Joining the village had been about protecting his clan. Senya's words had awakened Itachi to that truth. It was true; he knew his clan's history well.
But Shisui's words afterward, and Senya's deliberate pause, meant something different from what he had understood. Could Shisui have meant that they should protect both the village and the clan?
Yet he had twisted that into the idea that he should protect the village first, and the Uchiha name second.
Now that Itachi understood, he felt a shudder of fear. If he had kept thinking the way he had before, he would have already attacked his clansmen today. And what about the future? Itachi didn't dare think about it.
Senya saw Itachi starting to fall apart and gestured to Fugaku to keep quiet, letting him handle things.
Fugaku, standing nearby, was even more confused. What did Senya mean? Was he supposed to help drive the point home?
"Itachi, Shisui never missed a single clan meeting, but you often skipped them because of your missions."
"The clansmen used to shun you, but they never shunned Shisui."
Fugaku's words were shocking. Senya's eyes widened.
All right, all right, Uchiha Fugaku, you thick-browed, wide-eyed fellow. Who knew you were this clever? I hadn't realized it before. But now you're really getting into acting against your own son, huh? He's your own flesh and blood, after all. You really know how to twist the knife.
Itachi's heart began to crumble.
Itachi recalled everything that had happened. He hadn't stopped Shisui from taking his own life. Whenever something new happened within the clan, he reported it to the Third and Danzo.
He had even spied on his clansmen for them. If Senya hadn't woken him up, wouldn't he have killed his entire clan and become a rogue ninja...?
"Itachi, think about your past. The clan sent you to infiltrate the Anbu, but you ended up spying for Danzo and Hiruzen instead. You were disloyal."
"You let Shisui kill himself right in front of you, watching as he chose the wrong path. You were unjust to your friend."
"You attacked your clansmen. That was inhumane."
"You let down your father, Fugaku, and even went against him, doubting him. In the end, you nearly let Hiruzen and Danzo brainwash you. You were unfilial!"
Four sentences delivered the verdict: "disloyal, unjust, inhumane, and unfilial."
"Itachi Uchiha has broken down. Replicating half of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
The system's voice rang out in Senya's mind.
Senya was laughing inside. He'd thought he would copy a dōjutsu, but he'd never expected to get half of the Eternal Eye! Didn't that mean that once Uchiha Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo in the future, Senya could lend a slight hand and awaken the Eternal Eye outright?
He had no siblings, so Senya had assumed he'd need to work with Orochimaru to awaken the Eternal Eye. He hadn't expected the system to be so generous.
Thinking about it, all he had to do was wait for Obito to show up, and the Rinnegan would be his too.
Senya went over all this in his mind, imagining the bright future ahead.
But Uchiha Itachi's eyes had turned bloodred. The Mangekyo's pattern appeared, and two trails of blood ran down his cheeks.
He fell to his knees and pounded the ground, hating his past self for being stubborn and arrogant, hating himself for being brainwashed by the Third's words at age seven, hating himself for disappointing his father, and hating himself for failing to stop Shisui.
It was all his fault.
Fugaku stepped in front of Itachi. Seeing him like this tore at his heart. As a father, he never wanted to see his son so heartbroken.
He had to admit, playing along with Senya had been remarkably effective.
But now it was time to get Itachi back on his feet.
"Itachi, you're my son. Get up!"
"What's done is done, but you can still change the future."
"Are you going to stay like this and forget Shisui's last words?"
"Have you forgotten what the clansmen are counting on you for? Do you want Sasuke to see you like this?"
Itachi stood up and wiped the blood from his face. His gaze gradually grew resolute.
"Father, you're right. I can't let the clansmen down. I can't let Shisui down. I can't let you down, and I can't let Sasuke down!"
The "Will of Fire" and "Uchiha threat theory" that Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi had drilled into Uchiha Itachi shattered in that moment.
The Itachi before them now was like a different person from the one they'd seen that afternoon. Thanks to Senya and Fugaku's act, Itachi had finally been given a chance to start anew.
Itachi suddenly turned to Senya, who was still sitting by the cliff's edge. His words were sincere, and his eyes brimmed with loyalty.
"Senya, what exactly do you plan to do to save the Uchiha Clan?"
Now that Itachi had regained his composure, he began to worry about the question.
Itachi wasn't the only one. Fugaku also stared at Senya impatiently. Wasn't this whole performance meant to get Senya to reveal his plan?
Senya began telling them about the solution he had thought up earlier by the waterfall.
The new moon slowly climbed to its highest point, then began to descend. Only then did Senya finish explaining his idea.
The father and son stared at Senya, their faces conflicted and incredulous, unsure what to make of his plan.
It was outrageous, but it was feasible. If they put it into practice, it seemed certain to work. It was just... this was the kind of idea only someone like Senya could come up with. If either of them had tried, they could have thought themselves into a headache and still never come up with it.
Itachi ran through Senya's plan in his mind. It was flawless. Not only could it save the clan, it could also earn the villagers' approval and affection. And it could even...
By the end, Itachi's gaze had grown dangerous. Danzo and the Third were despicable.
Senya noticed Itachi's expression and stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder.
"Danzo has to die. Hiruzen isn't too bad; let him live."
At Senya's words, Itachi nodded in agreement.
Fugaku stood nearby, thinking back over everything that had happened that night. Uchiha Senya was truly a terrifying strategist. He could save the clan and change Itachi's mind with such ease. Fugaku had worked for so many years without managing either, yet Senya had done it effortlessly.
Thankfully, Senya was one of the Uchiha. With him around, the clan could restore the Uchiha's glory. From now on, anyone who wanted to lay a hand on Senya would have to step over his dead body first.
As Fugaku made up his mind, Itachi reached the same conclusion.
The father and son had unknowingly come to an understanding and formed a united front.
Looking at Fugaku and Itachi together now, Senya recalled that tragic night in the original story.
"I was born into the Uchiha Clan. This time, I'll lead the Uchiha to glory!"
Senya silently said those words to himself.
His parents had cared for him in every possible way since childhood. There were the aunties and uncles who sold baked cakes in the clan, and the retired old man at the ninja tool shop.
As he thought back over the little moments of his sixteen years living among the clan, he realized how different it was from the anime in his previous life. The Uchiha were only a little arrogant, but if you treated them sincerely, you could feel how much they cared about one another.
Watching the father and son getting along so well, Senya smiled, then quietly left.
Before you continue