2/6

Yoruichi's brow furrowed for a moment as she sorted through her memories. "I think that term popped up once or twice, but there wasn't much in the way of context. Honestly, I'm pretty sure I just skimmed over that one. Seems that might've been a mistake."

"Unfortunately, yes," said Itachi, "To summarize, Tailed Beasts are massive creatures formed from incredible concentrations of chakra. According to legend, they were originally all part of a single being known as the Ten-Tails, but eventually that entity was split up. The resulting creatures were identified by the number of tails they had, from one to nine. Due to their incredible strength, they were highly sought-after by Shinobi who wished to turn that awesome power to their ends. In time, these Tailed Beasts were sealed away in order to ensure that they couldn't freely roam and potentially devastate the lands."

"Just how powerful were these things?" she asked.

Itachi's eyes narrowed for a moment as he mulled it over. "In terms of raw power… I'd say that each Tailed Beast could easily eclipse a Captain's strength."

Yoruichi whistled. "Damn! That's a ton of energy to throw around."

"Yes," said Itachi, "hence the desire of Shinobi to have them sealed away. Occasionally they'd be imprisoned in some geographic location, but the most common method was actually to seal them inside a human being. These hosts became known as jinchūriki, and they were highly sought after by the nations of the world and their respective Shinobi villages."

"Let me guess," said Yoruichi, "They were wanted as living weapons, right?"

Itachi nodded. "Spot on. During his tenure as the First Hokage, Hashirama took steps to make sure that the Tailed Beasts and their respective jinchūriki were divided amongst the Shinobi villages in order to create a balance of power, theoretically deterring war. Each time a host died, though, a new one would have to be found quickly in order to once again seal the Tailed Beasts."

Yoruichi's brow furrowed. "How did the beasts feel about this system? Or the hosts, for that matter?"

Itachi chuckled ruefully. "How would you feel if you knew that others saw your very existence as a threat? To know that you are nothing more than a weapon at their disposal, one to be purged at the first sign of misfiring?"

Yoruichi sighed. "Point taken. I bet if one these beasts got free, they'd be pretty eager for some payback."

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them Yoruichi did not fail to notice the haunted look in his gaze. "Yes… and one night, that's what happened. The Nine Tailed Fox was the beast that the Leaf Village was supposed to possess. However, somehow it broke loose and went on a rampage... and the Leaf Village was the target."

This was more than just him reciting something he'd read, Yoruichi realized; his demeanor alone was proof enough of that. "You were there, weren't you?"

"Yes and no," Itachi replied, "I wasn't on the front lines, but I was in the village during the attack. I was five years old at the time, so due to my age I wasn't even a Shinobi at the time. Even if I had been, at that age there's no way I would've been allowed to face the Nine Tailed Fox with the adults. I remained at home with my little brother, Sasuke. He was only a year old at the time, and I was determined to protect him."

Yoruichi smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "You cared for him deeply, didn't you?"

Itachi mustered a small smile in response, although the sadness in his gaze gave Yoruichi a hint at the tragedy she was sure lay ahead. "I did… and I still do."

She gave him a moment to collect himself, which he did remarkably quickly. "Both my father and mother were Shinobi, but after she'd married father mother had settled down to raise Sasuke and I. When the Nine Tailed Fox commenced its attack, both of them were out of the residence, so it fell to me to look after him. Mother eventually did return home while the attack was taking place, but father did not. Since he was the head of both the Uchiha Clan and the Leaf Village Military Police Force, he was naturally helping to protect village during the crisis. The beast wrought immense destruction, but it was eventually sealed away by the Fourth Hokage at the cost of his life. However, the victory was hollow for more than just the Fourth Hokage and the others who died in the attack. I didn't realize it at the time, but the events of that night were where it all began to fall apart."

"What do you mean?" asked Yoruichi.

"I learned later on that my father had wanted to take the Uchiha who were cable of combat to the front lines to confront the beast directly," Itachi replied, "However, they had been ordered to focus on strengthening the village's defenses instead."

Yoruichi was confused. "But your clan's Sharingan would've been a powerful asset in defeating the Nine Tails. Holding the entire clan back to shore up the defenses doesn't make any sense."

Itachi nodded. "You're quite right. In fact, it was because of the Sharingan's power that the Uchiha were held back."

Yoruichi shook her head. "I've got to be missing something here, because right now I'm completely lost."

"Remember the final fight between Hashirama and Madara I told you about?" asked Itachi.

Yoruichi wasn't sure where this was going, but suspected she'd find out shortly. "The one that took place after Hashirama was selected to be the First Hokage, right? What's that got to do with this?"

"Apparently, Madara had controlled the Nine Tails during his clash with Hashirama," Itachi answered, a dark look in his eyes, "The power of the Sharingan had enabled him to turn this fearsome beast into a weapon that nearly allowed him to overpower the First Hokage. Frankly, it's nothing short of a miracle that Hashirama was able to triumph in that encounter."

Yoruichi's eyes widened slightly as a piece of the puzzle slid into face. "The people who governed the village were afraid that your father and the rest of the Uchiha were behind the attack, weren't they? If Madara had been capable of controlling the Nine Tails in the past, another Uchiha could potentially do the same. They could make the beast back down… or incite it to inflict even greater devastation."

