…
The room was quiet. The Akatsuki meeting had ended, leaving behind nothing but silence and a flickering glow from fading chakra. Itachi stood alone. His red eyes dimmed to black as his projection ended, returning him fully to the cave where he watched alone.
In his hand, the Akatsuki ring sat like a forgotten weight, cold, meaningless now.
He stared at it for a while, not in anger or sorrow, but with quiet resolve. It was a symbol of a path he no longer walked.
Without a word, Itachi unrolled a small scroll. With a soft pulse of chakra, the ring vanished into the paper with a flicker of blue light. He sealed the scroll and placed it in his cloak.
"They will never trust me again," he murmured.
"And I no longer need their trust."
His purpose had always been Sasuke. Not Akatsuki. Not war. Only his little brother.
—
His fingers gently touched the skin under his eyes. The glow of his Eternal Mangekyō was faint but steady now.
Kakashi's idea had been strange—swapping eyes with Sasuke temporarily, completing the eternal cycle both ways. It shouldn't have worked.
But it did.
His vision had never been clearer. For the first time in years, he didn't feel the sting behind his eyelids, or the weight of looming blindness.
Tsunade's healing surprised him, too. Her chakra had a quality he couldn't describe. Gentle but firm, like warm water guiding him away from sickness. It didn't cure him completely, but… the pain was gone. The weakness in his lungs had dulled. His heartbeat felt steady.
For the first time since childhood, he felt… stable. Centered.
He thought of Kakashi, of Tsunade, of how far the village had come. Quietly, inwardly, he was grateful.
…
He walked along the outer edge of the village, far from the markets and rooftops, where the buildings thinned and the air turned calm.
Ahead stood a tall, sleek structure with glass panels and steel frames, elegant, minimal, modern.
Sasuke had told him Kakashi lived here now. Owned the land. Ran a medical company, a research firm, even part of the mission coordination network. It was strange.
Itachi had tried one of the elixirs Kakashi's lab developed. A simple one. Just once. But it had worked.
He looked up at the tall house, part home, part hidden fortress.
'He's not just a shinobi anymore,' Itachi thought.
…
At the front steps, Itachi reached out a hand to knock.
But the ground clicked beneath his foot.
A stone panel near the base of the stairs shifted with a quiet hiss, revealing a clean metal tunnel sloping downward, softly lit by chakra-glass panels.
He didn't hesitate. Kakashi was expecting him.
He stepped inside.
The tunnel led into a deep corridor, clean, silent, and faintly humming with chakra seals embedded in the walls. At the end, a steel door slid open without him touching it.
Itachi stepped through.
…
The lab inside was vast.
Fluorescent panels cast even light over the polished floor. Sealing circles glowed faintly under desks. Scrolls lined the walls in tidy columns.
There were tanks, mostly empty, monitors, screens, surgical tables, and stacks of sealed containers glowing with pale blue chakra.
Standing near a long table was someone tall and pale-skinned, with long dark hair and curious gold eyes. His skin was smooth, almost too smooth, and he wore a clean lab coat over black clothes.
For a split second, Itachi's eyes narrowed.
Then he understood.
This was the Orochimaru clone.
The clone noticed his tension and smiled, not a snake's grin, but something close to amusement.
"No need to raise your guard," he said playfully. "I'm not your version of him."
Before Itachi could answer, Kakashi appeared from the left side of the lab. Calm, unhurried, dressed in black with rolled sleeves. His Sharingan eyes were hidden now.
"Not the Orochimaru you remember," Kakashi said. "This one's… better behaved."
Itachi relaxed slightly. He sensed no threat here. No killing intent. The clone felt curious, scientific.
And Kakashi's presence, silent but strong, calmed the room like gravity.
…
"I brought intel," Itachi said simply.
"I know." Kakashi nodded once.
Itachi stepped forward and handed over a small scroll.
"The Akatsuki met today. Pain is growing desperate. They've lost too many members."
Kakashi opened the scroll and read silently.
"They're going after the One-Tail. Deidara and Sasori were sent."
Kakashi closed the scroll.
"I'll handle it," he said.
That was enough.
No more needed to be said.
…
Itachi turned to leave, but Kakashi's voice stopped him.
"Stay. Just for a moment."
Itachi turned back.
"I want to run a few chakra tests. Your eyes, your body, what we did with the Eternal Mangekyō. It'll help future patients."
"If it's quick." Itachi tilted his head slightly.
The clone was already smiling as he moved to the side controls.
"Oh, this will be fascinating."
Kakashi gestured to a smooth chair surrounded by a ring of faintly glowing seals.
Itachi sat without fuss.
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. His Eternal Mangekyō spun softly.
…
As the clone began scanning chakra flow, Kakashi watched the monitors carefully.
There was no flicker. No distortion. Itachi's chakra was even, balanced.
"You're stable," Kakashi said.
"I feel it," Itachi replied. "For the first time."
The clone chuckled. "You Uchiha are so dramatic. Eternal eyes, life-threatening curses, tragic childhoods… and now perfectly balanced chakra. Honestly, it's refreshing."
Itachi didn't answer. But he didn't scowl either.
Kakashi leaned back slightly, his arms folded.
"Do you regret coming back?" he asked quietly.
Itachi shook his head once.
"No. Konoha may not forgive me. But I'll still protect it. Even if it's from the shadows."
Kakashi nodded.
"I understand that feeling."
The machine beeped. The scans were complete.
"You're free," Kakashi said.
Itachi stood.
He didn't bow or thank them. He simply nodded once, quiet and steady.
…
Outside, the sky began to turn gold with the setting sun.
Inside the lab, Kakashi turned back to the screen, typing slow notes into the system.
Beside him, the clone smirked.
"You seem to trust him," he said.
Kakashi didn't look up.
"I do trust him."
The clone paused.
"…High praise coming from you."
Kakashi's voice was soft.
"We've both lived too long surrounded by lies. I choose people who walk toward the truth now. Even if they're still bleeding."
The lab fell quiet again.
Beneath the earth, two men who once stood on opposite sides now stood as allies.