"Brother, you're back!"
With a heavy heart, Uchiha Itachi returned home.
Seeing him return, Sasuke trotted over, a joyful look on his face.
"Yes, I'm back."
Seeing Sasuke, he forced a smile.
Then he walked straight into his room and closed the door.
Lying down on the bed, grief once again surfaced on his face.
Brother Shisui, who had cared for him and shared the same ambition to protect Konoha, was dead.
And the person who killed him was most likely his own father.
Thinking of this, anger appeared on his face.
Why—why did Father kill Brother Shisui?
In the study.
"His aura has grown stronger."
Uchiha Fugaku thought to himself.
With his perception ability, he had sensed Itachi's return the moment he entered the Uchiha compound.
Moreover, he noticed that Uchiha Itachi's chakra aura had become more powerful.
If his previous aura had been like a torch, now it was like a bonfire.
"As expected, the Mangekyō Sharingan has awakened."
The only explanation for Itachi's sudden surge in power was that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He must have learned of Uchiha Shisui's death from the Third Hokage, and the emotional shock had triggered the awakening.
"Uchiha Itachi has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. It's time to deal with this ungrateful wolf. But how?"
Uchiha Fugaku frowned.
He hesitated over how to handle Uchiha Itachi.
His original plan was to eliminate this traitor, just like he had done with Uchiha Shisui.
However, doing so would cause great sadness to Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Sasuke.
It might even drive a wedge between him and Sasuke, who held the potential to become a Six Paths-level powerhouse.
Although he could secretly get rid of Itachi, the Third Hokage was too shrewd. He would surely suspect Fugaku and might reveal the truth to Mikoto and Sasuke.
And once Sasuke's eyes were replaced in the future and he awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the truth would certainly come out.
He thought for a long time before finally making a decision.
He stood up, left the study, entered the main hall, and said to Uchiha Mikoto,
"Mikoto, bring Itachi and Sasuke. We're having a family meeting."
"A family meeting?"
Uchiha Mikoto was slightly surprised, but said nothing.
She first called Sasuke, then went to Itachi's room, knocked on the door, and said,
"Itachi, come out for a moment."
"Mother, what is it?"
After a long pause, Uchiha Itachi composed himself, opened the door, and asked.
"Your father wants to have a family meeting. He asked me to call you and Sasuke."
Uchiha Mikoto replied.
"A family meeting?"
Uchiha Itachi frowned.
Right now, he didn't want to face his father, afraid that he wouldn't be able to hide the anger boiling inside him.
But, as the Third Hokage had said, he must not let his father suspect anything—not until he was strong enough to stop and correct the clan.
He followed Uchiha Mikoto into the hall.
There, Uchiha Fugaku and Sasuke were already seated at the table.
He and Mikoto took the remaining seats.
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Itachi and raised his hand to cast a soundproof barrier.
Immediately, a square barrier enveloped the entire hall.
The sounds from the outside world were sealed out. Within the barrier, Fugaku didn't speak right away.
A heavy silence filled the air. Even Sasuke, usually cheerful, grew quiet under the tense atmosphere.
After a long pause, Uchiha Fugaku finally spoke.
He raised his head, stared sharply at Itachi, and asked,
"Itachi, why did you betray the clan and become the Third Hokage's accomplice?"
After careful thought, he decided not to hide this matter from Mikoto and Sasuke.
Rather than let them discover the truth later and question him, he wanted them to know now—what kind of traitor Uchiha Itachi truly was.
Swoosh——
Uchiha Itachi's face turned pale instantly.
His identity as a spy had been exposed!
His father already knew. When had he found out?
Cold sweat began to form on his forehead. The disguise he had believed to be flawless had long since failed.
"Fugaku… is there some misunderstanding here?"
Uchiha Mikoto's expression shook.
She forced a dry laugh and looked at Itachi, her voice hopeful.
"Right? Itachi, tell your father this is just a misunderstanding."
As a member of the Uchiha clan, she held a strong sense of loyalty to her family.
She couldn't accept that her eldest son had betrayed the clan and sided with the Hokage.
But her husband's grave expression and Itachi's pale face gave her a terrible feeling.
Under Mikoto's hopeful gaze, Itachi looked away.
He knew his mother wanted him to say it wasn't true, but he couldn't.
He had indeed betrayed the clan and become the Hokage's spy.
If his father had asked this question, he surely had irrefutable evidence. There was no point in lying.
He lowered his head and said,
"I'm sorry, Mother. I've disappointed you. I really am the spy Hokage planted in the clan."
"My brother… betrayed the clan?"
Uchiha Sasuke stared at Itachi in shock.
He was six now and would soon enter the Academy.
Precocious for his age, he understood the meaning of family—and what it meant to betray it.
Under his father's teachings, the clan held supreme importance in his heart.
To learn now that his brother had betrayed it filled him with shock, sorrow, and a sense of betrayal.
"Why, Itachi… why did you betray the clan and become the Hokage's spy?"
Mikoto trembled slightly, her voice full of pain.
Even though she had feared this possibility, hearing Itachi admit it still filled her with deep sorrow.
"To protect the peace that Konoha worked so hard to achieve."
Still unable to meet her gaze, Uchiha Itachi spoke.
"What does protecting peace have to do with betraying the Uchiha clan and aiding the Hokage?"
Mikoto asked, confused.
"The Uchiha clan is a destabilizing factor for Konoha. The village's instability stems from the clan. So I chose to betray the Uchiha and support the Hokage from within."
Uchiha Itachi replied.
(End of this chapter)