"Exactly," said Itachi, with more than a hint of bitterness in his voice, "There were those in positions of power who believed that the Uchiha were indeed responsible for the attack. They had no proof, and members of the clan were deeply resentful of their suspicions. My father must've been indignant at such a notion, but knowing him, he did his duty that night and followed orders. The resentment and suspicion of that fateful evening would not die down just because the Nine Tailed Fox was sealed and the village saved. They lingered and became a festering infection on the wounds the beast had inflicted… an infection that should've been recognized and treated immediately. Instead it was allowed to grow, and it would eventually lead to disaster."

"If the village suspected the Uchiha of taking part in the attack, did they take retaliatory measures after the dust settled?" asked Yoruichi.

"In a way," Itachi replied, "Since they had no proof, they couldn't act openly, and the clan leaders could never prove that any one measure was meant as an attack against them. Still, there were ways in which portions of the village leadership manifested the mistrust on their end. It started with the reconstruction of the village; the Nine Tails had levelled entire sections during its rampage, and the widespread rebuilding proved to be an ideal cover for those who suspected the Uchiha of having a hand to play in the devastation."

Yoruichi gave a slight tilt of her head in puzzlement. "How so?"

"Many homes had been destroyed, and in the aftermath, there was a great deal of reorganization put into the residential areas during reconstruction," Itachi answered, "Plenty of Uchiha had lost their homes as well, so the village had a special compound constructed for the entire clan. Officially, it was done so in order to ease the reconstruction by consolidating space… but it also made it much easier to keep tabs on the Uchiha by concentrating the clan in one area. The compound was towards the outskirts of the village, which meant that the Uchiha became more isolated from government affairs. The clan still retained control over the Military Police Force, but the first of a series of budget cuts was enacted almost immediately after the attack. While the public reason the rulers gave was that reconstruction was a top priority and thus funding had to be reallocated, many in the Uchiha Clan saw it as an attack on their prestige."

Yoruichi's brow furrowed as she considered everything. "Were the Uchiha just being paranoid, or were the perceived slights actually deliberate?"

Itachi sighed. "I believe both parties share blame here. While consolidating space and easing reconstruction was important in the aftermath of the attack, it wasn't necessary for the Uchiha Clan's new compound to be placed in such a location that would symbolize its growing isolation from village politics. In that light, it's clear that the compound was meant as a means of concentration and surveillance. With regards to the initial cuts to the budget of the Military Police Force, I can understand the need to shift funds to reconstruction. At the same time, though, it's entirely possible that subsequent cuts were intended to erode the power of the Uchiha Clan. The clan had legitimate grievances on these fronts, but by embracing resentment and suspicion they only further contributed to the growing animosity between the Uchiha and the heart of the village. Every sacrifice the clan was asked to make for the sake of the greater whole was only seen as deepening the affront to the pride of the Uchiha. The clan began to internalize the symbolic isolation, and this would only grow worse as the years went by."

"You said your father was the head of the clan, right?" asked Yoruichi, "How did he feel about all of this?"

"At first, I think he simply wanted to carry on with his duties and hope that everything would blow over," Itachi replied, "He wasn't just a clan head or leader of the Military Police Force, after all; he was a father with two young sons. In the early years, I doubt he wanted Sasuke and I exposed to any of the broader clan resentments with the village. Still, it always lingered beneath the surface, and it wasn't hard for me to pick up on it."

Yoruichi smiled. "I bet you were a pretty observant kid."

Itachi nodded. "I was. Even at an early age, I was able to detect things that my father likely would've preferred to keep hidden. I noticed when he went to secret meetings with other members of the clan, just as I noticed that his stress grew as the years went on and the number of meetings increased. The tensions between the clan and the village refused to subside, no matter how much he might've wished otherwise."

Yoruichi scratched her chin with her finger. "What about the village leadership? You mentioned that the Fourth Hokage died during the Nine Tailed Fox's attack. Who replaced him? Did they have a role in the escalating tensions?"

"Rather than name a Fifth Hokage, the Third Hokage was brought out of retirement instead," Itachi answered, "Hiruzen Sarutobi, despite his advancing years, remained a powerful Shinobi, so it's understandable why they asked him to resume a leadership role rather than look for a new candidate; at the time of his appointment, he was a much-needed stabilizing influence. Believe it or not, he was also the man that trained Jiraiya."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "Really? What was he like?"

Itachi hesitated for a moment before replying. "He was popular with the village. It wasn't just his skills that won him renown, but his dedication to peace and justice. He wanted to make sure that the village was safe, and was cautious and deliberate in both domestic and foreign policy. Violence was a last resort to him; if he could solve a problem with words rather than combat, he would make every effort to do so. The people of the village loved him for it, and in the aftermath of the Nine Tailed Fox's attack believed that he was the best candidate to help ensure a period of peaceful reconstruction.'

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "You say the people liked him, but what about you?"

"My thoughts on him are… mixed," he said cautiously, "Later experience in particular left me with a somewhat bitter taste. He was well-meaning, but also indecisive. That proved costly. He wanted to facilitate reconciliation between the village leadership and the Uchiha Clan, but even if he was the head of the village his power wasn't undisputed; the Hokages have traditionally governed with a council of advisors, and consensus on that council was hardly guaranteed."

