Evening.
Leaving the Hokage's office, Uchiha Itachi was on his way home, his mind replaying the Hokage's advice: "Itachi, don't go back openly today. It's best if no one sees you, especially no one from the Uchiha clan." Uchiha Itachi understood the Hokage's concerns, and he felt a slight pang in his heart. He could feel an endless malice enveloping him. But at least, the Hokage trusted him.
Uchiha Itachi followed Hiruzen Sarutobi's advice, waiting until night had fully fallen before returning to the Uchiha clan compound. He quietly arrived at his doorstep. However, just as he was about to enter, he hesitated.
"Sasuke..." Uchiha Itachi murmured. If the entire village was spreading rumors about his "future evil," then Sasuke must have heard them too, right? How would Sasuke look at him now? Would he still cling to him as always? Or would he question him angrily? Or would their relationship become distant?
Unable to figure it out, Itachi simply gave up pondering. He entered his home, and the first person he saw was his mother.
"...Itachi." Uchiha Mikoto forced a gentle smile, her eyes filled with mixed emotions as she looked at her eldest son. She whispered, "Dinner is ready."
Uchiha Itachi silently walked into the house until he saw Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Sasuke sitting at the dining table. He keenly noticed that Sasuke's eyes were a little red. Uchiha Itachi's heart immediately ached.
"Let's eat." Fugaku broke the silence dully, with no enthusiasm to say "I'll start eating." He didn't even look at Itachi when he walked in.
Sasuke, however, couldn't eat a bite. He stared blankly at Itachi, his voice tinged with hope and pleading: "Brother, that's all fake... right? That kind of thing can't happen... right?"
Uchiha Itachi sighed inwardly. Seeing Sasuke on the verge of tears, Uchiha Itachi's gaze shifted from initial hesitation and heartache to firm determination.
"It's true." He spoke expressionlessly: "If someone tries to destroy Konoha's peace, that kind of thing is bound to happen."
Uchiha Mikoto's movements paused. Fugaku's chopsticks stopped. Sasuke froze on the spot.
"Why... we... we're family! Father, Mother... they're not bad people, they're family..." Sasuke clutched his clothes, his voice trembling with choked questions, breaking the new silence.
Uchiha Itachi gazed at his younger brother. He gradually realized that with Sasuke's overly dependent and weak mentality, he wouldn't be able to grow into an excellent ninja in the future. Since his future self chose to spare only Sasuke during the Uchiha clan massacre, it meant that his future self intended for Sasuke to inherit his will to protect Konoha.
But Sasuke's current capacity seemed too weak, too cowardly in Uchiha Itachi's eyes. Uchiha Itachi suppressed his soft-heartedness, his voice cold and deliberate: "Sasuke, you don't understand the real me."
Sasuke's eyes widened, full of confusion.
"In my heart, there's no concept of family. I have things I must do, and no matter who tries to stop me, I will eventually kill them." Uchiha Itachi, who had just sat down, stood up again. He turned and left without looking back, adding his final words: "When that time comes, you won't be an exception, Sasuke. Because the future will change according to my will. I won't 'leave you alone' as Uchiha Akainu said."
"Sasuke, you are too weak. You are just a tag-along who always follows me, clinging to me all day. Your pitifully weak capacity has no chance of stopping me."
"My foolish little brother, just live out this last year of your life in fear and unease, clinging to what little life you have."
"In one year, I will take you along with everyone else..."
—Slap!!!
Uchiha Itachi didn't finish his last two words, because Uchiha Mikoto had decisively slapped him across the face. The force of this slap was light, much lighter than Izumi's.
"Itachi, take back everything you said... and apologize to Sasuke." Uchiha Mikoto spoke through gritted teeth, her eyes filled with tears. Her vision blurred, and her own flesh and blood suddenly felt exceptionally unfamiliar in her eyes.
Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath. He didn't apologize, but slowly said, "Father knows why I would make that choice. Mother, you may not understand me now, but when that time comes... you will definitely understand me."
Sasuke stared blankly as all this unfolded. Until he saw his older brother's back disappear into the darkness outside, under the impact of countless negative emotional fluctuations, Sasuke's small head suddenly felt dizzy. Before his consciousness faded, he vaguely heard his mother's somewhat panicked call of his name. Then he lost consciousness and fainted.
Meanwhile, at the Root base.
Danzō received bad news from a Root ninja—none of the subordinates he sent out today to guide negative public opinion against Uchiha Itachi had returned! He had sent out eight Anbu ninjas, with the lowest rank being elite Chunin, and many were Special Jonin. Moreover, the mission he gave them wasn't dangerous. Yet, they all disappeared without a trace?
Danzō's face darkened, his brows tightly furrowed. The smug feeling of secretly slandering the Uchiha clan had completely vanished. He gritted his teeth and ordered his subordinate, "What are you waiting for? Go investigate immediately! Bring them all back to me!"
"Yes, Lord Danzō!"
"Wait!" Just then, Danzō stopped his subordinate, as a possibility occurred to him. This made his expression even more grim. Danzō's forehead veins throbbed slightly, and he squeezed out each word through gritted teeth: "Go directly to the Yamanaka clan to investigate!"
The Root ninja was stunned: "The Yamanaka clan..."
Danzō snarled fiercely, "I suspect this matter is inseparable from that naturally evil Uchiha brat! Since that brat has the power to see through past and future evil, my subordinates probably can't hide from his eyes. No matter how elaborate the disguise, he can see through it instantly."
Danzō strongly suspected that the eight missing Root ninjas had already become eight corpses! According to that evil Uchiha brat's killing habits, anyone he killed would surely be handed over to the Yamanaka clan. Because Uchiha Akainu usually doesn't bother with interrogation procedures; he just executes the evildoers in his eyes directly. And the Police Force would have to rely on the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques to find evidence of the deceased's crimes.
Danzō guessed correctly.
Within the Yamanaka clan compound, Yamanaka Inoichi looked at the eight white-shrouded corpses lying on the ground, a headache throbbing.
"Sigh..." He let out a heavy sigh, feeling that tonight he would again be forced to learn many secrets he didn't want to know. Yamanaka Inoichi didn't know why, but ever since Uchiha Akainu began enforcing his "Absolute Justice" in Konoha, the Yamanaka clan had ironically become the ninja clan with the best relationship with the Uchiha clan. Even if it was mostly just business dealings, usually just nodding acquaintances, it was still far better than the relationships other ninja clans had with the Uchiha.