Winning Itachi Uchiha Over

Just then, another voice came from behind the tree.

"It's not that I saw farther ahead."

"It's that people like Danzo are too easy to predict."

Itachi spun around.

Uchiha You stepped out of the shadows.

He looked at Itachi, a faint smile on his lips.

"As long as you know he's a dog, it isn't hard to guess when he'll bite."

Itachi frowned.

"You."

Uchiha You raised a hand to interrupt him.

"I know what you want to say."

"You want to say that although Danzo is extreme, he's doing it for the village."

"Or that Konoha and the Uchiha Clan haven't yet reached the point of no return."

"Or perhaps that if the Uchiha Clan remains stubborn, the village will fall into civil war."

Itachi fell silent.

Because those were indeed things he had once wanted to say.

Uchiha You stepped closer, his gaze settling on Itachi.

"But after tonight, can you still say them?"

Itachi did not answer.

Shisui said nothing either.

Uchiha You continued:

"Why did Danzo attack Shisui?"

"For Kotoamatsukami."

"If he obtained Kotoamatsukami, what would he do next?"

Itachi frowned.

Uchiha You said blandly:

"Control the clan head."

"Or even control the Hokage."

Itachi's expression shifted slightly.

Shisui's heart also jolted.

They understood Kotoamatsukami's power better than anyone.

If it truly fell into Danzo's hands, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Uchiha You looked at Itachi.

"You think Danzo wants to stop the war."

"No."

"He wants to hold the switch that starts the war."

"He isn't afraid of people dying."

"He's only afraid that the people who die won't follow his arrangements."

Itachi's gaze darkened.

"You came to find me tonight just to say this?"

Uchiha You shook his head.

"Of course not."

"I came to tell you something."

Itachi looked at him.

Uchiha You's voice was calm.

"Konoha's higher-ups will come for you soon."

"They'll tell you that the Uchiha Clan is already beyond control."

"They'll have you continue monitoring the clan."

"Danzo may even use Sasuke to threaten you."

Itachi's expression changed abruptly.

"Sasuke?"

Shisui also looked at Uchiha You.

Uchiha You did not beat around the bush.

"You saw the list at the clan meeting."

"Root is already watching Sasuke."

"This isn't a coincidence."

"People like Danzo are best at seizing other people's weak points."

"Who do you care about most?"

Itachi fell silent.

Uchiha You gave the answer for him:

"Sasuke."

"So once the situation spins out of control, he'll definitely tell you this."

"As long as you obey the village's orders, Sasuke can live."

"If you refuse, Sasuke will also be purged as part of the Uchiha rebellion."

Boom!

Itachi's mind felt as though it had been struck by lightning.

Those words were too harsh.

And too real.

Because that was exactly the kind of thing Danzo would say.

Itachi stared fixedly at Uchiha You.

"What makes you so sure?"

Uchiha You sneered:

"Because he tried to gouge out Shisui's eyes tonight."

"Because he sent Root to kill me."

"Because he put Sasuke's name on the surveillance list."

"Because he is Danzo."

Those words—because he was Danzo—were more convincing than any evidence.

Because Danzo had already proven through his actions that he was capable of it.

Itachi's breathing grew slightly heavier.

Shisui said quietly:

"Itachi."

"I can vouch for him."

"You isn't exaggerating the danger."

"Danzo has truly lost all bottom lines."

Itachi looked at Shisui.

If only Uchiha You had said it, he might still have suspected You of trying to incite him.

But Shisui said the same thing.

That made it different.

Shisui had once believed in the village even more than he did.

Even Shisui was wavering.

That meant the problem had become grave beyond measure.

Uchiha You looked at Itachi and suddenly asked:

"Itachi, let me ask you something."

"If Konoha's higher-ups gave you an order."

"Ordering you to kill your parents and your clansmen in exchange for Sasuke's life."

"What would you choose?"

Itachi's pupils contracted sharply.

"There would never be such an order."

Uchiha You took a step forward.

"What if there were?"

Itachi's fingers tightened.

"You, your question is too extreme."

Uchiha You said coldly:

"It isn't extreme."

"This is the choice Danzo would give you."

"He would place the Uchiha Clan and Konoha on opposite sides of a scale."

"Then put Sasuke on the edge of a blade."

"And tell you that only if you slaughter the clan with your own hands can Sasuke live."

Itachi's face gradually turned pale.

Shisui fell silent as well.

Because he realized that this truly fit Danzo's logic.

Uchiha You continued:

"Itachi, you always think you can bear the darkness."

"But have you ever considered this?"

"The moment you raise that blade, you are no longer protecting Sasuke."

"You are personally cutting away everything Sasuke has."

"His parents."

"His clansmen."

"His childhood."

"His brother."

Itachi's body trembled.

Uchiha You's voice grew colder and colder.

"You think sparing his life counts as protecting him."

"But if he wakes up and finds that the entire clan has been slaughtered, his parents are dead, and his only surviving brother is the murderer."

"Do you think he'll thank you?"

"Or hate you for the rest of his life?"

At last, Itachi's eyes became unsettled.

Those words struck his deepest fear.

Sasuke.

If one day Sasuke looked at him with hatred in his eyes.

If one day Sasuke learned that he had killed their parents with his own hands.

That future...

Itachi did not even dare to imagine it.

Uchiha You did not stop.

"What's even more ridiculous is this."

"You really think Danzo would keep his promise?"

"After you kill the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke will be safe?"

"A living Uchiha orphan, a child capable of awakening the Sharingan, someone who might learn the truth in the future."

"Would Danzo feel at ease letting him grow up?"

Itachi abruptly raised his head.

"He wouldn't dare!"

Uchiha You sneered.

"Whether he would dare or not, didn't you hear enough about it tonight?"

Itachi had no answer.

That was right.

Danzo dared to steal even Shisui's eyes.

He dared to assassinate even Uchiha You.

Sasuke had already been placed on the surveillance list.

What wouldn't he dare to do?

Shisui looked at Itachi and said quietly:

"Itachi, we can't keep pinning our hopes on Danzo and the higher-ups' promises."

Itachi remained silent for a long time.

After who knew how long, Itachi finally spoke in a low voice:

"Then what do you want me to do?"

The moment those words fell, a system notification rang out in Uchiha You's mind.

[Cracks have appeared in Itachi Uchiha's ideological defenses.]

[Side Quest Two: Win Over Itachi Uchiha. Progress increased to 40%.]

[Behind-the-Scenes Points gained: 5000.]

[Current Behind-the-Scenes Points: 61000.]

The corners of Uchiha You's mouth lifted slightly.

He had finally relented.

But it still wasn't enough.

A person like Itachi would not completely side with the clan over just a few words.

He was too complicated.

And too accustomed to sacrificing himself.

To win him over completely, they needed to show him a clearer path.

Not merely tell him, "Konoha's higher-ups will harm you."

They also had to tell him, "How you can strike back."

Uchiha You looked at Itachi and said slowly:

"I want you to remain in the ANBU."