"Let me guess," said Yoruichi, "Other members of the council were less inclined towards diplomacy than the Third Hokage. They saw the Uchiha as a threat. Am I on the right track?"

"Very much so," Itachi answered, "The strongest opponent of reconciliation came in the form of Danzō Shimura. He had ascended from the ranks of active duty Shinobi to become the lead figure in the village's clandestine operations. Danzō even created a subset of the Anbu Black Ops that was called 'Root'. Officially it was a subdivision devoted to the training of particularly promising individuals, but in practice it basically operated as Danzō's private Shinobi force. Assassination, infiltration, sabotage; they did all that and more. He commanded it in the manner that he thought was best for the village… without consulting the Hokage or other members of the village council."

Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that never blew up in anyone's face."

Itachi nodded. "Danzō was an extremist and hardliner who saw himself as willing to take on the dirty work that the Third Hokage couldn't bring himself to do. Perhaps he truly believed he was doing what was necessary for the sake of the village, but in doing so he undermined the authority of the Third Hokage in matters of both domestic and foreign policy. It would be no different when it came to resolving the tensions between the village and the Uchiha Clan."

Yoruichi shook her head, unable to suppress a sorrowful sigh as she looked at Itachi. "And all the while, you were growing up amidst these simmering tensions. That can't have been easy for you."

"Had I been a normal child, most of it likely would've gone over my head," said Itachi, "However, I learned very early on what the world was really like… far earlier than I should've, in hindsight."

She couldn't fail to notice the haunted look in his eyes. "What happened?"

It took a moment before Itachi could respond. "In the closing days of the Third Shinobi World War, my father and the Uchiha Clan took an active role in helping the village on the battlefield. One day, my father took me to the frontlines. I was four years old at the time."

Yoruichi's eyes widened in horror. "What? He took you to a goddamn warzone at that age? What the hell was wrong with him?"

It took quite a lot to make her genuinely angry, and it was a very good thing that Itachi's father wasn't with them at the moment; it would've required every last bit of restraint on Yoruichi's part to keep from going Bankai on his ass and unleashing a beatdown she normally reserved for Menos Grande. The thought of a young Itachi in such an environment inspired an almost searing fury within her, and she had to work to suppress her spirit energy lest it suddenly spike and overwhelm her companion.

Much to her surprise, she saw Itachi give her a small smile. "I remember that my mother had similar sentiments at the time, even if she ultimately relented. I think she would've liked you, Yoruichi."

Yoruichi took a deep breath, dialing back her anger; it would hardly help Itachi in a situation like this. "If she was against what your father had planned, then I'd definitely have her back at least. Seriously, what was your father thinking? I don't care how gifted you are now; at that age, you had no business being anywhere near a battlefield!"

Itachi nodded. "I won't dispute that. I do understand what was going through my father's mind at the time, though. Even at that young age, it had already been decided that I would become a Shinobi. My father wanted me to understand what that really meant, so he took me to the frontline. I didn't participate in the fighting itself; I was there only to observe the aftermath."

He closed his eyes for a moment. "I remember it as if it were yesterday. The pouring rain, pools of blood, cries of the wounded and the dying… and the corpses strewn everywhere. Shinobi from the Leaf Village, from hostile lands… death did not discriminate. This was the world of Shinobi; a world of conflict, struggle, and ultimately death. That was the point my father wanted to get across, and in that he succeeded. However… I took another lesson to heart that day too, one that my father didn't realize until it was far too late."

"What kind of lesson?" she asked.

"That it wasn't worth it," he replied, "The differences that had led to the conflict and their deaths… it was a complete waste. No one becomes a Shinobi because they want to die; they all have their own hopes and dreams. Yet that day, their hopes and dreams were destroyed by the cruelty of the world that Shinobi had built. Lying there on the battlefield, dead or dying, their hopes and dreams meant nothing. Their lives were claimed not just by the hell that was the Third Shinobi World War, but by the hell that was the Shinobi World as a whole… and on that day, I became determined to challenge that hell. My father, the Uchiha Clan, the Shinobi of the Leaf Village or the other Shinobi villages of the world might've accepted such carnage as simply the way things had to be, but I did not. The world had to change… and I wanted to be the one that made that happen. The world did not deserve to be torn apart by warring Shinobi. What was needed was a true and lasting peace… one that I decided to devote myself to bringing about."

Despite the somber nature of what he was describing, Yoruichi couldn't help but smile. "So, when most children would be dreaming about going on grand adventures, your vision was to create a better world… you were one hell of a kid, Itachi."

Itachi shook his head. "I was naïve, even with that harsh exposure."

"You were only four years old," Yoruichi firmly countered, "I bet any other kid put into that situation would've been rendered catatonic in horror. You saw the ugliness of the world in a way that no child should ever have to, and you wanted to change it. What you faced that day was mankind at its worst, but you found the strength to face that harsh reality and strive for something better. That's a level of bravery that plenty of adults fail to measure up to."

