Itachi looked up at the gate of the Uchiha compound and took a deep breath as he put on his mask.
He didn't have much time left—he had to finish before Sasuke got back from detention.
*Clang!*
Just as Itachi was about to rush in, a kunai suddenly flew from behind and stabbed into the ground right next to his foot.
The sharp blade stuck in the earth and kept shaking, making a low ringing sound.
Itachi's Sharingan spun to life. He gripped his sword tightly and quickly turned around, glaring at whoever was behind him.
No one could stop him now!
At least, that's what he thought—until he saw who it was.
Itachi's eyes widened in shock, his pupils shrinking.
Hatake Satoru pushed his mask up to the side of his head, let out a breath, and casually complained to Itachi.
"Man, this thing is so stuffy. Are yours any better or what?"
"I wear an eye patch every day and it's never this uncomfortable."
Standing next to Hatake Satoru was that same quiet boy, with a bandage still stuck on his nose.
But his hair had gotten longer. Now he had it tied into a short ponytail behind his head.
Itachi looked back and forth between the two of them, surprised. He had expected to see someone from the Anbu here—or maybe even someone from the Foundation.
But definitely not these two ordinary people.
His face stiffened, and his lips pressed together, pale and bloodless.......................................
He only turned on his own clan because he had no choice. He didn't want to add two more bodies to the pile.
Especially not when one of them was Hatake Satoru—his close friend.
"You two... what are you doing here?"
Itachi's throat tightened. He could already guess what they were here for, it was written all over their faces.
But he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to face it.
Losing his clan was already painful enough. Was he really supposed to raise his hand against his best friend too?
Shisui had killed himself right in front of him. And now he was supposed to kill Hatake Satoru?
And really, why did Satoru bring a normal civilian with him? That just made it even weirder.
"Isn't it obvious? We're here to stop you from doing something you'll regret forever!"
Hatake Satoru's face wore that same smile he always had, like nothing in the world could ever faze him.
It must be nice to be a normal person.
Itachi had once truly envied that about him.
Itachi lowered his head slightly and stared at the blade in his hand. His mask was reflected on its surface.
"I've already made up my mind. I won't regret it."
"If wiping out the Uchiha clan brings peace to the village, then so be it."
"This is something only I can do. I've already sent Sasuke away. The rest... I'm leaving to you."
Behind his eye mask, Hatake Satoru rolled his eyes and gave Shisui a subtle nudge with his elbow.
Shisui shifted a little, looking kind of awkward.
Honestly, it wasn't surprising they got along so well.
Even their self-sacrificing ways of thinking were exactly the same.
Looking at Itachi now felt just like watching himself at the edge of that cliff.
He might stubbornly believe he wouldn't regret this, but when faced with the broken reality later...
He'd still think back to the good times, and that endless feeling of regret.
"There's no need for this. Isn't there a better way?"
"You say you won't regret it, but you're going to live as a rogue ninja. You'll force Sasuke to chase you, to hate you, to fight you."
"He'll throw away his life trying to beat you. It won't just be you suffering—he'll be dragged into that same darkness, wishing he were dead."
"Is it really worth it? Did even a part of your choice come from wanting Sasuke to *live*?"
"You saved your brother by sacrificing your whole clan... just so he could live a life full of pain?"
Hatake Satoru reached out and pushed down the sword in Itachi's hand, leaning his head closer to the mask.
Even though Itachi couldn't see Satoru's eyes behind the black eye mask, he could clearly feel a heavy, piercing gaze locked onto him.
Satoru's smile faded, and every word he said hit Itachi straight in the heart.
"…This is the fate of the Uchiha. And mine too."
Itachi took a step back. Maybe it was instinct from Satoru leaning in... or maybe, it was hesitation.
"Cut it out. I don't care about your clan's fate or whatever. If everything is set in stone, what's the point of living?"
"Even if ninja are just tools, just weapons, at the end of the day—you're still human."
"Do you really want to wipe out your whole clan? Forget the village and the Uchiha—what do *you* truly want?"
Itachi planned to create a small tragedy to prevent a larger one.
It was just like the trolley problem—sacrifice the few or the many.
But Hatake Satoru's answer was simple: stop the damn train altogether.
"…I…"
Itachi looked away, the words stuck in his throat. He didn't want to meet the gaze behind that mask again, the one that felt like it could see through everything.
Satoru smiled the moment he saw Itachi hesitate. That was enough.
Without hesitation, Hatake Satoru reached out and ripped off the mask on Itachi's face, snapping the thin string behind his head.
"Don't overthink it! You don't want to do this either, right?"
"Then let's go with my way—it'll give you a way out."
As the mask came off, Itachi lifted his head and froze for a moment. His face looked stiff and unsure.
"Shisui's other eye… it's still with Danzo."
"If we want to use Kotoamatsukami…"
"Oh, no need to worry about that~ It's right here!"
Hatake Satoru cut him off cheerfully and pointed behind him at Shisui.
Shisui held up a bottle toward Itachi, and inside was a glowing red Sharingan.
"The fake eye they made was pretty convincing too…"
"I just dug this one out. If I'd come a bit earlier, it might've still been warm~"
Hatake Satoru gave a small, proud smile.
"????"
For the first time, Itachi looked completely stunned.
What was this guy saying? Someone actually managed to take something from Danzo?
He had suspected before that Hatake Satoru had some hidden cards up his sleeve…
But this? This was ridiculous. How strong was this guy!?
"Tonight, besides our clan's coup, there are also a lot of Root members in hiding. And on my father's side too…"
"If it's just the two of us, we'll be stretched too thin to handle them all."
Itachi felt like he was being dragged onto a wild ride. Hatake Satoru's plan sounded crazy, full of holes everywhere.
And the biggest problem? They just didn't have enough power.
"Aren't you two the geniuses of the Uchiha clan? And now you're both here with me. That's more than enough."
"All you need to do is go in and talk to your family."
Hatake Satoru, completely confident, pushed Itachi toward the Uchiha compound.
Two?
Itachi walked forward while glancing back in disbelief.
Not far behind them, the young man standing there gave him a familiar smile.
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