The Final Farewell

Hearing Tekka's solemn words, everyone looked at him with surprise in their eyes. They had not expected that this usually stubborn senior member of the clan would say such a thing.

Even Itachi's usually calm face couldn't help but show a hint of emotion.

"Don't look at me like that, you traitor!"

"Don't get me wrong, I will never forgive the sins you've committed."

Tekka looked at Itachi and said coldly:

There's only one thing I want to say to you last.

"You're an extremely arrogant and petty wretch; from beginning to end, it's always been you, not the Uchiha!"

You're right.

Itachi nodded, offering neither explanation nor rebuttal.

His gaze involuntarily shifted to Koko in front of him, and Sasuke nestled beside his mother, a relieved smile playing on his lips.

"I... already understood this a long time ago."

Seeing Itachi's current state, Tekka opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

The surrounding clansmen merely looked at Itachi with complicated expressions, surprisingly remaining silent in their condemnation.

After all, venting anger on a dead person is pointless.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Tobirama beside him, saying:

"What did I tell you, Tobirama?"

The Uchiha Clan isn't as unreasonable as you think; your prejudice is too great.

"... snort."

Tobirama snorted softly, ignoring his smug older brother beside him, and looked at Tekka in the crowd, his brows furrowing slightly.

Whether out of instinct or experience, he... always felt that this was not yet over.

As expected, the moment Tobirama's doubts arose, Tekka glanced at the four Hokage beside Itachi, his tone turning somber:

"As for whether the Uchiha should continue to stay in Konoha, in my personal opinion, there is no longer any need for them to."

"If Konoha truly wants to atone for its sins, then perhaps we should discuss the compensation you wish to make."

Aside from Tobirama, who had anticipated this, Jiraiya and the other two, including Minato who was sitting to the side with his wife and children, all had a slightly dimmed look in their eyes.

The Third Hokage looked at the silent crowd around him, who seemed to tacitly approve of Tekka's decision, and sighed inwardly.

He quickly composed himself and looked at Tekka with a serious expression:

"Please rest assured, as long as it is within Konoha's capabilities, we will do our utmost to make amends."

"The Uchiha Clan's territory is still preserved in Konoha. The land deed was handed over to Sasuke by Kakashi, who had been keeping it safe, after Sasuke graduated from the Ninja Academy."

If you wish to sell it... Konoha will definitely offer you a price that will satisfy you.

Hearing the Third Hokage's sincere words, a complex expression appeared in everyone's eyes as they looked at him.

Even after the Nine-Tails Incident, the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha began to gradually drift apart.

But before that incident, the old man had indeed devoted his heart and soul to the complete integration of the Uchiha into Konoha.

However, the final result was ultimately unsatisfactory.

"That's good."

Tekka glanced deeply at the old man before him, who appeared even older than he remembered. Maintaining his composure, he turned to look at Kou ahead, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Kou, can I hand this over to you? It's about negotiating with Uchiha on behalf of the Konoha."

"Tsk, as always, they know how to boss people around..."

Kou muttered a complaint under his breath, then expertly waved his hand at Tekka, acknowledging his acceptance of this troublesome task.

Everyone smiled as they watched Kou habitually complaining.

For them, this was a scene they hadn't witnessed in a long time.

As the nostalgia in their hearts gradually faded, everyone couldn't help but feel lost.

Although they've decided to leave Konoha, where will they go next...?

More than a decade has passed, and everything that was once familiar has become strange.

In this unfamiliar Ninja World, where will they find their final resting place?

Thinking of this, everyone lowered their heads, looking somewhat dejected.

"Don't worry about where we go next."

Seemingly sensing the thoughts of his people, he gazed towards the distant Land of Rice and chuckled softly:

"Remember the Land of Rice I mentioned earlier? If you haven't decided yet, how about we live there for a while?"

"Then, think about it carefully there."

He looked at the crowd, a glint of expectation in his eyes:

"How can I find my own way of life in this Ninja World where there is no longer any conflict?"

As the knocking sound rang out, they all looked towards the direction of the Land of Rice, their previously dim eyes gradually brightening.

He smiled as he observed everyone's reactions, but the smile only faded when his gaze swept over Fugaku, whose expression was complex, standing beside him.

"The things that needed to be dealt with have been almost completely taken care of."

The rest of the time is yours to handle.

He glanced at the crowd whose gazes were fixed on Itachi, and said softly:

"This final... farewell."

As Kou finished speaking, Itachi laboriously turned his gaze to the people he had been neglecting since the beginning.

"Itachi!!"

Mikoto was the first to lose control of her emotions and staggered over.

She hugged the ferret tightly, buried her head in his shoulder, and sobbed softly, a sound that broke one's heart.

"Mother, I..."

Itachi felt his mother's trembling body. The words of apology were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say them.

"You don't need to say anything more, Itachi."

Sasuke and Fugaku walked up to Itachi one after the other, looking at him with complicated expressions.

Sasuke suppressed the surging emotions within him, his voice strained:

"At least you don't have to put on this act in front of us anymore."

"Sasuke is right."

Fugaku nodded, opened his arms, and embraced the mother and her two children.

His movements were steady, but his voice trembled unusually.

"Itachi, in my eyes, you will always be my proud son."

No matter what sins you have committed, no matter what you become, as your family, we will always love you deeply.

"Only this one thing... will never change."

Feeling that familiar warmth, two streams of hot tears slowly welled up in Itachi's eyes.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, falling on the three of them and soaking their clothes.

The three of them remained silent, simply holding him tighter, conveying the acceptance and warmth of family to this man condemned by everyone.

The surrounding crowd watched this scene in silence, as if witnessing the final moment of this genius on whom they had placed such high hopes.

The morning light fell upon them, casting a warm glow over the family of four who were tightly embracing each other.

After a long while, the four reluctantly parted ways.

Fugaku, Mikoto, and Sasuke took a step back together, leaving the remaining time to the other two who had been waiting for a long time.

Itachi's eyes still held traces of tears, as if he hadn't yet shaken off his emotions.

But he still forced himself to turn his gaze toward the two people walking toward him.

"Although I originally wanted to scold you a bit, now that things have come to this, I feel there's no need for that anymore."

Looking at Itachi's unprecedentedly vulnerable state, Shisui's voice held a hint of helplessness, but even more so, it was filled with heartache:

After all, the person in this world who is most unable to forgive you... is probably yourself.

Itachi looked into Shisui's eyes and, for a moment, didn't know what to say. He lowered his head guiltily.

"I'm sorry, Shisui..."

"You... sigh."

Shisui scratched his head, feeling utterly exasperated, sighed helplessly, and smiled at the girl beside him, saying:

"Why don't you tell him about him, Izumi?"

"I think you'd be better at persuading this guy than I am."

"After all..."

Shisui looked at the maturity in the girl's eyes that was completely out of character for her age, and said with a smile:

"You spent fifty years with him in the Tsukuyomi."

--

I originally wanted to end this section quickly, but I felt it wouldn't be good to just gloss over the moment when the weasel finally dissipated, so I decided to write it in more detail.

(Actually, it's because I really ship Itachi and Izumi; I feel like the 50-year Tsukuyomi is quite worthwhile.)

Izumi's death here is not taken from the anime, but from the Itachi Shinden novel; she dies at the hands of a weeping Itachi.