"I'm afraid you're giving me too much credit," said Itachi, "What I saw that day… well, it's fortunate that the heavy rain was enough to hide my tears."

"Again, you were four," Yoruichi argued, "I'd be much more concerned if you didn't cry under those circumstances."

There was a moment of silence before Itachi spoke again. "I suppose you're right. Regardless, that day's been burnt into my memory ever since, and it helped guide my actions going forward. I wasn't due to start my official education at the Shinobi Academy for another two years, but I trained every day regardless. I had some help, too; I'd met Shisui prior to the Nine Tailed Fox's attack, and I spent time practicing with him. I guess you could say that I was determined to hit the ground running."

Once again, Yoruichi found herself taken aback by the young man. "Hold on, you mean you started at this Academy when you were only six years old? Is that normal for your village?"

"Yes, although I should offer some context," Itachi replied, "The Shinobi Academy is not just for combat instruction. It's more accurate to think of it as an academic institution that frames its lessons in a Shinobi context. There's a core curriculum of reading, writing, mathematics, and other fundamentals that you'd find in any basic educational facility. However, these are all geared towards giving us a solid foundation for once we actually start our Shinobi training. Still, since I had already begun practicing before entering the Academy, I had a leg up on my fellow students when it came to actually applying that knowledge."

Yoruichi sighed. "At least tell me that training for students is properly supervised. A bunch of kids running around with kunai and shuriken strikes me as a disaster waiting to happen."

"Of course," said Itachi, "The Academy instructors hammer it into students early on that ninja tools and weapons are not toys. There's a nurse's office complete with medical Shinobi on hand in the event of accidents, and the teachers are all veteran Shinobi usually capable of spotting potential accidents before they happen. Academy students are considered a vital resource for the future of the village, so there's plenty of incentive for those running the institution to make sure that it's as safe an environment as possible."

Yoruichi smiled. "In that case, I guess I can ease up a bit on your village's education practices. If you'd been training prior to enrollment, then I bet you really wowed your teachers on your first day of class. I know your Shin'ō Academy instructors certainly were impressed when you made your debut!"

Itachi's answer was couched in what Yoruichi had no doubt was a considerable understatement. "I suppose I did make an impression. The teachers' initial responses were favorable, although I believe I rubbed at least a few students the wrong way."

Yoruichi shrugged. "That's hardly a surprise. They were probably jealous of what you were capable of."

Itachi looked down for a moment. "Actually… there was a bit more to it than that."

Yoruichi frowned. "Don't tell me you were bullied. You seem like the type who could handle themselves in a situation like that, even at a young age."

"Bullying wasn't the issue in and of itself," said Itachi, "I was more than capable of taking care of myself in such a scenario, as you suggest. There were a few older students who found that out the hard way. It didn't take long to scare off anyone who might opt for physical threats or intimidation to get their way. However, the suspicion that elements of the village leadership had for the Uchiha Clan had begun filtering down through the population ever since the attack by the Nine Tailed Fox. There had been plenty of time for rumors and whispers of Uchiha plotting to find their way to the ears of children who would be attending the Academy. The students didn't have the full picture, of course, but the impressions they got from their parents were enough for plenty of them to form less than savory opinions regarding my family."

Yoruichi winced. "That can't have been fun to go through."

Itachi shrugged. "I managed well enough. I actually had some help. I hadn't asked for it and didn't need it… but it was nice to have, just the same."

Yoruichi smiled. "What form did this 'help' take?"

There was a noticeable pause, and from the way Itachi turned his gaze slightly downwards he looked almost adorably awkward and shy. "It… was a girl."

Yoruichi grinned; this was too good to pass up. "Really? Care to tell me about her?"

"Her name was Izumi," Itachi replied, "Izumi Uchiha. She was in the class next door to mine. During a confrontation between myself and some other students, she stepped in… and activated her Sharingan."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "So, she was a member of your clan and already had the Sharingan despite only being an Academy student? Does it really manifest that early?"

Itachi nodded. "It can, if the Uchiha in question experiences a sufficiently powerful emotion. In Izumi's case, it was the death of her father; he perished during the attack by the Nine Tailed Fox. However, due to her youth and inexperience she couldn't call upon it without consequence; the subsequent chakra expenditure proved too much, and she actually passed out shortly after that confrontation. I took her to the nurse's office… and remained by her side until she regained consciousness."

The mental image of a young Itachi staying by a girl's bedside waiting for her to recover was absolutely adorable. "That's sweet of you. I bet she really appreciated that."

"I suppose so," said Itachi, "We became friends, and often wound up walking home together after school. This was out of convenience; we both resided in the Uchiha Clan compound, after all. Still… I came to enjoy her company."

"And I bet she enjoyed yours," said Yoruichi knowingly, "What girl wouldn't, after all?"

The briefest hint of a blush flashed across his face, but Itachi didn't let it faze him. "There were plenty of girls at the Academy who seemed to like watching me. Izumi was the only one that went past that, though. Part of it was likely because we shared the same clan, but that wasn't all there was to it. She'd lost her father, but she was still a kind girl, and she believed in doing what she thought was right. She was… special."

The past tense there was all too clear; Yoruichi doubted this tale of budding young love had a happy ending. "What happened to her?"

