Happy Times
"Itachi Uchiha has actually awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan..." In Setsuna Uchiha's mansion, everyone sat around Setsuna Uchiha. The news brought back by the Yashiro Uchiha shocked the clan members.
Only a select few knew that Shisui Uchiha had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, but Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan had spread throughout the entire Uchiha Clan...
"Elder, the Yashiro said he personally saw Itachi Uchiha heading towards the Hokage Building. Does this mean Itachi Uchiha has sided with the Third Hokage...?"
"If that's the case... the Mangekyō Sharingan..."
While the Mangekyō Sharingan didn't hold the legendary status within the Uchiha Clan, it was still considered the clan's greatest hope. After decades without a new Uchiha Clan wielding the Mangekyō Sharingan, when news reached Itachi Uchiha that he had awakened it, even the traitor's voice seemed to soften slightly...
The tide seemed to have turned in an instant for the Uchiha Clan...
"It seems the Mangekyō Sharingan has been awakened..." Setsuna Uchiha's expression changed slightly. He wasn't a member of the new generation of clan members; he was a remnant of the old era. He had personally witnessed the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Susanoo that blotted out the sky...
He understood what immense power that was...
"Whether Itachi Uchiha has truly sided with Konoha remains to be seen, and the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan cannot be ignored... But whatever actions we take next, we must first gain the support of our clan members; the clan's power cannot continue to be so divided..."
"Fugaku Uchiha is no longer suitable to be the clan head; he must step down..."
"As for Itachi Uchiha... if he has completely sided with the Third, he would never stand idly by and watch this happen... We can use this to test him..."
Setsuna Uchiha's eyes flickered, as if he had already devised a countermeasure. A person can have a million different arguments, but a person's stance will never easily change. If Itachi Uchiha's stance is Konoha, then he will definitely do his best to prevent a hawkish Uchiha Clan clansman from taking control of the entire clan. And if he doesn't stop it, then at least it shows that even if he doesn't wholeheartedly support the clan, he hasn't become the Third's henchman...
They then became someone who could be won over...
"Therefore, at the clan assembly in seven days, I will join forces with the other elders to impeach Fugaku Uchiha. Your task is to gather as many voices of support as possible during these days, but remember to act as secretly as possible..."
Setsuna Uchiha's confident demeanor gradually eased the worries of the other Uchiha Clan members around him about the Mangekyō Sharingan, and they all nodded in agreement.
However, Setsuna Uchiha didn't voice all her thoughts. What if Itachi Uchiha sided with the Third? Could the current Uchiha Clan withstand the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan?
The strategy that Setsuna had originally planned—to accumulate strength to eliminate Fugaku Uchiha Fugaku Uchiha's allies and then force him to step down by force—was completely Setsuna in her heart...
Even if Itachi Uchiha was at his worst, he was still Fugaku Uchiha's biological son. How could he possibly stand by and watch his own father be imprisoned or even killed...?
In Setsuna Uchiha's mind, with the Mangekyō Sharingan awakened, force could no longer seize power. But even Setsuna Uchiha, who had experienced countless battles, large and small, probably couldn't have imagined that Itachi Uchiha was no longer a normal person. Killing his mother and father was something he had already planned to carry out...
If it weren't for Kato Osamu's appearance...
The Uchiha Clan should all kowtow three times to Kato Osamu.
At this time, Itachi Uchiha seemed to have abandoned his usual busyness and worries, quietly staying by Sasuke Uchiha's side, instructing Sasuke Uchiha on Taijutsu...
Two brothers were quietly lurking behind the bushes in the jungle. A large wild boar, seemingly unaware of the lurking danger, grunted and leisurely searched for food...
"Whoosh whoosh..." Several Shuriken flew from Sasuke's hand, rushing towards the unsuspecting wild boar.
"Hmph?" The pain of the Shuriken body instantly made the wild boar realize that it had become a predator's target. It suddenly looked up and saw a small, strange monkey appear in its field of vision.
"Hmph!" A wild boar weighing hundreds of kilograms, with long tusks, charged towards Sasuke like a speeding dump truck.
"Sasuke... watch out!" The Kunai clashed and made a crisp sound in the jungle. Then, the Kunai, which seemed to have been thrown casually, changed direction with the successive collisions and went straight for the boar's eyes.
"Awooo..." The wild boar, its eyes suddenly pierced by Kunai and its brain entering its brain, collapsed to the ground after its last struggle. Only Sasuke Uchiha, who was just about to dodge, was left, staring at the kunai piercing the Kunai's eyes, then looking at Itachi Uchiha, his eyes filled with shock.
"Brother, you're amazing... Teach me!"
Itachi Uchiha smiled and tapped Sasuke Uchiha's forehead with two fingers.
"Good..."
"Every time my brother says he'll teach me, he always gets busy again..." Sasuke Uchiha didn't seem very interested when he heard Itachi Uchiha's voice agree. In his memory, Itachi would always say yes, and then disappear the next day, and then he wouldn't see him for a very long time...
"Not this time..." Itachi patted Sasuke Uchiha's head, then looked at the wild boar on the ground. "Want to deal with it together? We can have a picnic outside today..."
"Really? Great!" Sasuke's face was full of excitement. In his memory, he had never had such an experience before. He hurriedly took off with his short legs and ran around busily, as if afraid that Itachi Uchiha would be summoned away again at any moment. Every movement seemed to be a race against time.
Only when the roasted wild boar meat entered my mouth did I feel a sense of relief. I ate the meat bite by bite, and for a long while, it felt somewhat surreal...
"Is your brother not busy lately...?"
"I'm not busy anymore, I can spend some time with Sasuke..." Looking at Sasuke, who was a little cautious, Itachi Uchiha smiled and handed him another piece of roasted wild boar meat, his eyes filled with affection.
The 'Soul Seed' that Kato Osamu left deep within his soul has been releasing a certain power more and more recklessly in the past few days.
Perhaps Itachi Uchiha couldn't have noticed it when he was in a state of dormancy, but now he can clearly feel that, in a sense, his existence seems to be disappearing little by little. Perhaps the day when that inexplicable power that is eroding and assimilating him completely takes over his soul will be the day he completely disappears.
But he didn't resist in the slightest, because he was also gaining insight into Kato Osamu's innermost thoughts through this undisguised assimilation process. He knew this was a deliberate tactic by Kato Osamu to reassure him, but he also understood that these feelings couldn't be faked; Kato Osamu truly would do everything he said...
'That's enough...' Quietly watching Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha felt an unprecedented sense of relief. By then, he no longer wanted to think about what kind of existence Itachi Uchiha was. Now, he just wanted to quietly stay with Sasuke...
"Brother... I'm so happy..."
"Yes..."