please care for Sasuke."
The trio refocused, their seasoned minds shifting from Tsukikage's feats to retaining Itachi.
With the Uchiha gone and a rogue squad to blame, Itachi could stay.
Hiruzen, unsurprised, exchanged a glance with Koharu.
Koharu persisted, "Itachi, hear our offer. Danzō's death leaves Root—our intelligence and ANBU training division—leaderless. You're the perfect fit. Stay, raise Sasuke yourself. Think of your brother. If you leave, we'll keep our promise to care for him."
Itachi weighed the pros and cons, eyeing Hiruzen.
Hiruzen sighed. "We didn't want this for the Uchiha, but fate and circumstance force choices. This may sting, Itachi, but you upheld the Will of Fire, contributing immensely to Konoha's peace. You're a hero, not meant for the shadows. Stay, I beg you, as Hokage."
---
Two days later, Land of Fire border, Kikyō-yama.
A stream, a flow of a silver sash, wound through the autumn valley, whispering under rustling winds.
Splash—Tsukikage stood upstream, scooping water to wash blood from his face, feet in the ankle-deep, crystal-clear riverbed.
The late-autumn water bit with cold.
Sunlight reflected his image: short, tousled hair, sharp brows, starry eyes, defined features, a white robe, and an elegant frame.
Nearby, other Uchiha cleaned themselves, now in civilian clothes, resembling local mountain villagers—albeit strikingly handsome.
Izumi, willow brows furrowed, approached, ninja shoes in hand, wading upstream.
Speaking for the team, she addressed Tsukikage, who'd been silent for days. "Captain Tsukikage, what's next? Take the river, bypassing Kikyō-yama, or cross the mountain through Kikyō no Sato? I… I think the river, though longer, hides our tracks."
(End of Chapter)