The mission was imminent. After leaving Gensou's office, Jin returned to his home step by step.
The sound of the door opening echoed.
"Why are you coming back so late? Jin! Have you grown bold?" Jin's wife, now visibly pregnant, immediately began to scold him.
Suddenly, she noticed Jin's expression, and her face changed. She seemed to understand something and quickly swallowed the rest of her words.
After pressing her lips together, she stepped forward, took the sea fish Jin was holding, her gaze complicated but eventually turning into determination:
"I'll prepare dinner, you should rest well."
As his wife, she understood Jin the most.
His current state could only be explained by one situation.
Of course, Jin's wife was worried.
But she knew exactly why her husband lived the way he did, so she wouldn't try to dissuade him. All she could do was silently support him from behind.
The sound of stir-frying soon echoed from the kitchen.
Usually, Jin would rush to help with his wife's chores.
But now, he took out a whetstone, drew his short sword, and began sharpening its blade with all his strength.
In the time that followed, the sounds of cooking and sharpening filled the warm house, starting off distinct but gradually intertwining, blending together seamlessly.
At this moment.
Just like Jin, many Uchiha were sharpening their blades and preparing their ninja tools.
There were also those like Izumi, who was holding an old, yellowed photograph, silently speaking to the people in it.
Lastly.
Sasuke stood silently on the rooftop, looking at the bright moon under the pitch-black night.
The same night, the same moon.
"My foolish little brother..."
That man had once stood in front of him, his face cold, saying:
"If you want to kill me, hate me! Detest me! And then survive in an unsightly way! Run, keep on running, just to live. Until the day you have the same eyes as me, then come find me."
Crack!
Lightning erupted from Sasuke's body, tearing through the memories that surfaced before his eyes.
He looked at the moon above him now and said coldly:
"I will not live according to your wishes. I have walked my path my way."
"Itachi! Wait for me!"
...
The next morning.
All the Uchiha gathered at the aerial lift of Jomae Village.
Beside them, those who had gotten along well with the Uchiha over the years also came to see them off.
Kei, who had come with Jin's wife, patted Sasuke, Izumi, and Jin on their shoulders. Knowing the significance of this journey, he didn't say much, simply uttering two words:
"Good luck!"
The three nodded.
Before they could say anything more, Gensou arrived.
The entire area fell silent.
"Move out."
Without any extra words, Gensou waved his hand and took the lead.
He would also be joining them on this mission.
Not only to assist the Uchiha but also to personally see something at Naka Shrine.
Seeing Gensou already taking action decisively, all the Uchiha immediately followed.
From beginning to end, they never questioned whether Itachi was there or if he would head to Naka Shrine.
Since Gensou-sama had given the order, everything was beyond question.
The ghosts of the Uchiha began their journey of vengeance.
As the target of this vengeance, Itachi sat by a cliff, turning his head to glance at the fierce battle between the Jinchuriki of the Four Tails, Rōshi, and Kisame.
"Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rock Technique!"
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
The outcome was already determined. Itachi withdrew his gaze, no longer watching, and instead continued looking toward the distant horizon.
Recently, it seemed he had foreseen something, his deep gaze silently waiting.
Finally.
Today, at this moment, feeling the disturbance on the other end of his summoning contract, Itachi lowered his eyelids and sighed softly:
"They've come."
Bang!
A puff of white smoke rose beside Itachi.
As the smoke dispersed, a large, orange tabby cat, half the size of a person, with a golden abacus around its neck and two shiny new gold rings on its paws, appeared before him.
"Meow Express sincerely at your service. Here is a letter for Itachi. Please accept it, meow~" The big tabby cat said as it handed a letter to Itachi.
Due to Shisui's influence, Itachi's summoning animal had always been crows.
However, the ninja cat clan, being both weapon suppliers and information brokers for the Uchiha, had maintained a good relationship with the clan for many years.
Having done many missions for the ninja cat clan in the past, Itachi, like other clan members, had signed a summoning contract with them when he was young.
He simply hadn't summoned them much.
But this time, it was the ninja cat clan that had reached out first.
Itachi already had a guess as to who sent the letter.
Opening it, he found a short message.
"Naka Shrine, to settle everything!"
The signature was simply "Uchiha."
"Sasuke... are there others too?"
After burning the letter to ashes, Itachi spoke calmly.
He would be setting out soon.
Not only because behind these Uchiha stood Gensou.
Under his command, "refusal" was not an option.
More so because his own time was indeed running out.
After the battle with Gensou, the hidden problems in his body had grown more severe, and he couldn't hold on much longer.
Even without this letter, Itachi would have found a time to face Sasuke.
Finally, to pass on his Mangekyō Sharingan to Sasuke.
As for Sasuke's hatred toward the Leaf Village...
Without Shisui's Mangekyō, Itachi could do nothing and didn't wish to try anymore.
In the final moments of his life, faced with a choice between Sasuke and the village, Itachi still chose Sasuke.
"Meow~ Thank you for your patronage. The fee for one delivery is 200,000 ryo."
The big tabby cat, still not leaving, extended its fluffy paw, smiling sheepishly as it asked for the commission from Itachi.
Itachi calmly took out 200,000 ryo and handed it over.
"Thank you~ Looking forward to your next visit, meow~~"
The big tabby cat accepted the money, beaming with joy, then waved goodbye with a beckoning-cat pose before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Five minutes later.
Kisame walked over, throwing the unconscious Jinchuriki of the Four Tails, Rōshi, on the ground with a grin: "This old guy was pretty tough. But in the end, he was caught. Itachi, let's go inform the boss now."
"No." Itachi stood up, "I have somewhere to go. Kisame, I'll leave the Four Tails' Jinchuriki to you."
"Somewhere to go?" Kisame frowned, "Is it important?"
Itachi looked up as raindrops started to pour.
Letting the rain soak his face, he remained calm:
"Yes, very important."
(End of Chapter)
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