Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 164 You said that anyone who discovers anything unusual should be killed.

The morning sun brought a touch of warmth, and the dawn painted the sky a warm orange-red, filtering through the leaves and spilling onto the street.

Mikoto Uchiha held Sasuke's hand as they walked towards the Ninja Academy.

Sasuke was wearing a brand new outfit today, but his little face showed obvious unhappiness, and his lips were slightly pouting.

"Sasuke, cheer up." Mikoto gently squeezed her son's little hand. "Today is your first day of school, so be happy."

"Hmm," Sasuke mumbled in response, kicking at the pebbles on the road.

After a while, he finally couldn't help but raise his head, his big eyes filled with grievance and confusion: "Mom, why didn't my brother and dad come to see me off?"

Mikoto Uchiha paused almost imperceptibly, looked down at the disappointment on Sasuke's face, and softly explained, "Sasuke, be good. Your brother and father have important things to do."

"important things?"

Sasuke's brow furrowed even more, his stubbornness typical of a child evident as he muttered, "What could be more important than sending me to school? My brother promised me that..."

Listening to her son's complaints, Mikoto gently ruffled Sasuke's hair without answering, her eyes hiding a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

Yes, what could be more important than witnessing the important moments in a child's life?
This same question lingered in her mind, like a persistent shadow.

Soon, the two arrived at a house.

This is the home of the Eighth Hokage Uchiha.

Mikoto suddenly stopped, squatted down, and smiled at Sasuke, "Sasuke, can you wait here for Mommy? Mommy is going to talk to Aunt Ryoko about something, I'll be back soon."

Sasuke nodded obediently and leaned against a tree trunk by the roadside.

Mikoto walked to the front of the Yatsushiro family's house, raised her hand, and gently knocked on the door.

dong dong dong.

"Ryoko, are you home?" Uchiha Mikoto's voice was gentle and pleasant.

However, the room was completely silent, with no response.

A few faint cries of a child could be heard, but they quickly subsided.

Given Mikoto Uchiha's personality, she would usually choose to leave in this situation.

But for some reason, she subconsciously waited patiently outside the door today, the rising sun casting a long shadow over her.

Just as she hesitated whether to knock on the door again, she finally heard light footsteps from inside, and the click of the door latch being pulled open.

The door was pulled open a crack.

What appeared behind the door was Ryoko's face.

"Mikoto." Seeing Uchiha Mikoto, she smiled. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

However, Mikoto Uchiha's gaze went straight past Ryoko and landed on the figure standing in the living room behind her.

The eighth generation of Uchiha.

"Is it Mrs. Mikoto?"

At that moment, Uchiha Yatsushiro also came over and stood behind Ryoko, asking, "Is there something you need?"

Mikoto quickly suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, and a gentle smile reappeared on her face: "It's nothing, I just came to see Ryoko and wanted to ask her if she wanted to go grocery shopping together."

As she spoke, her gaze naturally turned to Ryoko, who seemed to want to say something, her lips moving slightly.

But, that's it.

"Wow! Wow!"

Loud and urgent crying came from inside the house again, and Ryoko almost instinctively turned around to look in the direction of the bedroom.

"The child is crying."

On the contrary, Uchiha Yatsuhoshi's voice remained calm. He raised his hand and patted Ryoko's arm, saying softly, "Go and check on the child first."

Ryoko snapped out of her daze, glanced at Mikoto somewhat flusteredly, then looked worriedly into the room, and whispered, "Mikoto, I'm sorry, the child isn't feeling well today..."

Mikoto's gaze swept quickly between Yashiro's calm and composed face and Ryoko's slightly flustered expression.

"It's alright, the child is the priority." She slowly shook her head and smiled easily. "Go on ahead, we can talk about grocery shopping another day."

Before Yashiro and Ryoko could say anything more, she took a step back and waved her hand, saying, "I'll be going now, I won't bother you anymore."

After saying that, Mikoto turned around without hesitation, picked up her basket, and left the Uchiha Yatsuhoku's house with her still light steps.

But the moment she turned around, the gentle smile on her face vanished, her brows furrowed, and a deep doubt and seriousness flashed in her eyes.

"Mom?" Sasuke greeted his mother when she returned.

"Okay, let's go." Mikoto Uchiha took Sasuke's hand, making her voice sound relaxed. "Let's go to school."

After saying that, the mother and son continued walking towards the school.

Mikoto still wore a gentle smile as she softly responded to Sasuke's expectations for the school.

But the inexplicable unease in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

Soon, the gates of the ninja academy came into view. A number of parents and children had already gathered at the entrance, creating a lively and hopeful atmosphere.

Mikoto knelt down and carefully straightened Sasuke's collar. Looking at her son's innocent face, a wave of affection welled up in her heart.

"Sasuke," Mikoto's voice was as gentle as ever, "you must listen to your teachers at school and get along well with your classmates, understand?"

"Yes! I know!" Sasuke nodded vigorously.

Mikoto gently patted his shoulder, watching him turn to run towards the school gate, but then suddenly called out to him:
"Sasuke!"

Sasuke stopped and turned around in confusion: "Mom?"

Looking into her son's clear eyes, Mikoto tried to maintain a calm smile on her face and instructed, "Don't go home too early after school today. You can play with your classmates for a while longer."

Sasuke blinked, looking puzzled, and asked, "Why?"

"It's nothing." Mikoto shook her head. "I just think it's Sasuke's first day of school, so it's okay if he gets along well with his classmates and comes back a little late."

"Oh..." Sasuke nodded as if he understood, but then a happy smile appeared on his face at the thought of being able to go home a little later and play a little longer. "Okay, I'm going in now!"

