Kidney!
A Ninja Blade plunged cleanly through Uchiha Itachi's kidney.
"Itachi, this is the price you pay for your disrespect today. From now on, remember me every moment, hate me, fear me!"
White Dove said this in a low voice.
As he spoke, he also used genjutsu to disguise himself as Itachi. He cut out the parts of the scene where he had passed on information about killing Shisui, then sent the rest to Itachi.
(He'd cut out the parts about Danzo. That would make Itachi hate him even more!)
Uchiha Itachi, who had been preparing to counterattack through the pain, stood motionless.
His mind was already filled with images delivered through the genjutsu.
Watching Shisui get stabbed through the heart by White Dove before falling into the waterfall, Itachi felt only one thing.
Pain!
So much pain!
The pain in his body was nothing compared to even a fraction of what he felt inside.
What he didn't notice was that White Dove seemed to be constantly provoking him, but his gaze remained fixed on Itachi's eyes.
"Tch, lucky bastard!"
White Dove had deliberately provoked Itachi, hoping to make him awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan so he could get another pair for himself later. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked.
As he thought this, White Dove twisted the hand gripping the blade. Blue lightning appeared, coiling around its edge.
A piercing, intense pain overwhelmed Uchiha Itachi, knocking him unconscious with the pain and electric current.
(White Dove: This was all personal. The other guy wouldn't be using his kidney anyway, so he'd done him a favor and cut it out for free.)
Whoosh!
After pulling the Ninja Blade from the unconscious "devoted son," White Dove said to Tekka:
"Stop the bleeding and take him home. Tell Clan Leader Fugaku there won't be a next time!"
Then he turned and headed for the Hokage Building. He needed to collect his money and take a mission that would let him leave the village.
His top priority now was to "open up" the trade route and bring back a Medical Ninjutsu specialist. Their clan truly lacked medical ninja.
"Yes, Captain!"
Tekka nodded, then roughly stopped the bleeding of Uchiha Itachi, who lay unconscious on the ground, and hoisted him onto his shoulder.
Whoosh!
He left using the Body Flicker Technique.
Along the way, Tekka deliberately leaped and darted about, jostling Itachi's fresh wound until it started bleeding again. Only then was he satisfied and headed for the residence of Uchiha Fugaku.
Naturally, the Anbu noticed what he was doing.
The news was quickly relayed to the Hokage Building.
"Go to the Uchiha Clan at once and confirm Itachi's condition!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately ordered the Anbu in front of him.
If Shisui were still around, he wouldn't have been so anxious. But Shisui had gone missing—or died—and Itachi was the only piece he had planted in the Uchiha Clan. He couldn't afford not to worry.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
The two Anbu in front of him vanished at once, hurrying to the Uchiha Clan to confirm what had happened.
When Tekka arrived at the clan leader's residence, he happened to see Sasuke Uchiha returning from the training ground.
"Nii-san!"
Seeing Itachi on Tekka's shoulder and the blood around his waist, Sasuke rushed over in a panic.
"Your nii-san is fine. He's only been slightly injured!"
Tekka wasn't as cold toward Sasuke as he had been toward Itachi. He explained what had happened.
"Ah... That's great!"
Sasuke patted his chest lightly. He'd truly been worried that something had happened to Itachi.
Hearing the commotion outside, Uchiha Mikoto hurried out.
"Itachi!"
She looked at the unconscious Itachi, visibly worried.
Since she was a ninja herself, she could sense that Itachi was still breathing. Otherwise, she would have been panicked rather than merely worried.
"Itachi barged into the Konoha Military Police Force and accused Captain White Dove of causing Shisui's disappearance. That's why he suffered a minor injury. But Captain White Dove hopes Clan Leader Fugaku understands: he gets only one chance to make a mistake!"
After explaining, Tekka relayed White Dove's words.
He was hostile toward Itachi, but he didn't really hold much animosity toward Fugaku's family.
At least they were normal people. Unlike Itachi, they didn't keep their faces cold whenever they saw their own clansmen, with contempt and disdain written all over their eyes. Did he think no one could tell?
"...I understand."
Uchiha Mikoto took Itachi from him.
She knew her eldest son well. After hearing Tekka's brief explanation, she immediately guessed what had happened, so she didn't resent White Dove.
