[Main POV]

Outside the room.

Uchiha Itachi, with his hands behind his back, held his breath as he eavesdropped. Hearing footsteps approaching the door, he quickly moved several meters down the hallway.

As the sliding door opened, he turned around, pretending to be surprised as he made eye contact with Gojo Kaigetsu, who was wearing a black satin blindfold.

"Goodbye, Uncle Gojo."

Gojo Kaigetsu nodded, acknowledging Uchiha Itachi's polite farewell.

Setting aside the future where Uchiha Itachi becomes a complete lunatic in the original timeline, the current Itachi was still a child whose worldview had yet to be fully formed.

There was still hope for him.

Talking about someone's future without considering their environment is like playing a trick. Gojo Kaigetsu didn't believe in destiny or the inherent evil of human nature. He believed that the environment in which someone grows up has a significant impact on their future.

Therefore, when it came to the current Uchiha Itachi, he neither liked nor disliked him; he just saw him as a normal child and a potential collaborator.

Straightening his clothes, Gojo Kaigetsu was eager to return home and study how the "Infinity Technique" would function in the ninja world.

After Gojo Kaigetsu left the Fugaku residence, Uchiha Itachi cautiously entered the meeting room.

"Father, Mother..."

The precocious Uchiha Itachi quickly noticed the rare expressions of relaxation and joy on his parents' faces, as if a heavy stone that had been weighing on their hearts had suddenly been lifted, and the dark clouds that had shrouded their minds had been swept away by a giant hand.

'Did Gojo Kaigetsu bring this about?'

"Is that you, Itachi... What's the matter so late?"

Uchiha Itachi nodded and curiously asked, "I just found it strange... Uncle Gojo's black satin blindfold is like he's hiding his eyes."

"Could he be a member of our Uchiha clan?"

"Huh?"

Fugaku and Mikoto exchanged glances and then burst into hearty laughter, like doting parents: "Hahaha, if Kaigetsu were really a member of our Uchiha clan, that would be great..."

Fugaku shook his head. "It's normal for ninjas to have their own unique styles. Gojo-kun is a war orphan, a civilian by blood, so it's impossible for him to possess a kekkei genkai."

"As for why he covers his eyes... it might be his unique way of training."

Is that so?

Uchiha Itachi nodded thoughtfully, though he didn't fully understand. He kept a thought to himself. during his brief eye contact with Gojo Kaigetsu earlier, he had felt as though he had been completely seen through. It was as if all the chakra in his body was exposed to the eyes hidden behind that black satin.

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He even felt that behind that black satin was a pair of eyes that were no less powerful than, if not surpassing, the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.

Why did he have such a strange feeling?

Uchiha Itachi didn't understand, but he was deeply puzzled.

...

...

Under the desolate moonlight, only a few people were moving about the vast Uchiha clan grounds.

Gojo Kaigetsu suspected that at this moment, most of the Uchiha clan's shinobi had been gathered by the hawkish elders for a meeting somewhere within the clan.

Looking up at the bright moon, Gojo Kaigetsu fell into thought.

He often heard rumors that he was a "Shadow Hokage," but that was just a joke. Konoha currently had three Hokages: the nominal Hokage Minato, the one with the greatest influence, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the one who had spies planted all over Konoha, the "Darkness of the Ninja World," Danzo Shimura.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's will extended into the Anbu, and there were still many Anbu members who were inclined to obey the Third Hokage. They remained vigilant against the Uchiha clan, maintaining policies of covert surveillance and observation.

Gojo Kaigetsu walked out of the Uchiha clan grounds, strolling alone down the quiet streets.

In the distance, a solitary utility pole stood like a landmark, its top just touching the bottom of the round moon. From afar, it looked as if it were holding up the moon.

With his hands in his pockets, Gojo Kaigetsu slowly came to a stop.

Through the Six Eyes, he saw the presence of several powerful chakras, each at least at the Jonin level.

'Is this a display of force?'

'As expected of you, Danzo.'

Gojo Kaigetsu seemed to be talking to himself as he spoke aloud to the air:

"The Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura protect Konoha from both the light and the shadows, controlling the village and directing its future."

"Old man politics is unsustainable, leaving Konoha in chaos. At your age, it's time to make way for the next generation, just like the rising and setting of the sun. it's an eternal truth."

"Why not hand over all power to Minato and retire to your clan for your twilight years?"

"Don't you agree, Danzo?"

Gojo Kaigetsu's deep, magnetic voice echoed through the empty streets. As he finished speaking, a bandaged, middle-aged man slowly emerged from the shadows.

Danzo Shimura.

And behind Danzo were eleven masked Root ninja.

"Hmph, Gojo Kaigetsu, daring to question the Konoha leadership, meeting privately with the Uchiha clan. what is your true purpose?"

"Questioning? Eh? Me?" Gojo Kaigetsu pointed at himself, exaggeratingly looking around: "Come on, Danzo-dono, I'm at least an advisor to the Fourth Hokage~ It's only natural that I have some opinions on Konoha's personnel changes."

"Hmph, you have a way with words. But that won't work on me. Once you reach Root, all your pretenses will be stripped away."

"Gojo Kaigetsu, I now suspect you are involved in a secret plot to overthrow Konoha. Come with me to Root."

"Take him. Bring him back to Root."

The Root ninja behind Danzo exchanged glances through their masks, then moved with precision, forming a circle to surround Gojo Kaigetsu and advancing step by step.

Danzo's thoughts were simple. Gojo Kaigetsu was just a civilian Chunin, without a powerful clan backing him, only the civilian-born Hokage Minato as his support. If he secretly took him away for interrogation, nothing would happen.

Hiruzen would understand, and Minato would defer to Hiruzen. They wouldn't do anything to him.

Meanwhile, Danzo could fully analyze and decipher the mystery of Gojo Kaigetsu. As the "Darkness of the Ninja World," he couldn't tolerate the existence of someone as enigmatic and revolutionary as Gojo Kaigetsu.

Gojo Kaigetsu's smile widened, his expression a mix of amusement and disbelief as he asked, "Danzo, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Even if it means risking war with the Uchiha clan tonight?"

"What Uchiha?"

Danzo Shimura's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he followed his subordinate's gaze to a distant utility pole.

His cloudy, aged eyes suddenly contracted, and his body stiffened. He saw.

With the giant round moon as the backdrop.

In the cold wind, the light blue ninja robes fluttered.

Dozens of Sharingan, each with varying numbers of tomoe, gleamed with a crimson and icy light, locking onto him, Danzo Shimura.