There was just the briefest pause before Itachi spoke again. "If it's all right with you, I'll come back to that later. Her fate… well, it's tied to what lies ahead."

Yoruichi nodded; she was all for letting Itachi go at his own pace. "Fair enough."

"Thank you," he replied, "Anyway, I didn't spend long at the Academy. Most village children enter when they're six and graduate when they're twelve, but my studies went at a much more rapid pace. In fact, I actually graduated when I was seven years old."

Yoruichi whistled. "Damn. I knew you were talented, but that's really something else! You must've turned quite a few heads."

"I did," said Itachi, "although not all of them were for the right reasons. Most teachers were suitably impressed with my abilities, but a few had complaints. They felt it was premature to let me graduate so early, even though I had decisively proven my mastery over the Academy curriculum. I realized that those arguing against my early graduation had something in common; they were all from families whose lineages ultimately connected them to the Senju Clan."

Yoruichi leaned forward and clasped her hands together. "So, it was clan rivalries driving their objections rather than less subjective concerns?"

"I never got definitive proof," Itachi cautioned, "but… well, that was the impression I gained, yes. I wasn't going to let it stop me from carrying out my new duties, though."

"Look, don't take this the wrong way," said Yoruichi, "I'm sure you were the most badass seven-year-old in the world, but you were still a kid. They can't have had you doing anything too dangerous right out of the gate, right?"

"You're not wrong," Itachi admitted, "Graduates fresh out of the Academy are known as Genin. It's basically the lowest Shinobi rank excluding that of a student, not all that different from an unseated Soul Reaper. Their can be a great level of variance when it comes to the skill and strength of individual Genin, but that doesn't change the fact that they're still low on the command hierarchy. Genin with greater experience can get dangerous assignments, but for the most part, especially when it comes to Genin that just came from Academy, they're typically assigned low-risk missions."

"What qualifies as 'low-risk' for Shinobi?" asked Yoruichi.

"Mostly manual labor and errands," Itachi answered, "Finding lost pets, weeding a garden, acting as couriers, moving supplies… basic maintenance and public service, really."

Yoruichi couldn't help but giggle. "Some of those sound more like chores, really. Don't tell me the Academy's star student was reduced to being a household errand boy!"

"It didn't last for very long," said Itachi, "With my abilities, the village couldn't keep me on garden variety Genin missions forever, even with my age taken into consideration. Just a year after my graduation, my skills had already developed to the point that other Shinobi considered me to be at a Chūnin's level of strength. However, I was still considered too young to actually take the Chūnin Examinations, so I remained with Team 2 for the time being."

"Who else was on your team?" asked Yoruichi.

"The typical Shinobi team for new Academy graduates is comprised of three Genin and a Jōnin," Itachi replied, "This is so the Genin can gain valuable experience while under a veteran Shinobi's guidance and protection. Since I had graduated early, both of my fellow Genin were five years older than me. One was a boy named Tenma Izumo, and the other was a girl named Shinko Inari. Oddly enough, Tenma was one of the boys that Izumi had scared off with her Sharingan when I had first entered the Academy. As our supervising Jōnin, that was Yuki Minazuki. He… was not the best choice for that role."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that? Was he incompetent?"

Itachi shook his head. "He had the necessary skills to lead Genin. With another team, he likely would've been much more suitable for the role of supervisor. The problem was me. It didn't take me long to notice a key flaw with him; he had a jealous streak, and in this case, it was directed at me because of how rapidly my abilities had advanced. He didn't appreciate the idea of being outdone by a Genin. In fact, I learned that he'd sent several Genin back to the Academy in the past because he'd feared being shown up by them. However, my skills had evolved to the point where he couldn't offer a plausible explanation for repeating such a feat. Instead, he settled for delaying my entry to the Chūnin Exams. As a result, I was with Team 2 for about three years."

Yoruichi sighed. "It had to have been frustrating being stuck under a guy like that. I've met my share of Soul Reapers who share that kind of pettiness. All they do is weaken the Thirteen Court Guard Squads as a whole just to bolster their fragile egos."

Itachi nodded. "Any sufficiently large organization will inevitably have some individuals like him in its ranks. I wasn't about to let the resentments of my team leader stop me from further honing my skills. When I wasn't on missions with Team 2, I trained in private. Occasionally, I'd have the chance to practice with Shisui when he wasn't on missions of his own. There were also… other matters that I was being drawn into."

Yoruichi could tell that emphasis on the word 'other' did not bode well. "What was going on?"

"The clan's resentments hadn't been put on hold just because I'd entered and graduated from the Academy," Itachi reminded her, "They certainly didn't lie idle during my time as a Genin. Once I officially became a Shinobi, my father began including me in the regular clan meetings. Most Shinobi clans have these get-togethers, and they're supposed to be peaceful family gatherings meant to make sure that a clan's on the right path. The ones that the Uchiha Clan had been having, though… well, they had much darker undertones."

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "The fact that they waited until you were officially a Shinobi before actually including you is rather ominous."

