Chapter 100: Sorry, Itachi, This Is the Last Time

At the clan head's residence, Fugaku, thinly clothed, stood in the long corridor, letting the wind and snow beat him, his expression calm as he held feed and watched snowflakes fall into the pond, then sprinkling bait little by little, quietly watching the small fish shuttle up and down in the water, constantly bustling between hunger and fullness.

"Itachi, do you have something on your mind?"

The door was ajar, Itachi sat inside, his gaze occasionally falling on Fugaku's silhouette.

Having stepped away from the clan's tedious affairs, Fugaku devoted more time and attention to Itachi, and now actually noticed Itachi's oddness.

Itachi shook his head and replied, "The snow is so heavy today; I was thinking about the workers on the west side, it must be very difficult and dangerous for them to work."

"Workers."

Fugaku's hand paused slightly, involuntarily recalling the clan's situation.

Now the Uchiha clan has over a thousand members; sustaining a thousand ordinary people with the clan's current enterprises is actually not difficult.

But they are Uchiha; among the thousand, four hundred are ninja, whose daily consumption is several times, even up to ten times, that of ordinary people.

Yet most of them have almost no income during peacetime.

"And also, Shisui‑brother wants me to go over there to help."

When Shisui is mentioned, Itachi's expression remains calm, but a complex look surfaces in his eyes.

Fugaku, after listening, slowly lifted his head to look at the wind and snow in the courtyard, and after a long pause said, "If you want to go, then go. The family still has some money; take some with you."

"Shisui‑brother does give them salaries."

Itachi was somewhat puzzled, still being the first time his father asked him to take the family's money directly to help clan members.

Fugaku fell silent, unsure how to explain, when the wooden board suddenly creaked—creaked.

One‑and‑a‑half‑year‑old Sasuke, bundled up tightly, walked out from the inner room, swaying his body to the side of Itachi, tugging his clothes, and timidly called, "Big brother~"

Itachi felt a stir in his heart, raised his hand and embraced him, gently patting his head.

Fugaku never turned around; instead he looked toward the pond's edge and saw that, at some unknown time, a person had appeared there.

"Lord Clan Head."

The newcomer was Dao Huo, who half‑knelt in the snow to salute; Fugaku, upon seeing Dao Huo, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes. He didn't ask why he was here, but instead asked, "Tie Huo?"

Dao Huo's posture froze, and without hiding any detail he replied, "Within the Police Department, an assassin was discovered in the village; Lord Hokage has already ordered the ANBU to take over the Police Department's defenses. Lord Shisui left Tie Huo stationed in the Police Department as a contingency."

Fugaku stared at Dao Huo, sighed for a long while, and said, "I see."

He did not press further, but turned his head toward Itachi, "Go to the west side and take a look, bring Sasuke along. Those are our clan members; you should go watch over them."

Itachi, still holding Sasuke, softly said, "It's too cold outside, and it's already late; it's not good for Sasuke's health. I can go alone."

"Take him with you."

Fugaku, who never forced Itachi, broke his habit and repeated,

then looked back at Dao Huo, "Itachi, I trust you will take good care of Sasuke."

Both of them froze, simultaneously looking at Fugaku; Dao Huo's heart sank sharply, he glanced up at Fugaku, then slowly lowered his head, letting the snow accumulate.

Itachi released Sasuke, his heart filled with startled doubt; after a moment, he lifted Sasuke again and nodded heavily.

"I will!"

Whoosh—, the wooden door slid, followed by the creak—creak of footsteps on snow, fading away.

"Sit down, you coming to see me at this hour—what for?"

Fugaku said as he lifted the tea; Mei Qin, who at some point was standing at the inner door watching the two, carried the hot tea to the corridor, set it down, and then slowly departed.

Dao Huo stayed still, and instead said plainly, "Lord Shisui will convene a clan meeting here in an hour; I'm here to give notice."

Fugaku gave Dao Huo a deep look, and in a calm tone asked, "That's not his exact words, is it?"

Seeing Dao Huo give no rebuttal, Fugaku sipped his tea and softly said, "Go back and tell him; the clan meeting will be held as he said."

Dao Huo, however, kept his head down, half‑kneeling there, motionless. "Go then."

Only when Fugaku spoke again did he raise his head; the three‑tomoe Sharingan stared blankly at Fugaku.

"... Yes, Lord Clan Head."

When Dao Huo left, only the wind sounded in the courtyard; with the pond surface baitless, the small fish sank to the bottom.

"Everyone gone?"

A pair of gentle fingers brushed from behind Fugaku's shoulder, draping a coat over him; Mei Qin stood beside him, gently adjusting his attire.

Fugaku nodded, then together with Mei Qin crossed the doorway, quietly sat in the hall, watching the footprints Dao Huo left outside the corridor, lost in thought.

On the other side, the Eight Generations faction sent people to covertly follow Itachi and Sasuke until the two arrived at Shisui's home.

"Shisui‑brother"

When Itachi realized he had run from the western clan land to Shisui's house, the sky had already begun to darken.

He looked at the fully armed Shisui, his heart filled with startled doubt, instinctively clutching Sasuke tightly, then watched the people in the courtyard as they hesitated to speak.

Shisui stepped forward, coming to Itachi's front; with his back to Sima Yi, he whispered, "I'm sorry, grandfather, only I, Itachi, don't want this."

Sima Yi remained silent, offering no objection.

Shisui raised his hand and gently stroked the back of Itachi's head; their foreheads pressed together, Itachi attained full enlightenment, yet for some reason he could not speak, nor even sense his own body.

Only Shisui's gentle voice reached his ears, "I won't let you be in a dilemma; I will let you live a smooth life. This bamboo skewer counts as a belated birthday gift."

"So, I'm sorry, Itachi, this time I still can't be with you. Rest peacefully; after you wake, everything will be over."

"No!"

Itachi's heart suddenly tightened, his eyes throbbed, tears that had fallen at an unknown time blurred his vision, and a tomoe began to slowly form in his eyes.

His expression fierce, he roared with all his might, trying to look up at Shisui, but only saw the wind and snow fading, a void, and a three‑tomoe Copy Wheel Eye hanging high in the moonlit sky.

In reality, holding Itachi and Sasuke, Shisui looked at the sleeping pair and whispered an apology again.

"Jin Huo, send them to the study and watch over them; they may not leave the study before dawn."

"Yes!"

Jin Huo already knows what Shisui is going to do, but his ability is limited, so he can only choose to support silently.

He answered with a sound, immediately stepped forward and took the two away; the Elite Forces in the courtyard only watched, holding no grudge against the clan head's two sons, and would never speak of silencing them.

"Everyone!"

Shisui reined in his emotions, his expression solemn as he looked at the crowd.

With a whoosh, the crowd half‑kneelled in the snow.

"For the Uchiha, let us go!"

"For the Uchiha!"

The crowd answered in unison, then their bodies flashed like lightning, leaping out of the courtyard toward their respective targets.

Moments later, the Barrier opened, enveloping the entire clan land.

"Grandfather, I leave this to you; please take great care."

Sima Yi nodded, then gave his final instruction: "If things go awry, you can flee to Hui's place; with your ANBU status, the Third Generation will have reason to spare your life. Remember, as long as you live, there is a chance."

Shisui's expression softened, and he bowed to say farewell.

Bad thing: I thought the fifth chapter would end this volume by directly writing the clan head's succession, but unexpectedly, I don't know whether I underestimated or overestimated myself; the fifth chapter has only just begun.

Adding updates anyway is adding updates; you won't blame me for not finishing, will you?

(End of chapter)