Naruto: All depends on the Nine-tails Fox

"How about it? Did you receive any assignments related to our Uchiha clan from the Anbu?"

"... No, I didn't."

"... It seems the village hasn't detected any movements within our clan. That might be a good thing."

In a room not dimly lit, Uchiha Itachi, dressed in Anbu attire, was discussing with his father, Fugaku. After a moment, Fugaku suddenly glanced at the ceiling above and then said to Itachi, "You don't need to wear that at home. It wouldn't be good for your mother or little brother to see you like this. Go change."

"Yes."

Itachi understood that his father was signaling an end to the topic. This didn't surprise him. At that moment, he felt a sudden surge of chakra appearing on the roof, indicating that someone unsavory had arrived.

Given the timing and that his father hadn't refused, it was highly likely that it was other Uchiha clan members plotting a rebellion.

Maintaining a calm expression, Itachi exited the room. He didn't linger outside to eavesdrop; there was no purpose in that.

The flow of information encountered in Anbu was more extensive than Fugaku had imagined. While his father believed that the Uchiha clan's conspiracy to rebel against the village was unknown, in reality, it wasn't just whispers of rebellion; even the participants had already been identified by Anbu.

Including his own father, Uchiha Fugaku, who was on the watch list. And the one assigned to monitor him was none other than Uchiha Itachi.

Itachi made his way to his room, but instead of changing out of his attire, he pulled out his Anbu mask and put it on. Then, he channeled chakra to perform a transformation technique, slightly altering his body shape and height. After all, he was in the Uchiha clan's territory, and he wanted to avoid being recognized.

Finally, he left a shadow clone in his room to impersonate him and jumped out the window.

Itachi's figure was like a ghost. Clad in Anbu gear and under the cover of night, he drew no one's attention as he arrived at the forest where he had agreed to meet his friend.

"You're here, Itachi."

Uchiha Shisui looked at him, directly activating his three-tomoe Sharingan, which soon transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

At the same moment Itachi landed, he activated his own double-tomoe Sharingan. As the double tomoes slowly rotated, the third tomoe emerged in his eyes.

This was their agreed signal; the Sharingan was the bloodline limit of the Uchiha clan that no one could impersonate. Yet, among the Uchiha, very few knew that Itachi had advanced to the three-tomoe level.

"What's the situation?"

After confirming each other's identities, the two began exchanging intelligence.

Unlike Itachi, Shisui lacked reliable means to gather information within the Uchiha clan. He was currently the most formidable Uchiha in plain sight but had chosen to align himself with the Hokage. This stance made many within the clan wary of Shisui rather than trusting him.

Thus, Shisui needed Itachi to glean information on the clan's movements.

"So, the clan members can't wait any longer and didn't even continue discussing matters at the clan meeting. It seems conflict is imminent." Hearing Itachi's description, Shisui furrowed his brow, realizing the situation was even more dire than he had imagined.

"Itachi, I don't understand." Itachi finally voiced his doubts, "Why?"

His tone didn't carry a genuine expectation for an answer; rather, it was a self-deprecating acknowledgment of his helplessness regarding the current situation.

"I don't understand either. The war ended not long ago; why is there such indifference towards the village's peace?" Uchiha Shisui was regarded by the Third Hokage as one who deeply understood the Will of Fire. His stance was entirely on the village's side. "So many heroes sacrificed their lives to end the war, and now it might be rekindled by infighting among these people."

"What they pursue has never aligned with us from the very beginning, Itachi." Shisui's tone was filled with melancholy, but he quickly showed the calmness and confidence familiar to Itachi. "But I will put a stop to all of this."

"... I will stand with you..."

"No, Itachi." Shisui interrupted, his expression serious. "I dislike those in the clan who blindly obey the radicals. It's not merely a dislike for their actions; it's more about their lack of understanding of what they truly want and why they do this."

"I don't want you to feel obligated to follow my thoughts out of respect and friendship; that would cause you to lose yourself." As he spoke, Uchiha Shisui stepped in front of the bewildered Itachi and gently tapped his forehead with two fingers, smiling as he added, "Try to find your own path and answers. Use your eyes to witness and think about what is right and what is wrong."

"If after thinking it over, you still believe helping me is the right thing to do, then we'll meet again in the old place tomorrow."

Shisui's voice faded away along with his figure, leaving Itachi with his confusion lifted.

He felt truly grateful to have a dear friend like Shisui. His strength wasn't merely in combat but also in his intellectual depth. To Itachi, Uchiha Shisui was a great ninja with the mindset of a Hokage!

"Swish."

Uchiha Itachi flipped back through the window into his room. After glancing at the shadow clone sitting obediently on his bed, he dismissed it.

"Nii-san!"

Just as Itachi was about to change out of his Anbu gear, a childish yet lively shout came from outside the door. As the footsteps drew closer, there was a quick knock, "Brother, are you asleep?"

"Not yet." Itachi swiftly changed into casual clothes he had carelessly left nearby and opened the door. His little brother, Sasuke, stood there, his small figure raising a hand to knock, wearing an excited expression. "What's up?"

"Can you take me to practice tomorrow? I've been working hard every day and can already hit the target..."

"Sorry, Sasuke. Maybe next time." Itachi interrupted before his brother could finish. "I have something to do tomorrow."

"Then… how about the day after tomorrow?" Sasuke asked, a bit reluctantly.

"Forgive me, Sasuke." Remembering Shisui's words, Itachi shook his head and gently tapped Sasuke's forehead with two fingers, lightly pushing him back.

"Ugh..." Sasuke, who had been so excited, suddenly looked dejected and turned to leave.

Seeing his little brother's retreating figure, Itachi's expression darkened. Then, as if recalling something, he suddenly called out, "Wait, Sasuke."

Itachi pulled out a kunai and two shuriken from the ninja tool pouch on his pants, handing them to Sasuke. "I do have something to do, but as a consolation, these are my usual tools. You can take them to practice."

Sasuke took them, thrilled, and played with the shuriken for a moment before curiously pointing to the symbol on the kunai's handle, asking, "Brother, what's this?"

"... That was left by someone I know. It might be some sort of spell. However, that person was exceptionally skilled with shuriken, and you should learn from them," Itachi replied.

"Oh." Sasuke didn't dwell on it further. Receiving a gift from his brother made him very happy, and he skipped back to his room.

At that moment, however, another person receiving a gift felt quite differently.

"What a coincidence!" Naruto examined the gift Hinata had given him, surprised that he had just gifted someone else ninja tools, and now he was receiving a gift.

It was also a kunai, but its shape was slightly different. Unlike the typical kunai with sharp edges, it resembled a trident more closely.

The kunai was also adorned with a symbol that seemed somewhat familiar to Naruto. If Minato Namikaze were to see it, he would immediately recognize it—

It was a kunai on which he had once engraved the Flying Thunder God seal.