Mikoto's smile slowly faded as she watched Sasuke run into the school and merge into the group of other children.

------

Evening, at Fugaku Uchiha's residence.

A softly lit wall lamp illuminated the living room, dispelling the darkness.

Mikoto Uchiha wasn't in her bedroom as usual; instead, she was sitting alone on the sofa in the living room, holding a cup of tea that had long since gone cold.

Click. The soft sound of a key turning the lock came from the entryway.

The door was pushed open, and Fugaku Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha walked in one after the other.

"Welcome home."

Mikoto Uchiha's voice broke the silence, causing Itachi Uchiha's body to stiffen slightly.

Mikoto put down her teacup, a gentle and familiar smile appearing on her face, and stood up to greet her.

Fugaku Uchiha glanced at her, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, and asked, "Why didn't you pick Sasuke up from school?"

Mikoto shook her head, her smile unchanged: "Sasuke is starting school today, so I told him to play with his classmates for a while and not go home too early."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and naturally took the coat that Fugaku had taken off.

"Hmm." Fugaku nodded, his tone flat. "Now that Sasuke has entered the Ninja Academy, it's time for him to grow up."

With that, he turned and walked towards his room, and Itachi also prepared to return to his room.

However, he had just brushed past his mother and taken a step.

"Itachi."

Mikoto's gentle voice rang out from behind, yet it seemed to carry an undeniable power.

Uchiha Itachi stopped in his tracks, slowly turned around to look at his mother, and asked, "Mother, is there anything else?"

Mikoto Uchiha simply stood there quietly, the moonlight casting soft shadows on her face.

Looking into her son's eyes, which resembled her own but always held so many emotions, the gentle smile on her face gradually faded.

She took two steps forward and stopped in front of Itachi.

"Itachi," Mikoto's voice was very soft, "could you tell me..."

"What have you and your father been doing all this time?"

Upon hearing this, Itachi's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively wanted to speak, using excuses like missions or training to brush it off.

"You should understand."

Mikoto's voice suddenly rose, instantly interrupting Itachi's words. She stared intently at her son and said in a deep voice, "You and Fugaku can't hide it from me."

"Your relationship was so tense before because of the conflict between your family and the village, you were practically strangers. Why have you suddenly become so close recently?"

"No, it's not just you and Fugaku, it's Shisui too!"

"The three of you are inseparable, leaving early and returning late. What exactly are you doing?"

"Or……"

Her voice suddenly lowered, and she asked in an almost accusatory tone, "What did you and Zhishui do to your father?"

These words struck Itachi like a thunderbolt, draining all color from his face. His heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand, almost stopping its beating.

Did Mother find out?
How could she know?
How much did she know?
A wave of immense panic washed over Itachi like an icy tide.

He never expected that the pretense he and Shisui had carefully maintained, and his father's seemingly perfect "normal" behavior, would actually be discovered by his own mother.

Given her gentle and patient nature, she must have had a solid suspicion, otherwise she would never have questioned him so sharply!

Thinking of this, cold sweat instantly soaked Itachi's back, his throat felt dry as if it were on fire, his mind went blank, and the words he had prepared beforehand seemed pale and powerless at this moment.

"Mother……"

He forced himself to look directly into his mother's eyes, using all his strength to maintain a calm facade: "It was Father. Father promised me and Zhishui that he would help us resolve the conflict between the family and the village."

"The reason I didn't tell you is because this matter needs to be kept secret. The fewer people who know, the better, as it concerns the future of the entire Uchiha clan..."

He tried to use "family righteousness" and "the need for secrecy" as excuses, but the undisguised panic and pain in his eyes spread out.

Mikoto listened quietly to her son's explanation, her eyes fixed on Itachi's face.

The living room fell into a deathly silence, with only the faint hum of the wall lamp and the heavy, suppressed breathing of the weasel.

Finally, a voice broke the silence.

"Itachi." Black Zetsu's hoarse voice, tinged with laughter, drifted in from outside the window. "You said that anyone who discovered anything unusual should be killed, didn't you?"

Uchiha Itachi suddenly turned his head to look in the direction from which the sound came.

Unbeknownst to them, the figures of "Ban" and "Ze" stood in the darkness.

"Itachi." His mother's voice, full of surprise and doubt, reached his ears. "Who are they? And what does it mean to kill everyone who noticed anything unusual?"

Itachi remained frozen, his body like a statue.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating his pale face and the unfathomable pain and struggle in his eyes.

No, no, don't force me.

It shouldn't be like this; it shouldn't be like this at all.

"Itachi."

Madara's deep voice rang out: "The Konoha leadership has discovered the Uchiha clan's anomaly and has organized a group of people who are on their way here. The White Zetsu mixed in with them have also been eliminated."

"You should understand what this means."

"This is your only chance."

"So, what are you waiting for?"

"Why aren't you doing anything?!"

"Don't forget, Uchiha Sasuke, your brother is coming back soon!"

"As long as you have eyes like Shisui, you can still achieve your noble cause!"

"Now that so many people have died, are we just going to give up? What's the point of their deaths then?!"

Madara and Black Zetsu's words were like the whispers of demons, completely shattering the last glimmer of hope in Itachi Uchiha's heart.

His body trembled violently, and three tomoe appeared in his eyes, fading to a scarlet color.

But at this moment, neither Obito, Black Zetsu, nor Itachi Uchiha noticed.

Fugaku Uchiha emerged from the bedroom without receiving any instructions.

(16,000 words, I'm completely exhausted, please vote for me! lol)

(End of this chapter)