Chapter 85: Uchiha Itachi's Secret
Deep within the forest, shadowed figures blurred across colossal branches, moving too fast to track.
"The battle is over," Black Zetsu announced as he seeped from a tree trunk.
Tobi glanced his way, the emotion in his single eye shifting before he finally spoke. His voice was low and heavy—nothing like the jester's tone he'd used before. "Is that so? Uchiha Itachi is dead? Sasuke won?"
Black Zetsu confirmed the result, speaking to both Tobi and the Konoha shinobi they'd intercepted. Tobi snorted, cold and dismissive. "As expected." His eye swept past the Konoha team without a hint of feeling. Space warped—and he vanished with Black Zetsu.
Rain swept in, soaking the ruins and fractured earth. It thickened, washing blood from stone and sluicing it into broken seams of rubble. Obito stood in the downpour, staring at the empty ground, his expression grim behind the mask. Someone had arrived ahead of them.
Black Zetsu said nothing at first; he knew exactly who had taken Itachi and Sasuke. Deliberately, he remarked, "I saw Renji."
Obito's gaze snapped to him. "Renji isn't dead?" He'd suspected as much, but the idea that "Madara" had allowed such a variable to persist still grated. He truly wished Renji were gone. Unfortunately, he wasn't.
"No," Black Zetsu replied, keeping up the façade of being only Madara's will, a watcher assigned to Obito. Obito had no desire to continue; to him, both Zetsu halves were disgusting remnants of a bygone age.
"Find him," Obito ordered.
Black Zetsu nodded slowly. "Okay. I know where he is." Their forms slipped from sight again.
Not long after, another group arrived. When Naruto and the others reached the scene, only the wreckage of a brutal fight remained. The rain had erased blood, scent—every clue. Kakashi exhaled, then glanced at the silent Naruto. "Let's head back to Konoha."
Naruto's fists curled tight.
…
Inside a dark cave, candlelight wavered, casting a dim glow over the motionless figure on the stone slab. Uchiha Sasuke lay there, chest and eyes bandaged, breathing deep in sleep. In the shadows, Renji worked. He had preserved Itachi's soul and will, changing only the flesh. Itachi was sealed into a small onyx crow pendant—a soul that could see and hear, not speak. Renji looped it on a cord around his neck, a witness to all that followed.
Through it all, Itachi gave Renji no Malice Value whatsoever, as if indifferent to his own transformation. While Sasuke slept, Renji had already transplanted Itachi's eyes into him. Sai watched in silence, offering only a thin trickle of malice when Renji treated Sasuke's other wounds.
A stir came from the slab. Sai's brow creased; he turned, eyes like ice, as Sasuke pushed himself upright, a hand lifting to his bandaged eyes.
"Where is this? Who are you?" he asked, voice cool. Renji and Sai had made no effort to hide—Sasuke's awareness was no surprise.
Renji walked to his side.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +2,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +2,000]
[Chakra (154,658,002 / 200,000,000)]
Sai stared at Sasuke, unblinking.
"Renji…" Sasuke said suddenly, calling him by name. Renji's brows ticked up; if he hadn't personally performed the transplant, he might've suspected Sasuke of using the Byakugan.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000]
[Chakra (154,659,002 / 200,000,000)]
Uchiha Sasuke was even more aggravating than Sai had imagined.
Renji unwound the bandages around Sasuke's face. Layer by layer, they fell away. Sasuke narrowed his eyes against the light, then focused on Renji. A smirk tugged at his mouth. "You're not dead." The certainty in his tone made it sound like he'd expected this outcome all along.
Renji didn't bite. His attention pinned on Sasuke's new eyes. Sasuke's fingers brushed his lids. "My eyes… what happened?" An unprecedented surge of power churned awake inside him, a near-omnipotent thrum.
"They're not yours. They're Itachi's," Renji said, flat and cold. The demeanor was nothing like the Renji in Sasuke's memory.
Sasuke stared. "What do you mean?" Why were Itachi's eyes in his skull? Where was Itachi? Why was Renji here? Why fake his death? Questions swarmed, stinging.
