A covert move

The sunset glow gradually faded, and moonlight spilled over the land.

After training all afternoon and enjoying a delicious dinner their mother had cooked herself, the Uchiha brothers sat in the courtyard to cool off.

Sasuke reclined, gazing up at the moon with a contented expression. The afternoon's practice had left him thoroughly satisfied. Just as he was about to chat some more with his brother, he realized that Uchiha Itachi had slipped away at some point, leaving him alone to watch the moon.

Uchiha Itachi was now in his father's room.

As far as Uchiha Itachi could remember, ever since his father had taken him away from the battlefield, he would give him a secret signal at the dinner table, just as he had today—one his mother and little brother could not understand—summoning him to his room to discuss certain matters in private.

"You met the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki today?"

Uchiha Fugaku, Itachi and Sasuke's father and the head of the Uchiha Clan, was a naturally stern, imposing man.

"Yes."

"He is under close watch by the village. Once you have any contact with him, all your movements will come under Anbu surveillance." Uchiha Fugaku looked at his son, whose head was lowered, and said gravely, "Our Uchiha Clan already attracts the village's attention easily enough. You must avoid actions that might draw the attention of the Hokage and the others as much as possible."

"Yes."

"Good. Itachi, you have always been a sensible child. I have every confidence in you." Fugaku's expression softened slightly at Itachi's response. "Because of our Sharingan, our clan has remained the prime suspect behind the Nine-Tails' Attack. Other matters are less of a concern, but we must distance ourselves from anything related to the Nine-Tails. And I have another mission for you."

"A mission?" Uchiha Itachi raised his head to look at his father. Looking back at his son, Fugaku said slowly, "Join the Anbu, Itachi."

The Anbu.

Every major Shinobi Village had a special force that answered directly to its Kage, separate from the ordinary ranks of Genin, Chunin, and Jonin. In this era, ninja primarily served as military forces hired out by the major Shinobi Villages, working for clients in all walks of life.

But the Anbu were different. Joining them meant abandoning one's name and identity to become a blade operating in the shadows, obeying only the Shinobi Village leadership's orders and surrendering any will of one's own.

Uchiha Itachi naturally understood what the Anbu were, but he did not understand why his father wanted him to do this.

The Uchiha Clan was Konoha's greatest clan, both in strength and in its place in the village's history. Yet its standing within Konoha did not match its reputation.

The Uchiha Clan was responsible for policing the village, but those duties were merely a front. With Ninja available, most security commissions were actually handled through the Ninja mission system run by the Konoha Hokage Office.

The Uchiha Clan's Military Police Force mostly performed official duties that required them to "play the bad guy." Many assignments that offended people or earned no gratitude fell to the Uchiha Clan, making their relations with the rest of the village increasingly strained.

Under these circumstances, his father, as clan head, mostly stressed calm and restraint at every clan meeting. They were not to stick their necks out and invite more trouble.

Yet now Father wants me to join the Anbu?

"Itachi, you have always been clever. You should understand how powerless our clan's current position has become." As though he had seen what Itachi was thinking, Fugaku explained, "The war is over, and there will be a period of peace. The number of able-bodied young people in our clan will keep growing. But with more mouths, there will be less to eat. Konoha High Command is wary of the Uchiha Clan, so they will inevitably keep weakening our influence within the village. The clearest example is that I have repeatedly submitted requests to increase the number of clan members allowed to take the Ninja examinations, only to have them rejected every time."

"The Military Police Force's duties are confined to the village, after all. If Ninja cannot gain experience outside it, then over time, they are bound to start entertaining dangerous ideas." Seeing that Itachi seemed to have realized something, Uchiha Fugaku tapped the floor with a finger. "We need someone who can find out what those officials in the Hokage Office are really thinking."

A spy.

The word instantly surfaced in Uchiha Itachi's mind.

It was a term heard so often on the battlefield that it could almost serve as another name for Ninja.

Does Father want me to join the Anbu so I can relay the Hokage's orders directly back to the Family? Have the tensions within the Family already reached that point?

At that moment, this boy, only B four years older than Naruto, was no longer thinking about the things other children his age considered. He understood what lay hidden behind the mission his father had entrusted to him.

Yet Itachi's expression remained unchanged. He simply replied quietly, "...Yes."

When his father had first mentioned the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he had wanted to bring up Naruto's impressive Shurikenjutsu. Now he quietly kept that thought to himself.

As the boy accepted his Family's mission to become a spy within the Anbu, his mind was already filled with conjecture. It did not occur to him to wonder how Naruto had mastered Shurikenjutsu when his father had clearly said that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was kept under strict watch.

Once their conversation ended, Uchiha Itachi bowed respectfully to his father, then backed out of the room. Throughout, he never raised his eyes to meet his father's.

Though his expression gave nothing away, Itachi felt a weight pressing on his chest. He wanted someone to talk to, yet knew all too well that he could not speak of these matters. He returned to the courtyard, saw the small figure there, and instinctively called out, "Sasuke, you..."

Uchiha Itachi's voice cut off. His little brother had toppled onto the ground and fallen asleep.

His gaze softened. Shaking his head, he went over and lifted Sasuke up. He glanced at the bright moon overhead, then carried Sasuke inside and settled him into bed before leaving the house.

Beside a streetlamp, Uchiha Itachi discreetly scratched a faint line into it with a Shuriken, unnoticed by the passersby. It was a secret signal he had left behind.

Once that was done, he looked like any child out for a walk after dinner, his expression natural and relaxed. As he reached a deserted, shadowy corner, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"What happened? Why did you need to see me so urgently?"

Shisui Uchiha, both his mentor and his friend, stood behind him with a soft chuckle.