After all, White Dove had been in a meeting, and Itachi had barged in and accused him of being behind Shisui's disappearance without a shred of evidence. The fact that he hadn't been locked up was already a courtesy extended because they were from the same clan.
Everyone in the Uchiha Clan and the other great clans now assumed Danzo was responsible for Shisui's disappearance. For Itachi to suddenly come out and accuse Uchiha White Dove was practically a case of "hurting those close to you and delighting your enemies."
If the village seized on that to make trouble, the consequences were easy to imagine.
In that respect, giving Itachi only this small lesson really had been "kind."
Tekka handed Itachi over to Uchiha Mikoto and left at once.
As White Dove's follower, he naturally shouldn't get too close to the "old" clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Mikoto had once been a jōnin with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and she lived up to her reputation. She quickly helped Itachi back inside, cleaned the wound, and bandaged it again with practiced ease.
Of course, she confirmed that Itachi's unconsciousness was due only to pain and numbness, not a serious injury. He would recover naturally after some time even without Medical Ninjutsu, so she relaxed.
"Mother, nii-san's all right, isn't he?"
The second pillar looked anxiously at Itachi, resting peacefully on the bed.
"Don't worry. Itachi's fine!"
Uchiha Mikoto stroked her youngest son's head, then glanced at Fugaku, who sat quietly on the sofa in the living room.
Yes, he had been sitting there in a daze ever since he learned what had happened.
She went over to Fugaku and said gently:
"There's definitely something wrong here. Itachi isn't usually so impulsive."
As a former ninja, she was no simple housewife. She'd already pieced some things together, and a glint flashed in her eyes.
"I know, but Itachi chose his own path..."
Fugaku shook his head slightly and spoke in a hoarse voice.
He had immediately realized that the village's higher-ups had probably directed the blame for Shisui's disappearance toward Uchiha White Dove. That was why his eldest son, who had been as close as a brother to Shisui, had acted so rashly.
But there was no doubt that Danzo was involved in Shisui's disappearance. That much was certain. Yet his eldest son couldn't see it. He'd believed everything the village's higher-ups told him after only a few words. How could Fugaku not be disappointed?
He had sent his eldest son to join the Anbu as a spy, but now he realized Itachi had long since slipped out of his control.
As both a father and a clan leader, he had failed terribly. How could he not feel dejected?
"Dear..."
Mikoto leaned tenderly against Fugaku, using her warmth to soothe his troubled heart.
Meanwhile, in the room, the second pillar quietly kept watch over the unconscious devoted son.
It was a heartwarming scene.
At least, it would have been if no one had interrupted them.
Two Anbu arrived, prompting Uchiha Fugaku to glare at them. They stayed for a few minutes, then left.
Once they learned Itachi was fine, they immediately returned to the Hokage Building to report.
Just after Sarutobi Hiruzen heard their report, he received word that Uchiha White Dove had come to visit.
"Bring him in."
After a moment's consideration, he decided to receive him.
After all, White Dove was the "Police Force Captain," which made him one of Konoha's higher-ups. He was certainly qualified to meet with him.
As for the ordinary ninja he received from time to time... They were either exceptionally talented or part of some public-relations stunt. Did they really think just anyone could meet the Hokage?
This was one of the biggest differences between the anime and the real Shinobi World. Anyone who assumed everything worked as it did in the anime would definitely get taken for a ride.
Soon, White Dove stepped into the Hokage's office on the third floor.
"Lord Hokage!"
White Dove greeted him politely and courteously, as if he hadn't led the Uchiha Clan in a head-on clash with the village just yesterday.
So what if it took acting? It wasn't as if he were the only one who could do it.
Sure, his acting skills were leagues behind those old foxes who were all master performers, but he didn't need to be that good. Good enough would do.
"White Dove, you're here. I'm sorry. I should have been the one to come see you!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was an even better actor. Every word made him sound like a harmless old man who cared about a younger colleague.
Well, the Senju and Uzumaki clans had a whole lot they'd like to say about that.
"No, no. You're busy with official business, Lord Hokage. I should be the one to visit you!"
White Dove emphasized his words earnestly, as if he were part of the Hokage Faction.
If you didn't know that he had once championed "ninja supremacy" and constantly opposed the Hokage Faction, you might even believe him.
The two of them traded performances, acting like an old mentor and a younger colleague who had known each other for years, before finally getting down to business.
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