"Itachi must've told you how to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, right?" Renji asked, gaze unflinching. It made Sasuke uneasy. When had he ever felt off-balance around Renji? What changed?
"The Mangekyō isn't the final stage," Renji continued. "Its power is immense, but overuse leads to permanent blindness. The only remedy is transplanting a blood relative's Mangekyō. After that, it evolves into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, free from degeneration." His tone stayed detached.
"Congratulations. You have it."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (154,669,002 / 200,000,000)]
"Why do you know this?" Sasuke demanded. How could Renji know Uchiha secrets he himself hadn't learned?
"Because ever since I joined Team 7, I promised Itachi I'd watch over you. I know everything about you—and about the Uchiha," Renji replied.
Only then did Sasuke understand why Renji's gaze felt so alien. Renji wasn't looking at him. He was looking at these eyes. Itachi's eyes.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000,000]
[Chakra (155,669,002 / 200,000,000)]
"What are you talking about?" Sasuke's voice dropped to a dangerous quiet—the stillness before a storm.
"Sasuke, you should thank Itachi—"
"What did you say?!" Sasuke roared, fisting Renji's collar.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000,000]
[Chakra (156,669,002 / 200,000,000)]
Thank the man who slaughtered his parents and clan? Bullshit.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000]
[Chakra (156,670,002 / 200,000,000)]
"What are you doing, Uchiha Sasuke?" Sai shoved him back. "If not for Renji, do you think you'd be standing here?"
Sasuke's breathing leveled, but his voice strained. "You saved me? Because of Uchiha Itachi?" The taste of metal rose on his tongue. He'd bitten down hard.
Renji smoothed his collar. "Itachi wanted you to live." That was all.
Sasuke sagged onto the stone, a wave of dizziness breaking over him. Truth and lie smeared together.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000,000]
[Chakra (157,670,002 / 200,000,000)]
"Teaching you jutsu, training with you, making you stronger—because Itachi wanted you to grow. Taking care of your daily life, tending to your moods—because he wanted me to bond with you. Guarding you, ensuring you weren't hurt—because Itachi cared too much about you, and I… cared too much about him." Renji's voice was terrifyingly calm. "I don't want you alive at all, Uchiha Sasuke."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000,000]
[Chakra (167,670,002 / 200,000,000)]
"Then why didn't you… kill me?" Sasuke whispered, eyes fixed on him.
"Because Itachi wanted you to live."
The words hit like a physical blow. More agonizing than hatred was learning it was built on a lie. "You should die," he said, closing his eyes. No Malice Value followed, and Renji felt only disappointment.
"You think this is the whole truth? Naive." If Sasuke wouldn't give malice freely, Renji would wring it out. "Why do you think Itachi and I planned every detail? Why did he slaughter the clan? Why were you the one spared? Was it a petty grudge? I'll give you the truth. You don't know your brother at all."
From anyone else, the words might have been tolerable. From Renji—the one who had stood at his side—they were a betrayal. Sasuke had treated him as a real comrade, only to find him the liar who sided with his enemy.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000,000]
[Chakra (168,670,002 / 200,000,000)]
"It's a long story. We start with the Nine-Tails incident sixteen years ago," Renji said, collecting the thread. The tale spanned more than a decade—nearly half of Itachi's life.
