Itachi's Doubts, Root's Words

"Stupid class reunion. Big Brother probably didn't have to go out on a mission today. I could've spent a nice afternoon with him... and Mother's cooking too. I missed it all..."

Young Sasuke ran through the night on his short legs while grumbling under his breath.

Meanwhile, teams of people were sweeping through the Uchiha Clan Grounds, looting the Uchiha Clan's wealth and harvesting Sharingan.

By the time Sasuke rushed back to the clan grounds, everyone inside had already withdrawn.

"That's strange. It's already nighttime, so why is the clan so quiet?"

As Sasuke neared the clan grounds and looked at the gate right before him, he froze slightly.

It was not yet time for bed, yet the clan grounds were deathly silent.

His heart trembled, and he felt a little scared.

With that thought, Sasuke ran toward home on his short legs...

After entering the clan grounds, he smelled a heavy stench in the air.

It left the young boy at a loss. He did not know it was the smell of blood.

He had seen blood before, but he had never known it had a smell...

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat quietly in his office, watching his men and Danzo's men loot the Uchiha's wealth.

He watched their orderly withdrawal, and little Sasuke's return home.

He watched intently...

He watched Sasuke become terrified upon seeing his neighbor collapsed in a pool of blood at the door.

He watched Sasuke hurriedly run home.

He watched Sasuke go from disbelief to utter agony, until he finally passed out.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched every detail carefully.

This concerned the arrangements for Sasuke going forward.

Would he be killed, imprisoned, brainwashed, or allowed to have an ordinary childhood?

The office remained silent for a long time.

After a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi's weary voice sounded.

"Take Sasuke to the hospital..."

His father had been called Sasuke Sarutobi, and this child was called Sasuke Uchiha. Perhaps it was fate...

Hiruzen Sarutobi's killing intent faded.

He began considering how to come up with an explanation without any flaws.

One that Sasuke would not be able to see through even after growing up and becoming meticulous in his thinking...

Itachi stood beneath the moonlight and untied the ninja forehead protector from his head.

He then crouched down and picked up a kunai.

He drove it hard into the edge, then dragged it forcefully across.

A deep kunai slash ran through Konoha's symbol.

"Kid, destroying your forehead protector and becoming a Rogue Ninja right in front of me. You're pretty arrogant..."

As Itachi fell into thought, a calm voice came from behind him.

Itachi silently put on the Rogue Ninja forehead protector, then turned around.

"What I'm curious about is why you, as a Root member, didn't attack directly."

Itachi looked at the masked man standing on the branch, confusion in his eyes.

"Lord Danzo asked me to tell you that Akatsuki is not simple. Be careful. Also, the people chasing you earlier were all ANBU in disguise."

The Root member looked calmly at this Uchiha Clan genius, then vanished from the spot.

Itachi stared at the Root member who had already left, slightly stunned and unable to make sense of Danzo's train of thought.

Still, after thinking about it, looking at the original story as a whole, Danzo was undeniably skilled at intelligence work and dirty tricks, if nothing else.

He did not understand Danzo's intentions now, but once his strength rose, any schemes or conspiracies would be nothing but clouds drifting by.

With that in mind, and seeing no one around, Lu Jing took out the container on his person, preparing to see whether Fugaku's eyes truly were Mangekyo Sharingan.

Obito had been present in the village, so he had endured until now.

The Mangekyo Sharingan was different from the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

With the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, one could continuously train one's ocular power, making the Mangekyo Sharingan even stronger. At the same time, it unlocked the fourth stage of Susanoo.

It was not like the Mangekyo Sharingan, where using a high-powered technique once would drastically reduce one's vision. Wanting to activate the complete Susanoo was nothing more than a dream.

He would probably be able to open a blind massage parlor after using it once.

Seeing the bloodstained eyes in the container, Itachi activated his Sharingan and examined the ocular power within.

He then discovered that this cheap father of his had hidden himself even deeper...

Itachi's habit of holding back was apparently inherited too...

First, Fugaku had possessed Mangekyo Sharingan yet failed to use it and was instantly killed. Then Itachi, with Mangekyo Sharingan, could not defeat a three-tomoe Sharingan...

Thinking of that, Itachi felt conflicted.

He wanted to gouge out his own Mangekyo Sharingan right away and replace it with Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan.

Then evolve it into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

But he hesitated.

He did not know any medical ninjutsu. If something went wrong, it would be a real headache.

Second, he still needed to join Akatsuki.

Orochimaru was still in Akatsuki.

His reason for joining Akatsuki was nothing else but Orochimaru's treasures...

Hashirama Cells were what Itachi coveted most.

And the sooner he obtained them, the better.

This concerned the plans in his heart.

It also concerned whether he would be eating meat or drinking soup in the future.

Itachi solemnly placed the container into a storage scroll, then tucked it into his clothes and secured it against his body.

After confirming that they were Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi could no longer treat them casually.

Now was not a good time to replace his eyes, yet carrying them on him made him uneasy.

It was like being afraid they would fall if held in his hands, yet afraid they would melt if put in his mouth.

More importantly, he was afraid someone might covet them.

After remaining where he was for a while, Itachi felt a faint sense of disappointment.

Now that he had a backup plan, he wanted to use Mangekyo Sharingan in a thoroughly satisfying battle.

Bloodline Disease, blindness...

He was no longer afraid of any of it.

With the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, he could swagger across the ninja world in the early stages.

What was there left to fear?

Once he got a Sage Body, would he not be able to crush anyone he pleased?

If Bloodline Disease could destroy a Sage Body, then pretend he had said nothing...

"Ah, there's really no one left..."

After waiting for nearly half an hour, no one came to hunt him down.

Itachi casually found a river and lit a fire.

There was no need for him to tread so carefully anymore. His mentality had changed completely.

The thoughts of someone with no one to worry about differed from those of someone burdened by concerns.

Before, he had only thought about slipping away quickly and meeting up with Obito as soon as possible.

He feared that using Mangekyo Sharingan too much would blind him, and that he might accidentally contract Bloodline Disease.

Even his chakra had been used sparingly, then more sparingly still.

After all, alone as he was, he had no teammates to cover his retreat.

At that time, he had not even been sure whether the eyes in his bag were Mangekyo Sharingan.

So he had not dared to think in that direction. After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

After eating grilled fish, Itachi found a fairly sturdy tree and prepared to rest on its trunk for a few hours.

His desire to meet up with Obito had faded.

He could wait first...

If circumstances allowed, Itachi would have wanted to fight Obito.

He wanted to test whether Tsukuyomi could affect an opponent who also possessed Mangekyo Sharingan.

This was also a suspicion he had harbored.

After all, his Tsukuyomi and Shisui's Kotoamatsukami were simply too overpowered.

If they could affect opponents with the same Mangekyo Sharingan, then how terrifying would that be?

It would mean there were no taboos, no natural enemies at all.

Thinking of this, Itachi recalled the Mangekyo Sharingan installed in the eye socket of the summoning beast, as well as the one in Danzo's eye socket...

Orochimaru's figure also appeared in his mind...

He suddenly was not all that interested in Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan anymore...

Of course, he would have to meet that legendary figure, Orochimaru, first before deciding anything.