Their eyes fell on an empty threshold because then, I'd leapt in the air like a flash, manifesting chakra in the soles of my feet. Everyone kept looking back and forth trying to comprehend what'd happened. Meanwhile, I was hanging upside down with my feet glued to the ceiling.
"What was that?!", one of the geezers bellowed as chaos broke out suddenly. Their voices heightened as they grew restless.
"Calm down everyone!", Hiruzen Sarutobi barked.
I narrowed my eyes and cut off the flow of chakra from my feet. Amidst the obstreperous voices that filled my ears I braced myself for what was to come.
There, at the center of the massive round table I landed with a thud, capturing everyone's attention including my own clan members. Gasps and wide eyes could be heard and seen as I got up from my landing position.
I wait for everyone to take in the sudden sight of me before I spoke.
"Shall we skip the greetings?", I sternly ask, my eyes roaming around the table until they found father's.
"Itachi!", he shouts as he got out of his seat, "what is the meaning of this?!", he demanded, steam flowing off of him.
"Nothing really", I say through gritted teeth as I dart my eyes to the Hokage, "just personal vendetta".
"How dare you infiltrate our secret meeting?!", Homura Mitokado bellows.
"What's going on here Fugaku?!", Koharu Utatane demands from my father who was rendered speechless.
"Hmph, foolish geezers", I mutter under my breath, earning scowls from them.
"How did he get past the Jonin and the Anbu?!", someone inquired.
I turned in the direction where the voice emanated and declared, "the only flaw in your security system is my existence".
In this moment, it seemed as if though the only calm and composed person in this room was Shikaku Nara. His fingers were laced together as his elbows rested on the table.
I disregard everyone else and focus my attention solely on him. I scrutinized the scars that ran along his face, wondering how many years of experience this man has and narrowed my eyes into slits.
When his eyes connected with mine for the first time he declared what rendered everyone else, including me astonished.
"Are you finally going to reveal what you've kept hidden, Itachi?".
My eyes slightly widen, but I can't be the unsteady one here. Internally, I was screaming, but externally, I kept a look of indifference cemented on my face.
This wasn't the time to overthink this or dissect the situation so I might as well just say what's on my mind and appear neutral.
This man and his brain...he knew damn well that something was wrong...and upon learning that Hanabi is alive, it further confirmed his suspicions.
"I see", I tipped my head low, giving him a knowing smirk, "so you are the mastermind behind this?".
"What's he talking about?", someone whispered, which I disregarded completely as I fixated my attention on Shikaku.
Shikaku narrowed his eyes at me and said, "I knew you needed a slight push, Itachi, so go ahead", his voice altered more serious than before as he said, "the tell us the truth".
The truth...
"You think you're ready for the truth?", I inquire dismissively, my features getting contoured with slight pain. I take a quick look around me, inspecting all the faces present in this room. From the Hokage to the Hidden Leaf council to father, who was in anticipation of what I'll do. Everyone else seemed of no importance to me.
"Do you want to know the truth?", I demand, the elevation in my voice making everyone alter rigid, "do you think that you could handle what your actions have let to?!", I bawled at them. Each one of their faces reminding me of a different pain.
But the face that had caused me the most pain—the face of the culprit with one exposed eye was no where among this meeting.
Which suddenly begged the question: Where are you filthy devil?
"Itachi what's going on?!", father asked in voice laced with concern. I turn in his direction, standing straight and tall, I declared, "what should've happened four years ago", my reply left the dumbfounded even more perplexed.
"Four years ago?", he repeated as I darted my eyes between Shikaku and Hiruzen. For a split second I stared hard at Shikaku, thinking about how he's too smart to overlook the tiniest details.
He knows who killed Danzo's Root Anbu that night...
He's just too smart to be taken lightly.
I blink away memories as I felt every pair of eyes on me in this room. But before I was about to divulge out the truth, I couldn't hold back my mouth from asking,
"where is the filthy underling?".
