"Isn't it obvious?" Gusion relaxed, seeing that Itachi wasn't determined to fight to the death. "Hasn't Konoha always treated its heroes this way?"
He was never a great persuader, nor especially smart—he was only revered in the One Piece world because everyone there was dumb.
Itachi, however, was smarter. So instead of analyzing Uchiha's internal affairs (which would be suspicious, given his lack of intel), Gusion approached from his own experience, hoping to establish common ground.
"You mean you were framed, Senpai…"
Itachi looked at Gusion meaningfully. Gusion didn't need to say much—Itachi already understood. As a child, he'd admired Gusion and Minato, so he knew their character well.
Konoha's official reason for Gusion's defection was massacring civilians and secret human experimentation.
He couldn't judge the civilian killings, but human experimentation? Gusion's academic level couldn't possibly support that. He'd been average in the Academy and never touched research—his brilliance only showed on the battlefield.
So Itachi always knew the accusation was false, but trusted that Konoha only expelled dangerous elements for the village's good.
But lately, his faith had been shaken.
First was Shisui's death. Shisui tried to mediate between the clan and the village, trusted Danzo, lost his eye, and ultimately committed suicide in despair.
Was Shisui's death also for the village?
Itachi was willing to massacre his clan for the village—as long as his brother survived. But deep down, he knew it was wrong.
He just couldn't find a better solution.
Looking at Gusion now, Itachi realized maybe Gusion had been in a similar dilemma—another pawn in the hands of those in power.
"Framed? If I'd truly defected, Konoha would've been ruined by Kumogakure long ago. I was tortured in prison for eight years, but never revealed any village secrets."
Gusion spoke earnestly—it was true, but also part of his persona. "Back then, I only discovered Danzo's dirty dealings underground, and he framed me as a traitor."
Itachi was shocked, but not surprised. After Shisui, he knew Danzo was no good. Gusion's words made sense, especially since he had no reason to lie now.
"Senpai, you were a war hero—how could you be exiled? How could the Third Hokage allow such injustice?"
Itachi voiced his doubt.
"The Third?" Gusion sneered, locking eyes with Itachi. "Do you really think high prestige is a good thing? I wasn't his disciple, let alone his student's student. After the war, when he retired, who would become the Fourth Hokage?"
Itachi immediately understood—and despaired at the village's darkness.
Gusion's story alone made him doubt the Third's promises. Was his own burden to massacre his clan just as foolish? Maybe the Third didn't care about Uchiha rebellion at all—just used Itachi to do the dirty work, keeping the village's hands clean and its image untarnished.
He could even make a tearful speech afterward, expressing shock at the Uchiha's inner strife.
That's what happened to Gusion—just because he wasn't a member of the Hokage line.
Even with strength rivaling the Kage and war achievements, Gusion wasn't as renowned as Minato, simply because he wasn't promoted by the right people.
If Gusion had roamed like Jiraiya, maybe nothing would've happened. But he stumbled onto Danzo's secrets and was framed.
Would the Third clear his name? Clearly not. Gusion became a traitor, but never betrayed Konoha.
"Senpai... do you want to return to Konoha this time?"
Itachi's voice was heavy, tinged with sadness. He'd given up the thought of fighting Gusion—he was simply exhausted, perhaps like Shisui was before his end.
He no longer cared about the mission. If Gusion wanted to kill him, he wouldn't resist.
"These eight years in Kumogakure, I suffered constant torment, but I never revealed Konoha's secrets—not out of loyalty, but nostalgia for my childhood. In truth, I hate Konoha's leadership now and have no intention of returning."
Gusion continued, "If Danzo and the others come for me, I won't hold back—I'll cut them all down."
Itachi gave a bitter smile. "Senpai, you're strong indeed. You've found your own path... I still can't see through it all."
Even understanding Danzo's filth and the Third's indifference, Itachi still loved the village and didn't want war between clan and village.
He was caught in the middle, unable to please anyone. If he went down that path, his beloved brother would hate him forever.
"You used a dojutsu I've never seen. You must be a top talent among the Uchiha. Yet, with such powerful eyes, you still can't see your path?"
Gusion's words echoed in Itachi's ears. He couldn't help but meet Gusion's gaze, searching for answers.
"Senpai... I haven't introduced myself. I'm Uchiha Itachi."
He spoke solemnly. "Though I was sent to hunt you as an Anbu, I want to ask—as someone who's been through all this, since you foresaw the Uchiha's fate, do you know what I should do? How can I find a better path?"
Itachi felt it was absurd to seriously ask his target for advice. But he was desperate, hoping for insight from someone who knew the village's darkness and had reached Kage-level strength at 13—someone like himself.
"Itachi, if I'm not wrong, the clan's conflict with the village has escalated. Are you preparing to rebel?"
Gusion considered how to phrase it appropriately.
Itachi nodded helplessly. "That's right. My father is the clan head and holds meetings every day, debating whether to rebel."
Learning the current status, Gusion found it odd. Even reading the manga, he'd thought the Uchiha massacre was absurd—the whole clan acted crazy and lacked intelligence.
Itachi, the only clear-headed one, was limited by his age and brainwashed by the Will of Fire, so he chose the worst solution and caused the worst tragedy.
Itachi was trapped by both sides; no wonder he made such decisions.
But honestly, even Gusion—let alone online anime fans—felt there were countless solutions.
Really, the Uchiha massacre wasn't a dead end. It wasn't even a real dilemma.
Gusion asked the core question: "Itachi, I've always wondered—what does your clan actually want?"
Itachi paused. "What do we want?"
He thought for a moment. "Probably more power. My father and the others always felt it was wrong that no Uchiha ever became Hokage. My father... probably wants to be Hokage?"
Gusion was speechless. Did nobody communicate in that clan?
"Do you really think that's the core issue? That your father wants to be Hokage?"
He pressed.
"Isn't it? Or even if it's not my father, anyone else—Uchiha co-founded the village with the Senju, but after four Hokage, we've never had one."
Itachi explained, but Gusion's questions made him feel uneasy.
"Wanting to be Hokage isn't a problem. Every Konoha ninja has dreamed of it."
Gusion shook his head. "Your father and the others probably just feel it's unfair—not just that no Uchiha became Hokage, but that your clan doesn't even have a real say in the process."
Itachi was stunned. He'd missed the root issue.
The Second Hokage assigned the Uchiha to the police force, which seemed powerful but was really just a scapegoat role with little real authority. The Hokage and elders controlled everything, and the Uchiha never got a fair chance at leadership—no wonder the clan felt marginalized.
"We... do have voting rights," Itachi protested, unconvincingly.
"Oh, sure, but is it fair? You can't even get through the nomination round—the first votes are always controlled by the Third and the elders," Gusion said. "You don't even have a single seat among the elders."
Frankly, Gusion thought the Konoha-Uchiha mess was ridiculous. In the real world, this wouldn't happen.
Even as politicians, the Third and Danzo were inept.
What does the Uchiha really want?
Not to be discriminated against, just a fair chance at election.
In real-world, this would be like a minority party asking for a fair shot at becoming PM.
Why not just let them run? Even if they somehow won, the elders would still have power—being Hokage isn't absolute.
But the Third and the elders pulled a suffocating move: instead of allowing fair competition, they wiped out the whole clan.
From a political standpoint, it was disastrous for Konoha—not to mention the loss in strength.