"Madara... Akatsuki..."
Minato repeated the names quietly, his expression growing more serious with each one. When he finished, he fell silent for a moment. Then he looked directly at Itachi.
"I need you to infiltrate Akatsuki," he said. "You will relay intelligence back to Konoha about their activities, their members, and their long-term goals. Everything you can learn matters. You need to understand exactly what this entails. The moment you leave the village, ANBU will begin hunting you, and it will not be a performance. The hunt must be real. If the masked man or anyone within Akatsuki suspects you are working for us, you will be killed. That means the pursuit has to be convincing enough to withstand scrutiny. Some of those ANBU will be trying to end your life."
Itachi's expression didn't waver. "I understand."
"In return," Minato continued, his voice softening slightly, "I will personally ensure the safety of Mikoto and Sasuke while they remain in the village. No harm will come to them because of your actions. You have my word. That said, there is something else you must be prepared for. What happened tonight, the deaths within the clan, and your status as a missing-nin will all have consequences. They will affect Mikoto and Sasuke as well. Some villagers may resent them by association. Even surviving members of the Uchiha may blame them for what you did. They will face hostility, and possibly hatred. You need to accept that this is part of the price."
Itachi and Mikoto exchanged a glance. Bitterness flickered in both their eyes as they acknowledged an unfair but unavoidable reality. After a moment, they nodded.
"We understand," Itachi said quietly. "As long as they're alive and safe, we can bear that."
"Then it's settled." Minato gave a small nod of approval. "Once you are gone, the S-rank missing-nin bounty will activate immediately. You should say a proper goodbye to Mikoto. After tonight, if you wish to see her again, you will have to return in secret. That is assuming you survive long enough to try."
Something seemed to occur to him then, and his expression lightened just slightly.
"There is one piece of news that might ease your mind somewhat. Danzō was dealt with just before I came here. The man had transplanted numerous Sharingan into his arm to use as fuel for Izanagi. He won't be manipulating anyone else."
Itachi bowed deeply to Minato. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
It wasn't much, but knowing that at least one person responsible for pushing the Uchiha toward disaster had faced consequences provided a small measure of justice for those who'd died.
"You two should take the time you need to say goodbye," Minato said, gesturing toward the window. "Don't worry about Sasuke. Kushina already brought him to our house. He's sleeping soundly with Naruto right now. You have until dawn, but Itachi must be gone before first light."
Mikoto's eyes glistened at the mention of her friend caring for her son. She and Kushina had been close for years. Knowing Sasuke was in safe, loving hands brought comfort.
"Thank you, Minato," she said, using his given name instead of his title.
Minato turned to Rin and handed her a written order. "Take this to the captain of ANBU's Third Squad. Have him coordinate with Shisui to secure the Uchiha compound. The wounded need to be transported to the hospital, and the deceased should be moved to the morgue for now. Once the situation stabilizes, families can be notified to handle funeral arrangements."
He looked at Shisui next. "You're familiar with the district layout. I'm putting you in command of the operation. Make sure it's handled with respect."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Shisui responded immediately. He gave Itachi a brief nod, then left the office with Rin.
That left only Minato, Kenji, and the mother and son who stood together near the window, speaking in hushed tones.
Dawn was approaching. Rather than interrupt, Minato and Kenji simply waited in silence, giving them the privacy they needed.
About an hour passed before Itachi finally released his mother and walked over to where Minato stood.
"I'm ready, Hokage-sama. I'll leave now."
Minato studied him for a moment, noting the paleness of his complexion and the exhaustion in his posture. "There's still some time before dawn. Your condition isn't great. Why not rest a bit longer?"
"No." Itachi shook his head firmly. "If I leave too late, it might make the masked man suspicious. He'll be expecting me to act quickly."
"Then be careful out there," Minato said, not pressing the matter further. "Do not forget that once dawn breaks, the S-rank bounty becomes active. From that point on, your official status will be that of an enemy of Konoha. Act accordingly."
"Understood." Itachi turned back toward Mikoto one last time. "Mother, take care of yourself. And about Father... I'm sorry."
Mikoto was already crying, tears streaming down her face despite her best efforts to hold them back. But her voice stayed steady when she spoke. "It's alright, Itachi. Your father wouldn't blame you. He understood what being a shinobi meant."
Itachi bit down on his lip, then turned toward the door.
"Wait."
Kenji's voice stopped him. He pulled something from his pouch and tossed it through the air. Itachi caught it reflexively. It was a syringe, filled with a pale green liquid visible through the transparent barrel.