While everyone else seemed perplexed at my question, I kept my eyes glued on Shikaku, since I knew he'd provide the answer.
"If you're talking about Lord Danzo, then he has set out of the village", Shikaku carefully informs, eying me carefully.
The hell is he up to now?
"I see, so he has left some of his hounds behind to monitor what happens?".
"Quit running in circles Itachi, this secret you've carried for four years unveils now", Shikaku informed, making me narrow my eyes.
"Yeah", I reply back, nodding with my head, "it will unveil now and you best believe there'll be hell to pay on your part".
"Itachi!", Homura bellows, but I remain rooted to my place as I whip my head in his direction abruptly and retort, "shut up you old hag!".
And he does shut up, because I said so.
I dart my eyes back to Shikaku only to see that he too, is sweating from the anticipation that I'm stalling.
"This might've been your plan to push me to this, but the final decision was something I took", I inform.
My heart suddenly clenched at the realization of what I'm about to do.
Hanabi, I'm taking this leap for your sake. This time I'm putting you above the clan, the higher ups, and all else, so please, come back to me.
I miss you...I...
I take in a deep breath and stand tall above them all. When I spoke, I made sure to make my voice reach all their ears and earn their attention.
"This time you'll all listen to the misery you burdened the younger generation with", I say it with disgust.
"Four years ago, when this peace between the Uchiha clan and the village seemed like a distant notion, I became the trophy and the weapon that was put on a pedestal by the two. Always expected to act on my best behavior and fulfill my duties on both sides".
"I was miserable and torn, only allowed to choose between the options they gave to me. When one day, I was given next to no option at all", I swallow down the lump in my throat and carry on, "Obey or betray, those were the options given to me by Danzo Shimura".
The mention of Danzo's name earned me some gasps and raised eyebrows. But what I confessed next, made my clan members tense up with shock.
"In order to achieve this peace, I was given the option to eliminate my entire clan and leave only my kid brother, Sasuke".
"What?!"
"What is he talking about?!"
"Have you lost your mind?!".
I gulped down the fear building up within me. I kept reminding myself that this is for Hanabi's sake and that I have to take this leap when a familiar voice cut through the righteous anger of the Uchiha.
"Silence!"
Abruptly, everyone stopped bickering and making noise when my father ordered them to. I couldn't look him in the eyes, but I felt his intense gaze on me. And so I knew there was no going back now. I took another deep breath before divulging.
"I kept deceiving myself by asking for more time from Danzo, assuring him that there might be another solution to this, but...", I bit down on my lip a bit hard.
"But what Itachi?", father asked, which I knew better than not to answer.
"...little did I know that he had more than just the Leaf's welfare in his interests..."
"What?"
"Which is why Hanabi Namikaze got tangled up in all this mess", I declare, putting everyone on the edge of their seat. The Hokage could be seen tensing at the mention of her name, but what was said next only elevated the intensity.
"Upon learning of Shisui's powerful visual prowess, he took it upon himself to obtain it".
I ignored the shocked expressions of everyone, including the Hokage himself and resumed.
"Fortunately, Hanabi and I made it just in time to save him via her Teleportation Technique. Together, our trio took it upon themselves to find a way to achieve peace in our village without resorting to the worst...but from that night on, everything only complicated further".
I dart my eyes between all the faces present as I address the following.
"You see, Hanabi, being a hybrid between the Uchiha and the Namikaze had successfully manifested the Sharingan", when my eyes stopped on father's, the only proper description of his expression was nothing less of being shocked and or disbelief.
"The day the Uchiha was going to hold a meeting to discuss the long meditated rebellion was when I decided to take it upon myself and finally put Danzo's plan into motion. Something inside me had stirred and I'd told Hanabi about it, which I regretted right away. Nevertheless, despite my attempts at fulfilling Danzo's order, I was stopped by her and we battled it out".
