The Nine-Tails lay sprawled on the ground, dizzy and aching, and let out a pained cry. The figure walked up to the cage and met its gaze directly. Their eyes locked at close range.
"Fox, it seems Otsutsuki Hagoromo did not even teach you basic manners," he said coldly. "Even if Hagoromo were here, he would not dare interrupt me like that."
"You!"
Staring into those eyes that were level yet carried a sense of looking down, the Nine-Tails's fur bristled. Suppressing its fury, it asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"
"You do not need to know my name," he replied coolly. "You only need to know my surname, the same as the one who created you."
Hearing this, the Nine-Tails's pupils narrowed to a thin line. The same surname as the old man.
Otsutsuki Clan.
The sunset was slowly swallowed by night, leaving only a thin trace of fading light in the sky. The long shadow of Itachi Uchiha stretched under the red glow, his steps heavy with exhaustion. Yet the tiredness of his body was nothing compared to the weight pressing on his heart.
"Wujie Kohinata…" he murmured under his breath.
Starting the day after tomorrow, Wujie Kohinata would be on leave for a full month. After he and Shisui learned this from Danzo Shimura, they had already decided to act tomorrow. Although he had told no one about his intentions, Danzo Shimura seemed to have foreseen everything and quietly cleared both his schedule and Shisui's.
That meant Danzo Shimura had already prepared the ground for this assassination. Tomorrow was the best chance to strike, the chance to kill a fellow village ninja. Even if the target was a traitor, they were still from the same village and had once been a companion.
If he claimed there was no hesitation at all, it would be a lie. But this was the most important mission since he became a ninja, far more important than any he had faced before. Itachi Uchiha knew this was a test.
That was why he could not refuse Zetsu, and should not refuse Zetsu.
"Wujie Kohinata contacted Kirigakure in secret and leaked vital village intelligence over a long period. He is a traitor, a spy, no longer a companion…"
Itachi Uchiha repeated the words from the intelligence report in his mind, forcing down the guilt that surged within him. Cold reason replaced the last traces of emotion. He let out a quiet breath.
Without realizing it, he had already reached the door of his home. He exhaled a cool breath and pulled the door open.
The living room was dim, but he could see a figure sitting in the shadows. "You're back?"
The deep, heavy voice made Itachi Uchiha stiffen, resistance and irritation rising quietly in his chest. There was no doubt who it was. His father, Fugaku Uchiha.
Since when had being alone with his father become so suffocating?
"Mm," Itachi Uchiha replied flatly. He did not stop walking, intending to pass straight through the living room and return to his room, away from that uncomfortable gaze.
"Wait." Fugaku Uchiha's tone was firm and unquestionable, his eyes sharp in the dim light. "I need to talk to you."
Itachi Uchiha stopped, turned around, and looked at his father in silence. The light outlined Fugaku Uchiha's sharp profile, his eyes unusually piercing in the shadows.
"It's tomorrow, isn't it?" Fugaku Uchiha asked calmly.
The words struck Itachi's heart like a heavy stone. How did his father know? His breathing stalled for a moment as his muscles tensed, even though his expression remained calm.
How much did his father know, and who told him about the mission? The only possible source was Danzo Shimura, but why would Danzo Shimura leak this to his father? The doubts tangled together, leaving his thoughts in chaos.
"Heh." Fugaku Uchiha chuckled softly, pride hidden in his voice. "You really are my child. You haven't been in ANBU long, and you're already assigned such an important task."
He spoke as if Itachi were stepping onto a road paved with honor and power, not walking into an assassination where life and death were uncertain. Itachi Uchiha remained silent, his lowered gaze growing darker.
"Itachi, it seems the village leadership truly values you," Fugaku Uchiha said in a lower voice. "As long as this mission succeeds, you will gain their trust. For our clan, this is an opportunity we have never had before."
Itachi Uchiha looked up in shock, meeting eyes that burned with a fire he did not want to see. Why, even his father, who had always stayed neutral, would say this left him unable to understand.
"We have always served the village with all our strength, yet we never received what we deserved," Fugaku Uchiha said heavily. "The clan has endured for a long time, but that endurance has reached its limit."
Enough. Stop. Do not say any more, Father.
Itachi Uchiha opened his mouth, but his throat felt tightly seized, and no sound came out.
"I intend to acknowledge the approach of the radicals and fight to win the voice the Uchiha Clan should have," Fugaku Uchiha finally said.
Each word felt like a cold shackle tightening around Itachi's chest. The things he hated most appeared before him once again. Meaningless conflict, meaningless war, meaningless death.
"Itachi." Fugaku Uchiha called his son's name again.
Yet Itachi felt like an outsider, listening coldly to his own name being spoken.
"I need you to gather intelligence in ANBU and report it to us," Fugaku Uchiha continued, staring at his unresponsive son. "The information you bring back will determine the clan's fate."
Traitor. Spy.
The familiar cold words struck Itachi's mind, and he seemed to see Wujie Kohinata's face. A wave of dizziness and nausea rose within him. Passing information between two sides within the same village was no different from what Wujie Kohinata had done.
"Will I become the same as Wujie?" Itachi asked himself.
No. He joined ANBU not to fulfill the ambitions of the Uchiha Clan. From the moment his father brought him to the battlefield and he witnessed its horrors, he swore to become a ninja who could change the world and end pointless conflict.
He hated meaningless disputes and death. Joining ANBU was only a small step toward his goal. And now Konoha was already mired in war. If the village fell into internal chaos at this time, the consequences would be disastrous.
Moreover, ANBU was monitoring the Uchiha Clan around the clock. Every move was under the village's watchful eyes. The path his father and the others were stepping onto was destined to fail.
"Itachi."
Seeing no response, Fugaku Uchiha's voice dropped even lower, almost like a plea.
"…Yes." The pain in Itachi Uchiha's heart settled into calm, and he spoke the lie naturally. "I will do it."
At that moment, neither father nor son truly understood the other's intentions. Fugaku Uchiha hoped Itachi might one day enter Konoha Leadership, and believed asking him for intelligence was only to stabilize the clan. With prejudice against the Uchiha Clan in Konoha growing deeper, he wanted to be sure the leadership did not plan to act against them.
But in Itachi Uchiha's eyes, this was already betrayal. Gathering intelligence on the leadership and pushing for power through struggle could only mean one thing. To him, even his once neutral father had been blinded by resentment.
So a decision had already been made in Itachi Uchiha's heart.