Chapter 53: Those Who Walk Different Paths Cannot Work Together
Inside a teahouse, Itachi and Izumi were quietly chatting over tea. Sitting nearby was Inari Shinko, Itachi's former teammate and now a server at the teahouse, keeping them company.
"Shinko-senpai, the teahouse is busy enough. You don't have to worry about us," Itachi said politely to Inari Shinko.
She nodded, ready to leave, but suddenly leaned close to Itachi's ear and whispered mischievously, "You've got some skills, kid — so young and already going on dates with cute girls like Izumi-chan!"
Though meant to be a whisper, Shinko's voice was just loud enough for Izumi sitting across the table to hear.
In an instant, both Itachi and Izumi flushed bright red. Meanwhile, Shinko walked away with a satisfied grin — clearly finding joy in teasing her juniors from time to time.
After an awkward silence, Itachi was the first to recover, shifting the conversation with a serious tone.
"By the way, have you noticed anything... strange happening within the clan lately?"
Izumi blinked, her expression returning to normal. "Strange? What do you mean?"
Itachi's face grew solemn.
"Although our clan mainly handles village security, we still have some members who take missions outside."
"But recently, I noticed that all the members who completed outside missions stopped taking new assignments after returning."
"Not just that — I've also seen unfamiliar faces loitering around the clan compound."
"All of it... very ominous signs."
Izumi thought for a moment, then smiled lightly.
"That's not entirely true. Just a few days ago, my brother accepted a mission and left the village."
Hearing that, Itachi's frown deepened even further.
Being a full-fledged chunin, Itachi had his own assignments and spent most of his time training independently. Although he still sought advice from his teacher, Yusuke, now and then, they didn't meet regularly — which meant he wasn't always up-to-date with the finer details.
Izumi glanced out the teahouse window, where twilight had already begun to creep across the sky. Her voice brightened with anticipation:
"It's getting late... why don't we stroll around the night market together? It's been so long since the last time."
Suddenly, Itachi's expression changed drastically.
"Something's wrong!"
Startling Izumi, he quickly paid the bill, grabbed her hand, and rushed toward the Uchiha district.
"Eh? Itachi, what's going on? Why are you so tense?" Izumi called out, alarmed.
At first, she had felt shy and secretly happy when he held her hand — but seeing the grim seriousness on his face, she realized something was seriously wrong.
"No time to explain," Itachi said in a low voice. "We need to get back to the clan. Now."
Upon returning, Itachi immediately dragged Kabuto, who was still buried in his laboratory work, out into the open. He quickly organized Izumi, her mother Uchiha Hazuki, and Yota and others into a hidden safehouse within the compound.
After giving Kabuto brief but urgent instructions, Itachi hurried back to fetch his own family — bringing his mother Uchiha Mikoto and little brother Sasuke to the safehouse as well.
Once his loved ones were secured, Itachi rushed to the Police Force headquarters in search of his father, Uchiha Fugaku.
I hope I'm not too late!
The thought hammered inside his mind. He could sense a massive conspiracy closing in on the entire clan.
But just as he turned a corner, someone unexpectedly blocked his path.
"Shisui," Itachi said, frowning. "I'm busy today. If it's not urgent, let's talk tomorrow."
Since their deep conversation with Yusuke years ago, Itachi's thinking had diverged sharply from what it had been in the original timeline. He no longer agreed with Shisui's philosophy of sacrificing the clan to protect the village.
Recently, Shisui had even personally invited Itachi to join the Anbu — an offer Itachi had firmly declined.
Since then, a rift had formed between the two. And deep down, Itachi had moved Shisui to the list of people he could no longer fully trust.
It wasn't personal — Itachi had simply realized with growing clarity that Shisui's ideals and his own were fundamentally different.
"Itachi," Shisui said solemnly, locking eyes with him, "out of everyone in the clan, you're the only one who has the strength to put the greater good above personal bonds."
"The others — even Yusuke-senpai — can't see that."
"I don't know what changed you… but I'm begging you to reconsider. Just this once."
Shisui's gaze was earnest, heavy with the weight of conviction.
Itachi could tell from Shisui's words — he definitely knew something.
"And what exactly do you mean by 'one last chance'?" Itachi asked in return, his voice calm but sharp.
"I can't explain too much right now," Shisui replied. "But I want you to come with me — to meet with the Third Hokage and Danzo-sama. It's your only chance."
At this moment, Shisui had already received a secret order from the Third Hokage: to cooperate with Danzo in eliminating the Uchiha Clan tonight — stepping into the same grim role that Itachi had once taken in the original timeline.
When Shisui first received this mission, he had been deeply shaken. He wasn't someone who cared nothing for the clan — far from it. But in his heart, the village always stood above family ties.
Shisui had tried to resist. He proposed bringing Clan Leader Uchiha Fugaku into a meeting for peaceful negotiations.
But Danzo flatly rejected the idea, claiming that any premature move might "alert the enemy."
Afterward, Danzo presented Shisui with a mountain of evidence: documents, surveillance, intercepted communications — all indicating that radical elements within the Uchiha were indeed plotting a coup.
What Shisui didn't know was that these so-called "proofs" were a mixture of half-truths and outright fabrications.
The radical faction within the clan did exist, but Danzo had vastly exaggerated their activities, weaving lies into just enough reality to make it almost impossible to tell the difference.
Finally, the Third Hokage himself spoke to Shisui — passionately recounting the sacrifices of countless heroes who had once given everything for Konoha, including Uchiha Kagami, an ancestor from Shisui's own bloodline.
That heartfelt appeal became the final weight tipping Shisui's internal scale.
In the end, he surrendered fully to the will of the village leadership, accepting the mission to personally help annihilate the Uchiha Clan.
Shisui had already given up on the rest of the clan.
But for Itachi — for his once closest friend — he still wanted to try one last time.
Maybe… maybe it's not too late to bring him back to the right path, Shisui thought with a trace of desperate hope.
"Your only chance?" Itachi stared at Shisui, face impassive, but emotions stirred chaotically in his heart.
He knew: if not for his teacher Yusuke's guidance, he might very well have followed in Shisui's footsteps — down a completely different path.
Memories flashed through his mind: scenes of him and Shisui training together, laughing, fighting side-by-side.
But soon, those images were replaced by others:
— Dining and chatting happily with his parents.
— Playing with a baby Sasuke wrapped in swaddling cloth.
— Strolling through the lively night market with Izumi.
— Sparring and studying taijutsu techniques with Kabuto.
— Sitting across from Yusuke-sensei in quiet, earnest conversation.
Three years ago, the confusion in Itachi's heart had already been swept away, leaving only unwavering determination.
"My teacher once said something to me," Itachi spoke softly, his voice like steel wrapped in velvet. "I wonder if you've ever heard it."
"What did he say?" Shisui frowned, a growing sense of unease gnawing at him.
Itachi's eyes were cold and clear as a winter sky.
"Those who walk different paths… cannot work together."
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