Cold moonlight spilled across the front of the Uchiha Clan Head's residence. Itachi Uchiha stood atop the steps, her black hair lightly stirred by the night breeze. The tear tracks on her face seemed even deeper beneath the pale moonlight.
"What do you mean by this?"
Itachi's voice was venomous, every word carrying bone-deep chill. At the bottom of the steps, three men dressed in Uchiha clan attire stood in a loose semicircle, their hands resting casually on their ninja tool pouches.
"What do you think?" The lead man's Sharingan gleamed scarlet in the darkness. "Regarding Shisui Uchiha's sudden disappearance..."
"Even now, there's no sign of him, dead or alive. According to the operation records, the last person he met... was probably you, Itachi Uchiha, wasn't it?"
Itachi could clearly see the suspicion and hostility churning in their eyes. "So you're accusing me of doing something to Shisui?"
The fingers hidden in her sleeves clenched sharply, her nails digging deep into her palms. But that pain was nothing compared to the fury surging through her chest.
It was you!
Your plan got Shisui killed! If you hadn't been so eager to control the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, why would Shisui have gone to tell Danzō about Kotoamatsukami? Why would he have lost his eye? Why would he...
"That's right, you little brat." The Uchiha clansman standing at the rear suddenly stepped forward. "Listen, even if you're the Clan Head's daughter..."
He deliberately lowered his voice, naked threat dripping from his words. "If you dare betray the clan, we won't spare you."
Bang—!
A dull impact exploded through the night. Before the lead Uchiha clansman could even react, his body was slammed viciously into the stone wall carved with the clan crest. The blow crushed all the air from his lungs, forcing a