Itachi knew there was no way he could keep Seigen here tonight.
However, judging by the way Seigen had eliminated the Root operatives monitoring him, it seemed he genuinely wanted an honest conversation.
Could Seigen, like the clan elders, also be planning a coup?
With that thought, Itachi locked eyes with Seigen.
His Mangekyo Sharingan activated, pulling Seigen into the world of Tsukuyomi.
Inside the Tsukuyomi realm, Seigen found himself bound to a massive cross.
Yet his expression remained completely fearless as he looked calmly at Itachi.
“So…
we can finally have a proper talk, Itachi.”
“What are you trying to do, Seigen?”
Tonight, Itachi felt as though he were meeting Uchiha Seigen for the very first time.
Still, he didn’t dwell on it.
In his mind, it was simply another side effect of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan.
“Are you planning to join the clan elders and start a—”
He stopped himself before finishing the sentence.
After a brief silence, he continued, “This is the Mangekyo technique of my eyes—Tsukuyomi.
Time flows differently here than it does outside.
I believe you understand what that means.”
The implication was obvious.
No one would ever know what they discussed inside this space.
“So the village decided to act tonight because of those elders?
They sent you to slaughter the entire Uchiha Clan?” Seigen deliberately feigned ignorance, deciding to play along for the moment.
A conflicted look appeared on Itachi’s face.
“It was the only way to preserve the village’s peace…
and the only way to stop the clan.”
“You’re too naïve, Itachi.
That’s nothing more than an excuse the village came up with to eliminate the Uchiha.
And peace…
has never been something that can be decided by one person’s will.”
Being so bluntly rejected made Itachi visibly angry.
He had no idea how much resolve it had taken for him to make this decision.
“So we’re supposed to let the elders lead the Uchiha into war with the village?”
Seigen sighed.
Did everyone in Naruto’s world love thinking in extremes?
Whenever a problem appeared, their first instinct was always to eliminate the people who caused it.
“First of all, only a small portion of the clan actually wants to launch a coup.
Most of the Uchiha have nothing to do with it.”
He paused briefly.
“Second…
back when Orochimaru was still in the village, I discovered that he and Danzo had been working together.”
“…On research involving the Sharingan.”
“What?!”
Itachi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
As he mentally connected all the scattered pieces, everything suddenly fit together like a single thread.
Only then did he realize something.
Tonight’s operation had been ordered by Danzo, approved by the Third Hokage, and the Third had personally promised him that Sasuke’s life would be spared.
But if Orochimaru and Danzo had already been secretly researching the Sharingan…
Then the true purpose behind tonight’s massacre became painfully obvious.
“Danzo…
wants the Sharingan of the entire Uchiha Clan?!”
The realization hit him like a thunderbolt.
He had almost become Danzo’s accomplice.
Grinding his teeth, Itachi could barely suppress the fury surging inside him.
So Danzo really was the one who killed Shisui…
Damn you!
But before long, he forced himself to calm down.
Even if he abandoned the mission now, Danzo would simply send someone else to wipe out the clan.
The immediate priority was resolving the crisis before them.
“What should we do?”
By now, Itachi already had his own suspicions.
Perhaps even the clan elders’ decision to stage a coup had been manipulated by Danzo behind the scenes.
Everything had been orchestrated to create a perfectly justified reason to destroy the Uchiha.
Even so…
He still couldn’t bear the thought of the clan going to war against the village.
“We take the clan…
and leave Konoha.”
“You mean…
defect?” Itachi found the idea difficult to accept after being raised under the Will of Fire.
“Does leaving the village automatically make us traitors?”
Seigen looked directly into his eyes.
“It wasn’t the Uchiha who betrayed Konoha.”
“Konoha betrayed us.”
After a brief pause, he continued,
“Have you forgotten how Konoha was founded?
It was created because countless clans came together.
The village only existed because those clans acknowledged one another and trusted each other.
If one day every clan withdrew that recognition…
then Konoha itself would cease to exist.”
Those shocking words left Itachi struggling to accept them.
Yet deep down…
He knew Seigen was right.
“Go back and tell your father to gather the younger generation.
Take everyone and leave Konoha.”
“I’ll keep the village’s attention focused on me.”
Itachi took a deep breath.
At last, he had made up his mind.
“…Alright.”
“But those fools who insist on launching a coup…”
His gaze turned icy.
“I won’t allow their Sharingan to fall into Danzo’s hands.”
The two of them then left the Tsukuyomi realm, their consciousness returning to the small house.
Just as Itachi was about to leave, Seigen called out to him once more.
“Itachi.”
“Peace has never been something someone else gives you.”
Ten minutes later…
A massive force of Root shinobi surrounded the house where Seigen was hiding.
Danzo had never expected his seemingly flawless plan to encounter such an unexpected complication.
More than a dozen Root operatives assigned to monitor Itachi had all vanished without a trace.
It seemed Uchiha Itachi was no more trustworthy than the rest of his clan.
So he immediately dispatched even more Root agents to the Uchiha district.
Their first objective was to determine whether Itachi had betrayed the mission.
Their second…
Was to investigate the disappearance—or rather, the deaths—of those missing Root operatives.
“No matter how much you struggle…”
“The destruction of the Uchiha Clan is already inevitable!”