Uchiha Itachi moved swiftly through the night. He avoided the clan's sentries with practiced ease, reaching a cliffside by the river in just ten minutes.
He didn't want to alert anyone in the clan—especially now, with tension and suspicion brewing all around.
This cliff had always been his and Shisui's secret meeting spot. Here, Itachi could finally speak freely, unburdened by the suffocating expectations of the clan or the weight of his Anbu responsibilities.
From afar, he spotted a lone figure sitting cross-legged at the edge of the cliff, watching the river flow silently beneath the moonlight.
A soft smile spread across Itachi's face.
"Shisui!" he called out, leaping toward him with genuine joy.
"You made it," Shisui replied with a warm smile, standing up slowly from the cliff's edge.
This spot was dangerously high, a place that could make anyone's legs go weak just from looking down. But Shisui stood there as if gravity didn't exist.
Itachi joined him moments later, his eyes curiously scanning his friend. Something about Shisui seemed... different.
The last time they met, Shisui had smiled too—but it had been a hollow one, a strained smile weighed down by exhaustion and inner struggle.
Now, the smile on his face radiated warmth. It was real. The oppressive weight that had once burdened his expression was gone.
Itachi couldn't help but ask, "Shisui, you look... happy. Did something happen?"
Shisui nodded lightly. "You could say that. It's some good news, at least."
He wasn't trying to hide anything. The changes in the clan genuinely pleased him.
Not long ago, his conversation with Yuhara had made something clear—true reform was within reach. They were only one step away.
Shisui didn't care much for the position of deputy clan head. But he knew it would put him in a place where he could genuinely support Yuhara.
To watch and help guide the transformation of their clan. To finally change their relationship with the village.
And yet, as he stood there looking at Itachi, a knot formed in his chest. He remembered what Yuhara had warned him: Don't explain everything too clearly.
Shisui didn't fully understand why Yuhara didn't trust Itachi—but he'd given his word. And that meant he would honor it, even if it was Itachi standing before him now.
"What kind of good news?" Itachi asked.
Shisui hesitated. The moment he paused to choose his words, Itachi's expression shifted. He became visibly uneasy.
After a long silence, Shisui finally sighed. "It's like this... there's been some changes within the clan. Both Elder Sō and Elder Takechi have begun to realize that their past approaches were flawed."
"They're starting to abandon the old ways," he continued, "and looking to unify the clan's will so that we can—"
"Unify the will?" Itachi cut him off sharply, his tone tense. "Unify what will? What are they planning?"
His face darkened.
Itachi was no stranger to the internal strife between the moderate and hardline factions. But the idea of the two sides unifying—that was something he could hardly process.
To him, who had always dreamed of peace between the Uchiha and the village, this unification sounded ominous.
If the clan united under a more radical vision… could peace still be an option?
Would their ideals be sacrificed for the sake of unity?
Would the moderates simply be swallowed by hardline extremism?
And worst of all—why was Shisui, the brother figure he admired most, standing there looking so satisfied?
Wasn't it Shisui who had always taught him the importance of coexistence and mutual trust?
Hadn't he always said the clan needed to reintegrate with Konoha?
Itachi had never forgotten that. He based his beliefs on it. He always viewed the world through the lens of a Hokage—always asking himself what would be best for the village.
But when he looked at the Uchiha from that viewpoint, they always seemed like a source of instability.
He had reflected deeply on why it was this way, but every time, he reached the same conclusion: The clan refuses to accept the status quo. They keep chasing unrealistic ideals.
That was why Itachi wished so desperately for them to settle down—so Sasuke could grow up safely, and Konoha could remain stable.
But now, just a few words from Shisui had shattered that fragile hope.
"Calm down, Itachi," Shisui said, furrowing his brows. "Just let me finish."
He could sense something deeper brewing in Itachi's heart—more than just resistance, it was fear and rejection.
Shisui sighed again.
"Our path all this time... it was the wrong one. That's right—I'm saying we were wrong."
"We longed for peace, and believed that if we worked hard enough, the village would accept us. That we could find our place in it."
"But we never once stopped to ask—does the village actually want us?"
"That question… it already has an answer."
"We've compromised, bent over backward, done everything in our power. But the truth is, the answer was never 'yes.'"
"The Third Hokage is the student of the Second. And the Second is the one who set everything in motion—the one who began the Uchiha's downfall."
"Hiruzen inherited his will. So did his advisors. These views aren't going to change just because we try harder."
"I've seen the records myself, Itachi. While in Anbu. What I'm saying—it's all true."
"You've always been sharp. So tell me—under these conditions, how exactly are we supposed to survive?"
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