In the dead of night, Uchiha Itachi stood silently at the edge of the cliff where he and Shisui would secretly meet.
Looking at the abyss that stretched infinitely deep, Itachi's heart was filled with melancholy.
Ever since he returned from his leave, he found that many things he had understood had undergone earth-shaking changes.
Firstly, Shisui, the man he considered his brother, the man who had taught and helped him since childhood, the man who conveyed the peaceful coexistence between the village and the clan, had changed.
He had become a stranger, he was not the Shisui he remembered, and the so-called new viewpoints proposed by this Shisui had collapsed the faith in his heart.
He had never thought about opposing the village, as he liked to consider issues from the perspective of the Hokage.
The current situation in the village is very bad, because the actions of the Cloud Hidden Village had caused the village's credibility to drop sharply, leading to a rapid decline in the number of Konoha's missions.
In such a bad situation, once the clan and the village have a severe dispute, even if a coup d'etat event erupts, the impact on the village is unimaginable.
Even if such a coup takes place, no matter who wins, the weakness of the village will not be able to be concealed in the end.
Every shinobi village has spies in other villages, which means that whatever happens in Konoha will inevitably be known by the other villages.
Such a weakened Konoha will surely attract the prying eyes of other villages, and the hatred spawned by the end of the Third War has never diminished.
When other villages come to Konoha to seek revenge and launch attacks, Konoha will not be able to resist the offensive of other villages, which could lead to the extinction of Konoha!
"Such a thing must never happen!"
Uchiha Itachi vowed silently in his heart that, whether for the sake of the village, the clan, or his younger brother, he would not allow a conflict between the clan and the village.
So Shisui's words had struck Itachi's heart hard. Shisui's transformation made him feel as though the Shisui he knew had died!
Under such an impact, his inner turmoil could be imagined, and it was due to this turmoil that he felt a slight change in his eyes.
However, this change was not yet complete. In his heart, he still held onto some hope and expectation.
But all this hope and expectation were completely shattered when he was directly blocked by Shisui last night, as he was hoping to attend the clan meeting to understand the specific situation.
Why wasn't he allowed to enter? Because he was a member of Anbu, and because Shisui knew he would report the information to the Hokage.
Why was he worried about him reporting this time? Because this clan meeting was definitely determined to do the most terrible thing!
After understanding these things, Uchiha Itachi could no longer control the chill in his heart. That suffocating despair continually stimulated his heart, stimulated his nerves.
Under such painful and incredibly strong mental stimulation, he activated his own Mangekyou Sharingan!
"But, this is still not enough..."
Uchiha Itachi's heart was filled with sighs. Although he had obtained the most powerful strength of the Uchiha, it was a pity that he was not the only one in the clan who possessed this power.
The person he once respected the most, Uchiha Shisui, also possessed such power, and even had it for a longer time and with greater mastery.
He knew he was not Shisui's match, and he wasn't allowed to participate in the clan meeting, so he had no idea what the clan's next plan was.
This feeling of confusion and despair made him feel somewhat at a loss now.
"Who's there!"
Suddenly, Uchiha Itachi uttered coldly, his hand subtly reaching behind him, a kunai held in his grip.
Just a moment ago, he felt an eerie and unfamiliar chakra rippling beside him, indicating there was someone around!
In such a situation and environment, he had to be extremely careful and cautious, no matter who it was!
Suddenly, the spatial ripple disappeared, and a mysterious figure clad in a black robe emerged from the void.
This mysterious person wore a hood. Apart from the yellow mask visible in the moonlight at his jaw, Itachi could glean no other information.
"Nice to meet you, let's not make the atmosphere so tense, shall we, Itachi?" The mysterious man took the initiative to speak, his voice seeming to carry a light laugh.
"Answer my question." Uchiha Itachi did not entertain him, instead becoming more alert.
His eyes turned blood red, the Sharingan firmly focused on the other's every move, seemingly looking for the right opportunity to strike.
"The younger generation today is overly cautious indeed," the mysterious man murmured, then reached up to remove his hood.
A patterned mask was revealed, with a single hole at the right eye, where a Sharingan with three tomoe was clearly visible.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am a member of the Akatsuki, my name is Uchiha Madara..."
Before his words fell, a flash of cold light emerged!
The moment the other party took off his hood and began speaking, Itachi took his shot!
Under the moonlight, the kunai traced a chilling arc. His figure crossed with the other's, the kunai sweeping directly across the other's throat.
However, nothing happened.
The masked figure calmly turned around, his Sharingan with three tomoe emotionlessly staring at Itachi.
"Such tricks are pointless. I have no ill intentions this time. If you insist on pushing me to the opposition, I'm afraid it will be a decision you'll regret for life."
The moonlight spilled onto him, paired with his words of absolute control, it exerted a pressure on Itachi that he had never felt before.
Such pressure, even Shisui had never given him, or rather, had never exerted such pressure on him!
He stared at this man who called himself Uchiha Madara. It took a while before he spoke in a deep voice, "If so, the first step of our interaction should always be openness and honesty.
You just claimed to be Uchiha Madara, but I'm sorry, I find it hard to believe. Not just me, any sane person wouldn't believe it.
If you have no ill intentions, then start by removing the mask on your face."
The mysterious man suddenly chuckled, slowly speaking in a low tone, "Ignorant Uchiha offspring, I didn't expect you to live in your narrow world just like those mediocre people.
Everyone says Uchiha Madara is dead, but what is the truth? People always take their ignorance as the truth because they don't understand.
I hope you understand that I am Uchiha Madara, this is something I don't need to prove to you, and right now, it's your side that's in crisis."
"Even if you are Uchiha Madara, what's your purpose in seeking me out?" Uchiha Itachi stared silently at the mysterious man for quite a while before asking.
"Purpose, you ask..."
The mysterious man kept smiling, addressing Itachi with a detached tone.
"I don't have a specific purpose, I came here just to see you.
I can see that you are in distress, but I'm not interested in the Uchiha's situation, and I don't care about Konoha's attitude.
So, you don't need to be too cautious with me, at least we don't have any direct conflicts, right?"
Itachi didn't speak, as he still couldn't determine the man's true intentions. Especially in their brief confrontation just now, whether in language or in action, he found himself at a disadvantage.
"Heh, your vigilance remains." The mysterious man looked at Itachi's stance, and in the end, he laughed unconcernedly.
"But that's right, if you believed too easily, it wouldn't be worth the attention I'm placing on you.
It's getting late, our talk for today ends here.
However, there are some things I need to remind you of. The situation of the Uchiha is now at the edge of a cliff.
Not just the Uchiha, even this world is at the edge of a cliff.
If you find yourself at a dead end, or if you've made some decision, consider seeking my help."
In the middle of his speech, the figure of the mysterious man started to become vague, and his final words left as he disappeared made Uchiha Itachi even more silent.
"I will come to find you. You can tell whoever you want, say whatever you like, but I hope next time you can give me a satisfactory answer.
Remember, my name is Uchiha Madara!"
//
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