ITACHI UCHIHA
Itachi landed on the branch without sound. The bark held beneath his weight. He steadied his breathing, kept his hands loose at his sides. The genjutsu's residual strain lingered in his temples, a minor pressure, nothing more.
A presence settled above him. He didn't need to look up.
"You sent two clones," Shisui said from the higher branch. His tone carried the edge of his usual grin.
Itachi exhaled slowly through his nose. He kept his gaze forward, toward the village walls in the distance. "It was sufficient for an assessment."
"Was it?" Shisui tilted his head.
The question hung light in the air, but Shisui's posture, relaxed against the trunk, arms crossed, suggested he already knew the answer.
Itachi said nothing.
"He switched out in the dango shop," Shisui continued, voice easy. "The one who walked out wasn't the original. You didn't catch it until the genjutsu failed. I say that, but to be fair, I haven't either."
Itachi's jaw tightened fractionally. He had reviewed the sequence twice already. The substitution had been clean, timed during the transition between street corners, with no chakra flare and no telltale movement. Eishin had prepared before Itachi's surveillance even began.
That was the part that grated.
"He's improved," Itachi said.
"Improved." Shisui's tone lilted upward, teasing. "He made you look like you were chasing shadows."
Itachi turned his head slightly and met Shisui's eyes. "You were watching."
"From a distance." Shisui's grin widened, but his gaze sharpened. "Far enough that he wouldn't pick me up. He's not a sensor, or at least not the traditional sensor, or he is, and his range is inconsistent. Either way, he knew you were coming before your clone ever got close."
Itachi considered that. Eishin's chakra had been calm when the confrontation began. No spike of alarm, no defensive posture. He'd been waiting.
Itachi's fingers flexed once. Underestimation. Years ago, Eishin had approached them tentatively, his posture hunched, eyes darting—fear masked as eagerness. A boy two years younger, insecure, yet persistent. Itachi had dismissed him then as unthreatening. Now, this resourcefulness suggested growth, a surprise that warranted reevaluation.
"He anticipated the approach," Itachi said quietly. "Prepared countermeasures. Used the clone to bait engagement while positioning himself for interception."
"That's not improvement," Shisui said. "That's planning. It's almost like he knows you're coming for him and what approach you'd use. More interesting, his contermesure was so familiar, don't you think? Almost something you yourself would have pulled up."
Itachi didn't respond immediately, obviously ignoring the teasing parts… to a degree — it still had some substance to think about later. He replayed the confrontation again, the clone's verbal baiting, Eishin's controlled reactions. The Rasengan had been unexpected. The seal on his forehead, faster than most genjutsu-dispelling techniques Itachi had catalogued, had been… an amusing novelty.
"He's not what I thought he was," Itachi admitted.
Shisui tilted his head, expression softening into something more serious. "So, do you think he killed Yagura?"
Itachi stilled. The question anchored the conversation back to why they'd initiated the confrontation in the first place.
Izumi visited Tomoe-san regularly to help with chores. The old woman had sheltered Izumi's family years back, when the clan's politics had turned hostile. Itachi had wanted to ensure no one leveraged that connection against her.
He hadn't expected to catch Eishin's presence there through the crows he set on her.
The timing had been suspicious. The village was holding its breath. Even the most vocal Uchiha had gone quiet. The leak about the Mizukage's death had spread faster than containment protocols could suppress. No official statement from the Hokage yet. Just silence. Tension coiling tighter.
If Eishin had truly killed Yagura, a Kage, and Jinchūriki, not less, then Kirigakure would respond. Treaties would fracture. Alliances would shift. Another war wasn't speculation; it was trajectory.
And if someone was using Eishin as a proxy, the threat multiplied.
"I'm not certain," Itachi said finally.
Shisui's eyebrows rose slightly. "That's not like you."
"He's resourceful," Itachi continued, voice measured. "More than I accounted for. His tactics tonight demonstrated adaptability under pressure. But he's reactive. Easy to provoke."
