A month passed quietly for Akira.
But for Itachi, that same month was hell.
---
Itachi spent every single day trying to disprove the letter Akihara had sent.
He searched the Uchiha archives, went through ANBU records, Root files, and even the Hokage Library.
And yes—he found differences.
Tiny inconsistencies here and there.
But that was what shattered him the most.
Most of the letter matched the truth perfectly.
He had always believed he was acting for peace…
for justice…
for Konoha.
But now, every belief he held was crumbling.
His entire worldview—the "filters" through which he had justified everything—were gone.
Once, he believed that following Sarutobi Hiruzen was the same as following justice.
Once, he believed Danzo's words that every village had darkness… and that he must become Konoha's darkness.
But reality was far uglier.
He was not the darkness that protected Konoha.
He had become the darkness that protected corruption.
He and Shisui had been deceived from the very beginning.
Even Shisui, who always wished for balance, was biased the moment he awakened his Mangekyō.
His first thought had been to report it to Hiruzen—to control Fugaku, not the elders.
And Itachi…
He now realized he was even worse.
He had always lived flattered by the Hokage and elders, praised as a genius with "Hokage-level thinking."
But now he knew that true Hokage thinking was different.
He had only lived inside the ego of superiority over other clan members who are tied to Clan first thinking.
If his Mangekyō hadn't already awakened, it would have awakened now—from despair, disgust, and self-loathing.
---
After a full month of wrestling with himself, Itachi finally reached a conclusion.
He would do what he should have done long ago.
Not as a son of Uchiha.
Not as a prodigy.
But as a Konoha Shinobi.
He would deliver the letter to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After that… whatever happened was not his concern.
---
The next morning, he walked into the Hokage Building.
He knocked.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
Hiruzen's voice came from inside.
Once, Hiruzen had enjoyed this office.
Now he lived in constant fear—the same fear that had pushed him to oppress his own ninjas.
He feared the unseen attacker.
He feared Danzo's state.
He feared the seals and traps that could be anywhere: in his pen, in the walls, in his clothes.
The Hokage seat no longer felt like a throne.
It felt like an execution chamber.
Itachi entered silently.
"Hokage-sama, the Root has new information about the attacker who harmed Danzo-sama."
Hiruzen's face instantly brightened with excitement and relief.
Finally—finally—some hope.
Maybe now he could hunt the attacker down, crush him with elite forces of Konoha, and feel safe again.
After all, he couldn't go fight personally.
He was Hokage.
If he got injured, who would take care of Konoha?
Who would take care of his family?
He reached eagerly for the letter—
It was blank.
Before he could speak, Itachi pulled out a small glass bead and shattered it with two fingers.
Hiruzen's expression changed to terror.
But it was too late.
A white cube expanded outward from the letter—silent, clean, perfect.
And in that moment…
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, died without a sound.
---
Itachi did not react.
He simply turned around and walked out of the room, footsteps calm and steady.
The ANBU did not notice anything.
The barrier team detected no chakra.
The silence of the Chronarch's attack left no trace.
To everyone else, the Hokage had simply left on business.
---
One hour later, a Root operative carrying a thousand explosive tags walked into the Hokage's office.
Root, after all, was technically part of ANBU.
No one stopped him.
A second later—
BOOM.
A deafening explosion tore through the entire building, engulfing everything in fire and smoke.
Ash rained over the village like snow.
Chaos erupted instantly.
ANBU, Root, Police Force, Clan heads, civilians—everyone surged toward the ruins.
The high-ranking officials stood frozen.
The Hokage wasn't emerging from anywhere even after such a serious explosion at the centre of the village on the Hokage building.
They all knew what that meant.
They simply weren't ready to accept it.
---
Finally, Nara Shikaku stepped forward, voice grim but steady.
"ANBU, clear the rubble and search for survivors. Record every body and every trace.
Itachi—help me track Hokage-sama's location and determine the cause.
Fugaku—handle the civilians and calm the Ninja clans."
Everyone obeyed immediately.
Not because Shikaku had authority…
But because everyone trusted the man known as the brain of Konoha.
And so, amidst chaos, smoke, and fear—the Leaf moved under his guidance.
The Hokage was dead.
And the village stood at the edge of a storm.
---