"Believe me, that fact did not escape my notice," said Itachi, "I quickly learned that my apprehension was well-founded. The clan meetings were dominated by the tensions that had been building between the village and the Uchiha ever since the Nine Tailed Fox's attack. Many were already convinced that the village was out to get them and had scapegoated the Uchiha for the attack. There was also the widespread belief that our new clan compound was meant as a means to contain us and make us easier to watch, so our meetings were held in a secret chamber beneath the Nakano Shrine, a temple which was believed to be where the Uchiha Clan had originated from."

"Secret meeting beneath a temple, eh?" said Yoruichi, "Yeah, that's totally not suspicious or anything."

Itachi nodded. "I suppose the venue was an embodiment of what the clan was becoming; dark, bitter, obsessed with the memory of past glory… and hateful towards their perceived enemy. In the shadows of that dimly-lit chamber, the hate of the clan festered and grew. Originally, there was just talk of seeking redress for our grievances, but as time went by voices began advocating for more… direct action."

Yoruichi grimaced. "What kind of shit were they looking to stir up?"

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again the regret and sorrow within was impossible to miss. "Ultimately… they began planning a coup."

Yoruichi took a deep breath, allowing the full weight of what he'd just said to sink in. "A coup… were things really that bad?"

Itachi shook his head. "It was a response completely out of proportion to the grievances the clan had. However, the Uchiha have a tendency towards overreaction… particularly when it comes to grudges."

"Is this something that's prevalent throughout the clan, or just powerful members of it?" asked Yoruichi.

Itachi sighed. "It's… complicated."

"This whole conversation's complicated," Yoruichi pointed out, "No reason for it to get simple now."

Itachi gave a rueful chuckle. "True enough. Anyway, with regards to my clan… we're rather contradictory in our nature. On the surface we might try to maintain a sort of aloofness, or at least make an effort to conceal our true feelings, but in fact we're actually capable of great love and friendship, to a deeper extent than most people realize. However, this deep affection often becomes a double-edged sword to the Uchiha. When the object of that affection is lost, those once-warm feelings become twisted into an extreme hatred. It drives members of the Uchiha Clan to undertake actions that would've been impossible to contemplate before; anything and everything becomes permissible, consequences of those actions be damned. In time, this trait became known as the Curse of Hatred."

Yoruichi was skeptical, to put it mildly. "So, your clan began plotting a coup because of a curse? Sorry, but that sounds a bit like a cop-out."

She was surprised to see Itachi actually smile at her words. "An interesting take on it… and perhaps not an inaccurate one. The truth is, the Uchiha tend to be more susceptible to powerful emotions in large part because they're required to unlock the Sharingan, not to mention fuel its evolution. These emotions can feel overwhelming to the particular Uchiha Clan member in question, and they can take extreme action in order to satisfy these feelings. However, sometimes it's felt like that's really just an excuse that the clan has used to justify the lengths it will go to in order to safeguard its power and prestige, or as a means to deflect taking responsibility for actions driven by the extreme self-interest of individual members. You could consider the 'Curse' to be an embodiment of the Uchiha's glorification of the self or the clan at the cost of the greater whole. Still, cop-out or not, there always has been an undercurrent of darkness present in the Uchiha Clan. Whether or not these powerful emotions and ambitions are the product of a literal curse is something we could spend plenty of time debating, but they were certainly a metaphorical curse for the clan in the long-run."

Yoruichi nodded. "The coup plot being an example of that, right?"

"Yes," Itachi replied, "Members of the Uchiha Clan had once been fully on board with founding the Leaf Village and selecting Hashirama Senju as the First Hokage, to the point of isolating Madara, their leader and most powerful combatant. There might've been strains on the clan's relationship with the village at times, but overall the peace had still held; the Uchiha still for the most part believed in the village and wanted it to succeed. The attack by the Nine Tailed Fox and the subsequent isolation of the clan changed that, though. Their loyalty to the village had been called into question, and faced with a perceived attack against their pride and strength, fondness transformed into bitterness. Old grudges were brought to the surface and joined by new ones. The Curse of Hatred fount fertile ground in that environment, and its proliferation was like that of a highly aggressive and tenacious weed overgrowing a once-vibrant and peaceful garden."

"That's why they invited you to the clan meetings, then?" asked Yoruichi, "They wanted you in on the coup?"

"Not just me," said Itachi, "Any Uchiha that was a full-fledged Shinobi was included, so Shisui was in attendance as well. Once she graduated, Izumi was brought in as well."

Yoruichi sighed. "The three of you would've been so young... too young for matters like that. I mean, I get that being a Shinobi means that you had to grow up quickly, but still…"

Itachi nodded. "I know. To be honest, the atmosphere in those meetings… it was terrifying. The air in that chamber felt almost smothering with all the simmering hatred and resentment. It was like a teapot that was being brought closer and closer to boiling over… and it got far worse as the years went by."

"How'd the three of you handle it?" asked Yoruichi, "That had to be rough, to put it mildly."

"None of us liked it, that's for sure," Itachi answered, "I think it was worse for Izumi. Shisui and I had a better grasp on the situation, but her… I could tell just from the look in her eyes how badly those meetings frightened her. She didn't share the bitter grudges of the adults in that meeting, and to be stuck in that chamber as they poured their hatred out for all of the clan to see… it was a toxic atmosphere, to say the least."

