Uchiha Itachi's speed wasn't particularly fast—at least, not for Uchiha Akira.
In terms of pure speed, most ordinary ninjas wouldn't be able to keep up with him!
But who was Uchiha Akira?
Not only had his three-tomoe Sharingan securely placed him at the level of a Jonin, but his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, passed down from the legendary Shisui of the Body Flicker, was unmatched.
Soon, the two of them arrived at an isolated cliff.
"Itachi-niisan!" Uchiha Akira called out as he saw Itachi come to a halt.
"Akira, when Shisui died, he didn't leave without saying anything." Itachi got straight to the point.
Seeing that Itachi was missing his left eye, Akira had already guessed as much.
But Akira didn't speak, choosing instead to wait and see what Itachi had to say next.
"Do you know why Shisui committed suicide?" Itachi asked.
"I've been thinking about it over the past few days, and I've more or less figured it out," Akira replied. "Shisui-sensei wanted to achieve two things with his death. First, he wanted to awaken your Mangekyō Sharingan. Second, he wanted to use his death to ease the tension between Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha clan."
Indeed, when Akira first heard of Shisui's suicide, he couldn't make sense of it.
Shisui had managed to fend off Danzo, so why would he suddenly take his own life?
These past few days, Akira had spent a lot of time in thought, and he wasn't completely idle.
Shisui-sensei likely felt that because of him, the relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership had reached an irreparable breaking point.
So, in an attempt to mend things, Shisui chose to end his own life, hoping that his death would give Konoha's leadership a reason to trust the Uchiha clan again.
At the same time, his death would also serve to awaken Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan.
In a way, Shisui's actions seemed foolish to Akira.
But the deed was done, and since it was Shisui's decision, Akira couldn't judge him for it.
It wasn't about who was right or wrong; it was simply a matter of personal conviction.
"You're quite perceptive, Akira. It's clear you're not just a child anymore," Itachi said, nodding in approval.
As he spoke, Itachi formed a hand seal.
With a puff of white smoke, a pitch-black crow appeared!
But what made Akira tense up was the fact that this crow's eye was a Mangekyō Sharingan, shaped like a four-pointed shuriken!
"That's…!" Seeing the Mangekyō Sharingan, Akira immediately understood—it was Shisui-sensei's left eye!
So, just like in the original story, Shisui had entrusted his left eye to Itachi.
But why was Itachi showing it to him?
"Before he died, Shisui left a final message. He wanted you to have this Sharingan," Itachi said as he presented the eye.
"What!?" Akira's eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what he was hearing.
What!?
Shisui-sensei's final wish was for him to have this Sharingan?
Wasn't it supposed to be left to Itachi? That's how it happened in the original story!
And in all his life simulations, Akira had never encountered a situation where Shisui left him the Mangekyō Sharingan!
"Take it. It's Shisui's final wish," Itachi urged when he saw Akira's stunned expression and hesitation.
"Oh… okay!" Akira finally snapped out of his daze and accepted the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But even after taking it, Akira couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He couldn't understand why Shisui had chosen to leave the eye to him.
"Why!?" Unable to hold back his curiosity, Akira asked Itachi.
Why?
Logically speaking, even though he was Shisui's disciple, it had already been made clear that his beliefs were almost the complete opposite of Shisui's.
Itachi, on the other hand, was not only Shisui's close friend but also shared the same ideals. It would have made much more sense for Shisui to leave the eye to him.
So why wasn't the Mangekyō left to Itachi as in the original story, but instead given to him?
It was baffling to Akira.
"My ideals align with Shisui's, so I'm likely to follow the same path he did," Itachi explained. "But Shisui said that your ideals might also be correct."
"If it turns out that we were wrong, then he hoped that this Mangekyō Sharingan could help you achieve your vision," Itachi continued.