Itachi Uchiha

"Vice Clan Head, we just discovered a suicide note at Shisui's home!"

"Chikura Uchiha and the others have already headed straight to the Clan Head's residence to interrogate Itachi Uchiha."

Senya took the suicide note handed over by Inabi Uchiha.

"I can no longer endure these endless missions. If things continue this way, Uchiha will perish sooner or later. I can no longer continue to betray the ninja way in my heart."

Looking at the final words left behind by Shisui, Senya felt a pang of regret. He had once carried out a few missions with him; although they weren't particularly close, at least Shisui still held the clan in his heart.

Unlike that fellow Itachi, who had already leaked clan intelligence to the Konoha higher-ups for the sake of the village.

He had to take advantage of this time following Shisui's death to change the status quo. He hoped Fugaku hadn't forgotten his warning from last night.

He tucked away Shisui's suicide note.

"Let's go. We're heading to Fugaku's house to find Itachi immediately."

"Yes."

"Shisui committed suicide at Naka River last night. Where were you?"

"I've already said it: I was executing an Anbu mission."

"I hope so, hmph!"

Chikura Uchiha turned around with the other two, preparing to leave.

Itachi Uchiha looked up at the three people at the doorway:

"Speak your minds. You suspect me of being the murderer, don't you?"

Chikura turned back, the Three-Tomoe in his eyes fixed on Itachi Uchiha:

"That's right, you brat."

"Listen, if you dare to betray the clan, we will never forgive you!"

The memory of Shisui's suicide note from the previous night flashed through his mind, and the words of Chikura Uchiha and the others constantly irritated his nerves.

Throwing a punch forward with lightning speed, Itachi struck the three of them to the ground.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Lowering his head, he stared down at the three people lying on the ground:

"Always yapping about the clan, the clan."

"You guys, always so full of yourselves."

"How could you possibly fathom the depth of my capacity?"

"That is exactly why you are lying on the ground, beaten by me."

Just as Itachi Uchiha intended to strike again, Fugaku appeared at the end of the street and rushed over.

"Stop! Itachi, what on earth is going on..."

"Swish—thud!"

His right hand swiftly threw a kunai, which embedded itself into the mural on the wall beside him. Cracks appeared on the wall, and the Uchiha Gunbai on the mural fractured.

"My capacity... I have already despaired of this arrogant, boring clan."

"Yo, Itachi, how can you say such things as the Clan Head's son?"

Senya jumped down from the eaves and stood opposite Itachi, with Inabi following closely behind to quickly help the three people on the ground to their feet.

Fugaku watched from the side.

He didn't know what Senya planned to do next. Recalling the scene at the clan meeting last night, he thought this guy Senya had a truly nasty personality; he hadn't even told him how to play along with his act. He just hoped Itachi wouldn't suffer too much.

He silently prayed for Itachi in his heart...

"Senya Uchiha, this matter is not for you to interfere with."

Itachi recognized Senya; he was known within the clan as a genius second only to Shisui and himself, having awakened his Three-Tomoe at a young age.

But clearly, Itachi, who hadn't attended the clan meeting last night, didn't know that Senya had not only awakened the Mangekyo but had also become the Vice Clan Head.

Senya smiled and shook his head, looking at the naturally rebellious turncoat before him:

"As of now, I am the Vice Clan Head of the clan. Tell me, do I have the qualifications to interfere?"

Itachi frowned and turned to look at his father, wanting to confirm if Senya's words were true.

Seeing Fugaku nod, Itachi didn't know how to refute Senya. After all, Senya was right; he indeed had the qualifications to intervene.

Senya looked at the now-silent Itachi and pretended to ponder for a moment:

"Itachi, come to Naka River with Fugaku tonight."

Leaving those words behind, Senya departed with Inabi and the others.

Watching them leave, Itachi turned to face Fugaku:

"Father, why did Senya suddenly become the Vice Clan Head?"

Fugaku relayed the entire process of the clan meeting to Itachi directly. Seeing the shock etched across Itachi's face, he found himself unsure if there was anything left to add.

However, considering Senya's plan, he silently apologized to his son; there were some things better left for Senya to explain to him tonight. He wasn't hiding these truths out of malice.

