My Foolish Little Brother

The moon was bright, the stars sparse.

The Uchiha Compound was eerily quiet tonight.

Without warning, Uchiha Itachi and the masked man appeared outside the Konoha Military Police Force building.

"Let's start here!"

Itachi said expressionlessly, then donned the rabbit mask symbolizing Konoha's Anbu, his figure darting straight into the Military Police Force headquarters.

Hm?

Once inside, both of them halted.

From the outside, the building was brightly lit, yet there wasn't a single person inside.

Something's wrong!

Uchiha Itachi and the masked man exchanged a glance, said nothing, and immediately flashed out, pressing deeper into the Uchiha Compound.

No one. No one. Still no one.

As the largest clan in Konoha, the Uchiha Compound, home to over a thousand people, was completely empty tonight.

"Itachi, where are your clansmen?"

The masked man's voice carried doubt. Though he trusted Konoha's brainwashing of Itachi, the empty Uchiha Compound could only mean one thing.

The plan had been exposed.

And the most likely informant was his companion on this mission, Uchiha Itachi.

Beneath the mask, Itachi didn't bother to explain. Silently, he dashed toward his own home.

He had a feeling the answer to everything lay there.

Looking up at the tall building, Itachi flashed to the largest reception hall.

The wooden door of the hall was slightly ajar, with an orange-red light spilling through. Just as Itachi leaned in to observe, a voice rang out from the next room.

"Over here. No traps. Come in. We've been waiting for you!"

It was Big Brother's voice.

Uchiha Itachi instinctively gripped the longsword at his back. In this operation, his greatest enemy was his brother, who also possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan—Uchiha Yoru.

Carefully pushing open the wooden door, Itachi saw his father and brother kneeling on the floor.

His father wore his usual stern expression, while his brother, Uchiha Yoru, looked at him with a relaxed smile.

"Itachi, so you've truly decided to stand with them?"

Fugaku closed his eyes, his face filled with deep pain.

"Father, Big Brother, I..."

Itachi's words of defense never left his mouth. Instead, he slowly raised his longsword, making his stance clear.

"Itachi, I finally thought of an answer to the question you asked back then. I never had the chance to tell you."

"You asked why life fights... Maybe it's because we have too many things we can't let go of. Love, trust, the village, a younger brother... When these cherished things are threatened, or when different 'cherished things' clash with each other, conflict becomes unavoidable. Your pain comes from cherishing both the clan and the village, yet they've been forced to oppose each other."

Uchiha Yoru slowly stood up, walking toward the wary Itachi.

"Now I have a way to keep the clan and the village from being at odds. Do you still insist on your decision?"

"What way?"

"My Mangekyo is Space-Time. My left eye, after consuming a massive amount of Eye Power and mental energy, can open a gate connecting different worlds. Today, I opened the World Gate at the Naka Shrine. Under my arrangements, over a thousand clansmen have all migrated to the New World. From now on, without my permission, they can never return to Konoha or pose a threat to it. Are you satisfied with this method?"

Faced with Uchiha Yoru's calm explanation, Itachi's hand holding the longsword trembled slightly. Beneath the mask, his face was filled with disbelief.

He had imagined countless possibilities, even prepared for the worst—killing his own family with his own hands—but he never expected this outcome.

"Why...?" Itachi's voice was hoarse, carrying a faint, barely noticeable sob. "Why do this, Big Brother? You know full well..."

"Know what?"

Uchiha Yoru cut him off, his gaze sharp as a blade, as if trying to pierce through the mask and look straight into his brother's soul.

"I know Konoha's higher-ups have long harbored deep-seated suspicion and oppression toward the Uchiha. I know Danzo's greed for the Sharingan knows no bounds. I also know that the so-called 'coup' by some Uchiha was nothing but a desperate resistance born of hopelessness. And I know that you and Shisui... once tried to avoid the worst outcome in your own ways."

At the mention of Shisui, Itachi's body stiffened noticeably.

"Shisui's 'Kotoamatsukami' might have been the key to changing the situation, but he was too naive and used it on the wrong target. And your choice, Itachi..."

Yoru's voice dropped, carrying an indescribable sorrow. "To bear a tainted name, to slaughter your own kin, to trade the blood of the entire clan for the village's peace... Is this the answer you found?"

"This is... the only way to avoid an even larger war!"

Itachi struggled to say, as if convincing Yoru, or more like convincing himself. "The Uchiha's coup won't succeed. It will only drag Konoha into civil war. If Konoha falls into chaos, the entire Ninja World will be plunged back into war."

"So you'd water this false peace with the blood of the entire clan?"

Yoru stepped forward, the pattern of his Mangekyo slowly spinning in his eyes, revealing a trace of compassion.

"Itachi, you're too arrogant. You've shouldered all the burdens yourself, convinced you've chosen the path of least sacrifice, yet you've never truly trusted the clan, trusted Father, trusted me..."

"I..." Itachi was at a loss for words. His brother's words struck like hammers, pounding against his hardened defenses.

"My methods might not be the optimal solution, and they're even full of uncertainty."

Yoru spread his hands. "But I gave the clan a chance to live, a chance for the Uchiha name to continue—rather than letting them become sacrifices for your 'great' cause, and rather than letting you bear this sin that can never be washed away! Now that the clan is safe, the threat to Konoha is naturally resolved."

"You... still insist on carrying out that inhumane order from the higher-ups?"

Just then, the space twisted eerily, and a mysterious figure wearing an Uzumaki mask abruptly appeared in the corner of the room, his tone laced with mockery and displeasure:

"Wow, what a touching brotherly reunion. But, Itachi, it seems we've been outmaneuvered. The 'cleanup' job we agreed on—the target's nowhere to be found. That's not what we settled on."

Fugaku Uchiha immediately turned his wary gaze to the masked man. He could sense the dangerous aura emanating from him—this must be the unknown enemy Yoru had mentioned earlier.

Itachi didn't answer the masked man, nor did he look at his father or brother. He simply bowed his head deeply, his mind locked in a fierce internal struggle.

His brother's plan had upended everything. The clan's survival meant the threat to Konoha's higher-ups wasn't fully resolved; Danzo would never let this go.

But to continue carrying out the extermination order... facing an empty clan compound and a father and brother intent on preserving the family, what meaning did this order still hold?

After a long moment, Itachi slowly raised his head. His gaze regained its resolve, but within that resolve, something seemed different.

The longsword in his hand clattered back into its sheath with a sharp sound.

"The mission... is changed."

Itachi's voice returned to its usual calm, but carried a hint of relief. "Target: Uchiha clan members confirmed 'missing,' cause unknown. Our cooperation is officially terminated."

The masked man tilted his head. "Oh? Is this a last-minute script change? I didn't get the new script."

"Shut up, Obito. Your problems are far bigger—so big I don't even want to acknowledge you as a member of the Uchiha clan."

Hearing Itachi's response, Uchiha Yoru was very satisfied. He had no interest in watching the masked man play the fool, so he directly exposed the masked man's greatest secret.

Ignoring Obito, who stood frozen on the spot, Yoru smiled at Itachi.

"Next time, remember: don't take on responsibilities that aren't yours, my foolish little brother."

Yoru's large hand suddenly landed on Itachi's smooth hair, messing up his neatly styled locks.

As natural as when they were children.