Itachi's anger

A day had gone by…

Upon waking, Arashi found his memory to be a mysterious fog. Vague recollections surfaced: Shisui and Itachi in a conversation, followed by a sudden, overwhelming darkness.

Mysteriously, he awoke in Sasuke's room. Sitting on the edge of the bed was Itachi, who proceeded to unravel the prior day's events.

Every word weighed heavily on Arashi.

Shisui's broken promise to collaborate on a jutsu, his abrupt disappearance, and Itachi's revealing of an undercover mission that Arashi was forbidden to disclose. All these unsettled him profoundly. Worse yet, the news had spread that Shisui was dead.

'This is impossible.' Arashi clenched his fist, 'Big brother can't just vanish…' Arashi looked away.

He tried continuing his day normally. But nothing other than Shisui's sudden disappearance crossed his mind. Arashi found himself in the yard, practicing taijutsu with Sasuke. Their bodies moved in a harmonious dance of offense and defense, all under the watchful eyes of Itachi, who observed the scene from the porch.

Evading Sasuke's incoming punch, Arashi expertly countered, sending the younger Uchiha sprawling onto the ground.

"You alright, Sasuke?" Arashi extended his hand, pulling Sasuke back to his feet.

"I'm fine. Just tired, is all," Sasuke muttered, his gaze drifting towards the wall behind Arashi. A mural of the Uchiha clan symbol dominated its center, and Sasuke's eyes met it with a blend of longing and sorrow.

Arashi couldn't help but ponder, 'What could be troubling him?'

In the tumultuous sea of current events, Sasuke had been largely overlooked. A heavy weight settled on the young Uchiha's shoulders for some time.

At his age, many sought acknowledgment, yearning for their own identity. Yet all Sasuke ever heard was, "You'll be as incredible as your older brother."

The refrain remained frustratingly the same whether it was his father or the clan. To add insult to injury, Arashi consistently garnered praise and seemed to be forever one step ahead, casting an elongated shadow Sasuke couldn't escape.

Itachi caught the direction of Sasuke's gaze and broke the silence. "Are you upset with me?" He smiled as he admired the evening sky beyond the towering wall.

Sasuke's eyes widened, almost as if Itachi had read his thoughts. Slowly, he turned his discontented eyes toward his older brother.

"That's understandable," Itachi said softly. "After all, a ninja's life is one of scorn and enmity from others."

Arashi observed quietly, absorbed in Itachi's words.

"I-I don't think..." Sasuke stammered, unable to complete his thought.

Itachi chuckled softly. "It's a burden, being the best. Power isolates and breeds arrogance, regardless of the expectations people set for you."

Arashi silently reflected, 'He's right. Danzo wanted my Rinnegan, my loyalty. When I resisted, he wanted to kill me. But what do I know?'

For a brief moment, Itachi ceased speaking, and Arashi assumed he had concluded his monologue. Sasuke looked anxious, but Arashi remained impassive.

Taking a deep breath, Itachi resumed. "But now it's just the three of us. I'll always be here, like a wall you need to climb. Even if it means being despised, that's a big brother's role." His eyes met Sasuke's, full of genuine emotion.

Their reflective moment was abruptly interrupted as the door swung open startlingly.

"Itachi, you there?! Come out! We need to talk to you!!" someone's voice thundered from the entryway. 

"It's all right," he said as he left them on the veranda and turned his feet toward the front door. 

Three men stood outside the entryway. Neither Sasuke nor Arashi recognized them.

"What is it? What brings you all here?" Itachi asked coolly, faced with the dreadful light in their eyes. 

"Only two people didn't show up to yesterday's meeting." It was the long-haired man who spoke first. 

His gaze so hostile to Itachi, Arashi hated this,

"Where were you?!" 

The way of speaking in a roundabout manner became confusing. Somehow, these three already knew about Shisui's death. 

And on top of that, they first had to ask Itachi why he had been absent. A foolish and complex route to what they really wanted. 

"Since joining the Anbu," Inabi continued, glaring at the still-silent Itachi, 

"You've pulled us through many situations. We understand that. Your father said so, too, and he's trying to defend you, but…"

The man with grey hair continued and said,

"But we can't make exceptions." 

"I understand. I'll be careful from now.

Now, are we done here?"

"Almost," his voice slightly lowered.

"We do have a few more questions." 

He was finally getting to the real point of this visit. 

