The sky turned pale.
The first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds, illuminating the streets of Konoha, the prosperous ninja village, and driving away the darkness.
For ordinary people,
this was simply another normal day.
The ANBU had already cleaned up the battlefield near the Uchiha clan district and established a security perimeter around it.
Without orders from the higher-ups, they were not yet allowed to clear the inside of the Uchiha district. However, several ANBU had already infiltrated the area, standing on rooftops to survey the scene and maintain strict security.
On the main street of the Uchiha district, Uchiha Itachi walked toward the exit with Sasuke on his back.
The elite ANBU nearby pretended not to see them.
Itachi looked distracted.
He tried to come up with excuse after excuse to deceive Sasuke, but each one was rejected in his own mind.
According to his plan,
Sasuke should not have fainted ahead of time.
"Stop right there!"
A familiar voice rang out.
Itachi looked up and saw a fox-faced ANBU mask, along with two familiar figures.
Two ANBU stepped forward and blocked his path.
Itachi looked past them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two elders were walking toward him. Their expressions were cold and indifferent, the authority of high-ranking leaders radiating from them.
They ignored the corpses of Uchiha civilians scattered across the street.
"Stand down."
Hiruzen said calmly to the two ANBU blocking Itachi.
Before the fox-masked ANBU left, Itachi stopped him and handed over the unconscious Sasuke.
"Kakashi-senpai… please take care of Sasuke for a while."
Kakashi paused, then sighed softly.
He took Sasuke and withdrew with Yamato.
Soon,
only four people remained on the street.
Koharu Utatane stepped forward and spoke directly.
"Uchiha Kazuki wiped out the Uchiha clan and fled Konoha with a squad of rogue Uchiha."
"Itachi, you don't have to leave the village."
Itachi's scattered thoughts slowly gathered into focus.
He raised his head and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi beside the old woman.
He immediately understood what they meant.
Hiruzen met Itachi's questioning gaze and sighed.
"I'm sorry, Itachi. In the end… I couldn't find a better solution."
"As for staying in Konoha… what do you think?"
To the three leaders of Konoha,
the Uchiha massacre could have been carried out by Itachi—
or by Uchiha Kazuki.
Now,
Hiruzen leaned toward the second version.
The two Hokage advisors were right.
Konoha urgently needed manpower.
Seeing Itachi remain silent, Koharu continued bluntly.
"The truth of tonight is known only to the three of us, to you… and to the now-dead Danzō."
"Danzō… is dead?"
Itachi suddenly raised his head.
His bloodshot black eyes stared straight at Koharu as the news exploded in his mind.
Shimura Danzō, the man who had pushed the Uchiha massacre—
was dead.
How did he die?
Itachi immediately thought of an absurd answer.
Uchiha Kazuki killed him.
Koharu narrowed her eyes.
For a brief moment, Itachi's gaze felt like a kunai forged from killing intent, stabbing toward her.
She nodded calmly.
"Yes. Uchiha Kazuki killed him."
Itachi's pupils shrank.
His thoughts became chaotic again.
After taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down and silently reassessed Uchiha Kazuki's threat level.
Then he spoke slowly, his voice trembling slightly.
"The Uchiha Police Force…"
"Before I took action… it had already been eliminated by Uchiha Kazuki."
The statement stunned the three elders.
So that meant—
Kazuki wiped out the Uchiha Police Force…
and then returned to assassinate Danzō.
An Uchiha capable of that
was absolutely qualified to be classified as an S-rank rogue ninja.
The last Konoha ninja of that level was one of the Three Legendary Sannin—Orochimaru.
"This…"
Koharu's eyes trembled.
She swallowed the rest of her words.
It sounded completely unbelievable.
Hiruzen regained his composure first.
Among all of Konoha's shinobi, only his three students—the Sannin—should have been capable of something like this.
Even if Kazuki had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, it should have been impossible to destroy the entire Police Force and then assassinate Danzō afterward.
Danzō's strength was something the three elders knew very well.
Even the three Sannin working together might not have been able to kill him so quickly.
Silence filled the street.
Finally, Itachi broke it.
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama."
"For Sasuke's sake… I cannot stay in Konoha."
"That rogue Uchiha squad—I will deal with them for the village."
"Sasuke… please take care of him."
The three leaders suppressed their shock.
They had spent decades in power.
Their thoughts immediately shifted away from Kazuki's actions.
Right now—
their priority was convincing Itachi to stay.
The Uchiha clan was already gone.
Since the rogue Uchiha squad could take the blame, Itachi technically didn't need to leave Konoha.
Hiruzen wasn't surprised by Itachi's answer.
He glanced at Koharu.
The two exchanged a brief look.
Koharu continued persuading him.
"Itachi, we understand your feelings."
"But listen to our offer first."
"Danzō is dead."
"The underground intelligence department of Konoha—the Root organization—urgently needs a new leader."
"And you are the most suitable candidate."
"If you stay in Konoha, you can personally take care of Sasuke and raise him."
"Itachi… think about your younger brother."
"Of course, if you insist on leaving the village, we will still keep our promise and take care of Sasuke."
Itachi silently weighed the advantages and disadvantages.
Then he slowly raised his head and looked at the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen sighed.
"No one wanted the Uchiha tragedy to happen."
"But sometimes… circumstances force people to make choices."
"What I'm about to say may sound harsh."
"But you upheld the Will of Fire."
"You made an outstanding contribution to Konoha's peace."
"You are Konoha's hero."
"You should not live in darkness."
"Itachi… stay."
"As Hokage, I ask this of you."
Want More? Get up to +60 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ https://www.patreon.com/aureliusstudios
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
Thanks for the support!