Itachi and the Third Hokage

"If this is for the sake of the village, then you need not say another word; the Uchiha clan are also the village's kin." Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Uchiha Itachi was surely hiding nearby, so he emphasized this point deliberately before saying impatiently, "Very well, I shall issue the order tomorrow. From now on, you are to stay home and reflect on your mistakes."

Having said this, Sarutobi Hiruzen flicked his sleeves and departed.

His grandson, Sarutobi Konohamaru, was not yet four years old; if he were to learn that his parents were dead, there was no telling what kind of trauma he would suffer.

He had to return and comfort him properly.

But before that, he still needed to see one person: Uchiha Itachi. He needed to confirm with him whether Fujiwara Chiya was truly dead.

Furthermore, the Analysis Squad was currently using the Mind Reading Technique to enter Shinnosuke's brain and peer into his memories.

He had to know who the murderer was.

"Danzo, I have seen it, and I will continue to watch from now on. As long as you make a move against Sasuke, I will leak all of the village's intelligence to enemy nations."

Once Sarutobi Hiruzen left, Uchiha Itachi, just as in the original timeline, used the Crow Clone Technique to create a clone and issue a warning to Danzo.

Then, under the latter's gnashing gaze, he transformed into a murder of crows and vanished from the Uchiha compound.

Meanwhile, Chiya had already arrived at Yuhi Kurenai's residence.

As usual, after parting ways with Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and the others, Yuhi Kurenai had returned home to begin her nightly drink.

The side dish was her favorite: wasabi octopus.

Suddenly, a wave of drowsiness washed over her; the wine glass slipped quietly from her hand and was caught by Chiya.

As for Yuhi Kurenai herself, she lay dazed and drifting off on the sofa.

"What a girl who never lets one rest easy."

Chiya set down the wine glass and sighed with utter helplessness, tidying up for her just as he had during their Genin days.

Then, he carried her to the bed, tucked her in, took out the Pure Gold ring he had prepared in advance, threaded it onto a thin cord, hung it around her neck, and tucked it inside her collar.

Finally, he used his Sharingan to plant a deep psychological suggestion.

This ring was something of vital importance to her; she was never to let it leave her person, nor was she to let outsiders know of its existence.

Only then did he leave, feeling at ease.

He had not told Yuhi Kurenai the truth.

Even if he had told her, it would have done her more harm than good.

To him, that so-called faked death was merely a smoke screen for the high-ranking officials of Konoha.

If the Konoha leadership had even a shred of intelligence, they would be able to deduce that it was his doing based on the corpses of the Sarutobi clansmen.

At the very least, it was done by someone wearing his Anbu attire, wearing his Anbu mask, and wielding his ninja blade.

Yet, his own corpse had appeared in full view of the public, only to vanish into thin air.

This left them with no trail to follow.

This was already sufficient to serve as a distraction; by the time the Third and the others reacted, it would be too late, and he would have long since escaped.

This would also save him a great deal of trouble.

On the other side, Uchiha Itachi had already followed Sarutobi Hiruzen into a secluded, massive building in Konoha.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood with his hands behind his back, and behind him, Uchiha Itachi, dressed in Anbu attire, knelt on one knee.

"You came here specifically, so you must still have something to say. I have already dismissed everyone else." Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a deep voice, his back turned to Uchiha Itachi.

Itachi lowered his head and eyes, expressing his gratitude, "Thank you for your trouble, Hokage-sama."

"First, let me express my gratitude to you. Because of this, Konoha has avoided civil war and preserved the peace of the village. However, I have always felt regret that I could not find any other way until now."

Right from the start, Sarutobi Hiruzen placed a high pedestal beneath Uchiha Itachi.

If this were in the past, Uchiha Itachi would surely have been deeply moved.

Unfortunately, after experiencing the clan's extermination, witnessing Danzo's ugly face, and learning that this was the result of the Third's tacit approval, he was no longer so naive.

At this moment, his only concern was Sasuke.

Of course, the Third knew nothing of this.

Feeling that the atmosphere had been sufficiently cultivated, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke, getting to the point: "What are your plans for the future?"

"For this extermination, I borrowed the power of someone who claims to be an organizer of the Akatsuki. I have decided to remain by that person's side to prevent him from breaking his promise and making a move against Konoha." Uchiha Itachi replied respectfully, immediately demonstrating his value to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"In other words, you intend to join the Akatsuki organization, is that correct?" A cold glint flashed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes. He was certain that his eldest son's death was inseparable from the Akatsuki.

"Yes. For that reason, I would like to ask for a promise from you." Uchiha Itachi stated the purpose of his visit.

"You may rest assured regarding your brother. I will keep my word; Sasuke will remain as he is, attend school like the other children, and eventually grow up to be a ninja of Konoha." Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around and stared at Uchiha Itachi, "But before that, I have a few questions I would like to ask you."

"I will answer everything I know." Uchiha Itachi nodded.

"I presume you are aware that the corpses of Fujiwara Chiya, Fugaku, and several other Uchiha clansmen vanished into thin air. Do you know who did it? And is Fujiwara Chiya truly dead?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.

Uchiha Itachi pondered for a moment before saying, "To be able to make seven corpses disappear in full view of everyone, I fear only the person who helped me exterminate the Uchiha clan could have accomplished it. He possesses a highly bizarre space-time ninjutsu; he can teleport and absorb at will, leaving no trace."

"As for Chiya, he is truly dead, killed under the ocular technique of my Mangekyo Sharingan, 'Tsukuyomi.' Furthermore, I delivered a finishing blow to confirm he died on the spot."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt slightly at ease and continued to ask, "Does that mean my son also died at his hands?"

"If Lord Shinnosuke encountered that Masked Man, that possibility cannot be ruled out," Uchiha Itachi replied respectfully.

"I see." Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his fists, suppressing the rage in his heart as he turned his back to Uchiha Itachi and said, "From this day forward, Konoha will designate you as an S-rank missing-nin and pursue you, dead or alive."

"I leave the Akatsuki organization to you. If the opportunity arises, I hope you can eliminate that Masked Man who poses a potential threat to the village. Consider this the final mission I shall ever issue to you."

"Understood." Uchiha Itachi responded respectfully, and with those words, he vanished from the top floor of the Hokage building.

Once Uchiha Itachi had departed, Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his fist against the nearby wall, his face twisted in a grimace with veins bulging on his forehead as he cursed under his breath, "Damn you, Danzo! Damn you, Masked Man!"

How could Sarutobi Hiruzen not have known that Danzo was colluding with the Masked Man in the shadows?

It was only because the Uchiha coup was imminent that he had been forced to turn a blind eye out of sheer helplessness.

Now, the threat of the Uchiha had been neutralized.

Yet, his eldest son and daughter-in-law were dead, a loss he could not bring himself to tolerate.

And yet, he was powerless against that Masked Man, just as he could not truly do anything to Danzo.

In his helplessness, he had no choice but to swallow his bitterness and bear the pain.