Uchiha Itachi had never imagined that the answer he would receive from Uchiha Chisen would be like this.
He looked up and met Uchiha Chisen's eyes.
In their gaze, those rather sharp black eyes could actually see through the "evil" he would commit in the future?
In the future... would he personally annihilate the entire Uchiha Clan?
Itachi couldn't articulate how he felt right now.
Shocked?
Taken aback?
Horrified?
Or perhaps all of these emotions at once?
So much so that when Uchiha Chisen reached out and gripped his neck, Uchiha Itachi didn't even try to dodge.
Instead, he remained still, feeling the faint suffocating sensation as the other's fingers gradually tightened.
Itachi's lips trembled slightly, and he asked with difficulty, "Is the future your eyes see something that is bound to happen?"
For some reason.
When he realized that his younger brother, Sasuke, was missing from the people Uchiha Chisen had spoken of...
He felt a hidden sense of relief.
This also proved that he believed Uchiha Chisen truly possessed the ability to see future evils, even without needing to ask the question.
"Itachi-kun, Senior has never been wrong before! Even the Hokage-sama's eldest son, Senior saw through his evil! This is an ability that even the Hokage-sama and the others cannot refute!"
The one who answered him was not Uchiha Chisen, but Izumi from behind, her voice already choked and trembling.
The young girl had already unconditionally trusted every word Uchiha Chisen spoke.
She believed that Chisen-senpai would not lie.
That meant...
Whether it was herself or her mother, one day in the future, they would die by Uchiha Itachi's hand.
She found it hard to accept.
Izumi, her vision blurring unconsciously, quickly wiped the corners of her eyes.
She gritted her teeth and asked the question that everyone, including Fugaku beside her, most wanted to ask: "Itachi-kun... why would you do this? I'm your friend! My mother has no grudge against you! And everyone in the Uchiha Clan, they have no enmity with you either!"
"So many people are also very kind! Even Chisen-senpai hasn't captured them, which proves they are truly kind! Why would you kill even these very kind clan members?"
"You clearly told me you loved Konoha!"
Izumi truly didn't understand. In her impression, Uchiha Itachi, although a bit introverted, was at least a kind person, right?
At least a ninja who loved the village very much, right? But why would he point his blade at his fellow Konoha shinobi!
Itachi didn't answer.
He was still thinking.
"Itachi..." At this moment, Uchiha Fugaku, who had been silent for over a minute, suddenly asked with a complex expression, "If the village and the Uchiha Clan reach an irreconcilable conflict... you will stand with the Hokage-sama and the others, won't you?"
Itachi froze.
He suddenly realized why his "Future Evil" had shown the tragedy of the Uchiha Clan's annihilation.
If the situation truly reached such an irrecoverable point.
Itachi knew that his choice would not be the Uchiha Clan; his choice would be the majority of Konoha.
To prevent Konoha from falling into a devastating civil war, and to prevent the Uchiha's honorable name from being tarnished by rebels.
He would choose to be the one to stop all of this.
He would willingly bear all the sins and infamy.
Even if it meant being estranged from everyone, even if it meant bearing the title of a rogue ninja, he would choose to protect Konoha without hesitation.
"...I understand."
Uchiha Itachi felt that all his doubts could now be connected.
He understood why Uchiha Chisen's malice towards him was so great, even though he hadn't offended him.
So...
Was this what his "future" would be like?
Did that mean the conflict between the village and the Uchiha was truly irreconcilable?
Would the future inevitably lead to armed conflict?
And was this "future" only a year away?
When he noticed that the suffocating grip on his neck had suddenly disappeared.
Uchiha Itachi took half a step back.
He coughed lightly a few times, easing the discomfort in his neck.
"No wonder you wanted to kill me..."
Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath, a strange emotion brewing within him that he couldn't quite explain. He looked up, meeting Uchiha Chisen's gaze again, and said, "You believe everything about my 'future' is wrong. You think that by nipping me in the bud, the 'Uchiha massacre' wouldn't happen."
"But, Uchiha Chisen, you don't seem to realize that you've unconsciously taken the Uchiha's side. You haven't even considered the terrible disaster that would befall Konoha in the future if I didn't do this."
"If the Uchiha Clan engages in a violent conflict with the village, the entire Konoha will be plunged into a terrifying war. At that time, thousands, even tens of thousands, will die! Konoha will be crippled by this internal strife!"
"Uchiha Chisen, I understand my future actions. I must do this, and I have no choice but to do it."
As he spoke.
A faint smile curved Uchiha Itachi's lips. Realizing what he would do in the future, he felt as if he could empathize with his future self and sense his emotions.
His smile held a hint of bitterness, and two clear tears streamed down his face from a sudden, unprompted wave of self-pity.
He felt as if endless curses and misunderstandings were rushing towards him, yet he would silently choose death with the original intention of protecting Konoha and a secret he could never speak.
Right...
Perhaps his future self didn't kill Sasuke.
He might have left some contingency plans to nurture Sasuke, to make Sasuke the new protector of Konoha.
To have Sasuke properly protect Konoha's future.
"Where the leaves dance, the fire never dies. Whether in the past, present, or future... I am willing to turn into withered leaves, burned to ashes by the flames, to illuminate the village's future."
"Father, I'm sorry I disappointed you. If your future self truly intends to do that, I will turn against you."
"This is my unshakeable belief and resolve."
Uchiha Itachi said earnestly to Fugaku.
Fugaku was speechless.
His gaze towards his eldest son, who had always made him feel so proud, now seemed incredibly distant, even chilling.
Fugaku wanted to retort to Itachi.
He wanted to slap Uchiha Itachi hard across the face.
He wanted to shout and demand why he was so cold-blooded, why he wouldn't spare even his own blood relatives.
But...
Imagining the consequences of the Uchiha Clan engaging in a violent conflict with Konoha.
A sliver of despair rose in Fugaku's heart.
Since the future Itachi had chosen to protect Konoha, this must be the only choice he could make, right?
—Slap!!!
A sudden, loud slap echoed. Fugaku saw Itachi's head snap to the side. A bright red handprint was clearly visible on his naturally paler cheek.
Fugaku hadn't done it.
Nor had Chisen.
"Uchiha Itachi!!!"
Izumi glared at the friend who felt increasingly foreign to her, tears in her eyes.
Her chest heaved, her voice choked as she shouted, "Is your belief and resolve what makes you commit these disgusting, sickening acts? What are you getting so emotional about in front of 'Absolute Justice'! How dare you mention the Will of Fire! You're just a twelve-year-old kid, can't you think straight! What right do you have to decide the fate of innocent people!"
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