"Sasuke… why do you think that?" Itachi asked after a brief silence.
"The reason is pretty clear." Sasuke didn't understand why Itachi was asking. "Those villagers spread rumors slandering hero Hatake Kakashi. The Police Force just enforced the law."
"Spreading rumors?" Itachi was confused. He only knew the clan and Police Force had used violence, but not the details.
"Yes, lately, there've been all sorts of rumors about Kakashi being a bloodthirsty killer, that he has a double-digit body count from the Third Ninja War," Sasuke explained.
"But even so, the clan shouldn't use violence against civilians. We're ninja—we can't hurt civilians," Itachi said.
"That's not right, brother," Sasuke countered. "Teacher taught me: 'To execute without teaching is called cruelty; to execute after teaching without reform is called royal law.' If the Police Force had acted without warning, that would be wrong. But they made it clear from the start that spreading rumors was forbidden. The villagers ignored the law—so punishing them was right."
"He taught you that?" Itachi gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe that his always-obedient brother was now saying such things.
"What's wrong, brother? Didn't teacher say the right thing?" Sasuke was confused by Itachi's strong reaction.
"Of course it's wrong!" Itachi snapped, wanting to pull Sasuke back to his way of thinking. "The villagers were wrong, but you can't just use violence. The Police Force could have used gentler methods. Using violence just deepens the divide between the clan and the village."
"No, brother, that won't work." Sasuke shook his head seriously. "Teacher said: 'Petty men fear force but not virtue; only by showing them the cost of breaking the rules will they respect the law.'"
"Sasuke!" Itachi's expression grew stern. "How can you call the villagers petty?"
"I didn't mean all villagers," Sasuke hurriedly explained. "But those arrested by the Police Force—yes, they can be called petty."
"Why?" Itachi asked, frowning.
"Teacher said: 'Passing on rumors is a sign of no virtue. Those who believe and spread rumors without thinking are immoral. If you have no morals, how can you not be called petty?'" Sasuke explained.
"Enough!" Itachi angrily interrupted. Hearing Sasuke repeatedly say "teacher taught me" was infuriating. "Did he not teach you about the Will of Fire?"
Itachi's outburst startled Sasuke. Sasuke didn't understand why his brother was suddenly so angry.
Itachi quickly realized he'd scared Sasuke and hurried to comfort him: "Sorry, Sasuke, I lost my temper. Didn't your teacher teach you about the Will of Fire?"
Sasuke shook his head. "Teacher sometimes mentions it in class, but he always says the Ninja Academy covers it daily, so he doesn't go into detail."
As I thought, Brother Seiryu is up to no good—teaching these things but not the great Will of Fire.
Itachi thought to himself, then took a deep breath and said, "Sasuke, do you think the Police Force's actions align with the Will of Fire?"
Sasuke nodded. "Of course. 'Where the leaves dance, the fire burns. The fire's light will shine on the village and help new leaves grow.' Kakashi is a hero who has given everything for the village. If even he can be slandered, who would be willing to sacrifice for the village in the future?"
"Is that really how you understand the Will of Fire?" Itachi asked.
"What's wrong with that?" Sasuke asked. "How do you understand it, brother?"
Itachi opened his mouth, wanting to refute Sasuke, but couldn't find a flaw in Sasuke's words.
"Brother, if you were a hero who sacrificed everything for the village, but then got slandered and your family suffered because of it, what would you do?" Sasuke asked, trying to persuade Itachi.
"I…" Itachi imagined it and fell silent for a while before saying with difficulty, "I'd endure it because we're ninja. Ninja are those who can endure everything."
"Brother, do you really think that?" Sasuke asked. "You hesitated just now, didn't you?"
Itachi fell silent. He couldn't accept such a scenario.
"You can't accept it, right?" Sasuke looked at him. "Teacher once taught me: 'Do not do to others what you would not want for yourself.'"
Itachi was silent for a long time before he sighed and said, "I understand. Go to sleep, Sasuke. I have something to do."
Thus, the brothers' long-overdue talk ended unresolved. After leaving Sasuke's room, Itachi sighed, changed clothes, left the house, and vanished into the night.
…
At that moment, in Shisui's home, although work was over, Shisui was still in his study, reviewing the testimonies of clan members involved with Orochimaru.
There was a knock at the door. Shisui looked up, puzzled—who would visit so late at night?
He put away the documents, went to the door, and, seeing who it was, smiled: "Itachi? You're back?"
"Brother Shisui." Seeing his mentor and brother-figure, Itachi also managed a brief smile.
"Come in and sit," Shisui said, leading Itachi inside. They sat on the floor together.