Shu's Hot Springs

That night, at the Root base.

Root was located in an underground defensive facility outside Konoha. It had once been the so-called Anbu training department, but the Anbu trained here were not under the Hokage's jurisdiction. They answered to Shimura Danzō.

Dim yellow light illuminated the dark underground passage. Itachi Uchiha arrived at the door at the end of the corridor and silently stopped.

"It's Itachi. Come in." An aged voice came from within the room.

Itachi pushed open the door and entered.

Inside, Shimura Danzō sat beside a table, reading. Several books lay spread across the desk before him.

Itachi dropped to one knee. "Lord Danzo."

"Mm..."

Danzo closed the book in his hand and turned to Itachi Uchiha. "I heard something happened to the Uchiha last night?"

"Yes."

Itachi lowered his head and gave a detailed account of what he had heard from his clansmen regarding the events of the previous night.

Danzo listened expressionlessly throughout. Only when Itachi mentioned that Fugaku would soon step down as clan head did his face show a trace of reaction.

"The village has always feared that the Uchiha would launch a coup. Given the recent tension, I had thought that day would come very soon. I never expected something like this to happen at such a critical moment."

"With your father relinquishing his position as clan head, the Uchiha are now leaderless. At least until a new clan head is selected, they will have no choice but to remain peaceful for a while."

As Danzo spoke, his tone abruptly shifted. "However... the new clan head's attitude toward the village will also be a problem. If it is an extremist, the conflict may be completely escalated."

"Though Fugaku's stance has always wavered, he was indeed a dutiful captain of the Police Force. The current Uchiha will find it difficult to produce anyone more outstanding, or more suited to that position, than him."

"I simply did not expect him to fall at the hands of a child. Was he ambushed?"

"No..."

Itachi seemed to find it difficult to speak. "He was defeated head-on."

"What a monster."

Danzo's tone was wistful, yet it seemed to carry some deeper, concealed emotion. "What do you think of that child, Uchiha Shu?"

"Violent-tempered, arrogant, and extreme."

Itachi Uchiha answered without hesitation.

What had happened last night only further confirmed his judgment.

In his eyes, Uchiha Shu was the same kind of person as the extremists within the clan.

Only, Shu was more conceited, more extreme, and more arrogant than those people.

If the arrogance of those clansmen came from the mindset that the Uchiha were superior to others—

Then Shu's arrogance was an equal contempt for everyone!

"I think the same. He does not possess the broad-mindedness that you and Shisui have. He does not even hesitate when it comes to the bonds of kinship. In all my life, I have never seen anyone like him. If he is allowed to continue unchecked, he may become another Madara Uchiha."

"And what unsettles me most is that, according to Root intelligence, he has already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

At those words, Itachi Uchiha froze.

Mangekyo...

Eyes like Shisui's?

As Shisui's friend, Itachi immediately recalled the Sharingan patterns Shisui had once shown him—patterns resembling shuriken.

"It seems your clan has not received the news yet... As an Uchiha, you should understand better than I do what kind of power those eyes possess."

Danzo sighed. "To prevent past disasters from happening again, I intend to snuff out this threat in the cradle. But he is, after all, your clansman, and you bear the responsibility of connecting the village and the Uchiha. I called you here to hear your thoughts."

The air fell silent.

Itachi Uchiha said nothing, but Danzo understood his meaning.

"Then I will leave this matter to you," Danzo said heavily.

"He is very strong. I fear I may be insufficient on my own," Itachi said.

Though he deeply disliked Uchiha Shu, he had to admit that Shu's strength and talent both far surpassed his own former self.

Remembering the glance Shu had cast from afar that morning, he did not dare act rashly.

"Root will assist you," Danzo said flatly. "However, the Uchiha practice internal autonomy, and Root personnel find it difficult to infiltrate them. You will need to keep track of his movements."

Danzo paused, saying no more.

"Understood!"

Itachi paused. "However, the target spends most of his time within the clan grounds. Opportunities will only arise while he is carrying out missions. As for the other members of Kurenai Yuhi's team..."

"If it cannot be avoided, eliminate them as well." Danzo's tone was cold, without the slightest emotional fluctuation. "For the peace of the village, sacrifices must be made."

"...Understood."

The next day, Itachi Uchiha arrived at the Anbu early and began monitoring Shu through the Anbu surveillance system.

However, mindful of the other party's sharp perception, he did not dare stare at him as brazenly as before. He only occasionally swept his telescope past the direction of Uchiha Shu's house.

Only after Shu left his home and stepped onto the streets did he openly monitor him through the surveillance system.

On the monitor, Shu walked out of his house.

He first bought a seaweed senbei and a cup of lemon tea from Uncle Teuchi's pancake stall, eating and drinking as he walked.

Then he met up with the other members of his team. Yet instead of taking on a mission, they headed to the commercial street.

A day off...

Itachi Uchiha withdrew his gaze and stopped monitoring them.

Ninja teams that handled ordinary missions had highly flexible schedules. Most teams accepted missions on a regular cycle—perhaps once every few days, followed by a certain number of rest days.

Coupled with the uncertainty of missions, no team took on assignments every single day.

Those who took missions every day were not ninja. They were workhorses.

Once it was confirmed that Shu was not on a mission, there was basically no need to monitor him for the rest of the day.

Konoha had surveillance and barriers throughout the village, including around the Uchiha clan grounds. If Shu were held up, ninja would arrive very quickly.

Itachi Uchiha glanced at the monitor and paid it no further attention.

Sure enough, throughout the day, the group was either shopping or eating and drinking.

Before long, the day passed in the blink of an eye.

On the second day, Itachi came to the Anbu to continue his surveillance.

A look through the telescope showed that the group still had not gone on a mission. Early in the morning, they had headed to the village's hot spring district.

After entering the largest hot spring inn, they did not come out again.

Mm, soaking in hot springs to relax was perfectly normal... It was not as if he could stop working forever.

On the third day, Itachi continued monitoring them.

As he swept the telescope over the area, he suddenly noticed something was wrong.

Shu's house was empty!

Empty in the literal sense!

Not a single appliance or piece of furniture remained. Only an empty house was left.

Seeing this, Itachi hurriedly aimed the telescope at Hazuki's house, only to discover that Uchiha Hazuki's home was empty as well.

No, where had they gone?

"Hey—look over here~"

The white-haired captain beside him lazily pointed at the surveillance screen.

Itachi followed the sound and saw Uchiha Shu, Uchiha Hazuki, and Uchiha Izumi standing in yukata outside a hot spring inn on the screen, handing out pastries to passersby.

"Raku's Hot Springs?" (Furo referred to a natural-flowing hot spring.)

"It's called Shu's Hot Springs now."

Kakashi pointed at the sign. "That's right. It's the most luxurious establishment at the very source of Konoha Hot Springs. That brat spent a fortune yesterday and bought the entire place for thirty percent above market price."

"Oh, right. As an aside, he also bought two adjacent houses on Central Street. I guess he probably will not be returning to the clan grounds much in the future."

Itachi Uchiha: "???"

Wait, he really was not going to work anymore?