Perhaps it was the influence of Senya, or perhaps something else, but Fugaku found himself entertaining thoughts he had never considered before. Though these changes were currently mere flickers, who could say what the future held?

As night fell and the faint light of the crescent moon descended, Senya arrived early at the cliffs overlooking the Naka River. He sat on the edge, gazing at the waterfall while calculating his plans for the night.

After all, in the original story, Itachi was nothing if not a filial son.

In Senya's view, Itachi's life was profoundly tragic. A man who loved sweets had spent his entire life tasting nothing but bitterness.

He had witnessed the cruelty of the battlefield at a tender age, forced to grow up far too soon.

The widening rift between father and son had caused Itachi to seal his heart away.

It wasn't until he met Shisui Uchiha, who became like an older brother to him, that he adopted a Hokage-style ideology, vowing to work with Shisui to change the status quo of the village and the clan.

But alas, after Shisui took his own life before Itachi's eyes, Itachi's inner pillar collapsed. The conflict with his father, Fugaku, combined with his Hokage-centric worldview, unconsciously pushed him to favor the Third and Danzo.

Coupled with the awakening of his Mangekyou Sharingan, Itachi became increasingly paranoid, eventually leading him to be brainwashed by the Third and Danzo into slaughtering the entire Uchiha clan, leaving only his younger brother, Sasuke, alive.

But now, although Itachi had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, he had not yet had the chance to report it to the Third or Danzo. This was the perfect moment to intervene.

As long as he could successfully break Itachi's mental defenses now, he could forge him into a blade of his own, one that he could control personally.

Two figures flickered rapidly through the forest behind him, finally coming to a stop behind Senya.

"Sit down, both of you."

Itachi and Fugaku sat on either side of Senya.

Gazing at the waterfall before them, Itachi was once again reminded of the scene of Shisui's suicide.

Ever since learning of Senya's words at the clan meeting from Fugaku, he had been deep in thought. According to Senya's logic, the clan had no path left to survival, yet it seemed Senya already had a countermeasure.

If there was a way for the village and the clan to coexist in peace, he naturally did not wish to raise his blade against his own kin in the future.

"Senya, what exactly is your method for leading the clan out of this current predicament?"

Itachi spoke first, eager to get to the bottom of the matter.

Senya frowned, turning his gaze toward Itachi on his right:

"Itachi Uchiha, you should first clarify your own problems before asking about that."

"Me? What problems could I possibly have?"

Itachi was momentarily bewildered by Senya's question and looked toward Fugaku, who sat to Senya's left.

Fugaku felt Itachi's gaze but kept his eyes fixed on the waterfall. He reminded himself constantly that he must cooperate fully with Senya and play his part well; Senya was the clan's only hope now, and he had to support him.

Senya silently pressed his right hand to his forehead, his heart filled with complaints about Fugaku. Sigh, I shouldn't have held such high expectations. As expected, I have to do this myself. Relying on Fugaku? Forget it, that's asking too much of him.

"Answer me a few questions, Itachi."

"Why did the Uchiha and the Senju found Konoha?"

"What is your surname?"

"Who raised you to adulthood?"

"What did Shisui tell you at the very end?"

Senya threw these questions directly at Itachi. Aside from the first one, Itachi felt the others were nonsense, but he suppressed his doubts and answered nonetheless.

"The Uchiha and the Senju founded Konoha for the sake of peace."

"My surname is Uchiha, and my mother and father raised me."

"In his final moments, Shisui told me to protect the village and the honor of the Uchiha clan."

Senya shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this. Still, at least Itachi knew he was raised by his parents. Combined with his own Word Spirit ability, there was a high probability he could rescue Itachi from the brainwashing of Danzo and the Third.

Only upon hearing Itachi's admission did Fugaku finally believe that Shisui had committed suicide. He had done it merely to ease the tension between the clan and the village, yet unexpectedly, the conflict hadn't diminished—it had intensified.

"Itachi, you are wrong. The Uchiha and the Senju did not join forces to found Konoha for the sake of peace; they did it to protect their clansmen."

"Furthermore, you have misinterpreted Shisui's final words."

"Protect the village, and the honor of the Uchiha clan."

"That is the only correct way to understand it."