Chapter 85: Itachi Confronts Fugaku! Kill Danzo?
"Hokage-sama, we've just received word that Itachi went to Ishihara's residence and entered."
Before the Third Hokage's meeting could end, the Anbu brought him this message.
After a moment of contemplation, the Hokage replied, "Have Itachi come see me."
As Itachi was heading home, he was intercepted by the Anbu. "Uchiha Itachi, the Hokage summons you."
Itachi frowned slightly.
Since the last time he provided intelligence, the Third Hokage had already shown signs of distrust toward him. Now, with the tension between the Uchiha clan and the higher-ups of Konoha escalating, meeting with the Hokage at this time carried significant risks.
Should he go?
Itachi hesitated. He had already resolved to side with the Uchiha clan—perhaps this was an opportunity to gather some intelligence?
At that moment, a voice called out from behind him.
"Itachi has other matters to attend to. Inform the Hokage that, starting today, Itachi is no longer a member of the Anbu."
"Father?"
Itachi was surprised to see Fugaku suddenly appear.
"Clan Leader Fugaku, are you defying the Hokage's orders?" The Anbu tensed up immediately, glaring at Fugaku in anger.
"Leave!" Fugaku activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and coldly spat out the word.
The saying goes, "A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall." Since the situation had already escalated to this point, there was no way Fugaku would let Itachi meet the Hokage.
The Uchiha clan no longer feared anyone!
"You...!"
The Anbu agents were shocked, feeling an immense pressure. But what terrified them even more was Fugaku's unyielding attitude—it was too strong.
With a cold glance at them, Fugaku turned to Itachi and said, "Let's go, we're going home."
Itachi nodded silently and followed his father.
The Anbu exchanged looks, not daring to stop them, and quickly returned to report to the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his expression growing heavier.
He hadn't expected Fugaku to adopt such a hard stance. It was a drastic change from the hesitant and indecisive man he once knew.
"Uchiha is nearing the point of no return. The transaction must be completed soon."
As for what had just transpired, unless he wanted to ignite a full-scale conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha, the Hokage had no choice but to act as though nothing had happened.
…
On the way home, Fugaku was in a good mood.
"Itachi, from now on, avoid private meetings with the Third Hokage. It's too dangerous."
"Yes."
Itachi nodded, for once not resisting. This was a stark contrast to his previous habit of defending the Third Hokage.
Fugaku, noticing this, grew even happier. With a smile on his face, he greeted passersby while whispering to Itachi, "I just came from the Hyūga clan. They've agreed not to interfere in our conflict with the Konoha higher-ups."
Itachi's expression shifted.
He hadn't expected Fugaku to move so quickly and achieve such success.
"The other clans probably don't want to get involved either. As long as we keep them neutral, we'll win for sure!"
After pondering Fugaku's words for a moment, Itachi asked with a serious tone, "What about Might Guy?"
Fugaku's expression darkened.
There was no doubt that Might Guy was now the strongest person in Konoha, second only to Ishihara. Due to insufficient intelligence, they even suspected that Guy had opened the Eighth Gate of the Eight Gates Released Formation.
Fugaku, as the leader of a centuries-old clan, understood all too well how terrifying Might Guy would be if he mastered that power.
In fact, the Uchiha clan's biggest challenge now was how to ensure Might Guy's neutrality. However, Might Guy had no family and was an extremely pure-hearted individual.
Such people were difficult to find weaknesses in.
Fugaku, too, was at a loss.
"For now, I don't have a good solution."
Itachi replied, "Let me handle it. I'll take care of it."
Fugaku looked at Itachi, surprised.
Just then, they arrived at the doorstep of their home. "Let's talk inside."
Soon, they entered the secret room in their home, which was shielded by a barrier for confidentiality.
With a serious expression, Fugaku looked at Itachi and solemnly asked, "Itachi, tell me your thoughts."
He knew his son—intelligent, mature, and steady.
It was precisely because of these qualities that Itachi had always opposed the Uchiha rebellion, seeking instead to reconcile the gap between the Uchiha and Konoha's higher-ups.
But now, something seemed to have changed.
Taking a deep breath, Itachi looked at his father. "Father, I've already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
What?!
Fugaku's expression changed drastically. However, after carefully observing Itachi, he seemed puzzled, hesitant.
Itachi appeared to have changed slightly but still looked like a youthful boy, full of vitality.
He didn't show the signs of aging that their clansmen, Tetsuka and Inaho, exhibited after awakening the Mangekyō.
Seeing through his father's thoughts, Itachi spoke, dropping a bombshell: "I awakened the Mangekyō a long time ago."
"You…!"
Fugaku shot to his feet, his pupils contracting as he stared at his son, unable to remain calm.
Itachi had awakened the Mangekyō long ago but had kept it hidden from him?
This revelation pained Fugaku.
It signaled that Itachi had once considered standing against the Uchiha, which was unthinkable for the son of the Uchiha clan's leader—the future head of the Uchiha!
Absurd!
Fugaku was furious, but he suppressed it, gritting his teeth. After all, Itachi was his son, his pride.
The past no longer mattered; what mattered now was Itachi's current stance.
With that in mind, Fugaku's anger slowly dissipated.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he asked Itachi, "Did you kill Shisui?"
Itachi, seeing the anger, helplessness, and tension in his father's expression, sighed.
"No, I didn't."
Fugaku breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't Itachi, he wouldn't know how to face this unfamiliar son otherwise.
Still confused, Fugaku asked, "Then how did you awaken the Mangekyō?"
He himself had awakened his Mangekyō after witnessing his friend die saving him during the Third Great Ninja War. The pain of that loss had nearly driven him mad, and the cost of awakening the Mangekyō had been enormous.
There was no way Itachi could have awakened it without paying some price.
Itachi pursed his lips, then recounted the events of the night Shisui died.
"Danzo!!! I'll kill you!!!"
Fugaku roared in anger. It wasn't just Shisui's death, but also the fact that an Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan had fallen into an outsider's hands.
It was a humiliation.
In a cold voice, Itachi added, "That's right. Danzo must die."
Itachi knew full well that compared to the now hesitant Third Hokage, Danzo was far more decisive and ruthless, harboring the strongest hostility toward the Uchiha.
As long as Danzo lived, he would always target the Uchiha.
So he had to die.
And he had to die in a way that made sense.
A cold glint flashed in Itachi's eyes.
He was determined to minimize the impact of this war using his own methods.