"You baited him on purpose."
"Yes."
"And he still found you."
Itachi's silence confirmed it.
Shisui exhaled, leaning back against the tree. "Yagura wasn't just a Kage. He was a Jinchūriki. Three-Tails. Controlled environment, defensive advantage, years of experience. If Eishin took him down alone..." He trailed off, then added, "That puts him in Kage territory."
Itachi had considered that already. He'd fought alongside Shisui against opponents of similar caliber, once, during a border skirmish near the Land of Frost, they'd engaged a rogue shinobi with Kage-level chakra reserves. The fight had required coordination, tactical rotation, and near-perfect timing.
Eishin had been fourteen when he'd earned his Jounin promotion. Reluctantly, at that. He'd had to carve out a reputation—the Red Claw of Konoha—just to force the administration's hand. That kind of resistance didn't come from incompetence. But still, that and a kage-level shinobi….
"If he did it alone," Itachi said, "then he's stronger than most of the village realizes."
Itachi included himself somewhere there, for the foolish mistakes he made tonight.
"And if someone's backing him?"
"He's alone in this."
Shisui hummed thoughtfully, gaze distant. "You don't think he's working for anyone."
It wasn't a question.
Itachi stared forward. "If he had assistance, it was not guidance. At most, equipment or knowledge. He avoids dependency."
"Ohh, how can you be so sure of that?" Shisui's expression shifted, curiosity sharpening. "Pride?"
"No." Itachi's tone was flat, certain. "Refusal. Different root."
Itachi had noted that years ago, an orphan's reluctance to accept support, even when tactically advantageous.
That was not the only thing he refused. He'd refused Anbu recruitment multiple times as well. Refused Root. Danzo had extended offers, and from what Itachi had learned recently, the old war hawk had grown impatient with the rejections.
"Danzo saw his potential early," Itachi said. "Before most of the village did."
Shisui snorted softly. "Danzo sees everything early. Doesn't mean he gets what he wants."
"He wanted Eishin in Root."
"Still strange. Not many had the gut or the drive to refuse an Anbu position." Shisui's grin returned, faint but genuine. "You don't see that often."
They fell silent for a moment. The forest around them was still, no wind, no movement. If other shinobi were nearby, they were well-hidden.
"Do you think Danzo leaked it?" Shisui asked. His tone stayed light, but the question carried weight.
Itachi considered. Danzo operated outside visible command structures when he believed the village's security demanded it. Leaking Eishin's involvement in the Mizukage's death would destabilize Kirigakure's response, shift political pressure, and force the Hokage into a reactive stance.
It fit his methodology.
"It's possible," Itachi said.
"But you're not sure."
Refusing Danzo wasn't just risky; it was dangerous. The old man didn't tolerate rejection well, especially from shinobi he believed belonged under his command.
But Eishin had done it anyway.
The silence stretched longer this time. Shisui's posture shifted slightly, weight redistributing as he leaned forward.
"What did you two talk about?" he asked. "You looked all serious when you got here."
Itachi didn't answer immediately. He didn't want to answer, oddly enough.
Shisui's grin returned. "You're not going to tell me?"
Itachi kept his silence.
"Was it about the mission? The Mizukage?" Shisui paused, then added, voice lilting with amusement, "Or was it about Izumi?"
Itachi kept his expression neutral, but his pulse ticked upward. Shisui had an uncanny talent for it, finding the exact pressure points in Itachi's composure and pressing down with an infuriating precision. It was a skill born of a closeness that went beyond simple friendship.
Shisui's grin widened. "It was about Izumi."
Before tonight, Itachi would have privately acknowledged that Shisui was the only one who could do this.
Itachi exhaled through his nose. "Shisui—"
"What did he say?" Shisui leaned forward, eyes bright with mischief. "Did he threaten to steal her from you? He's got a reputation with women, you know. Probably told you he'd—"
"Tomoe-san proposed a marriage," Itachi said flatly.
