That night.
Late at night.
Uchiha Shisui arrived at the cliff.
This cliff was a place known only to him and Itachi.
Since it was already late at night, everyone in the village and the Uchiha Clan had gone to sleep.
The only ones still awake were the ANBU, who monitored the village's every move.
And... the surveillance equipment inside the black building.
Even from the angles of the surveillance equipment and cameras, there were still blind spots.
Uchiha Shisui knew all of these blind spots.
Now.
Uchiha Shisui was using these blind spots to secretly meet with Itachi in the dead of night.
Itachi, who belonged to the ANBU, had likewise used these blind spots to slip past the surveillance equipment.
The bright moon hung high in the sky.
Itachi ran quickly.
He crossed the forest and reached his destination.
On the craggy mountain rocks, Uchiha Shisui stood with his back to Itachi.
He lowered his head and stared absently at the ceaselessly flowing river below the cliff.
The Naka River.
The river where the Uchiha Clan originated.
Itachi walked up behind him and stopped.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"I just got here myself."
Turning at the sound of his voice, Shisui revealed a slightly weary face.
Clearly, Shisui was extremely tired from handling matters concerning the clan.
"Looks like you've been working yourself hard lately."
"All sorts of things..."
Uchiha Shisui lowered his eyes, and his face settled into the same expression he usually wore.
So Itachi said in a calm, sympathetic tone, as though speaking to a close friend.
"You always say we'll act together, but in the end, you take care of everything yourself."
"That's because you're so careless during missions and keep dragging things out. We're both ANBU, but I received the Hokage's permission