Raizen sat by the window. A gentle breeze drifted in, carrying with it a faint, metallic scent of iron.
"The smell of blood."
"I suppose someone accepted the mission."
The next morning, seeing the city guards busy hauling corpses away from the storefronts, Raizen knew for certain that someone had taken the job and struck.
By noon, Raizen went to the black market alone.
"Customer, you're here!" The fierce-looking man beamed with excitement upon seeing Raizen.
"Is the mission complete?" Raizen asked, his voice low.
"Done. These are Kudo's legs. You can verify the goods yourself." The man handed over a storage scroll.
"I trust you."
Raizen took the scroll, handed over the remaining fifteen million Ryo in checks, and turned to leave.
"Safe travels, customer. We look forward to your next visit," the man said with a smile. The business was concluded; the shop would take a ten-percent commission, netting them three million Ryo.
After leaving the shop and walking for some distance, Raizen felt someone tailing him.
"Come out," Raizen said, turning toward a dark corner.
Two figures slowly emerged. They were Itachi Uchiha and Jūzō Biwa.
Raizen's expression faltered for a split second when he saw Itachi, but he quickly regained his composure. So, the one who struck last night was Itachi. No wonder it was handled so effortlessly, Raizen realized.
"Would you mind removing that mask for a look?" Jūzō asked.
"Apologies. I don't enjoy showing my face."
"Why are the two of you following me?" Raizen asked, his voice gravelly.
Itachi stepped forward without a word. His eyes flickered, and his black pupils instantly transformed into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. A wave of ocular pressure was instantly directed at Raizen.
Subconsciously, Raizen's own pupils shifted into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan to resist the pressure.
"Sharingan!" Jūzō's expression changed.
"It really is you, Uncle Raizen." Itachi froze, staring blankly at Raizen.
"You had already guessed, hadn't you, Itachi?" Raizen removed the "Oni" mask, revealing an incredibly handsome yet cold face. He stared at Itachi with eyes full of indifference.
Itachi regained his composure, his voice steady. "It's been a long time, Uncle Raizen."
Raizen replied coldly, "I don't recall having such a 'good' nephew."
Seeing Raizen's frigid expression, Itachi's gaze turned complicated.
"A clan like ours was always destined for destruction," Itachi said. "It was better for me to destroy it with my own hands, to preserve the clan's honor."
"Hmph!"
Raizen let out a cold snort. "You unfilial brat. What crime did the poor children of the clan commit? Yet you hardened your heart and slaughtered them all for your so-called 'justice'?"
Hearing this, a look of pain flashed across Itachi's face. "I didn't want it to be that way. But once the decision was made, there was no turning back."
"Goodbye, Uncle Raizen."
"If you wish to seek revenge for the clan, you can find me anytime. I'll be waiting." With that, Itachi turned to leave. He only wanted to confirm that Raizen was alive; he had no intention of a warm family reunion.
Raizen stared at Itachi's back and said coldly, "Itachi, if Sasuke found out you slaughtered the clan on the orders of the Konoha higher-ups... what do you think he would do?"
Itachi stopped dead in his tracks. His face contorted.
"Uncle Raizen... how exactly do you know that?" Itachi turned around, his face shadowed with dark lines.
"What, Itachi? Are you planning to move against me?" Raizen sneered. "I suppose it makes sense. You were cold-blooded enough to strike down your own parents, so what's an uncle to you?"
"Uncle Raizen, you won't tell Sasuke, right?" Itachi asked, his face darkening.
"Are you threatening me, Itachi?" Raizen looked him in the eye, unafraid.
Itachi's Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun, instantly transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"I used these eyes to slaughter the entire clan that night," Itachi said coldly. "Uncle, do you wish to test the power of these eyes?"
Raizen let out a dark laugh. "Heh heh heh... Itachi, if you want Sasuke to die in Konoha, go ahead and strike me."
When it came to a "brother-complex" like Itachi, Raizen knew exactly how to manipulate him. Having become the brother of Fugaku Uchiha in this world, Raizen was certain that the "brother-complex" was a hereditary trait in the Uchiha line.
First, there was Madara Uchiha doting on his brother Izuna. Then, Fugaku Uchiha doting on his brother Raizen. And finally, Itachi Uchiha doting on Sasuke.
Sometimes, Raizen felt a pang of guilt regarding his "cheap" older brother, Fugaku. When Fugaku was alive, his doting on Raizen often surpassed his love for his own sons. Whatever Raizen asked for, including management of the clan's external assets, Fugaku handed over without a second thought. Back in the day, when Raizen was caught peeking into the women's baths and chased through dozens of streets, it was Fugaku who stepped in to clean up the mess.
When they got home, Fugaku didn't even scold him. He just told him to be more careful next time so he wouldn't get caught—and even if he did, Fugaku said he had the money to settle it.
Such a good brother, and he was cut down by this 'loyal' son.
Raizen only regretted that his power was too low at the time to help. But he also knew that he couldn't have persuaded Fugaku, who had chosen to give up resistance before Itachi. Thus, Raizen had chosen to leave early to avoid being swallowed by the whirlpool.
Itachi faltered. "Uncle Raizen... have you already told Sasuke the truth? How did you find out in the first place?"
Raizen sneered. "Is the truth that hard to find? As a double agent, if you didn't act on your father's orders, you were obviously acting on the orders of the higher-ups."
Itachi deactivated his Mangekyō, staring at Raizen. "Uncle, have you told Sasuke or not? He must never know the truth. Let me bear the weight of all the sin alone! I'm begging you, Uncle. Just live on with Sasuke. Let him live in Konoha without knowing anything."
"Hostility toward the village... with just the two of you, how can you possibly contend with a titan like Konoha?" Itachi continued. "Let the clan remain in the past. Let me carry the infamy. Let the grudges of the village and the clan end with me, Uncle."
Raizen spoke. "I returned to Konoha over six months ago."
"Danzo is already lusting after my eyes and Sasuke's. He's restless."
"Whether we can live 'peacefully' depends on whether Danzo stays his hand. He views our clan as evil incarnate and wants nothing more than for us to be extinct."
"This is the 'justice' you chose! Truly pathetic!"
With that, Raizen pulled out a smoke bomb and slammed it into the ground.
A thick cloud of smoke billowed up. Within the shroud, Raizen activated the Flying Raijin and teleported away instantly. He chose to use the smoke specifically because he didn't want Itachi to know he possessed the Flying Raijin yet.
"Danzo... it hasn't even been a year, and you've already forgotten our agreement?" Itachi's Mangekyō flared open again, his expression bone-chillingly cold. For Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke was his absolute bottom line.
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