Sasuke sensed something was off immediately. He turned his head toward Itachi, his small face even more serious than Ryan's.
Life or death didn't really matter to him.
What he cared about was whether his brother loved him the most.
Standing on either side of Itachi, the two brothers stared at him like knives pressed against his skin. Wanting to treat them fairly, Itachi felt his heart tighten under that pressure.
At the same time, he felt utterly helpless about Ryan pulling something like this so early in the morning.
"Ryan, Sasuke…"
"I just got back from a mission and haven't had breakfast yet."
"You two probably haven't eaten either, right?"
Neither Sasuke nor Ryan answered. They simply continued staring at Itachi.
The aura radiating from the two brothers was enough to make even Uchiha Itachi break out in a sweat.
Hope flickered in Sasuke's eyes as he waited for the answer he wanted to hear.
Ryan frowned slightly as he watched Itachi for a moment, then suddenly let out a soft chuckle and casually walked toward the dining room as if he didn't care anymore.
Itachi finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Sasuke was easy to deal with.
This other brother, however, was a nightmare.
But just as Itachi relaxed, Ryan's voice drifted faintly from the dining room. His tone sounded light and airy, yet the question itself made Itachi's heart tremble.
"Itachi."
"If you had to choose between the village and the clan…"
"How would you decide?"
Itachi's gaze sharpened. His hand clenched tightly at his side, then loosened again when he turned to look at Sasuke.
He patted Sasuke's head and forced out a strained smile.
"Sasuke, go eat first."
"Ryan and I need to talk."
Sensing that something wasn't right, Sasuke didn't throw a tantrum. He glanced at Ryan, then at Itachi, and nodded hard.
"Okay…"
"Don't fight."
Sasuke felt torn.
He truly liked and admired his older brother.
But Ryan was his brother too.
Even if Ryan bullied him sometimes, Sasuke knew that Ryan genuinely cared about him.
If Ryan and Itachi really argued…
He honestly didn't know what he should do.
"My foolish little otōto~"
"Argue with Itachi? There's no way he'd win against me."
Ryan spread his hands and shrugged, speaking in an oddly exaggerated tone. This immediately made Sasuke—who kept looking back—snort angrily and speed off.
Itachi shook his head and smiled helplessly. Every time he saw Ryan teasing Sasuke, he never knew what to say.
Still…
His two younger brothers really were adorable.
After Sasuke left, Itachi led Ryan into the study. Once seated, the two brothers fell into a heavy silence.
Neither of them spoke a single word.
Outside the study, Mikoto and Fugaku pressed their ears against the door, both wearing expressions of extreme seriousness. They barely dared to breathe, afraid their eavesdropping would be noticed.
Sasuke, worried about Ryan and Itachi, had run off to call their parents over.
At this moment, Fugaku's emotions were complicated.
From what Sasuke had told him, it wasn't hard to connect the dots back to his earlier conversation with Ryan about the clan.
He could clearly sense that Itachi's stance was gradually shifting toward the village.
As for Ryan, Fugaku couldn't fully read his thoughts—but it was obvious that the boy wanted to protect their family.
As for his position…
It was probably similar to Fugaku's own.
Thinking of the talent Ryan had shown just days ago, and his stance on these matters, Fugaku felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
But…
Protecting the family—was it really that easy?
Mikoto, as a mother, didn't think that far ahead. Her thoughts were closer to Sasuke's.
She simply didn't want her sons to damage their brotherly bond over clan matters.
Just as the couple strained to listen, Ryan's shocked voice suddenly rang out from inside the study.
"What!?"
"Itachi—Dad has another hundred thousand ryō hidden in the kitchen?!"
Fugaku's face instantly darkened.
He hurriedly shot his wife a panicked look, opening his mouth to explain—
While silently carving another grudge into his heart against his eldest son.
Mikoto glanced at him, then turned and walked toward the kitchen without another word, leaving Fugaku staring at the back of her head.
The two left in perfect unspoken coordination.
Inside the study, Itachi pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long sigh.
He knew Ryan did that to drive their parents away.
But…
Could you please stop throwing me under the bus every time?
After steadying himself, Itachi straightened his posture and spoke seriously to Ryan.
"It's time we talked properly."
After saying that, he even worried Ryan might not understand, so he added,
"Like… adults."
Ryan nodded, saying nothing, waiting for Itachi to continue.
He also wanted to hear what Itachi truly intended to talk about.
"Father…"
"He already told you everything, didn't he?"
Itachi knelt by the tea table, hands resting on his thighs, fists clenched tightly enough to tremble.
He was clearly unhappy that their father had shared clan matters with such a young brother.
This would only harm Ryan.
Ryan stared into Itachi's eyes for a long time—several minutes passed—before he chose to skip that topic entirely and shift to another.
"Itachi, can you promise me one thing?"
Itachi agreed without hesitation. He didn't even ask what it was.
If Ryan asked him to help their father launch a coup—something that crossed his bottom line—he would refuse.
But this wasn't that.
"Protect Shisui."
Ryan's gaze was so sharp that even Itachi found it difficult to meet.
From Itachi's reaction earlier—when asked to choose between the village and the clan—Ryan already knew the answer.
Itachi would still stand with the village and oppose their father.
Saving Shisui wouldn't change the final outcome.
But it could buy the Uchiha clan time—keep hope alive just a little longer, delaying the moment when the clan would feel cornered enough to go to war with the village.
Itachi frowned slightly, as if realizing something, then nodded solemnly.
"I will."
"Ryan…"
"Is there nothing else you want to say to me?"
Itachi couldn't understand why Ryan didn't confront him the way he had confronted their father—why he only made a request that barely counted as one.
"I hope you can keep your word."
Ryan rested his chin on one hand, idly playing with the teacup, looking completely indifferent to Itachi's answer.
He wasn't putting all his hopes on Itachi to save Shisui.
And there were things he couldn't say.
If he mentioned that Danzō might target Shisui, Ryan worried Itachi would immediately run to inform the Third Hokage.
That wouldn't change anything—it might even accelerate Danzō's decision to act.
"I seriously don't know how to carry you pig-headed teammates."
Ryan shook his head, muttering as he stood up to leave the study.
"Ryan, we're still brothers… right?"
Itachi's sudden question didn't stop Ryan's steps.
Just like their positions, the gap between them might have been impossible to reconcile from the very beginning.
"For now, sure."
"As for the future…"
"Who knows."
After Ryan left, Itachi sat alone in the study for a long time.
Eventually, he gathered his things and turned toward the Hokage Tower.
He…
Planned to speak with the Third Hokage—to see if there might be a gentler way to ease the conflict between the village and the clan.
...
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