"What is this?" he asked, examining it. It looked similar to the antidotes commonly used on battlefields.
"A serum I developed using special cells combined with tissue from a creature we captured," Kenji explained. "When injected, it slowly repairs the vision degradation caused by Mangekyō Sharingan use. The recovery process is gradual, not instant. If you push your eyes too hard over a short period, you can still go blind. But as long as you don't completely lose your sight, the serum will eventually restore it. The downside is it's slow. The upside is it's safe with minimal side effects. You just awakened your Mangekyō and you've already been using it heavily. I guarantee your vision's degrading. Inject that now and it'll counteract the damage. Otherwise, given how recklessly you've been burning through your eyesight, you'll probably go blind before you finish gathering any useful intelligence."
The serum was a weakened derivative of Hashirama cell integration experiments. Instead of pursuing Wood Release or other bloodline abilities, he had focused purely on harnessing the regenerative properties of the First Hokage's cells to counter Sharingan deterioration. The formula traded power for stability. It wouldn't grant any special abilities, but it also wouldn't kill the user or cause horrific mutations.
He had originally made it for Shisui. This syringe was simply left over from that batch. Seeing Itachi reminded him that it might still be useful, and given that the boy was about to spend years deep undercover within Akatsuki, he would need every advantage he could get.
Itachi stared at the syringe in surprise. During the fighting earlier, he had pushed his Mangekyō hard, using Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu multiple times in rapid succession. His vision had already begun to degrade, the world growing dimmer and less focused by the minute. He had known the cost. He just had not expected anyone to have a solution.
Without hesitation, he pressed the needle against his arm and pushed the plunger. The green liquid flowed into his bloodstream. For a brief moment, his cells felt more active, and a subtle warmth spread through his body. Then everything settled back to normal. There was no pain or discomfort, only a faint sense of vitality that faded just as quickly.
"Thank you," he said.
He looked at Mikoto one final time, committing her face to memory, then turned and walked quickly out of the office. His footsteps echoed down the hallway before fading into the pre-dawn darkness.
Mikoto stood at the window, staring out into the night for a long time without turning back.
Minato approached her carefully. "After what happened tonight, becoming a missing-nin and infiltrating Akatsuki as our spy was the only path that let him survive. I haven't explained the full details to Kushina yet. I just told her there were enemies in the Uchiha district and asked her to look after Sasuke."
"I understand." Mikoto finally turned away from the window, wiping the tears from her face. "As a ninja, after doing what he did, the fact that he gets to live at all is something to be grateful for. I won't ask for more than that."
She took a breath and straightened her shoulders.
"I should go. Fugaku's body is still at the house. I need to prepare him properly."
"Be safe," Minato said simply.
After Mikoto left, Kenji stretched his arms over his head and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Just when things finally settle down for a few years, someone calling himself 'Uchiha Madara' shows up to destabilize everything. We really cannot catch a break."
Minato latched onto the comment immediately. "Do you think the masked man really is Madara?"
"Almost certainly not," Kenji replied without hesitation. "Madara has been dead for decades. Even if he somehow survived, he would be ancient by now, far too old to be running around and causing trouble. And besides, someone with his ego would never hide behind a mask. He would want everyone to know exactly who was crushing them."
His eyes lit up as an idea suddenly occurred to him.
"Actually, there is a straightforward way to confirm it," he said. "We could attempt to use Edo Tensei. If we successfully summon Madara's soul, then the masked man is obviously an impostor. If the technique fails because Madara cannot be summoned, then either the masked man truly is Madara, or someone has already resurrected him. After all, the Second Hokage created a jutsu capable of dragging the dead back from the Pure Land. That alone makes it worth considering. The problem is that Edo Tensei requires genetic material from the deceased, along with a living sacrifice. We do not have any of Madara's DNA. That leaves only one option. We could locate his grave and see what can be recovered."
Minato shook his head without hesitation. "Edo Tensei is forbidden for a reason. It is too dangerous to use lightly. We will wait for Itachi's intelligence first. With him embedded in Akatsuki, he should be able to uncover something more concrete about the masked man's identity."
"Fair enough. Your call." Kenji shrugged and activated the Flying Thunder God. "It is almost dawn anyway. I am heading home to get some sleep. Last night was..."
His figure vanished from the office.
Minato was left standing alone in the empty room, one hand half-raised as if he might still stop him. After a moment, he sighed, rubbed his temples, and turned back to the mountain of paperwork waiting on his desk.