Yoruichi put her hand on his shoulder. "From what I'm hearing, it sounds like the three of you didn't share the hatred that was consuming your clan. Given just how young you were at the time, that's impressive. I mean, young minds are quite impressionable, after all. For you to resist that heavy atmosphere of resentment and suspicion at that age is no small feat."

"You're too generous," said Itachi, "The three of us might not have agreed with the path that the rest of the clan wanted to take, but we were a long way from being able to stop it, especially at that age."

"Maybe," Yoruichi admitted, "but you had time, right? Hastily planned and executed coups aren't the ones most likely to succeed, and given that your family was a Shinobi Clan I assume they put a lot of prep work into their revolt."

"That's true enough," Itachi replied, "The clan spent years plotting, making plans and adjusting them as circumstances dictated. As the head of the clan, I believe my father actually tried to delay those plans, or at least soften them. He took his duties very seriously, and it struck me that he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the course of action the rest of the clan wanted to pursue. The idea for the coup wasn't driven by him, and had he acted more forcefully in the beginning it's entirely possible that he could've quashed such an idea, or at least formed a power bloc within the clan that would've provided a counter balance to the more radical elements. He was more than just a powerful Shinobi; he was a respected leader. He had a chance to take a stand against those that were pushing for the coup… but he didn't take it. Perhaps he stalled and tried to lessen the inherent violence of such a plot, but that doesn't change the fact the ultimately went along with it."

The bitterness and disappointment in Itachi's voice was impossible to miss. "You really loved your father, didn't you? Seeing him let things deteriorate like that can't have been easy."

"It wasn't," said Itachi, almost mournfully, "Watching him go along with a scheme that I'm sure he knew was wrong for both the clan and the village… was difficult. My beliefs put me in opposition to him, and while I still respected him that didn't change the fact that a rift began to grow between us. It was subtle at first, but as the years went by… well, before it was over, I probably seemed almost like a stranger to him."

Yoruichi didn't know how to respond to that. She might've had her differences and disagreements with her parents, but they were nothing on the scale of what Itachi was talking about. She wanted to be able to give Itachi a sympathetic shoulder to lean on, but how was she supposed to be able to do that if she couldn't relate to what he had gone through? She feared that any words she might say now would come across as little more than empty platitudes.

I knew he was complicated, she thought, I just didn't realize the full extent of that… and it sounds like his tale still has quite a way left to go, so whether or not I'll fully be able to comprehend the layers to him when it's over is very much up in the air right now.

"As you said, though, this all unfolded over a prolonged period of time," Itachi continued, "Meaning that I still had missions to carry out with Team 2 while the Uchiha Clan descended into darkness. It weighed heavily on my mind, but I learned to shelve my concerns while I was out in the field; a distracted Shinobi quickly becomes a dead one."

"But you were just a Genin at the time, right?" Yoruichi pointed out, "You told me that they get low-risk missions. I appreciate your dedication to duty, but given your level of talent you must've breezed through those tasks almost on instinct. You probably had plenty of time to mull over your clan's issues even while you were with your team."

"In theory, yes," said Itachi, "and in most of those early missions that was the case in practice as well. However… there was one that proved very much otherwise."

"Which one was that?" asked Yoruichi.

"It was about a year or so after I became a Genin," Itachi answered, "Due to our high performance, Team 2 was assigned to guard the Daimyō of the Land of Fire during his annual trip to visit village."

"Sounds like a real honor," said Yoruichi, "Since it was your skill that was bolstering Team 2's performance, that means they were recognizing your abilities."

Itachi nodded. "I suppose that's one way to look at it. However, you shouldn't give me too much credit. Team 2 was really more of a ceremonial honor guard for that mission; the Daimyō had his own professional bodyguards, the elite Twelve Guardian Shinobi, two of whom were with our immediate party while the others were spread across the surrounding area. There was also a four-person Anbu squad watching from concealment, ready to spring into action should trouble arise. In other words, Team 2 wasn't really expected to do all that much apart from spread out around the Daimyō, perhaps provide another set of eyes and ears. Any real fighting was meant to be handled by the others."

"I take it things didn't quite pan out that way," said Yoruichi, "Otherwise you probably wouldn't even be telling me about this mission."

"You're not wrong there," Itachi replied, "As we were travelling to the village, we came across a man in the middle of the road. At first glance, there was nothing too unusual about him… save for the mask he wore. It was a very strange creation; orange with wavy black lines, and a single eye-hole on the right. The way he moved didn't seem threatening initially, but there was something about him that put me on edge. I quickly found out that my instincts were right on the money."

Yoruichi felt a chill go down her spine. "What happened?"

"The man was a skilled genjutsu user," said Itachi, "Before they even knew what hit them, my team leader, the Daimyō, his aides and the two Guardian Shinobi were caught up in an illusion. I'd managed to sense it and avoid getting ensnared, as had Tenma; his specialty was genjutsu, so even though he was only a Genin he still understood what was happening and could counter it. However, what he did next was completely foolish; he immediately moved to attack the man rather than calmly assess the situation and our adversary. That mistake cost him his life. Before I could stop him, our enemy had already struck a fatal blow."

