The Naive Uchiha Brat

A few days ago.

In the Konohagakure Root headquarters, a heavy stone door slowly opened. Uchiha Itachi, dressed in an ANBU uniform, walked in slowly.

This was a place he utterly detested.

At the end of the deep corridor, a familiar and chilling figure was waiting.

Before long, he saw that familiar figure. The founder and leader of Root, the one who controlled Konoha's darkness. The man with the greatest power below the Hokage.

Shimura Danzō, wearing a black and gray kimono, his right arm and right eye both bandaged.

Danzō stood in the center of the room, his back to Itachi, his left hand hidden in his sleeve, his right hand gripping a wooden staff tightly.

"Uchiha Itachi, you've arrived."

His voice was low and hoarse, like a venomous snake hidden in the shadows, spitting out words coldly.

Uchiha Itachi's expression was calm. He knelt on one knee. "I have always been loyal to Konoha. Whether it's for the Uchiha or the village, I will find a way to mediate. The Hokage-sama also agrees with my stance."

Danzō snorted coldly. "The Hokage... He is the Hokage of Konoha, not the Hokage of the Uchiha. Konoha has treated you Uchiha with utmost kindness, yet your clan leader has never been satisfied with the status quo."

Itachi quickly retorted, "Father is merely fighting for the basic right to survival for his clansmen."

"The right to survival?" Danzō turned around, revealing his aged yet fierce face. "The Uchiha clan is already a prominent family in Konoha. What more survival rights do you want? Do you want to become Hokage? Do you want to usurp power?"

He sneered. "Ever since Uchiha Madara, your clan has never truly pursued peace. You cannot tolerate mediocrity, and you are destined to bring only disaster."

Uchiha Itachi remained silent, his brows furrowed, his fists clenched quietly. In that instant, the black flames of Amaterasu flashed in his eyes.

If Danzō wasn't a high-ranking official of Konoha, if this wasn't Konoha, he would have already burned this venomous snake in the shadows to ashes with Amaterasu.

However, he couldn't.

He was Uchiha Itachi, the Uchiha Itachi of Konoha. Fate bound him between these two identities.

Danzō slowly took out a scroll from his embrace and handed it to him. "Open it and take a look."

Itachi took the scroll. As it unrolled, dense records filled his vision, intelligence about secret Uchiha gatherings.

"You have already begun gathering Chunin and Jonin, and the plan is imminent. Do you think I and the Hokage are truly unaware?"

Danzō said coldly, "If I hadn't suppressed the information, the Hokage would have already ordered the other clans to join forces and purge you Uchiha."

Itachi's eyes dimmed.

"I'll give you one more chance, Itachi."

Danzō stepped closer.

"You are strong, I know. But how many can you stop by yourself? Besides you, your parents, your relatives, including your younger brother Uchiha Sasuke... will all be executed."

The mention of Sasuke's name struck Itachi like a thunderclap, stirring up a tempest in his heart. His knuckles turned white as he tightly gripped the scroll.

"You are an intelligent person, you should understand that this is not a situation you can change," Danzo lowered his voice. "Your loyalty must be to Konoha, not the Uchiha."

Silence fell for a moment.

Uchiha Itachi felt a sense of powerlessness, caught between his clan and Konoha. No matter what choice he made, it wouldn't be what he truly desired. Even with his Mangekyo Sharingan and his Kage-level strength, he still couldn't achieve the ideal outcome.

As an Uchiha, he had walked into this darkness; as a Konoha ninja, he had to protect the light within the darkness.

Uchiha Shisui was the same. They were Uchiha. Although they didn't have the "Caged Bird Seal" like the Hyuga Clan, they still lived in a cage, trapped by fate and the system.

Even with the Mangekyo Sharingan, even with Kage-level strength, he still couldn't change anything.

His Mangekyo was Amaterasu, but Amaterasu couldn't burn away his bond with Konoha; his Mangekyo was Tsukuyomi, yet he himself lived in a reality filled with fear and pain, as if trapped in an Illusionary Realm.

Itachi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I wish for peace."

"Peace."

Danzo let out a cold laugh.

"Peace is achieved through bloodshed, not by piling up empty words," he slowly turned around, his eyes as cold as a viper's. "The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, killed his best friend with his own hands for peace; the Second Hokage sacrificed himself for the continuation of Konoha..."

He paused and sneered.

"You should understand that peace is never achieved lightly through mere wishes and ideals. When Uchiha Madara betrayed Konoha back then, not a single person in the entire Uchiha clan was willing to follow him. This is enough to show that, at that time, the Uchiha did not desire war, but restraint and peace. Now, you must make the same choice as they did back then. For the peace of Konoha."

Uchiha Itachi looked up. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Kill your clansmen," Danzo said without hesitation. "Eliminate all ambitions within the Uchiha clan."

The air seemed to freeze at that instant. Uchiha Itachi's pupils contracted sharply, his throat tightening slightly. He was only thirteen years old, yet he had to face such a cruel choice.

"You're insane..." he whispered.

"Am I insane?" Danzo's eyes showed no waver. "No, this is the only thing you can do, and the only way to save Sasuke."

"If you refuse, I will send the 'Root' to carry out this mission," he paused, his voice chilling. "At that time, not a single Uchiha will be left, including your younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Don't touch my brother!"

This time, Uchiha Itachi's voice rose sharply.

Danzo remained unmoved, responding indifferently, "Do you think I would meet you alone without any preparation?"

He tapped the ground with his cane, and several figures emerged from the stone wall – they were ninjas from 'Root', each one an elite Jonin forged in the fires of war.

Danzo spoke expressionlessly, "I'll give you two choices."

He held up two fingers, his tone cold:

"First, you personally deal with the Uchiha, and spare Sasuke's life."

"Second, you stand with your clan, and Sasuke will be considered the son of a traitor ninja, forever bearing the sins of his family."

"You want your brother to grow up in the sunlight, don't you?"

The air seemed to thicken, and even time fell into a standstill.

Itachi fell silent. The image of Sasuke as a child, the boy who always followed him calling "Brother," with pure and clear eyes, flashed through his mind. He couldn't let those eyes be tainted by darkness.

If war broke out, even if he could do his utmost to protect Sasuke, his brother would be branded the son of a traitor ninja, ostracized by the entire village, and hunted by the entire ninja world.

He said in a low voice, "I agree."

"I will do it myself. Do not let 'Root' be involved."

He slowly took out a scroll from his embrace and handed it to Danzo.

"This is the wealth I accumulated from my previous missions. Please... quietly pass it on to Sasuke. Consider it the last thing I can do for him."

Danzo narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly and nodded gently.

"The operation will commence in seven days. You can choose the time, but you have no right to change the outcome."

Uchiha Itachi walked out of Root, stepping back into the light. But he knew it was merely an illusion of sunlight. His heart had already been swallowed by darkness.

Inside Root, a Root ninja asked softly, "Sir, are we really going to give that wealth to Uchiha Sasuke?"

Danzo let out a cold snort and turned, slowly stepping back into the shadows.

"Of course not. That is Konoha's wealth. It will be put to best use by Root."

"Such a naive Uchiha brat."