"Juzo's been with us for years. Can't I just speak to him directly and have him watch over Itachi? There's no need for this roundabout suspicion."
He glared at the masked man, unimpressed by his apparent lack of foresight.
"It's not about logic," Obito said quietly. "I just don't trust him."
In his mind, the image of Uchiha Itachi lingered—those inscrutable eyes, the unreadable intent behind them. Pain could be manipulated. Itachi, on the other hand, was a mystery even to Obito himself.
More importantly, Itachi possessed both Mangekyō eyes. Obito had only one. That imbalance made him uneasy. If he underestimated Itachi, even for a moment, he could lose everything.
That's why Kisame—Obito's own recruit—was placed at Itachi's side. Not just as a partner, but as a spy. A nail driven deep into Akatsuki's flesh.
The organization had grown too powerful to take lightly. This was no longer the ragtag group it once was. It needed control.
"Fine," Pain said finally, staring long at Obito.
He still needed this masked schemer for the plan to proceed. The time to betray him hadn't yet come. After all, this man hiding behind a false name had helped shape the blueprint of the entire project.
Itachi, for all his contemplation, had overlooked one thing—himself.
Juzo's death in the original story wasn't because he was weak. It was all part of a larger design. A trap.
He was never meant to be just Itachi's partner. He was meant to be his watchdog.
A dual-purpose pawn—monitoring both Itachi and Akatsuki.
Obito's move had been ruthless. Effective.
Juzo's only mistake was becoming close to someone he should have stayed suspicious of.
With Pain's silence, that chapter had already been sealed.
"Juzo," Itachi said softly as they walked, stopping suddenly. "You should disappear into the mountains and live in seclusion."
Juzo blinked, confused.
"What are you talking about?"
"Give me your ring," Itachi said coldly, "and leave the organization."
Shock twisted Juzo's face.
"What? If I give it up, it'll be seen as desertion! I've already defected once—I won't do it again!"
His voice was resolute. Itachi studied him silently.
Kiri still hadn't been freed—it remained under Obito's control. Telling Juzo the truth would only complicate things.
"I heard rumors," Itachi said after a pause, voice measured. "There's a rebel faction in Kiri. They want to bring light back to the village."
Itachi forced himself to remain calm. He couldn't let emotion cloud judgment. He didn't explain further. He knew Juzo would never agree—unless something inside him shifted.
"So what?" Juzo scoffed. "That rotting village is beyond saving."
"How do you know," Itachi replied with a faint smile, "unless you try? What if they succeed?"
Juzo narrowed his eyes, sensing something strange in Itachi's tone.
"Then why not save your village, kid?" he shot back. "You love Konoha just as much. And it's just as sick as The Mist."
He was intrigued. Itachi's behavior had been erratic lately. The idea that Itachi might be sabotaging Akatsuki from within suddenly felt... plausible.
Maybe he was the reason Orochimaru had defected too.
Juzo squinted, half amused, half wary.
Could Itachi be some kind of angel of justice?
He didn't know. But one thing was clear—this story was far from over.
"You're really not easy to persuade, are you?"
Itachi's voice was steady, serious. He looked straight at Juzo, who met his gaze with equal gravity.
"Tell me, what would it take for you to leave the organization?"
Juzo was momentarily stunned. Through the thin veil of his bamboo hat, he could see the depth in Itachi's eyes—unshakable and sincere.
"And what if I said I won't?" Juzo replied, voice calm but resolute. "What would you do then?"
To him, Akatsuki wasn't just a criminal organization. It was a home. A place he had found after wandering for too long. He couldn't just walk away from it.
Besides, if he did leave… he might never see this stubborn kid again.
"Then there's nothing more to say," Itachi murmured, quietly resigning himself.
He had done what he could. Said what he shouldn't have. Broken rules for Juzo's sake.
The rest… was up to fate.
Some things were beyond his control.
Perhaps this was Juzo's path. If he lived, it would only mean a future of being manipulated, used. Perhaps dying here—on his own terms—was a brighter ending than being a pawn in the dark.
At that moment, Itachi began to understand what had driven Orochimaru to kill his own master.
"Alright, Itachi," Juzo exhaled with a wry smile. "Did you sneak some sake while I wasn't looking? You're talking like a mad poet."
"I had a dream," Itachi said, solemn once more. "We were on a mission to Kiri. You died. That's why I've been trying to find a way out for you. I just… I don't want it to happen."
He looked at Juzo's weathered face—so familiar now. One more glimpse. One more time.
"Dreams are usually the opposite of reality, you know," Juzo laughed, amused by Itachi's somber expression.
"I once dreamed my cat died… and it did. A few days later."
Still unfazed, Juzo chuckled again. But Itachi—grasping for some small hope—spun a lie over his own concern.
Juzo saw the sincerity in Itachi's face and felt something warm rise within him.
"The truth is, I've had a bad feeling too," he admitted, his voice low. "They say you can sense it when death is near. And now, hearing you speak… it just confirms it."
"But even so, I can't run from this. Not as a man."
Gently, he reached out and touched Itachi's hat—like ruffling his hair through the fabric.
It was their first moment of real contact.
Seeing Juzo's familiar smile, Itachi felt a sting in his chest. This man was his first true friend. His first real connection in this world.
"Does it really not matter… even if you die?" Itachi asked quietly, eyes filled with uncertainty.
"It doesn't," Juzo replied softly. "Maybe I was already dead the day I left my village. This is just the final chapter."
His voice, for once, was gentle.
"But… isn't life the most precious thing?"
Itachi's throat tightened. His chest felt heavy, breath shallow.
"For a man," Juzo said, his tone firm, "there are things more important than life."
He paused, then added gently:
"If I die, don't mourn me. Eat less candy, eat more real food, and grow strong. Don't drink around strangers, no matter how friendly they seem. Don't fall asleep around people you barely know… even if they seem like friends. Understand?"
Each sentence carried the weight of memory—moments they had shared, things Juzo had quietly observed.
To Juzo, these words were tokens of care. Warnings. Blessings.
Itachi's eyes reddened, clouded by rising tears.
"But I don't want you to die," he whispered. "Can't you just… stay alive?"
For Juzo, it was just an ominous hunch.
For Itachi, it was a truth he had seen.
"Hey now, don't get all gloomy," Juzo said with a small smile, lifting Itachi's hat slightly to see his eyes.
They were crimson with emotion.
"You should be happy for me," he said softly. "I can finally leave this dirty world."
He patted Itachi's face gently.
"Oh—and I have a gift for you," he added suddenly. "I figured I might die too soon to give it to you or say what needs to be said. So I'll say it now, while I still can."
"You're not embarrassed saying all this?" Itachi muttered, trying to hide the tremble in his voice. "What if you don't die? Will you even be able to show your face again?"
"You little brat," Juzo said, stunned for a moment, then chuckled. "Well… I guess there won't be many last words if I make it through."
Itachi looked at the man before him—so easygoing, so unburdened—and yet, so full of something deeper.
"The true warrior dares to face the bleak reality and the bleeding wound. But what are these mourners and revelers? Nature, in her cruelty, erases the past with time, leaving only faded bloodstains and faint sorrow. It is within this faded sorrow that people are given a momentary chance to go on, surviving in an inhuman world. When will it end?"
Juzo might have been broken once.
But to Itachi, he was nothing less than a warrior.
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