Itachi made his way to the Naka Shrine, the path before him a familiar one, though today it felt oddly heavy beneath his feet. The soft rustling of the night breeze through the trees did little to soothe the thoughts swirling in his head. His mind replayed the events of the evening—the hug from his mother, the fleeting connection that felt so foreign, yet somehow... right. But as he walked, the weight of the truth pressed down on him like a stone.
If not for this damn cycle, I'd still be in control, he thought, his gaze fixed ahead, narrowing as the shrine came into view. If not for the other Itachi and his deluded ideals, I'd have never had to watch my mother die, or let her die, for that matter.
A bitter laugh rose in his throat, but he suppressed it. His feet moved on, step after step.
Such an amazing mother… and he threw her away like she was nothing. He killed Mikoto. Killed her with that insane plan of his. I guess that's what happens when you listen to the Will of Fire, huh? Everyone around you burns because you believe you can't get your hands dirty. A beautiful woman like her. The little Izumi, who had a crush on me. Those smoking-hot Uchiha women he went through like a tornado, knocking them down like dominos...
You truly haven't lived until you've seen Ms Shamakia on 5th street selling weapons. The only real weapons she had on her were the giant fun sized Raseagan she kept on her chest. Lost her husband in the last war. Its a real shame. But I'll make sure to fill the void. An actual Uchiha Milf in all her glory and this bastard killed her. I'd fucking kill him if he wasn't me.
His lips twisted into a dry smile, one laced with disdain. And all for what? The village? The "peace"? The village is dying, and all the "sacrifice" we've made? For what? A bloody farce. Only a fool lets others dictate their fate—like a sheep led to slaughter.
What about the village did he love? The ones that curse him and his family behind his back. The children in the street? You mean the ones that he didn't play with at the academy.
Peace? They've been at peace for years now, with cloud and Iwa to afraid to raise their heads up to meet their chin.
The village is dying. Slowly decaying under the Sarutobi's leadership. Does Itachi not realize why they've lost so much man power over the years. Did he not see the writing on the wall that the higher ups want to kill him and his family like they did Sakumo.
"The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions," he muttered under his breath, quoting an old Chinese proverb, letting it roll off his tongue like poison. It was fitting, after all. Itachi—no, his version of Itachi—had excelled in both action and silence, yet his actions had been buried beneath layers of idealism and tradition.
With a bitter chuckle, he continued. If I were to go back to those times, back when this idiot was alive, I'd curse him for being so damn blind, for killing such a beautiful woman like that. For ruining everything he loved, all because of some higher purpose. What a fool. The stronger the battle, the weaker the mind.
Uchiha's are known for their strength but have a fundamental weakness. Thier mind. Or its better say an Uchiha who thinks is burden with realizing the truth and with this realization their easy to manipulate. Think about it, Madara, Obito, Fugaku, Shisui, Itachi, even little Sasuke. The moment thier brain looks past fighting and tries to ask the deeper questions about the world they crashout. And go to the ultimate extremes of their ideals. Uchiha's never did in-betweens, only far right or left extremes.
Madara? Tried to destroy his own village then lost, then decided to form a plan to remove free will from everyone.
Obito? Lost his not girlfriend in war and blamed their teacher Minato, so his wife had to suffer and die with him. He kills his entire clan, destroys the village, forms a group of terrorist . All to do the same plan Madara did.
Fugaku? Was so fucking indecisive who never raised his hands up to fight, never truly wanted to do a coup but listened to the extremist of the clan. Dooming everyone.
Shisui? Was the ultimate pacifist, no matter how bad things got for his family he always thought the higher ups had their best interest at heart. The higher ups could shit in their face and he'd smile and say they did nothing wrong. Not to mention always made it sound like the uchiha needed to fix their arrogance. Its like he forgot they use to be neighbors to the Hyuga. Like did bro not look around, every clan was arrogant with the Hyuga being the most arrogant bunch. But they were never asked to change. Truly that guy was nothing more than a stinky rat.
His footsteps brought him to the entrance of the shrine, where the rest of the clan had gathered. The large wooden doors loomed before him, half-open as a soft light glowed from within, casting long shadows across the stone steps.
And the worst of it? He left me to clean up his mess. What an asshole. I'm only 13, and I need to fix a generational problem of racism that my ancestors fought for.
As he stepped inside, the familiar faces of the clan—his people—met him with polite nods and curious gazes. His father, Fugaku, sat at the head of the room, eyes already focused on him, waiting. His gaze was cold, calculating, as always.
Itachi didn't give him the courtesy of a bow. He simply walked to his place and sat, his posture as rigid as it had ever been, though his mind was a whirlwind of cynicism.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step," he thought to himself, quoting another ancient proverb with a twisted sense of irony. But a fool steps into the trap thinking it's a path of glory.
His fingers twitched slightly, but he clenched his fists. Here we go again. Another meeting, more speeches about "protecting the clan." More speeches about "honor" and "duty." But who the hell is going to protect us when we're this far gone?
Fugaku's voice broke through his reverie, calling for attention. "Itachi, glad to see you're here. We'll begin the meeting now."
The words Fugaku spoke barely registered in his mind as he thought back again to the nightmarish reality that had led them here.
"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones," he muttered to himself. And yet... we've spent all this time moving the stones and not noticing the mountain is collapsing.
His thoughts flickered back to Mikoto. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve him. She deserved a life where she didn't have to watch her son destroy everything. She deserved better than the path I'm on.
This village, my clan... it's all a house of cards waiting to fall. And I'm the one stuck holding the damn deck.