Izumi

The moon hung high above the treetops.

Shisui Uchiha stood alone before the waterfall, his usual cheerful and gentle demeanor replaced by an inscrutable expression of sorrow.

"Konoha was built by the Senju and the Uchiha, yet now, the little princess of the Senju clan wanders outside the village."

"After the Nine-Tails incident, the Sarutobi clan naturally occupied the core territory that originally belonged to the Uchiha, and they have continued to grow and prosper ever since."

"Brother Shisui, can you use your position in the Anbu to help Naruto find his true heritage and clear his name of being a fox demon?"

"Itachi has been making private contact with people outside the clan."

Recalling the words of Arata, Shisui's mind was in turmoil.

Help Naruto Uzumaki clear his name?

Thinking back, the Hokage had never once given him the opportunity to approach Naruto; whenever it was his squad's turn to monitor the boy, they were always diverted by other sudden missions.

Back then, however, he had only known how to execute orders, never once stopping to question these things.

Could it be that everything was truly as Arata had claimed?

Had the Third Hokage never intended to help the Uchiha, and was the superficial maintenance of peace merely a way to use the Uchiha's strength to pacify surrounding enemies while simultaneously depleting the clan's vital forces?

On the battlefield, it did seem that one rarely saw members of the Sarutobi clan.

Moreover, those vicious thugs from the Mist Village specialized in Water Style, yet the Uchiha, who specialized in Fire Style, were always forced to stand on the front lines.

In the stillness of time, Shisui thought of many things.

Yet, he remained unwilling to accept this reality.

"The decline of the Senju clan was because Lord Tobirama dispersed the clansmen into various families, hoping that they would share resources and truly integrate into Konoha."

"Lady Tsunade's departure was merely due to her disillusionment with war."

"The Mangekyō Sharingan does indeed possess the power to control the Nine-Tails; the Third Hokage's arrangements were made for the sake of the bigger picture, to settle the anxieties of other families."

"Naruto..."

"Naruto may truly be the heir of the Fourth Hokage, but all these concealments were done by the Hokage to protect him. After all, Lord Minato made too many enemies in his time."

Shisui Uchiha continued to ponder, constantly overturning his own conclusions.

He simply could not bring himself to believe that the kind, white-haired old man was deceiving him.

"As for Itachi..."

"Shisui, you were looking for me?"

The voice calling out to him broke Shisui Uchiha's train of thought.

"Yes, I have found out the reason why Arata wants to kill you."

Looking at the familiar young man beside him—the one with whom he had played, trained, and completed missions—memories flooded back, and he struggled to suppress the negative information into the deepest recesses of his heart.

Itachi Uchiha did not answer immediately, but the look of realization in his eyes betrayed his inner thoughts.

So that guy really did want to erase him.

However, over the past few days, he had also learned one thing.

Arata had never had contact with the masked man; on the contrary, the other party had revealed two pieces of information to him:

First, he came from the Akatsuki, an independent organization that had been established for a long time and belonged to no faction, striving to create a peaceful world without war.

Second, he had once belonged to the Uchiha clan, but now, he felt no attachment to this decaying family; his reason for returning was merely to see an old friend.

Of course, Itachi naturally did not believe the reason for his return.

"Arata said that you have recently been in contact with people outside the clan."

"Coupled with the growing dissatisfaction within the clan toward you, he wants to eliminate you as a potential threat."

Shisui Uchiha said slowly, without any concealment.

Because Itachi was his best friend within the clan.

Just as he had said during the tribunal, he trusted Itachi implicitly.

"I see."

Itachi replied slowly.

He had not expected that Arata would also notice that person infiltrating the clan.

But this made everything make sense.

"So, who is that person?"

Shisui asked cautiously.

Regardless of Itachi's response—whether it was an Anbu colleague, an outsider, or anyone else—he would believe him without hesitation.

However...

"I'm sorry, I cannot say yet."

Itachi Uchiha's eyes were filled with apology; he did not want to tell a casual lie to deceive the partner who was both a mentor and a friend to him.

Because that person wanted to make a deal with him.

The content of the deal involved Sasuke.

"Hmm, it's nothing."

Shisui's mood dipped slightly, but he still wore the expression of someone who was perfectly fine.

Arata had stated his reasons for wanting to eradicate Itachi without any concealment, even knowing that such an untenable justification would plunge him into an abyss of no return.

Likewise, he had told Itachi everything Arata had confessed without reservation, yet the response he received was this.

That masked man was definitely not a colleague from the Anbu.

Since Arata Uchiha's words had verified one point, were the others also true?

Shisui was lost in confusion.

Standing at the entrance of the clan grounds, Arata hesitated to move forward.

The lights in his field of vision remained as they always were, and the scent of rice still lingered in the air; this had once been the path he loved walking most after returning from daily training.

Yet, in just a few short days, it had become the path he feared the most.

Clearly, at the moment he issued the challenge, he had already prepared himself for everything.

So why, upon reaching this place, did he still feel such panic?

Perhaps it was because he did not want to lose the care and concern the clan members had shown him over these past five years.

After hesitating for a long time, he continued walking along the path.

"Bang."

A loud noise echoed in his ears; someone had slammed a door shut.

Although Arata's expression did not change, his heart tightened abruptly at the sound.

"Tch, still alive? How unlucky."

A patrolling clansman passed by, cursing without any attempt to hide it, as if afraid the target of his words wouldn't hear.

Arata ignored him and continued walking forward.

The lamplight slowly stretched his shadow, making it look desolate and lonely.

For the first time, he tasted the feeling of being ostracized that Naruto Uzumaki endured; the difference was that this was only his first day, while the other had experienced it for years, and it would continue indefinitely.

"Swish, swish, swish."

As he neared his residence, a harsh sound drifted from the small courtyard.

Arata walked over silently, only to see Izumi with her back to him, sweeping up gravel and shards of glass.

"Please stop throwing things around, or I will report this to the Council of Elders!"

Izumi Uchiha did not turn around, warning him in a low voice as she continued to sweep.

Upon hearing this, Arata's heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, aching inexplicably.

Izumi, receiving no response, quietly paused her work and turned around abruptly.

"Arata!"

She called out, her voice trembling.

But then, as if suddenly remembering something, Izumi quickly shifted her body, trying to hide the mess in the courtyard, though what could her slender frame possibly conceal?

"You're blocking my doorway."

After a long silence.

Arata Uchiha finally responded coldly.

He did not want to have anything to do with Big Sister Izumi right now, otherwise, it would surely bring her trouble.

Yet, as those words left his lips, his world seemed to have its lights completely extinguished, plunging into darkness.

"Slap."

A resounding palm landed unexpectedly on Arata's face.

The sealed, dark world was suddenly breached by a crack.

"I am your sister."

"No matter what happens, I am your sister."

Izumi Uchiha growled, her fists clenched tight, her beautiful eyes already red and swollen.

Arata just stared blankly at the girl before him, at a loss for what to do.

A beam of light seemed to pour in through that crack.

"Are you hungry?"

Izumi asked.

"I'm hungry."

"Big Sister Izumi."