Night had fallen.
The Hokage's office was thick with the smell of tobacco.
A figure appeared in the center of the office without a sound.
Uchiha Itachi knelt on one knee and bowed toward the Third Hokage and Danzō.
"Hokage, Danzō."
Sarutobi Hiruzen lifted the pipe from his lips and let out a long, heavy sigh.
The sigh seemed laden with helplessness.
"Itachi, raise your head."
"You have had it hard, my boy."
"We all know you are different from the other Uchiha."
"The true Will of Fire burns in your heart."
"You understand better than anyone how hard-won peace is for a village that has endured so much war."
Shimura Danzō, standing to the side, let out a cold snort, already losing patience.
"Hiruzen, enough of these empty words."
Danzō slammed a dossier down hard on the desk, producing a sharp crack.
"Itachi, read it yourself!"
The dossier was pushed in front of Itachi.
"Top-Secret Investigation Report on Uchiha Shinsuke's Alleged Plot to Collude with Kirigakure and Iwagakure Rogue Ninja to Overthrow Konoha."
This was a fabrication Danzō had ordered meticulously forged.
Itachi's pupils contracted sharply.
His trembling hand reached out and opened the dossier.
The contents within were detailed.
There were forged letters, some even bearing Shinsuke's "personal signature."
There were fabricated meeting records with times and locations precise down to the minute.
There was also a so-called "coup plan" that laid out in detail how the Uchiha would seize control of the Nine-Tails, destroy the Hokage Building, and establish a terrifying new order ruled by the Sharingan.
All of it pointed to a single conclusion.
Uchiha Shinsuke, the newly installed young clan head, was a man utterly and completely deranged.
An ambition-driven schemer a hundred times more dangerous than Uchiha Madara.
"How can this be..."
Itachi's voice was filled with disbelief.
Itachi recalled the arena, where Shinsuke had crushed Susano'o with a lightning-fire dragon.
He recalled the calm words Shinsuke had spoken, "your blood should not be spilled here."
Could that powerful, domineering, yet faintly restrained Shinsuke truly be capable of something this insane?
"Nothing is impossible!"
Danzō's voice rang out again.
"The power of the Sharingan has always come hand in hand with a curse, and Shinsuke's ambition has already swelled enough to swallow the entire shinobi world!"
"Becoming clan head of the Uchiha is only the first step; what he wants next is to seize Konoha by force and lead the Uchiha down the path of a coup."
"Shinsuke declaring Uchiha territory a forbidden zone was nothing more than the first signal before the coup, making it easier for him to scheme in secret to take Konoha."
"Once he finishes his preparations, Konoha will be reduced to ruin, and the Fourth Great Ninja War will break out entirely because of the Uchiha's selfishness!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took up the thread.
"Itachi, I have no wish to see that come to pass."
"I have no wish to see the village plunged into a sea of blood and internal strife."
"Nor do I wish to see the Uchiha Clan you hold so dear led down a path of self-destruction by that new clan head of yours."
"Now, perhaps you are the only one who can prevent this tragedy."
Itachi's body froze where he stood.
He finally understood.
This late-night summons was not a consultation or a discussion.
It was the final verdict against the entire Uchiha Clan.
Danzō continued where Sarutobi Hiruzen had left off.
"Uchiha Itachi, the village needs you now to carry out the mission to eliminate the Uchiha!"
"To prevent things from reaching a point of no return, we must pass judgment before that can happen."
Danzō fixed his gaze on Itachi and spoke slowly.
"But why... must it be me..."
"Because you are Uchiha, yet your heart belongs to Konoha."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's answer was direct.
"This is your fate, and the responsibility you must bear for the village."
Itachi's mind was in turmoil.
His father's gaze.
The fervent devotion of his clansmen.
The powerful Mangekyō Sharingan of Uchiha Shinsuke.
And... the innocent, carefree smile on Sasuke's face.
Sasuke.
If war broke out, what would become of Sasuke?
Would Sasuke die in the flames of war, like so many other innocent children?
No.
Never.
He could bear every crime and every condemnation.
He could descend into the depths of hell.
But he could not allow Sasuke to be harmed in the slightest.
"I understand..."
Itachi slowly raised his head.
His Mangekyō Sharingan had activated at some point without his noticing.
Tears slid silently down Itachi's cheeks.
"For the village, and for... peace."
A barely perceptible gleam flashed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.
It was done.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward and gently placed his hand on Itachi's shoulder, which trembled with grief.
"Itachi, we give you our word."
"After you carry out the mission, Konoha will guarantee Uchiha Sasuke's absolute safety."
"He will receive the finest upbringing, kept far from all of this conflict, and will grow up healthy in a peaceful village."
This was the final straw, and the most devastating one.
It broke Uchiha Itachi completely.
"I... will carry out the mission."
"But I have one condition."
"Shinsuke's power is too great."
"I don't even know where his limits lie."
"And then there is my father, who has also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"On my own, I have absolutely no way of defeating both of them."
A smile of scheming triumph flickered across Danzō's face, and he continued.
"You need not worry about that."
"We will find you a helper of sufficient strength."
Danzō paused deliberately, watching Itachi's reaction.
"On that night, my Root will seal off the entirety of Uchiha territory, cutting off every possibility of outside communication and ensuring not even a fly escapes."
"A barrier will be erected, and Root will stand by in the outer perimeter; any Uchiha who attempts to flee or call for help will be eliminated immediately."
"It will be a silent purge."
"Itachi, you and your helper need only focus on the most critical targets."
"Uchiha Shinsuke, and Uchiha Fugaku."
"As for the remaining women, children, and ordinary clansmen..."
"Leave them to Root to handle."
"We will handle it cleanly, leaving the village no loose ends."
"You need only carry out your mission."
Itachi left the Hokage's office with a heart weighed down by grief.
Itachi knew that from the moment he stepped through that door, he was no longer Uchiha Itachi.
He was the sinner of the Uchiha.
A person destined to walk in darkness forever.