Itachi's Resolve

Night

Konoha

Uchiha Clan Compound

Uchiha Itachi lay on the bed with his eyes closed and his brows twitching, as if he were dreaming.

Uchiha Itachi assisted Shimura Danzō in saving Konoha, and Shimura Danzō became the Fifth Hokage.

However, this period of peace was short-lived. The former subordinates of the fourth generation were dissatisfied with Danzo's rule, and a large-scale civil war soon broke out.

The civil war was no less intense than the Shinobi World War. Many Jonin of Konoha, as well as numerous famous ninjas, including the Fifth Hokage Shimura Danzō, perished in the civil war.

Before his Danzo, Danzo entrusted Konoha to him, hoping that he could uphold Konoha in the name of Hokage.

However, the Fourth Hokage's supporters were determined to eliminate him, making communication and compromise impossible. Konoha, embroiled in endless civil war, suffered severe damage and its strength greatly diminished.

At this opportune moment, taking advantage of Konoha's decline and leaderless state, the major powers joined forces to attack Konoha.

The border outposts were in disarray due to internal strife and were utterly powerless to stop the invasion of the four major powers.

The ninjas from the four great nations quickly invaded Konoha. Uchiha Itachi fought valiantly to protect Konoha, but the enemy outnumbered them, and their ninjas could not rest or recover their Chakra, while the enemy continued to pour in.

"Elder brother!"

Uchiha Itachi was fighting several masked ninjas when he heard Sasuke's voice behind him. He turned around and saw Sasuke being beheaded by a tall ninja wearing Forehead Protector Iwagakure headband.

The tall Iwagakure Ninja held Sasuke's head, a ferocious grin on his face.

Uchiha Itachi stared blankly at Sasuke's miserable face and the fading light in his eyes.

"No!"

Uchiha Itachi shouted loudly, suddenly waking up. Panting heavily, Itachi looked around the room.

"A dream? Drink... drink..."

Uchiha Itachi looked pained and didn't sleep well, especially because of that dream.

"Thank goodness this is a dream..."

Still shaken, Uchiha Itachi rubbed his face and temples with his right hand. By the Gekko, he looked up at the clock on the wall; it was 11:30.

Uchiha Itachi stared blankly at the time for a while, his mind once again in turmoil. He thought of Shisui, Danzo's expectant gaze, and Sasuke's excitement and dependence during the day.

"A decapitation revolution?"

Uchiha Itachi muttered to himself, recalling his father Fugaku's words from the previous night, the dream he had just had, the blurry-faced, tall Iwagakure Ninja, and Sasuke's final cry.

"No, even if it means sacrificing myself, sacrificing Shisui, sacrificing Danzo, we absolutely cannot let what happened in the dream become reality! For the peace of Konoha, for the peace of the Shinobi World! For Sasuke!"

Uchiha Itachi got out of bed, put on his Anbu gear, slung his Ninja Sword over his shoulder, put on his mask, opened the window, and jumped out of the window to leave the house. With a few leaps, he disappeared into the night.

Hokage Residence

Naraku the scroll, reading with great interest. In the six months since he moved into the Hokage Residence 'Hokage Residence house, he hadn't missed a single Ninjutsu or document. He would read and study them every day, either practicing new Ninjutsu or gaining a deeper understanding of the secrets of the Shinobi World.

The villagers of Konoha go to bed early; most work at sunrise and rest at sunset, and eight or nine o'clock is considered very late. However, Naraku has a habit of staying up late.

Naraku glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 11:45.

"It's almost midnight, time to rest."

Naraku somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected time to pass so quickly. He had only been sitting for a short while, and it was already this late.

"Lord Hokage!"

"Um?"

Just as Naraku was about to rest, he heard shouts outside the window. Somewhat surprised, Naraku went to the window and looked down. An Anbu Ninja was calling out from below.

The weasel mask was worn at an angle, covering his head but not concealing his face.

"Itachi? What's up so late?"

Naraku recognized the Genin as Uchiha Itachi, one of the newly appointed Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and asked him with some confusion.

The Hokage Residence is secretly guarded, and Itachi's sneaking in without permission could easily trigger the barrier and mechanisms.

"Lord Hokage! Urgent information! Please allow me to report in detail!"

Uchiha Itachi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the Fourth Hokage was still awake, and shouted loudly.

"Come on up! Just come in through the window."

Naraku beckoned, signaling Itachi to come in through the window where Naraku was standing.

Brush!

Itachi leaped twice, vaulted through the window, and entered the Hokage Residence's lounge.

Naraku on the futon in the middle of the lounge. The wall behind the lounge, just like the lounge in the Hokage Office, was decorated with a huge character for "ninja".

After kneeling on one knee, Uchiha Itachi remained silent.

Naraku looked at his good nephew, somewhat puzzled. He came to report urgent information so late at night, but then didn't say a word.

As a child, Uchiha Itachi was an adorable and cute boy. But as he grew older, Naraku felt increasingly distant and less close to Itachi.

This young ninja, catalyzed by Fugaku's teachings, became somewhat extreme. He was friendly and approachable to those he knew well, but cold and ruthless to those he didn't.

Naraku believed that this unfamiliar person should not include himself, but even Naraku couldn't quite grasp Itachi's thoughts due to his aloofness.

There was an awkward silence for about ten seconds. Naraku slightly, about to speak, when Itachi's voice rang out from below.

"Lord Hokage! Danzo is planning a coup! He's secretly plotting to assassinate you!"

After considering for a moment, Uchiha Itachi spoke with a somewhat serious tone.

Naraku was slightly surprised and said softly:

"Danzo? A coup? I didn't expect him to still be so delusional."

Shisui incident, Danzo went into hiding, but the matter was suppressed and did not escalate. Many villagers were unaware of Danzo's existence.

"A secret assassination attempt on me? What's going on?"

Naraku asked with some confusion, sensing that Itachi seemed a bit strange today.

Uchiha Itachi paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words, and said softly:

"Danzo wants to launch a revolution, and his primary goal is to assassinate you through a decapitation strike. He has asked me to help him bring you to his stronghold!"

I don't know if Danzo has other plans or if other ninjas are carrying out this mission, but Danzo is very impatient and demands that I complete it within three days."

Upon hearing this, Naraku roughly understood the reason: Itachi and Danzo had been in contact in private, and because Itachi had a very good impression of Danzo wanted to use Uchiha Itachi to eliminate him.

"Three days? It seems Danzo is indeed in a hurry, and perhaps there are other reasons for this urgency."

Naraku slightly in reply, then asked:

Where did you meet Danzo? In which base is Danzo hiding?

Naraku was concerned about this issue; this guy had too many strongholds, scattered throughout the Shinobi World, making them somewhat difficult to find. Most of his strongholds were underground, making Sensory Ninjutsu less effective.

"In the forest south of the Vast River! I've been to that stronghold!"

The weasel answered softly.

"Now that we've found his stronghold, things are much easier. Danzo asked for your assistance... Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Naraku gazed calmly at Uchiha Itachi. Although Itachi had been on vacation for the past two days, it was strange that he would come to report in the middle of the night. Naraku's words carried a deeper meaning.

When Uchiha Itachi heard Naraku's question, he was unsure how to answer. After a long pause, Itachi decided to tell a lie and whispered:

"I was worried about being followed, so I came at night."

Naraku nodded slightly, his face expressionless, and said:

"I see. Itachi, now that we've found Danzo's hideout, we must eliminate Danzo."

How many men does he have at his base? Are you confident you can carry out this mission?