Shisui froze.
His expression shifted. "Wait." He straightened. "She what?"
Itachi allowed himself a faint smile. Shisui, caught off guard, was a rare sight, often amusing.
"She proposed a marriage arrangement," Itachi repeated. "Between Eishin and Izumi."
Shisui stared at him, mouth slightly open. "You're serious."
Itachi's silence was confirmation.
"Tomoe-san." Shisui blinked. "The elder. She actually—" He stopped, then laughed, short and incredulous. "I was joking. I didn't think—"
"You'd be right?" It was Itachi's turn to tease him.
Shisui shook his head, grin returning but tinged with something sharper now. "That's bold. Tomoe-san's part of the moderate faction. If she's moving on this, it means the moderates are trying to tie Eishin to the clan."
Itachi hummed. He wasn't bothered that his attempt at teasing went ignored.
"So interesting." Shisui's tone turned analytical, the humor fading. "The clan's traditional. Pure blood, lineage, all that. Proposing marriage to an outsider—especially someone with Eishin's reputation—that's not standard procedure."
"It's strategic," Itachi said. "Tying him to the clan neutralizes the threat and gains a powerhouse."
Shisui nodded slowly. "If he marries in, the clan gets credit for his achievements. His strength becomes theirs. Politically, it's a sound move."
"And it binds him to their interests."
"Which means if it happens—" Shisui stopped himself, glanced around briefly, then continued quieter. "If tensions escalate, Eishin would be forced to choose sides. And if he's married into the clan, the choice is already made."
Itachi hummed again.
"So what happens now?" Shisui asked. "You going to fight him for her? Duel at dawn? Very traditional."
Itachi shot him a flat look.
Shisui grinned. "Come on. You like her." He paused, then added, "So what are you going to do? Challenge Eishin? Sabotage the marriage talks? Or are you just going to brood until someone else decides for you?"
Itachi's jaw tightened. "He refused."
Shisui blinked. "….what?"
"Eishin refused the marriage."
Silence.
Shisui's grin faded completely. "He… refused?"
"Yes."
"Why?" Shisui's tone shifted, genuine confusion replacing the teasing. "The benefits are huge. Orphan marrying into the Uchiha clan—the strongest clan in the village—that's security. Status. Political protection. Why would he turn that down?"
Itachi didn't respond immediately. He replayed Eishin's words, the controlled delivery, the way he'd framed the refusal.
"He knows," Itachi said quietly.
Shisui's eyes narrowed. "Knows what?"
Itachi didn't answer, and that in itself was answer enough.
Shisui went very still.
The forest around them seemed to hold its breath. The faint rustle of leaves far above, too distant to matter.
Shisui exhaled slowly. He didn't ask if Itachi was certain. He didn't question the assessment.
He knew better.
"We underestimated him," Shisui said finally. "A lot."
Itachi nodded once.
Another pause.
"So," Shisui said, voice careful now, stripped of humor. "What do we do?"
Itachi considered. Eishin knew about the coup, or suspected enough to make the marriage alliance a liability.
If he acted on the information, the consequences would cascade. If he didn't, the knowledge still made him a variable.
"We wait," Itachi said.
"For what?"
Itachi didn't know how to answer that, "To see if he moves on it," he said. Itachi doubted he would. Eishin didn't strike him as the scheming type. Besides, with how things were moving, neither of them nor he had the time or resources to waste on the other. Itachi suspected that Eishin had been aware for a long time, yet he kept quiet.
Shisui tilted his head. "And if he does?"
"Then we adjust."
Shisui sighed, leaning back against the tree. "This is going to get messy."
Itachi didn't disagree.
— — — — — — — — — — —
A/N: I wish, I wish I had more time when I wrote this chapter, but life was (and still is) a demanding b*tch
PS. You can read up to 8 chapters ahead at patreon.com/vizem