Wagering Uchiha's Honor

"Have you made up your mind, Itachi?"

On the second night, atop a hillside within the Uchiha Clan Grounds, the masked man's figure quietly appeared behind Itachi amid warped space.

Itachi was fully armed, his gaze resolute, like a dead man about to head into battle.

"After tonight, you will bear the name of a rogue ninja and lose every family member you have. All you'll have left is a younger brother who will hate you forever. Are you truly prepared to accept such an ending?"

A flicker of emotion crossed Itachi's face at those words, but it was quickly replaced by resolve. Looking at the clan members busying themselves in the night, he said softly, "Endless night shrouds the Uchiha Clan, just like this clan's fate. Forever cloaked in darkness, unable to glimpse the light. That is the Uchiha Clan's destiny."

"The way to end that destiny is to trade death, and all the pain and sins one bears, for a new beginning."

"Trading your pain and sins for a new beginning? That beginning is Sasuke, isn't it?"

The masked man casually squatted beside Itachi and asked with some curiosity.

Itachi shot him a sidelong glance. "You'd better not get any ideas about Sasuke. Otherwise, I'll kill you at any cost."

"Tsk, how terrifying!"

The masked man chuckled. Only after seeing Itachi's serious expression did he solemnly promise, "Relax. I have no designs on Sasuke. I just think this is a little too cruel for him."

Itachi was silent for several seconds before slowly speaking. "Hatred is the best way to grow stronger."

"Tsk, how heartless."

The masked man remarked before squatting on the ground and looking toward the clan grounds.

As the friction between the clan and the village continued escalating, the entire Uchiha Clan had entered a