Itachi's Request

Itachi looked at Narak with a dark expression.

"So, Narak-kun, you still haven't answered my question. What were you doing at the Uchiha Clan in the middle of the night?"

Itachi and Narak weren't strangers. Both were prodigies of their respective clans, already out on missions while their peers were still in the academy. They knew each other fairly well.

Narak clasped his hands behind his head, putting on a casual air. "Hey, hey, what if I said I was sleepwalking and ended up here without knowing why? Would you believe me?"

"Heh..." Itachi stared at Narak with clear hostility.

"Alright, stop looking at me like that. We don't have any grudge between us, so there's no need to fight. How about you quietly leave Konoha, and I'll just go back to sleep?"

Itachi kept his eyes locked on Narak. "You think, after seeing what you just witnessed, I'd let you walk away?"

Faced with Itachi's relentless pressure, Narak dropped his smile.

"Itachi, you don't dare kill me. Because your little brother still needs to live safely in Konoha. Setting aside whether you can kill me, even if you could, do you think the Hyuga Clan would let your brother off?"

"Between Konoha and your clan, you chose loyalty to the village. You're willing to bear the crime of slaughtering your entire clan for that."

"And what you just did—pretending to kill your brother—was just to provoke him. You already made a deal with the village's higher-ups: the Uchiha Clan's extermination in exchange for your brother's survival."

"But if you kill me, even if the village brass want to protect your brother, the Hyuga Clan won't let him go. So I'm betting you don't dare make a move."

Hearing Narak's words, Itachi's pupils involuntarily contracted.

"Looks like you know quite a lot, Narak-kun." As he spoke, Itachi let his killing intent dissipate.

Seeing Itachi drop his murderous aura, Narak breathed a mental sigh of relief. Though killing him wouldn't be easy for Itachi, if a real fight broke out, Narak wasn't confident he'd win. After all, Itachi had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Narak admitted to himself that he probably wasn't a match for Itachi.

"Honestly, is all this really worth it, Itachi?" Narak asked, puzzled.

Itachi shook his head helplessly. "The Uchiha Clan's rebellion was a losing game. If it came to that, the clan's name would be ruined forever, with no chance of recovery. Better I do it myself and at least preserve some of the Uchiha bloodline."

"Narak-kun, I want to ask you a favor. After I leave Konoha, I hope you can look after my brother a little."

Itachi bowed his head in request.

Narak was taken aback. "Oh? Let me look after your brother? You trust me that much?"

Itachi gave a faint smile. "We're not close, but we've known each other for years. I've kept an eye on you now and then. I feel like you're different from the others in the village."

"People in the village are either completely loyal to Konoha or hiding ulterior motives and scheming behind the scenes."

"But you're different. Honestly, I've never been able to figure you out, Narak-kun. You have incredible strength, but you don't seem to care about village affairs. In fact, if the Cloud Ninja kidnapping incident hadn't exposed you to Konoha's higher-ups, I think you'd still be hiding yourself."

"Even though you try to stay under the radar, I can tell you don't have any ill intentions toward Konoha. If I had to describe you in one word... I'd say you're... a slacker."

"Heh... heh..." Narak's mouth twitched at Itachi's assessment.

Well, that was his nature, but did he have to say it to his face...?

"So, Narak-kun, please. Just help Sasuke out a little. You don't need to coddle him—just step in if he's in danger or treated unfairly in the village." Itachi gave a slight bow.

Narak thought it over. "I'll do what I can. I won't always be in Konoha, but I'll help when I'm able."

"That's enough. In the end, he'll have to walk his own path." Itachi nodded.

"Then I should go. After tonight, I'll be a rogue ninja of Konoha. If we meet again, I hope we won't come to blows. And, Narak-kun, be careful of Danzo!"

"Alright. Safe travels. Akatsuki is full of dangerous people—watch yourself."

Hearing this, Itachi froze again.

"How do you... know about that? It was a secret mission from the Third Hokage. No one else knew except him and me..."

"Don't worry about how I know. The truth is, I know a lot more than you think. Oh, and since you warned me about that old bastard Danzo, I'll give you some advice too: for your own health, use the Mangekyō Sharingan sparingly." Narak waved a hand.

"Use the Mangekyō Sharingan sparingly? You know about the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan too?"

"I don't know what you mean, but you clearly know a lot. 'Old bastard Danzo'? Sounds like you have some insight into him too. Narak-kun, you're more and more of a mystery. I'm genuinely curious about you." Itachi looked thoughtful.

"Hey, don't. You're a grown man—what's there to be curious about? People fall for each other starting with curiosity. You're not a pretty girl, so if you end up falling for me, I can't handle that." Narak gave Itachi a look of disgust.

"You... forget it. This conversation is over. I'm leaving, Narak-kun. See you around!"

With that, Itachi vanished in a flash, disappearing from Narak's sight in a few bounds.

Watching Itachi leave, then glancing at Uchiha Sasuke lying on the ground, Narak shook his head. "What a mess. Somehow I ended up with a babysitting job. But..."

He looked up at the dark corners around him, where ANBU ninjas were hidden.

"The fact that the ANBU saw me talking to Itachi means it's already reached the old Third Hokage. They don't know what we said, but they'll come asking tomorrow."

"What a pain... If the Third finds out I'm at Jonin level now, he'll pile more work on me. So annoying... I just want to lie low..." Narak groaned inwardly.