Shisui fell silent.
After a moment, he lay back on the grass beside Itachi, staring up at the open sky.
Clouds drifted lazily above, indifferent to the weight of the decision pressing down on him—the most important choice of his life.
Several minutes passed.
Finally, Shisui let out a wry smile.
"Itachi… are you certain we can save at least one village?"
Hearing this, Itachi smiled faintly.
"Yes," he replied calmly. "I guarantee that we can save one."
He sat up slightly.
"So here is the plan.
For now, you will remain in the ANBU. That way, the Hokage's faction won't grow uneasy or suspicious."
"My role is to deal with the Hokage faction—quietly."
Shisui's gaze shifted toward him.
"The condition for activating Ketsugoku is visual contact.
I only need to see the target. Whether that is achieved through a summoning beast or any other method is up to me."
As Shisui listened, his emotions tangled into something heavy and bitter.
Sadness
Conflict
Irony
He—hailed as a hero of Konoha—was now plotting alongside his brother to kill people from the very village he had sworn to protect.
Itachi continued, his voice steady and methodical.
"I can only use this jutsu once a month, so our targets must be chosen with absolute care."
He raised three fingers.
"First—our target must not be my equal, nor stronger than me."
"Second—the target must hold a significant position within Konoha or the Hokage faction.
Their death must force that faction to divert its attention and resources into internal investigation."
"Third—by doing so, even if we are exposed later or circumstances turn against us, we will already possess a strategic advantage."
Shisui listened in silence before finally voicing his last concern.
"Itachi… if we assassinate important jōnin-level members of Konoha every month, won't the other villages grow suspicious?" he asked.
"They might interpret it as weakness—and launch an attack on Konoha."
Itachi smiled faintly.
The expression was subtle—almost gentle—but it sent a chill down Shisui's spine.
"If that happens," Itachi said calmly, "then it would be even better."
"Konoha would be too busy fighting wars against other villages for us to act openly,"
Itachi continued. "Amid that chaos, we could eliminate our enemies quietly and efficiently."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"As for whether those enemies belong to Konoha or to other villages… that judgment will be made by Konoha itself."
Hearing this, Shisui felt something crack inside him.
For the first time, he remembered something his father once said:
An Uchiha who awakens the Sharingan begins to walk an extreme path. This is especially true for those who awaken the Mangekyō. Their personalities undergo drastic changes—though the form differs from person to person.
Shisui finally understood.
The Itachi before him was no longer the Itachi of Konoha.
He was the Itachi of the Uchiha clan.
And in that moment, Shisui realized something terrifying.
If Konoha were to be destroyed by other villages, Itachi would rather watch it burn—without regret—than spill the blood of his own clan to protect it.
Yet Shisui was not free of guilt.
If he had not been so naïve—if he had not trusted the Hokage faction so blindly—then perhaps the betrayal that led to the Uchiha clan's downfall could have been avoided.
Perhaps… Itachi would not have become this person.
Shisui had always believed it was his duty to protect his younger brother.
And now that he had failed in that duty, the least he could do was stand beside him—no matter the cost.
With that resolve, Shisui began to think carefully about the first offering… the first sacrifice to heaven.
After several minutes of quiet discussion, they finally reached a decision.
The first target was chosen.
Sarutobi Itsuki — the acting patriarch of the Sarutobi clan, a man whose authority stood just below Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.
OR
And Sarutobi Shinnosuke — the current ANBU captain, and the son of the Third Hokage.
After settling all the heavy matters, the two of them gradually shifted to lighter topics.
They spoke about recent events in the ninja world, about ways to strengthen the clan, and about how to fight more effectively should war break out in the future.
The tension slowly eased, replaced by calm, thoughtful conversation.
About half an hour later, the sound of hurried footsteps reached their ears.
Itachi smiled.
He rose to his feet and turned around—and just as he expected, Sasuke was running toward him.
Seeing this, Shisui glanced at both of them. When Sasuke noticed his brother and broke into a wide grin, Shisui finally understood.
No matter how cold or extreme Itachi had become, his care for Sasuke remained untouched.
If Itachi heard Shisui thoughts he would just reply
'If anyone had a younger brother who was cute, who followed them everywhere, admired them, and shared such a close bond…
Of course they would doting end up doting on him without realizing it.'
---
"Big brother, you said you'd teach me shurikenjutsu today—so are you ready?"
The moment Sasuke spoke, his eyes shone with expectation as he looked at Itachi.
In the past few years, Itachi had always been busy with ANBU and Root missions. The time he spent with Sasuke had been painfully scarce.
Even when Itachi promised to train him, he would often be called away on missions or return late, breaking those promises one after another.
But now, things were different.
Itachi had left Root and applied to join the Konoha Military Police. Sasuke knew that this meant he could finally train with his brother every day.
Itachi smiled softly.
"Of course. I can teach you today," he said. "And Brother Shisui is here as well. He was the one who taught me shurikenjutsu, so you can learn from him too."
Sasuke nodded eagerly and turned toward Shisui with a bright smile.
"Brother Shisui, I didn't know you taught big brother shurikenjutsu!"
Then, tilting his head, he asked innocently,
"Who's stronger between the two of you?"
The question came naturally, even though Sasuke already had an answer in mind.
Shisui chuckled and replied, "Who do you think is stronger?"
"Of course it's big brother!" Sasuke said proudly. He puffed out his chest and looked up, as if declaring it to the world.
"My brother is the strongest!"
" Hahahaha, indeed your brother is stronger than me."
Itachi also smiled though he knew that Shisui is currently much stronger than him.
Just like that, the next few hours passed as Itachi and Shisui taught Sasuke the basics of shuriken throwing.
---
A Few Hours Later
"Sasuke, I'll be a little late coming home tonight," Itachi said. "Tell Mother not to prepare food for me. I'll be having dinner with Shisui."
"Okay, brother. I'm going now."
Sasuke replied in a tired voice. After giving both of them a bright smile, he turned and ran back toward Konoha Village.
Itachi watched him until Sasuke disappeared from sight.
The smile on Itachi's face slowly faded.
His eyes hardened.
He turned to Shisui, his voice low and serious.
"Shisui… let's do it."
Shisui nodded once.
"Hmmm"
---