Chapter 10 – That Simple Man
Root's main base lay at the outskirts of Konoha, its entrance a deep, well-like shaft leading into a vast, circular underground complex of interconnected tunnels.
After bypassing the guards stationed near the entrance, Uchiha Itachi slipped through the shadows like a wraith, moving swiftly but cautiously as he descended deeper into the compound.
Even here, inside Root's domain, the number of surveillance seals and alarm triggers was staggering.
Clinging to the ceiling, Itachi silently watched as a line of researchers filed into a restricted passage, each holding out their wrists to undergo a specialized chakra scan before entering.
Fortunately, his earth-style ninjutsu was more than up to the task. With practiced ease, he sank into the wall itself, letting the darkness swallow his form.
Even at this hour, well past midnight, the base was far busier than he had expected.
Or perhaps… that was just his imagination?
Compared to the information he'd been given in ANBU, there seemed to be fewer guards than usual.
Are they out monitoring the Uchiha compound?
The thought flashed through his mind as he carefully ghosted past one locked chamber after another—until his eyes fell upon a plain, unmarked iron door far ahead.
This must be it.
Itachi's Sharingan gleamed faintly in the dark as he studied the door, and the two Root operatives hidden with invisibility techniques on either side. His scarlet eyes glinted with a hint of icy resolve.
He waited.
Finally, a figure in a white lab coat appeared at the far end of the corridor, approaching quickly. Judging by the ID tag, the man was a senior researcher.
A spark of relief flashed through Itachi's mind as he moved.
Not even the faintest sound accompanied him as he slipped past the researcher—
Clink.
The man's ears twitched at the faint metallic sound, his head snapping back.
For a brief instant, the smooth wall beside him caught a glimmer of crimson light—then the man's gaze went blank.
His steps resumed, casual, natural.
Moments later, he was at the iron door.
Beep.
Under the watchful eyes of the two hidden Root operatives, the researcher raised his wrist for the chakra scan and calmly stepped inside.
Nothing seemed amiss.
What neither guard noticed was the faint ripple that passed through the air beside him at that exact moment, like a barely perceptible shiver in space.
When the heavy door shut, the room was completely sealed.
Inside, Itachi immediately activated his Sharingan, scanning every seal and barrier embedded in the walls. Only two alarm triggers—both discreet—posed any risk.
He exhaled a quiet breath of relief.
Without hesitation, he revealed his form and moved quickly to the shelves, scanning file after file for intelligence on Konoha's darkest secrets—particularly those involving the village's leadership, the major clans, and the lives of renowned shinobi who had met suspicious ends.
The researcher he had ensnared with genjutsu stood quietly to the side, unmoving, expression perfectly normal.
The only sound in the room was the soft rustle of turning pages.
Itachi didn't notice the faint disturbance at the edge of the doorway—a tiny quiver of shadow that shouldn't have been there.
Focused entirely on the documents, his Sharingan memorized every page with mechanical precision.
And then—
A blade's icy edge kissed the back of his neck.
The killing intent was so close, so quiet, that only when cold metal nearly grazed his skin did Itachi jolt, snapping out of his trance.
Who?!
His hands moved instinctively, half-forming a replacement jutsu, even as his head whipped around, Sharingan blazing to seize the intruder in its grasp—
But he was too slow.
A firm hand clamped down on his shoulder, and the tip of the blade hovered less than a breath from his eye.
Both froze in that instant.
Just one more twitch and the blade would have pierced his pupil.
Then a familiar voice spoke behind him:
"It's me."
Itachi stiffened, stunned.
The tall figure slowly removed his mask, revealing a face far more severe than usual.
Uchiha Shisui.
"Shisui…?"
"Why are you here, Itachi?"
Gone was the easy warmth of an older brother figure. Shisui's face was grim, his eyes sharp, and even now, his blade did not lower an inch.
"I…"
For a moment, Itachi wanted to explain. But then he remembered why he had come here.
And something in him shifted.
