"Uchiha Itachi, you have Shisui's eye, don't you?"
Uchiha Itachi hadn't expected Danzo to ask something so blunt after stopping him.
"Lord Danzo, I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Heh, Uchiha Itachi, stop playing dumb. I might as well tell you that Shisui's other eye is with me, but so what? I suggest you know what's good for you and hand over Shisui's eye at once, or I'll make sure your Uchiha Clan suffers the consequences."
Danzo's arrogance stunned Itachi, too. He simply couldn't understand it. Danzo was one of the village's senior officials, after all, so why was he so careless about what he said? And what had made him say such things?
"Heh, stop thinking about it, Uchiha Itachi. Even if you tell that fellow, the Third, do you think he'll believe you or me?"
Uchiha Itachi's eyes widened as he stared at Danzo in disbelief, as though he had only just met him today. He had never imagined Danzo would be like this. It was truly shocking.
Moreover, Uchiha Itachi could feel Danzo's overwhelming malice toward the Uchiha, as though he considered the Uchiha Clan a people guilty of every conceivable evil.
But Itachi was already thinking rapidly about how to get away. The Danzo before him was far too strange. If he dared to say such things to him so openly, he was definitely up to no good. Itachi seemed to recall what Shisui had told him before his death.
And this Danzo before him was definitely no good person.
Seemingly struck by a thought, Itachi didn't answer Danzo's words. Instead, he said something Danzo hadn't expected.
"Lord Danzo, it's going to rain. I need to go home and bring in the laundry."
With that, he stopped looking at Danzo's gloomy old face and vanished after a few uses of the Body Flicker Technique, leaving Danzo standing alone with his cane, staring at the spot where Itachi had disappeared.
"Hmph, bring in the laundry? What a pathetic excuse. Evil Uchiha, just you wait. I..."
Danzo turned and left, leaving only a forlorn figure behind.
"...will fulfill my teacher's wishes and make the evil Uchiha Clan disappear from the Shinobi World completely..."
Even after returning home, Itachi's heart was still pounding. Luckily, he had been quick-witted enough to think of that excuse to escape. But why had he come up with such an idea? After thinking it over, he decided it might have been his little brother Sasuke's influence. After all, Sasuke was always saying strange things now and then.
Things like, "Had heaven not brought forth me, Sasuke, the Uchiha's endless ages would be one long night."
Or, "I, Sasuke Uchiha, shall surely shoulder the burden. I alone shall carry the Uchiha's centuries-old legacy."
Sometimes, he would even say with particular melancholy, "Since Sasuke was born, why did Naruto have to be born too? Heaven truly envies talent."
Itachi strongly suspected he had said something like that because Sasuke had influenced him. Yes, it was all Sasuke's fault.
"Achoo! Who? Who's bad-mouthing me?"
At that moment, Sasuke had taken advantage of the break between classes to sneak to the back row. His target was Naruto.
He gently nudged the sleeping Naruto.
"Hey, Naruto Uzumaki, wake up."
But Naruto showed no sign of waking, leaving Sasuke rather helpless. He looked pleadingly at Hinata, who sat beside Naruto.
Hinata noticed Sasuke's predicament, too. She nodded to indicate he could leave it to her; she could wake Naruto.
Then Sasuke watched as she leaned quietly toward Naruto's ear and whispered something. Miraculously, Naruto woke right up.
The sleepy-eyed Naruto looked up to find Sasuke standing beside him with a conflicted expression. That little look left Naruto rather bewildered. He had only just woken up, sure, but why did Sasuke look so off?
"Tell me, what's going on?"
But Sasuke was still acting all coy.
"Um, can we talk outside?"
Naruto was speechless.
"So damn fussy."
Despite his sharp tongue, he still followed Sasuke out of the classroom.
After Naruto and Sasuke left the classroom, Ino, who sat up front, asked Hinata curiously.
"Hinata, what did you just say to Naruto? How did he get up right away?"
Ino was quite puzzled. Naruto was notoriously difficult to wake once he fell asleep, so naturally, she was curious about what Hinata had said to him.
"Nothing much. I just told Naruto it was time to eat, and he woke up on his own."
Hinata covered her mouth and giggled. Hearing that, Ino couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from twitching. Was waking him really that easy? Then what did it mean that she usually had to go to so much trouble to wake Naruto? Was she not the favorite?
Sigh, I knew it. There's no love left, huh? I'm not worthy anymore, huh? His feelings have faded, huh...
Ino wanted to cry but had no tears...
On the school rooftop, Sasuke and Naruto stood facing each other, staring at one another without either speaking first. In the end, Naruto couldn't take it anymore.
"Tch, you asked me to come out with you, and I did. Now you won't say anything. Just talk already! What, are you mute?"
Sasuke looked around and, only after confirming no one was nearby, slowly approached Naruto.
Watching his guilty, furtive manner and the way he crept toward him, Naruto couldn't help clenching his butt. Oh crap, Sasuke isn't gay, is he?
Naruto discreetly stepped back.
"Whatever it is, you can say it from there. Keep your distance. You're scaring me."
Sasuke couldn't quite understand what Naruto was doing. He had approached because he wanted to tell him what he had discovered last night, but he was worried the walls might have ears, so he had wanted to get closer. Seeing Naruto's look of resistance, however, he finally abandoned the idea.
Standing at a distance Naruto considered safe, Sasuke then told Naruto everything he had discovered and suspected the night before.
"Mm, okay. Got it."
After hearing Sasuke's account, Naruto could tentatively confirm the current situation. Itachi had already awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, which meant Shisui appeared to be dead. That meant the night of the Uchiha massacre was fast approaching.
"Huh? You got it? Then my big brother's okay, right? I'm worried his eyes have mutated."
The corners of Naruto's mouth twitched at Sasuke's words. You really do have quite the imagination.
"He's fine. Your brother just awakened a new ability. It's called the Mangekyō Sharingan, the evolved form of the Sharingan. You could also call it the Uchiha's ultimate weapon. Anyway, your brother hasn't mutated. He's actually gotten stronger. Feel better now?"
Only then did Sasuke breathe a sigh of relief. But hearing that the Mangekyō Sharingan was the evolved form of the Sharingan got him thinking. Having a Sharingan was already so awesome; wouldn't having a Mangekyō Sharingan send him soaring? Wouldn't he be able to beat Naruto senseless then?
"Then can I have a Mangekyō Sharingan like that too, Naruto?"
Noticing Sasuke's starry eyes, Naruto was rather speechless. Uchiha Sasuke, you haven't even awakened your Sharingan yet, and you're already coveting the Mangekyō Sharingan? You shouldn't aim beyond your reach.
But Naruto nodded anyway. After all, Sasuke really did awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan later on.
As for how Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan, that was rather laughable.
His entire clan was sacrificed, and in his rage, he unlocked a single tomoe.
Seeing Naruto nod, Sasuke cheered outright. He was already imagining himself beating Naruto up after getting his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Naruto could already guess what Sasuke was thinking. He really wanted to tell him, Even if you have a Mangekyō Sharingan, you might not be able to beat me. But seeing how happy Sasuke was, he decided to let it go and not discourage him.
Meanwhile, Sasuke had already begun muttering, counting on his fingers as he went.
"Now my big brother has awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, and I'll awaken mine in the future. Then Dad will awaken a pair, Mom will awaken a pair, and Izumi will awaken a pair too. Right, she's going to be my sister-in-law someday, so she'll definitely awaken them too."
Sasuke's words left Naruto rather speechless. Everything out of your mouth is outrageous. What do you think Mangekyō Sharingan are, cabbages? You can't just awaken them whenever you want.