The Volcano Has Decided to Erupt

The young man had sharp brows and bright eyes. Tear troughs extending from the sides of his nose lent every expression a hint of sorrow. His straight black hair hung down on either side as he knelt on one knee, one fist braced before him. An ANBU mask hung at the side of his face, and a standard short blade was strapped to his back.

A section of the Red and White Fan emblem showed beneath his dark gray-brown tactical vest. It was the crest of the Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's foremost noble families.

"Lord Hokage, you summoned me." Itachi lowered his eyes toward the floor.

"Takizawa Yamaaki is dead. He used to be your subordinate." The Third Hokage stood with his back to him, looking out at Konoha Main Street. Smoke drifted toward the ceiling on the wind blowing in through a gap in the window. "Some say he was killed after discovering the Uchiha Clan's conspiracy. What do you think?"

"I don't know."

Hearing that answer, the Third Hokage turned to look at the young man before him. His expression seemed disappointed, yet somehow relieved. He shook his head.

"I once said you had the ability to see things from the Hokage's position, and you truly do... But you don't need to place such a heavy burden on yourself. I trust you greatly. There is no one else here, so there is no need to hold back. Now, tell me what you really think."

"Although the Uchiha Clan has always harbored hostility toward Konoha's other ninja clans, in this matter... they were framed." Itachi slowly raised his head.

Ever since reporting the Uchiha Clan's conspiracy to Konoha's higher-ups, Itachi had served as a double agent, lurking within the Uchiha Clan to gather intelligence. Whether Yamaaki might have been killed by the Uchiha Clan was something only he could answer with certainty.

"I think so too... Even with Konoha and the Uchiha in such a tense situation, someone is still fanning the flames from behind the scenes." The Third Hokage set down his pipe and sighed.

It was naturally good to rule out the possibility that the Uchiha had killed Takizawa Yamaaki. It meant the Uchiha Clan had not yet reached the point of no return, and that Konoha and the Uchiha still had a chance for peace.

But it also meant that the culprit behind the Hyuga Branch Family cases had yet to be found. He had killed Takizawa Yamaaki and was still lurking behind the Uchiha and Konoha, fanning the flames in an attempt to ignite the powder keg between them.

Even the deeply calculating Third Hokage could not help but feel infuriated by the chaotic situation. If he had not already known that Hyuga Hiashi intended to hold a clan meeting next week to discuss countermeasures, he would have dragged Hiashi over and cursed him out.

How are you the head of the Hyuga clan?

Are the Hyuga Branch Family not people too?

So many people have suffered so much, and you do nothing?!

"Who do you think the culprit might be?" the Third Hokage asked.

Itachi glanced at him, then silently lowered his head.

"Ning Qi Hyuga again?" The Third Hokage understood, then gently shook his head.

Itachi had once submitted a report identifying Ning Qi as the prime suspect in the murder of Hyuga Tokuma and other members of the Hyuga Branch Family. Now Takizawa Yamaaki, who had been investigating Tokuma's murder, was dead. If he had not been killed for discovering the Uchiha conspiracy, then naturally he had been killed while investigating the Hyuga Branch Family cases.

Did Takizawa Yamaaki obtain some important clue?

"What is your reasoning?"

The office remained silent for a long time.

It seemed there was no reasoning.

It was merely a habitual guess carried forward.

The Third Hokage took a light draw from his pipe without showing his disappointment. Itachi was now wholly devoted to monitoring the Uchiha and no longer had any contact with Ning Qi, so naturally he could not offer any inference. The Third Hokage did not continue that subject and instead returned to the main point.

"So."

"Can things between Konoha and the Uchiha still be salvaged?"

Could they still be salvaged?

Itachi closed his eyes.

Whether it had been Shisui two years ago or himself now, the situation they faced seemed never to have changed. The Uchiha Clan possessed extraordinarily rich emotions, but that did not seem to be a blessing.

Hatred was spreading, and the Uchiha Clan's ambitions were swelling. At the slightest perceived injustice, clan members clamored about razing Konoha to the ground. Their accumulated resentment was like a gathering volcano, destined to erupt one day. That volcano would destroy all of Konoha.

This was the future Itachi, standing at the mouth of the volcano, could see most clearly.

Therefore, the answer he could give had not changed since two years ago.

"Probably... not."

After explaining to Lord Hokage why the Uchiha Clan's rebellion had reached the point where it could no longer be salvaged, the old man who had presided over Konoha for more than a decade remained silent for a long time. In the end, he said nothing, merely waved his hand and dismissed Itachi.

Though the person involved was extremely pessimistic about how events would develop, this was not the first time he had expressed such pessimism to the Third Hokage. The fact was that the Uchiha Clan had not yet truly unified internally, and the situation did not appear to have reached the point where a decision could be made.

So, in Sarutobi's view, they could still wait.

Itachi returned to the Uchiha District that afternoon.

The Uchiha District lay in the northwestern corner of Konohagakure. For what had once been Konoha's foremost ninja clan, being relocated from Konoha's center to such a remote corner was seen by most Uchiha clansmen as an insult.

And the exclusion they suffered from Konoha's higher-ups was not limited to geographical marginalization. It was even more evident in their exclusion from Konoha's power structure.

The Uchiha Clan had once been one of Konohagakure's founders, but now they had been reduced to holding positions only in the Konoha Military Police Force. Forget entering the decision-making level—even ANBU, a department that accepted all sorts of people, had quietly rejected the applications of many Uchiha clansmen. In recent years, only a tiny handful, such as Itachi and Shisui, had passed the assessments and successfully integrated into it.

Their isolation was all-encompassing.

The suffocating feeling of being shunned by everyone for no reason, even surrounded by hostile gazes, was driving most Uchiha clansmen into a state of anxiety and agitation.

As Itachi walked along the streets of the district, he could clearly sense that this pressure, like a boiling kettle, was growing ever more intense.

"Hey, Itachi."

Uchiha Inabi and several others blocked Itachi's path. Inabi's voice was cold as he asked,

"Where did you go today?"

Itachi looked at them calmly.

These people had been completely blinded by hatred and could no longer see the road ahead.

Shaking his head, he walked around them and continued onward.

"Did you go inform on us?"

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

When he returned home, he did not see his father. Instead, seven-year-old Sasuke heard the sound of the door opening, ran over at once, and threw himself against Itachi's legs.

"Big brother, I got an A on my Ninja Academy test today!" Sasuke happily showed him the paper in his hand. "You promised me before that if I got an A, you'd play with me!"

A smile appeared on Itachi's face. He pressed his index and middle fingers against Sasuke's forehead.

The child cried out and fell onto the floor.

"I'll play with you next time."

He turned and left, leaving Sasuke at the entrance clutching his forehead, pouting in indignation.

"You always say next time..."

Using a small trick, Uchiha Itachi learned from Inabi where the clansmen were secretly gathering. By the time he arrived, Uchiha Fugaku, who was leading them, was speaking. From this position, Itachi could hear very clearly.

"...When the Hyuga clan holds its full clan meeting, Konoha's side will have no Byakugan surveillance. It will be the perfect opportunity to launch an attack!"

Itachi's mouth opened slightly.

Then he clenched his fists.

So.

Could things between Konoha and the Uchiha still be salvaged?

No.

The volcano had decided to erupt.