"It's about Shisui Uchiha. He threw himself into the Nakano River last night and killed himself." 

Sasuke's eyes widened.

'Here we go…' Itachi thought.

"Shisui was notably absent from the meeting," one of the policemen said pointedly.

"And given your close relationship with him, nearly brotherly, his actual brother might know of his whereabouts. Is he here?" 

Itachi positioned himself strategically, shielding Arashi from view. "Neither of us have had contact with Shisui recently. However, I'll be the one to break the news to Arashi. As you noted, Shisui was like a brother to me."

The police officers exchanged glances, their eyes still narrowed suspiciously at Itachi. 

"The Military Police Force is initiating a comprehensive investigation," one of them finally declared.

"Investigation?" Itachi's voice tinged with disbelief.

Yashiro produced a folded piece of paper and handed it to Itachi. "This is Shisui's last note. A handwriting analysis confirms its authenticity."

"And what is the investigation aiming to uncover if there's no suspicion of murder?" Itachi questioned, unfurling the paper to read its contents.

"The Sharingan enables one to mimic handwriting effortlessly," he said before turning his attention to the note.

Arashi's fists tightened involuntarily. 'All these indications... could they suspect... No.'

"The content of his suicide note is all here on this tiny piece of paper," Yashiro remarked. Shisui's suicide note… 

"He was one of the most talented of the clan,"

"And the best ever at teleportation. He was always the first to take on any mission for the sake of the clan." 

They applauded Shisui as a capable man, but Itachi could see, behind these fine words, that they thought of him as nothing other than a valuable pawn. 

The flames of rage burned even more fiercely within him; their behavior was the ultimate cowardice. 

Unable to even sense this turmoil in Itachi.

"It's hard to believe a man like that would leave a note like this and kill himself." 

"You shouldn't judge people by appearances or preconceptions." 

This was sarcasm, and also referred to himself. But there was no way these three would understand that. 

"We'll leave the note with you for the time being," Inabi continued, though Itachi hadn't spoken. 

"Take it back to the Anbu and request their cooperation in the investigation."

"Understood." 

The three men turned their backs, and Itachi was relieved. If the conversation had continued even a moment longer, he probably wouldn't have been able to control his rage. 

"Hopefully, we'll get some sort of lead," Yashiro spat when he crossed the threshold. Without looking back, the silent-so-far Tekka told Itachi, 

"We have alternate information channels into the Anbu. If you destroy the note, we'll know." 

'So it's true, they think Itachi killed my brother!' 

Itachi's hand tightly clenched Shisui's note.

"Why don't you just say it?" About to pass through the gates, all three men stopped. When they turned around, their eyes were shining crimson. 

A desire for murder filled the air between the four ninjas. He wanted nothing more. "You think I did this?" Itachi's field of view was dyed red. 

"We do, you child," Inabi said through clenched teeth. 

Yashiro faced Itachi again. 

"Listen, Itachi," he said murderously. 

"If you did indeed betray the clan, you will pay." Itachi's movements were a blur, quicker than his voice or thoughts. With a swift kick, he targeted Yashiro's throat, followed by a spinning elbow to Inabi's face, and finally, a knee driven into Tekka's midsection. As he returned to his original stance, the three policemen sprawled on the ground, incapacitated.

"Like I said, don't judge people based on appearances or preconceptions," Itachi admonished, his eyes never leaving theirs.

Struck in vital areas, the trio struggled to regain their composure, remaining bent over in pain.

"You're gravely mistaken if you think I have any patience for your accusations," Itachi added. Inabi, shaking, managed to lift his head just enough to shoot a venomous glare at Itachi.

Would you like to proceed to the next part of the story?

"The clan… The clan…," Itachi continued. 

"You babble on, but you overestimate your abilities. And you have no idea of the depth of mine, which is why you're crawling right now." 

On all fours, trying desperately to stand up, Yashiro looked over his shoulder at Itachi and spat, "Shisui… had been watching you recently… It's been six months since you entered the Anbu… 

What you've said and done since then is too strange to overlook. What on earth are you thinking?" 

"You cling to your organization, to your clan, and to your name… You limit yourself, and you arbitrarily decide on your capacity. Disgusting… and then, you fear and despise what you can't yet see… still don't know… Sheer idiocy!!" Itachi replied. 

"Itachi, stop it!!" He was about to fly at them again when a fierce voice from behind stopped him. He looked back to find his father standing stock still, a stunned look on his face.