When he met Shisui's gaze again, there was a faint distance in his eyes, his tone heavier:
"I'm here to find records on Hatake Sakumo."
"Hatake…?"
Shisui's brow furrowed in confusion, but the moment the name fully registered, something flickered behind his eyes. He remembered who that man was—
And what that name represented.
Seeing the hesitation in Shisui's face, Itachi felt the weight in his chest shatter like glass.
So he does know.
Not just know—Shisui, a trusted operative of Root, clearly knew far more than he did.
And yet… he had never spoken a word of it to him.
There was a long silence before Shisui finally spoke, his tone unusually stiff as he tried to change the subject:
"Itachi… do you even realize where you are right now?
If you hadn't run into me today—if someone else had discovered you—do you have any idea what kind of storm that would have caused?"
The clan heir of the Uchiha sneaking into one of Konoha's most sensitive facilities to steal classified information—
just imagining the fallout was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
But Itachi merely looked at Shisui's pained expression, a bitter smile tugging at his still-youthful face.
"If I hadn't come here on my own, Shisui… would you have ever told me any of this?"
His words struck like a blade.
"The darkness of the village."
Shisui's voice faltered for a moment, his lips pressing into a thin line before he finally replied:
"Itachi… it's simply not time yet."
"Not time?"
"Because I don't have those eyes?"
Itachi's tone grew calmer, almost detached.
"Or is it because, despite being 'talented,' I'm still too young—too naïve—to understand?"
"You know that's not what I meant—"
Shisui tried to argue, but surrounded by the classified records Itachi had just read—each line written in blood—it all sounded unbearably hollow.
So he fell silent, staring at Itachi with an expression torn between guilt and conflict.
In truth, Shisui had to admit something to himself: when he first befriended Itachi, he had done so with a purpose.
He wasn't the clan head's son like Itachi, but he was still the descendant of Uchiha Kagami, a prominent member of the clan's traditional "dove faction."
From childhood, he had been taught that the clan must ultimately serve the village.
So when he saw that the clan head's eldest son possessed extraordinary talent—clearly the next heir to lead the Uchiha—
he approached Itachi intentionally, trying to influence his ideals and steer him toward loyalty to Konoha.
In doing so, Shisui had become Itachi's closest—and only—true friend within the clan.
His words and actions had played a major role in shaping Itachi's worldview.
But it was precisely because of this goal that Shisui's influence carried bias.
Even his own Mangekyō ability, Kotoamatsukami, was the ultimate expression of this desire—the power to bend another's will toward "the right path."
If everything had gone according to plan, once Itachi's worldview had solidified, Shisui could have told him the full truth in time.
But now—
"…I'm sorry, Itachi."
His voice was soft, but heavy.
Itachi stared at him for a long moment, then glanced at the still-unsheathed blade in Shisui's hand.
And then, unexpectedly, he smiled—a quiet, almost relieved smile.
"No."
"It's me who should apologize."
For being so foolish.
For being so trusting.
For being willing to hand over his entire heart to someone who, despite his kindness, still had secrets he wouldn't share.
At that moment, something deep within Uchiha Itachi—the last remaining pillar holding up his old worldview—finally crumbled to dust.
As for the truth behind everything he had just read—
did he even need to ask anymore?
"You should go."
Shisui's voice carried a weary sigh. He couldn't meet Itachi's eyes.
"I'll clean up this mess. As far as anyone is concerned… today never happened."
Itachi gave him a final glance, said nothing, and turned away.
He controlled the still-standing researcher like a puppet and led him back through the door they had entered.
Only when he had retraced his steps and was far away from Root's underground compound did he finally look up.
The first light of dawn was breaking across the sky, but his heart felt empty—hollow.
He thought of everyone he knew—clan and village alike—and realized there wasn't a single person left he could trust completely.
Where was he supposed to go from here?
Itachi's confusion only deepened.
And yet, amidst that chaos, an image surfaced in his mind:
Hatake Kakashi.
And…
That man he had only met once before—so earnest, so righteous, and so refreshingly straightforward.
Sōsuke-senpai.
-