Itachi's Defection

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Itachi no longer had any desire to defend them. Too many coincidences ceased to be coincidences. So many of Konoha's meritorious figures had met bad ends; no matter how he tried to justify it, he could not convince himself that the Hokage had nothing to do with it all.

After all, he was no longer as ignorant as he had been in the past. Though the Third Hokage often indoctrinated him during his time in the Anbu, being in the Anbu also meant frequently undertaking missions outside the village.

Over the course of those missions, Uchiha Itachi had encountered all manner of people and events, naturally developing his own judgment.

He understood that what Minagawa Uchiha had said was very likely true. Even if he did not want to believe it, these facts forced him to reshape his worldview, and he saw through the outward strength and inner weakness of the Third Hokage and the other high-ranking officials.

Otherwise, they would have had no reason to either kill or drive away every capable and accomplished figure. They were not truly selfless, nor did they truly put Konoha first. They would rather harm Konoha's interests than jeopardize their own power.

Seeing the look of sudden realization on Uchiha Itachi's face, Minagawa Uchiha knew that even if Itachi understood the high command's true colors, he still would not make up his mind to act against them. So, he prepared to add fuel to the fire.

"Even now, you don't still believe they'll honor their agreement with you, do you? So many facts have shown that as long as your younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, displays enough talent, the fact that he was born an Uchiha will inevitably make the high command wary of him. What do you think his end will be?"

In the Original Work, perhaps Uchiha Itachi had considered this very point, which was why he allowed Uchiha Sasuke to go to Orochimaru's side. As for whether he left behind any contingency plans, that was rather thought-provoking.

However, Orochimaru's pathological obsession with the Uchiha bloodline, along with that black power in the Reanimation Ritual space that countered Orochimaru—these unusual events might all have been Uchiha Itachi's handiwork.

Since Uchiha Itachi in the Original Work had been able to see through the truth of it all, Minagawa Uchiha believed that, with his explanation, Itachi would still quickly understand which side he should stand on now.

Sure enough, the moment Uchiha Sasuke was mentioned, Uchiha Itachi cast aside all his chaotic emotions and instantly became serious.

"You mean the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō will make a move against Sasuke? How would they dare? I have an agreement with them. Aren't they afraid I'll leak Konoha's intelligence to the other ninja villages?"

"Haha, dare? What wouldn't they dare to do? Is your younger brother more important than the Sannin, or more loyal than the White Fang?"

"Obviously, your younger brother means nothing to them. As for your threat—"

"Heh. During the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha faced four enemies alone without fearing defeat in the slightest, yet still dared to scheme against the Uchiha Clan. Why would they fear your little threat of leaking intelligence? Even if war broke out, Konoha had plenty of cannon fodder."

"During your time in the Anbu, I wonder whether you noticed the Sarutobi Clan of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage. After three Shinobi World Wars, whether it was the Senju Clan, our Uchiha Clan, or Konoha's other clans, all had gradually declined or even been wiped out. Yet the Sarutobi Clan, where the Hokage came from, had risen against the tide and had long since secretly become Konoha's strongest clan."

"We leaves burned, and the firelight we gave off did not illuminate newborn buds. You should know that those newborn buds were also sent to the battlefield to become firelight. The light of those flames illuminated his Sarutobi Clan. Would a Hokage like that fear war?"

Minagawa Uchiha mercilessly shattered Uchiha Itachi's final faith—the Will of Fire. Seeing Itachi's incredulous expression, Minagawa Uchiha felt like an old father who had finally pulled a foolish child back from the brink.

Uchiha Itachi did not notice the other's gaze. Driven by his worry for his younger brother, he quickly woke from the collapse of his faith and the reshaping of his worldview. After understanding the current situation, he no longer pressed Minagawa Uchiha aggressively and acknowledged Minagawa Uchiha's excellence.

The youth before him was even younger than he was, yet he could see through everything so thoroughly. His strength could even overpower both Itachi and the Masked Man. He had a sense of responsibility, strategy, and methods. It was impossible not to respect him.

"Minagawa Uchiha, your excellence leaves others far behind. I believe you also know the Uchiha Clan's current predicament. If you were to take over the Uchiha Clan, what should we do now?"

"You should know that the entire outer perimeter of the Uchiha Clan Compound is now surrounded by a barrier, with many Anbu guarding it as well. Ordinary Uchiha clan members are no match for those Anbu. If we rashly go to war, you cannot possibly protect every clan member. In that case, the Uchiha Clan will also suffer grievous losses."

"Also, how will you deal with me? No matter what, I hope you can preserve my Mangekyō Sharingan and leave it for my younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, in the future."

"Since you have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, you should know that these eyes will steadily progress toward blindness. According to the information from Uchiha Madara, the only way to resolve this flaw is to transplant the Mangekyō Sharingan of one's biological brother. Only then can one regain the light and obtain an even more powerful, never-blinding Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."

"As long as my younger brother awakens the Mangekyō Sharingan in the future and then transplants my eyes, he will surely become the pillar of the Uchiha Clan. So please, do not make things difficult for my parents and younger brother."

Clearly, the awakened Uchiha Itachi blamed himself deeply and had already resolved to die. At the same time, in order to secure Minagawa Uchiha's care for his younger brother, he directly revealed the method for advancing to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, adding another bargaining chip for Uchiha Sasuke.

"Stop. I won't kill you. What benefit would there be in killing you? The Uchiha Clan is at a critical moment of survival or extinction. If you truly believe you are guilty, then you should step forward now, protect more clan members, and atone for your sins. Don't look as if your parents just died. There is still time for everything."

"The Third Hokage is now old, muddleheaded, and indecisive. Though he fears the Uchiha Clan, as long as we are strong enough, he is nothing to fear."

"Shimura Danzō's malice toward the Uchiha has existed for a long time, and he covets the Uchiha's Sharingan. You should know how Shisui was ambushed, right? Izanagi is the real reason he has his eyes fixed on the Uchiha."

"Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura are even more like grass on the wall. They will stand with whichever side benefits them. As long as we demonstrate enough advantage, they will tacitly approve on the surface."

"Among those four, Shimura Danzō is the main force behind the clan extermination plan. The Third Hokage fears the Uchiha's endless stream of geniuses, whom he cannot control, and thus tacitly permits the plan's execution. The other two are merely clowns who follow the wind in hopes of profiting."

"So, before the Konoha High Command can react, we only need to take out Shimura Danzō. After that, we can confront the Third Hokage from a position of strength. For the sake of stability and to keep his position as Hokage, he will certainly compromise."

"As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, he is the Hokage after all. If we want to take over Konoha smoothly and avoid plunging it into chaos, we cannot kill him outright. We can only proceed gradually. In any case, he has so much dirt on him that ruining his reputation will not be difficult."