The thought of an eight-year-old Itachi watching one of his fellow Genin get struck down before him was almost heartbreaking. "Itachi… I'm sorry."

There were a few seconds of silence before Itachi continued. "In that moment… I froze. At first, I thought it was because I had been ensnared in another genjutsu, but it was something else. My instincts were screaming at me that I could not defeat the enemy before me. Every fiber of my being wanted to run."

"You were a kid who just saw one of his comrades killed in front of him," said Yoruichi softly, hoping to provide some measure of comfort, "The fear you felt at that moment was perfectly natural."

Itachi nodded. "I know. Still, I was a Shinobi, despite my youth. A Shinobi can't afford to freeze on the battlefield. You know as well as I do that hesitation can easily get you and your comrades killed."

"Of course," Yoruichi conceded, "but still, you shouldn't be ashamed of what you felt back then. Anyone your age in that situation would've felt the same thing, Shinobi or otherwise."

Itachi sighed. "Perhaps your right. Even so, despite the fear I felt, I managed to force myself to move. The attacker said he would let me live if I stayed back and watch, but I refused. Even at that age, I knew my duty, and I wasn't about to back down."

He was brave even back then, she thought with a sad smile, Itachi… you shouldn't have had to go through that at such a young age, but you still rose to the occasion. You really are a remarkable young man.

"I was fully aware that I couldn't win," Itachi continued, "Still, I stood my ground, even briefly exchanged blows with the masked man. Before he could strike me down, though, he stopped mid-strike and suddenly fled; he'd sensed the approaching Anbu Black Ops Shinobi that had been shadowing our group. Before he vanished, though, I caught sight of something that shook me almost as badly as Tenma's death; behind that single hole in the man's mask was a crimson eye with three tomoe."

Yoruichi's eyes widened in shock. "This guy had the Sharingan?"

"Yes," Itachi replied, "and he clearly knew how to use it. At the time, I had no idea who he was; there were no reports of any rogue Uchiha. I came up with a theory later on, but looking back I'm not sure if it was correct or not. Regardless, the fact remained that the would-be assassin of the Daimyō did appear to be an Uchiha. Word didn't get out, especially since I was the only one who saw the eye beneath that mask and live, but… well, the notion of a rogue Uchiha was a disturbing one, especially with the growing tension between the clan and the village."

Yoruichi nodded. "I bet. Any idea why he tried to kill the Daimyō?"

Itachi shook his head. "Sorry, but I never got enough evidence to pin down a concrete motive. Speculation's the best I could offer, and your guess would probably be as good as any one of mine under the circumstances."

Yoruichi smiled. "Well, at least you survived. You even kept to your mission and protected the Daimyō despite being outmatched. I'm sorry about your teammate, but it sounds like things could've gone much worse."

"They certainly could've," Itachi admitted, "As it turns out, there were a few positive repercussions from that encounter. For starters, the death of Tenma caused Shinko to quit being a Shinobi and return to civilian life, ultimately working in a tea shop."

Yoruichi was puzzled. "How is your other teammate ceasing to be a Shinobi a good thing?"

"She was exposed to the reality of being a Shinobi," said Itachi, "It was a reality that I understood before entering the Academy, but most Genin don't have that prior experience. Shinko was a kind girl; Shinobi life wasn't for her, and it was better for her to find out sooner rather than later. I wish it hadn't come at the expense of Tenma's life, but at least she was able to recognize what that encounter really meant, and she took the right lesson from it."

"I suppose that's one way to look at it," Yoruichi conceded, "I'm assuming there were more benefits from that encounter than just her early retirement though, right?"

Itachi nodded. "Seeing Tenma die right in front of me… proved to be a necessary catalyst. Given what I'd seen during the mission, my superiors decided that my report could be held off a few days, so I was sent home after the Daimyō arrived safely at the village. I couldn't get what I'd seen earlier out of my head, and that night my Sharingan awakened as a result. I wish it had done so without Tenma having to die, but I wasn't about to let it go to waste."

Yoruichi whistled. "I bet your Shinobi skills really took off once you got those special eyes of yours."

"That's putting it mildly," Itachi replied, "It felt like a whole new world opened up for me after gaining the Sharingan. The enhanced perception alone was a boon, and when combined with all the abilities that I described to you earlier… well, it was a game-changer. My growth accelerated at such a pace that my team leader rapidly ran out of excuses to keep me as a Genin. He managed to stall for a little while longer, but by the time I was ten even he couldn't deny what was clear to everyone else; I was ready for the Chūnin Exams. In fact, my abilities had advanced to the point that I was allowed to take the tests by myself rather than with the rest of Team 2. It was easy enough to see this as a testament to my skills, but there was more to it than that."

"Let me guess," said Yoruichi, "There were forces at work behind the scenes. Anything to do with the fact that you're an Uchiha?"

"Yes," Itachi answered, "Since my team leader had put off recommending me for the Chūnin Exams for so long, it struck me as odd that suddenly he'd pull an about face and allow me to take them solo. Something was off, but it was only after I'd passed the tests that I pieced everything together. It turned out that I had gained a benefactor on the Leaf Village Council; Danzō Shimura."