When Itachi returned home, it was already late at night. Sasuke and Mikoto were asleep, but Fugaku was still working in his study.
Itachi took a deep breath, looked at his familiar home, and went to his room.
Not long after, he came out with a suitcase and headed for the entrance.
A stern voice sounded from behind: "Where are you going?"
Itachi turned to his father and said calmly, "I'm moving out. Clan tasks have delayed me a lot already. I'll be busier with ANBU missions soon, and our house is too far from the village center."
Fugaku's face was cold, his mouth twitching. After a while, he said, "Itachi, some choices, once made, can't be undone."
Itachi paused, looked back, and said seriously, "Father, it's the clan that can't go back now."
Fugaku sighed. His Mangekyo Sharingan let him glimpse fragments of the future—fragments that changed with his choices. He once saw himself and his wife die by Itachi's hand but Sasuke restore the clan's glory. He'd tried to change that future but learned he lacked the ability and could only wait for his fate.
But after Seiryu forcefully intervened in clan affairs, that ending was quietly broken. Fugaku saw a whole new future—one so bright his eyes were nearly blinded by the backlash. In that future, the clan surpassed all their ancestors, but Itachi's figure was missing.
He wanted to save his son, so he'd tried everything—even telling Itachi about his ocular power. But even as his eyesight faded and his Mangekyo nearly exhausted, nothing changed. He had to accept that Itachi could not be persuaded, just as he'd accepted his own fate.
Stopping Itachi tonight was just his last try as a father.
Watching Itachi's blurred silhouette, Fugaku recalled what Seiryu had once told him: If he hadn't brought four-year-old Itachi to the battlefield back then, maybe things wouldn't have come to this.
…
The next morning, Sasuke woke up and immediately ran to Itachi's room. Though their talk last night was unpleasant, Sasuke had decided before falling asleep to apologize and ask Itachi to walk him to school.
But when he opened Itachi's door, he found it empty. Itachi hadn't taken much—just a few changes of clothes, some ninja tools, and the photo of himself and Sasuke. But Sasuke still felt uneasy.
"Mom? Where did brother go?" Sasuke ran to the kitchen and asked Mikoto, who was making breakfast.
"Itachi will be busy with ANBU for a while," Fugaku answered from the table.
Sasuke's face fell. After a moment, he said, "Did I make brother mad last night?"
"This has nothing to do with you, Sasuke," Fugaku replied. "Hurry and eat, or you'll be late for school."
"Okay…" Sasuke mumbled.
…
After spending the night at a village inn, Itachi put on his ANBU gear and reported to the Hokage's office early in the morning.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was surprised to see him. He knew Itachi had been sent by the clan to inspect Uchiha businesses in the Land of Fire, and expected Itachi to leave ANBU after returning. He hadn't expected him to report back for duty.
"Lord Hokage, sorry for taking such a long leave for clan matters," Itachi said, bowing in his mask.
"No worries," Hiruzen replied with a smile. "Whether clan or ANBU tasks, you're working for the village."
"Lord Hokage, are there any missions for ANBU lately?" Itachi asked.
Hiruzen didn't answer right away. Instead, he asked, "Itachi, the Police Force has done a lot for the village lately. Would you consider working with them for a while? There aren't many ANBU missions at the moment, and the commute would be easier since the ANBU base is far from the Uchiha compound."
After recent events, especially after seeing Shisui's Susanoo in action, Hiruzen's trust in Itachi was no longer what it once was.
"I don't think I'd be much help to the Police Force. I'm more comfortable in ANBU," Itachi replied, lowering his head. "As for commuting, I'm planning to move out of the compound and rent a place in the village."
Hiruzen looked at him for a long moment before saying, "Yesterday a merchant caravan from the Land of Lightning arrived. Some of them are acting suspiciously—Shikaku suspects they're spies sent to contact agents in the village. I've already sent ANBU to monitor them. Go and assist; with your Sharingan, I'm sure you can spot something and maybe uncover their contacts."
"Yes, sir!" Itachi replied.
While Itachi was monitoring the Land of Lightning merchants, the interrogation of those who colluded with Orochimaru among the Shimura, Koharu, and Mitokado clans was proceeding smoothly.
The evidence Orochimaru forged for Seiryu was a mix of truth and lies. Among the dozens arrested, some might not have participated in the original kidnappings, but most—especially the diehard Shimura—were guilty. On Seiryu's orders, Hiruzen had ANBU focus on these people, and with professional methods, soon got confessions.
After that, the Police Force moved to seize the clans' assets to compensate the victims of the old cases.