Chapter 6 – Uchiha Itachi’s Change

Today, Konohagakure was unusually noisy.

There had been three consecutive massacre cases—each more gruesome than the last. The brutality of the killings caused a huge stir throughout the village.

The villagers were deeply shaken. After all, the victims were just ordinary citizens. Seeing people just like them wiped out so mercilessly made everyone wonder: could they be next?

Many couldn't help but start asking themselves—is Konoha even safe anymore?

Let's not even bring up the Nine-Tails attack from a few years ago. Just a few days ago, a merchant who'd had an argument with the Uchiha clan was found dead. And now, a string of serial killings? It was no wonder the villagers were gripped with fear and anxiety.

The incident had grown too serious to be swept under the rug. This time, the higher-ups didn't dare brush it off. They had to investigate thoroughly and give the people an explanation.

As it turned out, public pressure could indeed influence justice. The Anbu moved swiftly, digging up a lead that the children of the murdered families had gotten into a quarrel with Hyūga Hinata, the heiress of the Hyūga clan. That very night, their households were annihilated.

Too much of a coincidence.

It was hard to believe the Hyūga weren't involved somehow.

The higher-ups, however, were thinking on a deeper level. Sarutobi Hiruzen believed the Hyūga wouldn't be so stupid. Ever since the death of Hyūga Hizashi, they had been keeping their heads down. Besides, if they really were seeking revenge, they wouldn't have left such obvious clues behind. If anything, this case looked more like a setup.

But Danzō didn't see it that way.

"What if the Hyūga are counting on that kind of logic trap to cover their tracks?" he argued.

Koharu and Homura remained silent. Truth be told, when people spoke of "Konoha's higher-ups," they were really only referring to Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu? They were more like... add-ons. The rest of the so-called decision-making body—Jōnin commanders and clan leaders—weren't about to run their mouths carelessly.

This was dictatorship disguised as democratic order—like a teacher asking if you voluntarily wanted extra tutoring... or to buy extra materials.

While the higher-ups were swamped and frustrated, Uchiha Fugaku unexpectedly found himself reaping some benefits. He realized something curious: most of the attention and suspicion had shifted toward the Hyūga clan and the string of murders.

For once, the Uchiha were no longer the center of scrutiny.

A dangerous idea flickered through Fugaku's mind: What if I could recreate this situation? Use something similar to divert attention away from the conflict between the Uchiha and the village?

Drag the other clans down with them, and make the higher-ups stop focusing solely on the Uchiha!

For once, Uchiha Fugaku was ready to take the initiative. But his brilliant son, Uchiha Itachi, had fallen into a state of inner turmoil.

"Why is it like this...?" Itachi sat slumped on a bench at the corner of the street, hollow-eyed.

He had seen the horrors of war from a very young age. That experience had shaped his deep yearning for peace. And in the conflict between clan and village, he had always leaned toward the village.

His clan's arrogance, the influence of Uchiha Shisui, and the manipulation of the village leadership—all of these were factors that made Itachi side with Konoha.

Since he was old enough to understand the world, he'd always been subtly or blatantly exposed to the worst sides of the Uchiha. In his mind, perhaps only his mother, Sasuke, and Shisui were the few bright spots left in the clan—symbols of warmth and hope.

But now, his thoughts were starting to shift.

Because he had begun to see a different side of the village. He had secretly overheard what many villagers were saying about the Uchiha.

The villagers weren't as pure and kindhearted as he had imagined. The massacre cases clearly had nothing to do with the Uchiha, yet there were still people desperately trying to pin the blame on them.

Why do they hate the Uchiha so much?

What did we even do wrong?

Sure, the Uchiha were proud and aloof—but they had never gone out of their way to harm anyone!

Their arrogance meant they wouldn't even bother arguing with a bunch of ignorant villagers!

Arrogance doesn't equal evil and cold-bloodedness. If the Uchiha were truly evil, would the villagers dare speak ill of them so brazenly? They'd have shut up a long time ago!

"Why is the Uchiha Clan ostracized?" Itachi couldn't understand.

"Because the Uchiha are an evil clan," a voice spoke slowly, projected from the shadow on the bench—only audible to Itachi.

Itachi frowned, irritated. "What exactly is so evil about the Uchiha?"

People were always saying the Uchiha were evil, but why didn't anyone ever point out what, exactly, they had done that was evil?

The shadow chuckled. "I think you're sick. But does that necessarily mean you actually are sick? Is there an inherent link between what people believe and the truth?"

Uchiha Itachi was stunned. When he finally came back to his senses, his voice was hoarse.

"Why do the higher-ups think the Uchiha are evil?"

To be able to influence public opinion in the village, they had to be people in power. At this point, Itachi hadn't yet become naïve—he easily deduced the core issue.

"There are too many reasons. I couldn't finish listing them in three days and nights," the shadow squirmed slightly.

"But I can give you a few key points. Want to hear them?"

Uchiha Itachi nodded seriously. He had to understand why the higher-ups were hostile to the Uchiha if he wanted any chance of resolving the conflict.

"First of all, the Uchiha are a clan with a kekkei genkai."

The moment the shadow said that, Itachi fell silent. Kekkei genkai clans—what had they ever done to deserve such treatment? Was possessing a bloodline limit a sin in itself?

He looked at the shadow, puzzled. "The Hyūga Clan also has a kekkei genkai. Why are their circumstances so different from ours?"

"Heh..." the shadow let out a quiet laugh. "Did you forget how, a few years back, the Hyūga clan head's twin brother was forced to die?"

"Do you really think the Hyūga have a good relationship with Konoha's higher-ups?" The shadow's tone turned cold and sinister. "If the higher-ups had complete control over the Caged Bird Seal, the Hyūga would've been eliminated already!"

Seeing the confusion on Itachi's face, the shadow explained,

"The Hyūga problem is actually more severe than the Uchiha's. They practice internal autonomy in the village. The Hyūga branch family shinobi prioritize the orders of the main house over the Hokage's."

"The Hyūga are practically a 'village within a village.' The only reason the higher-ups have tolerated them all these years is because of the strategic value of the Byakugan. If the Caged Bird Seal were ever broken, the Byakugan would be reduced to a plug-and-play ninja tool!"

Now Itachi finally understood. The reason the higher-ups were wary of kekkei genkai clans was because of one core belief: what's yours is yours. No matter how loyal you claimed to be, your bloodline was something the village could never fully control.

Kekkei genkai, at their root, were a monopoly on knowledge passed down through blood. The village leadership also monopolized knowledge—but they wouldn't tolerate anyone else doing the same. Everything in the village had to belong wholly to the village—not to any small faction within it.

Compared to kekkei genkai clans, the secret technique clans didn't raise the same red flags. Konoha had been around for so long that those secret techniques had probably already fallen into the higher-ups' hands. Take the Ino-Shika-Chō, for example. They had no choice but to align themselves with the Hokage's faction. If they ever rebelled, the higher-ups could simply wipe them out and pass their techniques on to others—then create a new Ino-Shika-Chō trio.

That was the higher-ups' ideal scenario: centralized power, absolute control.

Having understood this, Itachi's face went pale. The shadow had only given him one reason, and already he was shaken.

"So... there's really no way for the village and kekkei genkai clans to coexist in peace?"

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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