Itachi's movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. Every time his blade fell, another life ended. Every swing felt as if he were severing one of the bonds in his heart.
Blood stained his sleeves and splattered across his face, yet his gaze remained cold, his expression utterly blank. It was as if the people he was cutting down weren't the clan members he'd lived alongside day after day, but merely a bunch of insignificant ants.
At last, he stopped and expressionlessly pushed open the door to a cramped bedroom.
On the bed, a little girl of only five or six slept curled up peacefully beneath the covers. Her small face was round, her eyelashes long, and a faint smile played on her lips. She looked sweet and adorable—almost exactly the same age as his younger brother, Sasuke.
The instant Itachi saw the girl, his grip on his sword tightened sharply. The blade trembled, and a struggle he couldn't hide flickered across his face.
The killing intent in his eyes was instantly replaced by a trace of barely perceptible tenderness and pain. Sasuke's image rose unbidden in his mind. He was just as well-behaved, just as carefree. It felt as if an invisible hand had seized Itachi's heart and squeezed hard, the pain making it almost impossible to breathe. His sword arm hesitated.
At that very moment, a calm voice—indifferent to all things and carrying a chilling killing intent—suddenly rang out in the cramped room. It shattered the silence and instantly crushed the faint trace of hesitation in Itachi's heart. "Hey~ Hello, Uchiha... Itachi~"
The voice sounded somewhat young, yet held an indifference that looked down on all living things, as if everything in the world were nothing more than ants to be discarded at will.
Itachi felt