Chapter 60: Foolish Obito, Survive Your Final Year
Evening.
Leaving the Hokage’s Office Building, Uchiha Itachi, preparing to go home, recalled the Hokage’s admonishment: “Itachi, don’t go back openly today. It’s best if no one sees you, especially not any members of the Uchiha Clan.”
Uchiha Itachi understood the Hokage’s considerations and felt a slight stirring in his heart.
He could feel endless malice enveloping him.
But at least, the Hokage trusted him.
Uchiha Itachi followed Sarutobi Hiruzen’s advice and waited until night had completely fallen before returning to the Uchiha Clan.
And he quietly arrived at his own doorstep.
However, at the moment 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 about it too, right?
How would Sasuke look at him now?
Would he still be as clingy as ever?
Or would he confront him with anger?
Or would their relationship become distant?
…
Unable to figure it out, Itachi simply gave up pondering. He entered the house, and the first person he saw was his mother.
“…Itachi.” Uchiha Mikoto forced a gentle smile, her gaze towards her eldest son filled with a mix of emotions. She said softly, “Dinner is ready for tonight.”
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 in a somber tone, without any interest to say “I’ll start,” and he didn’t even look at Itachi when he entered.
Sasuke, however, couldn’t eat anything.
He looked at Itachi blankly, his voice filled with a trace of hope and pleading, “Brother, that’s all fake… right? Something like that couldn’t possibly happen… right?”
Uchiha Itachi sighed inwardly, looking at Sasuke’s tearful expression, Uchiha Itachi’s gaze shifted from initial hesitation and distress to firm resolve.
“It’s true.”
He said expressionlessly, “If someone is going to disrupt Konoha’s peace, then such things are bound to happen.”
Uchiha Mikoto paused.
Fugaku’s chopsticks stopped.
Sasuke froze on the spot.
“Why… we… we are a family! Father, Mother… they are not bad people, they are family…” Sasuke choked out, trembling as he clutched the hem of his clothes, breaking the new silence.
Uchiha Itachi stared at his younger brother and gradually realized that with Sasuke’s overly dependent and weak mentality, he would not be able to grow into an excellent ninja in the future.
Since his future self chose to spare only Sasuke during the massacre of the Uchiha Clan.
It meant that his future self intended for Sasuke to inherit his will to protect Konoha.
However, Sasuke’s current disposition seemed too weak and cowardly in Uchiha Itachi’s eyes.
Uchiha Itachi suppressed his soft-heartedness and said coldly, word by word, “Sasuke, you don’t truly know me.”
Sasuke’s eyes widened, his face full of confusion.
“In my heart, there is 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, “When that time comes, you will be no exception, Sasuke. Because the future will change according to my will. I will not be like Uchiha Ikeizumi said, ‘leaving only you behind’.”
“Sasuke, you are too weak. You are just a tagalong who has always been by my side, clinging to me all day. Your pitifully weak disposition offers no possibility of stopping me.”
“Foolish little brother, live out this last year of your life with this fear and unease.”
“After one year, I will…”
—Smack!!!
Uchiha Itachi didn’t get to 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 gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes. Her vision became hazy; her own flesh and blood appeared incredibly foreign to her at this moment.
Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath. He did not apologize but said slowly, “Father knows why I made that choice. Mother, you may not understand me now, but when that time comes… you will surely understand me.”
Sasuke stared blankly at everything unfolding.
It wasn’t until he saw his brother’s back disappear into the darkness outside that, under the onslaught of countless negative emotional fluctuations, Sasuke’s small head felt dizzy.
Before his consciousness faded, he vaguely heard his mother call his name in alarm.
Then he lost consciousness and fainted.
…
Meanwhile.
Root Base.
Danzo received bad news from a Root Ninja – none of the subordinates he had sent out today to guide the negative public opinion against Uchiha Itachi had returned!
He had dispatched eight Anbu Ninja, the weakest being elite Chunin level, and even included Special Jonin.
And the mission they were given was not dangerous.
Yet, they had all vanished without a trace?
Danzo frowned, his face grim.
The satisfaction of secretly slandering the Uchiha Clan had vanished. He gritted his teeth and ordered his subordinate, “Hurry up and investigate! Bring them all back to me!”
“Yes, Lord Danzo!”
“Wait!” At that moment, Danzo stopped his subordinate, as he thought of a possibility.
This made his expression even grimmer.
Danzo’s forehead veins throbbed, and he gritted out word by word through clenched teeth, “Go directly to the Yamanaka Clan to investigate!”
The Root Ninja faltered, “The Yamanaka Clan…”
Danzo said with fierce determination, “I believe this matter is inseparable from that inherently evil Uchiha brat! Since that brat has the power to see through future evil, my subordinates are likely nowhere to hide from him. No matter how meticulous the disguise, he can see through it at a glance.”
Danzo strongly suspected that the eight missing Root Ninja had already become eight corpses!
According to the killing habits of that evil Uchiha brat.
Those he killed would definitely be handed over to the Yamanaka Clan.
Because Uchiha Ikeizumi, most of the time, did not bother with interrogation procedures and directly executed those he deemed villains.
And for the Police Force to find evidence of the deceased’s crimes, they could only rely on the Yamanaka Clan’s secret techniques.
…
Danzo guessed correctly.
Inside the Yamanaka Clan Residence, Yamanaka Inoichi looked at eight corpses covered with white cloths lying on the ground with a headache.
“Sigh…”
He sighed heavily, feeling like he would be forced to learn many secrets he didn’t want to know again tonight.
Yamanaka Inoichi also didn’t understand what was happening.
Ever since Uchiha Ikeizumi began executing his Absolute Justice in Konoha, the Yamanaka Clan had, in fact, become the ninja clan with the best relationship with the Uchiha Clan.
Even if it was just business dealings at most, and they were only acquaintances on normal days.
It was still far better than the relationships other ninja clans had with the Uchiha.
…
…
