Yukari Uchiha (English)

Chapter 29

The night feels endless, an impenetrable cloak of darkness enveloping my world. I still can't comprehend what has just happened. The pain cuts deep, my breathing is shallow, and my heart races as if it's about to shatter. Shisui... is gone. Forever. Time seems to stand still as Itachi finally releases his grip on me, leaving us standing silently at the cliff where I lost my brother.

"Yukari..." Itachi begins, his voice heavy. The calmness he always exudes is broken. His eyes, usually so composed, betray the deep pain he's trying to hide. I want to say something, anything, but my throat feels tight, like it's being squeezed shut. All I'm left with is the burning question: Why?

"I need to explain everything," he says quietly, sitting down beside me on the cold ground near the cliff. His gaze is fixed on the abyss where Shisui disappeared.

"Shisui had a plan," Itachi continues, his voice steady, but the pain is unmistakable. "He wanted to stop the growing tensions within the Uchiha clan before they erupted into violence. His plan was to use Kotoamatsukami to influence our father's—Fugaku's—mind. With the unique power of his Mangekyō Sharingan, he could manipulate someone's thoughts so subtly that they would believe the decisions they made were entirely their own. He wanted to prevent a rebellion without anyone realizing what had happened."

I listen, but with every word Itachi says, the weight on my chest grows heavier. Kotoamatsukami... Shisui's most powerful technique, one that could have changed everything without bloodshed, without violence. But now...

"But Danzo..." Itachi's voice hardens, and I can hear the barely contained rage behind it. Just saying the name fills him with anger. "Danzo knew about Shisui's plan. He feared the power Shisui possessed. He was terrified that Shisui could not only control the clan but the entire village. So, Danzo attacked him to steal his Mangekyō Sharingan. He wanted the power of Kotoamatsukami for himself."

A mixture of fury and despair wells up inside me as the truth sinks in. Danzo... that name burns itself into my heart like a searing brand. Shisui... my brother... wanted to save both the village and the clan, only to be betrayed.

"Shisui... made his decision before Danzo could take everything from him." Itachi's voice trembles, and I can feel the depth of his pain. "He wanted his sacrifice to mean something. So he gave me his remaining eye, the last thing he had left. With that... in his final act, he asked me to do what he could no longer do—to save the clan and protect the village."

Itachi's words cut through me like a knife. Shisui sacrificed himself to prevent something far greater than we could ever imagine. But the price he paid... was unbearable. My fingers dig into the cold ground, and I feel the tears finally flowing, unstoppable. The pain is overwhelming.

"Kotoamatsukami could've changed everything..." I whisper. "But Danzo... he took Shisui..."

Itachi's explanation echoes in my head, each word sharpening the edge of my fury. Shisui had a plan... Danzo wanted his eyes... Everything in me screams for vengeance. How dare Danzo steal Shisui's life, rob him—and us—of our future?

My fists clench, pain and anger swirling within me like a storm. My breathing quickens, the tears sting my eyes, but this time, I hold them back. There is no sobbing, only pure rage.

"Danzo..." I growl through clenched teeth, my voice trembling with barely suppressed fury. "I'll find him, and I'll make him pay for what he did to Shisui. I'll hold him accountable, Itachi. He forfeited his right to live in this village."

I stand up, my legs trembling, but my gaze is fierce. Itachi watches me in silence, his eyes following my movements as though he can read my thoughts. But just as I prepare to storm off, determined to find Danzo and make him pay, I feel Itachi's hand on my shoulder. Firm, but gentle.