"Why!?"
Before Shisui could answer, Itachi suddenly stepped forward, voice tight with emotion as he questioned Hidan.
He wasn't afraid of dying. If anything, he had thought about it plenty of times.
But the way Hidan spoke... reducing everything to cold calculation made his chest burn.
"Itachi, calm down," Shisui said quickly, steadying him. "He's right. In the end… it really can only be the two of you."
"The reason is simple," Hidan continued, unfazed. "Itachi, you've already chosen Konoha in your heart."
"And Sasuke's still the youngest, untouched by the clan's hatred. Those are the only two who can be saved."
Itachi's fists clenched. "And Shisui? What about him?"
Shisui cut him off flatly. "You understand already, Itachi."
Hidan crossed his arms. "Exactly. Shisui's death is inevitable. It has to be public. That's the only way the higher-ups will ever feel safe."
"That's the curse of Kotoamatsukami… power like that puts a target on your back."
Shisui gave a faint smile. From the moment Danzō moved against him, he had already known his end. Now it was just being said out loud.
"Tell us your plan," Shisui said calmly.
Itachi forced himself to stay quiet, listening.
"Simple," Hidan said. "Danzō already suspects the Uchiha. He's watching Itachi, waiting to use him. With Shisui gone, suspicion grows."
"Danzō will eventually force Itachi to move against his clan. That's when we play along. Itachi negotiates to protect Sasuke, and the kid survives."
Shisui frowned. "And the rest of the clan?"
"Leave it to me," Hidan said bluntly. "You just give me their blood. That's all I need. I'll take care of the rest. But the reputation? That has to be carried by Itachi."
Shisui's eyes narrowed. "Why must Itachi bear that name? Why can't I?"
"For the village's trust," Hidan shot back. "For Sasuke's safety. Only if they believe Itachi slaughtered the clan will they be satisfied."
"Only if Itachi leaves as a traitor will the suspicion die. And for the Uchiha's reputation… if Itachi takes the blame, then the clan isn't remembered as rebels. They're remembered as victims."
He looked at them both. "Do you get it now?"
Itachi's face twisted with conflict. He hated it. But deep down, he knew it was true.
"I'll do it," he said quietly.
Shisui's heart sank at those words, but he also knew there was no other way.
Itachi raised his head again. "One last thing… why do you need their blood?"
Hidan's answer was simple. "To kill them. And to bring them back."
Both Shisui and Itachi froze.
"Death isn't forever. Sometimes the dead can return." Hidan didn't explain further. "You'll see soon enough. Someone's going to prove that before long."
Neither Shisui nor Itachi responded, but the seed of doubt and hope was planted.
Not to mention they had no other choice but believe or maybe they just wanted an escape through it.
Shisui tilted his head up, gazing at the clear sky. The wind brushed past him. This would be his last moment to feel it.
He turned back, smiling faintly. "My eyes. Itachi, you take one. The other… give to him. Don't betray me."
Before they could react, Shisui dug into his own eye sockets, blood spilling.
Itachi trembled, barely able to breathe as he held the bloodied eye in his hands. Hidan quietly collected the other, for once not making a joke.
Itachi's Sharingan spun wildly, fueled by grief and rage. The tomoe fused together, warping into the pinwheel shape of the Mangekyō.
Shisui staggered, blood running down his face.
"Do it, Hidan."
It was the first time he called his name. The last time too.
Thud!
The black spear pierced through Shisui's chest. Warm blood sprayed across the grass as he collapsed with a smile, finally at peace.
Hidan caught some of the blood in a vial, sealing it away. "One day, I'll use this. You'll walk again."
Itachi's eyes burned red as he stared at the body of his closest friend. Silent. Shaking. But his tears had already turned into fire.
Together, they cremated Shisui's body, lying that he had destroyed his eyes himself before death.
The truth was buried with the ashes.
Itachi stood wordless, his Mangekyō awakened.
His cursed path had begun.
And beside him, Hidan grinned under the mask.
Step one complete.
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