"After the Nine-Tails, suspicion fell on the Uchiha. Rumors of a coup spread. From then on, the clan was monitored by Anbu. Their district was moved to the outskirts, isolating them. Suspicion bred resentment; resentment hardened into action. The Uchiha began planning a coup. Konoha's leaders planted a spy among them—your brother, Uchiha Itachi. His hell began there."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (168,680,002 / 200,000,000)]
"You lived in the compound, unaware—too young to grasp it. Your father, Fugaku, led the movement. Itachi entered Anbu at his parents' urging, but in truth he became a double agent, leaking clan intelligence to the village. The weight of it was unimaginable."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (168,690,002 / 200,000,000)]
"As a child, Itachi saw the Third Great Ninja War—saw suffering firsthand. He came to cherish peace and loathe conflict. The village elders exploited that and handed him a top-secret mission: eliminate the Uchiha. What he felt in that moment… is beyond words."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (168,700,002 / 200,000,000)]
"If the clan rebelled, Konoha would collapse into chaos. Other nations would invade. A Fourth Great Ninja War could ignite. Countless would die. So Itachi chose to end Uchiha history with his own hands. That night—your nightmare—was also his. He killed everyone… but he couldn't touch you. His little brother."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (168,710,002 / 200,000,000)]
"To shield you from Danzō and the rest, Itachi sought the Third Hokage's protection and threatened Danzō before he left—promising to leak village secrets if you were harmed. You were his greatest concern. But he couldn't tell you the truth. He wanted you strong, wanted you to see the Uchiha name as noble. He left resolved to die by your hand, to entrust his eyes to you, to grant you new power. The proof of his truth is that you live—wielding the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
"No matter how the village treated him, he loved Konoha. He joined Akatsuki to watch them. When the Third Hokage—the man who promised to protect you—died, Itachi returned. You thought he came for Naruto? He came for you, Sasuke. Your eyes couldn't pierce Itachi's lies. Or mine."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (168,720,002 / 200,000,000)]
"Itachi wanted to die by your hand—let you avenge the clan and be hailed as a hero—the hero who slew Konoha's shame. For you, for Konoha, he wore the mask of a traitor though he was the village's truest hero. He gave everything and took only infamy. Yet he died smiling—bequeathing the Uchiha name to you, and your safety to me."
Renji felt the tremor of Sasuke's tears. As he spoke, the candle guttered out. In the dark, Sasuke's muffled sobs were small but undeniable. He hated Konoha, its leaders—and Renji most of all. Anyone else could betray him. Not Renji.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000,000]
[Chakra (169,720,002 / 200,000,000)]
"I've said what needed saying. What you do now is yours to decide." Renji rose to go, but Sasuke caught his wrist.
Sasuke lifted crimson eyes. "I will destroy Konoha."
Renji didn't answer, easing his hand free. "What exactly do you plan?"
"My goal is to kill Konoha's leaders. Starting with Danzō." Sai shot Renji a glance, trying to read his intent.
Renji smiled. "Fine. I can help. If you strike at the top, the ranks below will throw themselves in the way. You can't do it alone."
Space twisted beside them. Another figure stepped out—Obito, a spiral mask hiding his face. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the Akatsuki cloak.
"We share goals. We can work together," Obito said, gaze settling on Sasuke. "Help Akatsuki capture the Tailed Beasts, and we'll aid your revenge."
Seeing Sasuke's confusion, Obito explained, "The Tailed Beasts are chakra monsters. The First Hokage gathered them and distributed them among the Five Great Nations to maintain balance. They're ultimate weapons. There are nine in total. Akatsuki has six; three remain. The Eight-Tails is yours. Two others remain—including the Nine-Tails—which are ours."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +100,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +100,000]
[Chakra (169,820,002 / 200,000,000)]
Sasuke looked to Renji, who seemed unmoved by the plan to hunt Naruto.
"Well?" Obito pressed. "Secure the Eight-Tails, and we'll help you strike Konoha."
"Good," Sasuke said.
He left with Taka. Only Renji, Sai, Black Zetsu, and Obito remained in the cave. Obito's gaze slid to Sai, killing intent simmering.
Renji noticed. "He's with me," he said, cool and final.
Obito hadn't truly intended to kill Sai, but his Malice Value betrayed him. A small smile touched Sai's lips.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (169,830,002 / 200,000,000)]
Renji was disappointed. Obito's malice wasn't ripe enough yet. The "Rin" card would wait; played with Kakashi, it would yield a far richer harvest. He would bide his time.
"Next, I return to Konoha," Renji said to Obito and Black Zetsu. "Nagato's hunt for the Nine-Tails has begun, hasn't it?"
Black Zetsu nodded. "He's already on his way to Konoha."
"Good." Renji dipped his head. With Sai at his side, they departed.
----
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