At those words, Fugaku's expression changed.
Because Shingetsu had hit the mark.
Itachi had always been the bridge between Fugaku and the Third Hokage.
But bridges were the easiest things to trample and break.
The Third Hokage fell silent.
He thought highly of Itachi.
Itachi was a rare Uchiha who could look at the village beyond the narrow perspective of his clan.
But now, Shingetsu's words left him unable to ignore the issue.
Root had just been exposed for the Night Owl Plan.
It included "an Uchiha insider."
If Itachi remained in Anbu, the Uchiha would inevitably grow suspicious of him.
The Third Hokage said slowly:
"Itachi is an Anbu member, not a Root member."
Shingetsu replied:
"Shisui was an Uchiha genius, too."
"Danzo still dared to steal his eyes."
"Lord Hokage, can you guarantee that no one else will take advantage of Itachi?"
The Third Hokage had no answer.
Fugaku said in a low voice:
"Lord Hokage, I also request that Itachi temporarily leave Anbu."
At those words, the Third Hokage knew he couldn't keep Itachi there.
"Very well."
"During the investigation, Uchiha Itachi will be temporarily suspended."
"We'll reconsider once the situation stabilizes."
Shingetsu felt a weight lift from his chest.
Itachi had to be pulled out of Anbu.
Otherwise, the Clan Massacre Timeline would continue to advance through him.
The system prompt rang out again.
[Host has prompted Uchiha Itachi to temporarily leave Anbu.] [Itachi's originally scheduled Clan Massacre execution route has undergone a major deviation.] [Causality Points obtained: 12000.] [Current Causality Points: 70700.] [Night of the Clan Massacre Deviation has increased.] [Current deviation: 72 percent.]
The corners of Shingetsu's mouth finally lifted slightly.
Seventy-two.
That was enough to render the original massacre night plan obsolete.
But he still needed to make a few final