Uchiha, the Clan That Was Easily Brainwashed

"Big Brother, you haven't had time to practice shuriken techniques with me lately!"

At seven years old, Sasuke was still very dependent on Uchiha Itachi.

Though he also felt immense pressure from his older brother, he still relied on him deeply.

"Forgive me, Sasuke!"

"Next time, for sure!"

Itachi poked Sasuke on the forehead.

Itachi was about to head out for a night shift.

Recently, he had sensed that the Anbu had begun targeting the Uchiha.

Tonight, Danzo, the leader of Root, had asked to meet him.

He said they needed to discuss Shisui and the Uchiha, so Itachi had no choice but to attend.

His father had told him that Shisui was fine and was carrying out a confidential mission, but Itachi still found it strange.

There were practically no secrets between Shisui and him.

If Shisui had really been assigned a secret mission, he would definitely have contacted Itachi.

But Konoha hadn't sent him any word. Instead, his father had told him, which made Itachi feel that something was wrong.

"Ow!"

Sasuke covered his head, pouting with an unhappy look.

He was clearly displeased. He still didn't know what it meant to be stood up, but it had left him feeling awful!

Next time, for sure?

He'd heard that so many times already!

"I'm off!"

Seeing his foolish little brother, Itachi managed a rare smile.

These were the moments when he felt most at ease.

But as soon as he opened the door, his smile quickly disappeared.

"Itachi, I need to talk to you. Come with me."

Uchiha Tamaharu was standing in the courtyard outside Itachi's home, near the entrance.

He directly invited Itachi to come with him.

Though Itachi didn't have the Mangekyo, dealing with him wouldn't be easy.

Still, there was a decent chance of convincing him. He should be easier than Shisui, who had been completely poisoned by the Will of Fire.

"Mm."

Itachi was displeased to have someone come looking for him.

Especially in front of Sasuke. That made him even angrier.

He wasn't particularly familiar with Uchiha Tamaharu. He knew he had been the Uchiha's most famous prodigy before Shisui.

But after the Nine-Tails Incident, he had quickly faded from view and joined the Military Police Force, seeming utterly ordinary.

After Itachi joined the Anbu, he had been ordered to investigate Uchiha Tamaharu. He'd looked into him closely and found that Tamaharu lived a very regular life and trained diligently.

However, Tamaharu never seemed interested in showing off. Once Itachi judged his strength to have reached Elite Jonin level, his mission was over.

He hadn't expected Tamaharu to come looking for him out of the blue. With Shisui also out of contact, Itachi sensed that something was wrong.

"Big Brother!"

Sasuke looked at Uchiha Tamaharu with some apprehension.

"Don't worry. We'll be back soon."

Tamaharu wanted to go over and ruffle Sasuke's hair, but ultimately gave up. The boy's primary caretaker was right there.

After saying that, he used the Body Flicker and disappeared. He knew Itachi would follow.

"I'm going to work!"

"I'll definitely practice shuriken techniques with you next time!"

Itachi reassured his younger brother, then used the Body Flicker to follow Tamaharu.

He chased after Tamaharu and soon reached the Ancestral Hall, where they stopped.

No one else was around. It was just the two of them.

The Uchiha had begun clearing Konoha's spies from their territory to ensure their plan went smoothly.

"What do you want with me, Uchiha Tamaharu?"

Itachi asked, his gaze tense.

His whole body was taut, ready to fight at any moment.

"The village or the clan. Choose."

"The Uchiha have decided to leave Konoha. Which side will you stand with?"

Tamaharu bluntly challenged Itachi.

Hearing Tamaharu's words, Itachi's pupils contracted. He immediately realized that Tamaharu knew he was a double agent.

At the same time, he began thinking about how to talk his way out of it.

"Of course I'm on the clan's side!"

For now, Itachi naturally couldn't reveal what he really thought. All he could do was support the Uchiha!

He couldn't tell whether Tamaharu was bluffing or had concrete proof. Until Tamaharu presented clear evidence, Itachi would have to pretend he supported the Uchiha.

But deep down, he didn't know which side he should help.

"Shisui has chosen the clan. We have an important plan to carry out next."

"That leaves only you among the Uchiha, still tangled up with Konoha. Don't try to fob me off with empty words."

"The Uchiha are leaving Konoha. We don't plan to fight the village. Which side will you choose?"

Tamaharu saw through Itachi's lie and spoke bluntly.

After all, the Uchiha weren't good at brainwashing others. They were much more likely to be brainwashed themselves.

Black Zetsu, Senju Hashirama, and Uzumaki Naruto were all examples.

Those three had really done a number on the Uchiha's strongest members, fooling them completely with their smooth talk.

"Shisui chose the clan?"

Itachi was shocked.

He was also stunned by the plan the Uchiha were preparing. He had spent the past few days trying to investigate, but couldn't find out what was going on.

He knew the clan had been keeping him at a distance, but he hadn't expected Shisui, who had lost contact with him, to have chosen to help the clan.

"As Shisui's friend, I'm willing to make the same choice he did!"

"I choose to help the clan!"

Itachi answered without hesitation.

He trusted Shisui!

If this was really Shisui's choice, then Itachi would support him without reservation.

"Then I'm going to seal you away until the plan begins," Tamaharu said.

They needed to eliminate this uncertainty as soon as possible.

There were bound to be Uchiha who had been poisoned by the Will of Fire, but there was no time to find them.

Only a few people knew about the final plan. The clan would put it into action on the night it was carried out, with the Military Police Force leading the Uchiha in their departure.

By then, even if anyone wanted to cause trouble, it would be too late.

Itachi was the culprit behind the Uchiha Clan's destruction. Tamaharu decided the safest thing was to seal him away.

"Where is Shisui?"

Hearing Tamaharu's words, Itachi hesitated.

Then he asked without delay.

He needed to confirm that this really was Shisui's choice.

"Come out," Tamaharu said calmly.

Shisui used the Body Flicker and appeared between them.

Itachi opened his Sharingan to confirm the identity of the person before him.

Seeing that it really was Shisui, he relaxed.

"This plan is sure to succeed, Itachi."

"Trust Tamaharu!"

Shisui joined in, urging Itachi to agree.

He didn't know why Tamaharu was so much stricter with Itachi than he was with Shisui.

But the plan couldn't go wrong, so he could only follow Tamaharu's instructions.

"Okay!"

Itachi looked at Shisui seriously, then nodded. He removed the short blade from his back and his ninja tool pouch, setting them on the ground.

Then he indicated to Tamaharu that he could seal his Chakra.