I can't tell them about Madara, if they know about that, they'll lose trust in me and deny my request to save Hanabi.
"Still, we went to the Uchiha District to make sure it was all fine when we realized that the district had been infiltrated with Danzo's Root Anbu. We decided to head straight for the Naka Shrine where the meeting was held, only to find out that it was surrounded by Root Anbu who were waiting for the perfect opportunity to launch their attack".
"When the masked man suddenly appeared, Hanabi made sure to get rid of the Root Anbu who were menacing the Uchiha clan members while I captured Danzo in a Genjutsu to prevent him from giving the signal".
I tipped my head low in recall of that night.
"That's right, that night, Hanabi was the one who prevented the coup, while the masked man appeared by default and confessed to the crime that split the village from the clan in the first place. We escaped the scene using her Teleportation Technique again and I though it was all over until The Third Hokage asked her to clean up the mess he left behind years ago".
I dart my eyes to Hiruzen Sarutobi with distaste. His mouth was wide agape and he looked at loss for words just like everyone else. His eyes aghast and sorrowful.
"As I mentioned before, Danzo wanted to attain the Uchiha prowess in the first place. Which is why he wanted me to massacre my clan so that he can catch two birds with one stone"
"The truth is", I scrutinized my surroundings again, "he already had the Uchiha prowess".
"W-what is that supposed to mean?!", father along other Police Force members demanded as I clenched my jaw in recall.
As and you shall receive, but in this case, everyone is asking for more salt...
"Ichiko Uchiha didn't die in childbirth, and Hayate Namikaze didn't die on a top secret mission", I bellowed, the anger in me boiling, "they were both killed by Danzo Shimura!", I broadened my eyes to take in their astonished expression as the atmosphere intensified the more I unveiled.
"No way...", Koharu gasped, her lower lip quivering.
"I can't believe it..."
"Ichiko...", I heard father mutter in an unsteady voice as chaos was about to break out.
I wasn't done yet, there was still so much more salt that needed to be rubbed on their wounds as well as mine.
"Danzo took advantage of the mission Hanabi was tasked with and substituted the four Anbu members she was supposed to be dispatched with, with four of his underlings. It was all a plan Danzo orchestrated in order to capture Hanabi, since he could no longer get his hands on any Uchiha prowess when the coup was prevented".
I felt the tear at the corner of my eye and quickly wiped it away.
"That very fateful night, when a meeting was held in this room, four years ago, I'd been approached by one of Danzo's subordinates, telling me to go to the Final Valley to see what has happened to Hanabi..."
My voice suddenly hitched in my throat and my heart wretched at the memory.
"What happened then?!", Hiruzen urged, his voice was laced with sorrow.
"Itachi answer us what happened to Hanabi?!", Shikaku demanded, slamming a fist on the table.
"What happened to Hanabi?!", father inquired, his voice just as unsteady as the rest.
With every ounce of hatred I mustered up, I directed my intense stare of loathing and detest towards Hiruzen as I rolled down my glove.
"I think we all know what had happened, but only because I want to rub more salt on your wounds, I'll say it loud and lucid", I hissed through gritted teeth, my own heart clenching at this.
"Hanabi was left with empty eye sockets, then hurled towards the cliff before my eyes, where my desperate attempts in holding onto her resulted in utter failure", I finished off my sentence as I held out the scar that marks the memory deep in my mind and skin.
"This is the truth I've kept hidden due to Danzo's blackmail to me, stating that he'll tell my clan of what I was going to partake in. He'd said that war will break out if anyone knew of this, but honestly, when I found Hanabi alive and a part of the Akatsuki in the Hidden Rain, I knew their was a need to take this leap and tell you all so you can figure out where all of you went wrong".
___________________________________
A/N:- Yo girl is tired✨✨but anyways...Where did Danzo go? What'll happen to OUR mans Itachi? And how will this conflict resolve?
Stay tuned to find out✨✨
~A