Chapter 75: The Rift Between Brothers (Part 1)
"Sasuke… why would you think that way?" Uchiha Itachi asked after a brief silence.
"The cause and effect of this incident are very clear," Sasuke replied, confused as to why his brother would question him. "It was those villagers who started spreading slanderous rumors about our village's hero, Big Brother Kakashi. The Police Force only acted in accordance with the law."
"Spreading rumors?" Itachi frowned. He had only heard that the clan and the Police Force had used violence, but wasn't aware of the exact details.
"Yeah! Not long ago, rumors were everywhere saying that Kakashi was a homicidal maniac, and that the number of his teammates who died during the Third Ninja War was in the double digits!" Sasuke said.
"But even so, the clan shouldn't have used violence against civilians. We're shinobi—we shouldn't raise our hands against them," Itachi responded.
"That's not right, Brother. Sensei taught me: 'To punish without teaching is cruel; to punish after teaching and seeing no change is just.' If the Police Force had acted without warning, then yes, that would have been wrong. But they had already issued regulations when the rumors began, clearly warning the villagers. Those who continued spreading rumors despite knowing better deserved to be taught a lesson."
"He taught you that?" Itachi gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe that his once sweet and obedient little brother would say something like that now. Was this still the Sasuke he knew?
"What's wrong, Brother? Did Sensei say something wrong?" Sasuke looked genuinely confused.
"It's absolutely wrong!" Itachi said firmly, trying desperately to correct Sasuke's line of thought. "Yes, the villagers made a mistake, but we can't just resort to violence. The Police Force should have handled it more gently—violence only deepens the rift between the clan and the village."
"No, Brother, it's useless," Sasuke shook his head seriously. "Sensei taught me: 'Petty men fear power but do not admire virtue.' To restrain the wicked, they must understand the cost of breaking the rules. Only then will they respect the law."
"Sasuke!" Itachi's expression turned grim. "How can you call the villagers petty men?"
"I didn't mean all of them, Brother." Sasuke quickly explained. "Of course, not all villagers are bad. But those that were arrested by the Police Force? I think that word fits."
"And why is that?" Itachi pressed.
"Because Sensei said: 'To repeat hearsay as truth is to abandon virtue.' People who recklessly believe and spread lies have no sense of morality. And without morality, what else would you call them besides petty?"
"Enough!" Itachi snapped, cutting Sasuke off. He couldn't stand hearing "Sensei taught me" again. "Did he not teach you about the Will of Fire?"
Sasuke was stunned by his brother's sudden outburst and stared at him, not understanding why he was so angry.
Realizing he had frightened Sasuke, Itachi quickly softened and said, "I'm sorry, Sasuke. That was my fault. Did your teacher ever tell you about the Will of Fire?"
Sasuke shook his head and replied, "He's mentioned it a few times in class, but he always said the academy talks about it constantly, so he didn't go into much detail."
So he taught all that but not the Will of Fire… just as I feared—Uchiha Douhuan harbors ulterior motives, Itachi thought grimly.
He took a deep breath. "Sasuke, do you really think the Police Force's actions align with the Will of Fire?"
Sasuke nodded firmly. "Of course! 'Where the leaves dance, the fire will burn; the fire's light will shine on the village and allow new leaves to grow.' Big Brother Kakashi is a hero who burns himself for the sake of the village. And while we enjoy the path lit by his flame, we must protect heroes like him. If even those who sacrifice everything for the village can be slandered freely, then who would ever be willing to sacrifice again?"
"That's your understanding of the Will of Fire?" Itachi asked quietly.
"Isn't that right?" Sasuke blinked. "Then, Brother, how do you understand the Will of Fire?"
Itachi opened his mouth to refute Sasuke, but he couldn't find a single logical flaw in his argument.
"Brother, if you were a hero who gave everything for the village and then got slandered—and even your family was dragged down—how would you feel?" Sasuke asked. After being taught by Douhuan, he had developed his own sense of justice and values. And now, seeing his brother seem to oppose those teachings, he wanted to convince him.
"I…" Itachi was speechless. He couldn't imagine enduring such a scenario.
"You wouldn't be able to accept it either, right?" Sasuke looked him in the eye. "Sensei taught me: 'Do not do unto others what you would not want done to you.'"
Itachi remained silent. Only after a long pause did he let out a sigh and say, "I understand. Sasuke, go to sleep. I still have something I need to do."
Their first true conversation in a long time ended unresolved. After stepping out of Sasuke's room, Itachi sighed deeply, changed clothes, and slipped quietly into the night.
Meanwhile, at Uchiha Shisui's home, despite being off duty, Shisui was still reviewing the interrogation transcripts from the joint investigation with ANBU into the three clans who had collaborated with Orochimaru.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Shisui looked up, confused. Who would come so late?
He packed away the documents and went to open the door. Upon seeing who it was, his face lit up with a smile. "Itachi? You're back?"
"Shisui." Seeing his mentor and close friend, Itachi finally showed a genuine smile.
"Come in, have a seat." Shisui welcomed him in, dragged over a floor mat, and the two sat down together.
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that help the story a lot Thank you