Itachi's faint laughter died out, the rare sound swallowed by the cold rooftop air. His expression hardened once more, and he turned his gaze to the distance, eyes narrowing against the bright sunlight reflecting off the iron city. His breath slowed, steady, but beneath the calm, his chest tightened with the weight of unspoken questions.
Finally, his voice broke the silence, sharp as a blade cutting through still water.
"Alex… tell me something. What is your end goal?"
He didn't turn to look at him, his eyes still fixed on the horizon, but the intensity in his tone was undeniable.
"You know who I am. You know where my true loyalty lies. I am nothing but a spy… a man whose heart has always remained with Konoha. And yet, you invited me here. You made me your comrade. Why? What do you want from me?"
The words echoed in the open sky, weighty and deliberate.
Alex turned his head slowly, studying Itachi. A smile crept across his lips. It was not cruel, but confident, calm, like someone who already knew the answer long before the question was asked. He stepped closer, the wind tugging at his cloak as sunlight danced on his features.
"Itachi…" His voice rolled out low and steady, carrying a strange warmth. "You're wound up too tightly. Relax a little. You'll break if you keep living as nothing but a shadow."
Itachi's brows furrowed. His hands clenched slightly at his sides. "...Relax?"
Alex's smile deepened, though his eyes turned sharp.
"My end goal… is a world with a better future. Not for me or just for this generation. But for our future generations."
The conviction in his tone made the rooftop air feel heavier. For the first time, Itachi blinked, caught slightly off-guard. His voice was quiet, skeptical.
"You speak as if that were simple… Alex, you are already as strong as the Five Kage combined. What do you mean by this? What kind of 'future' requires someone like you to pursue it?"
Alex tilted his head back, letting the sun wash over his face for a moment, before turning his piercing gaze back at the Uchiha. His words came out sharp, deliberate, almost biting."What I mean, Itachi… is that ninjas, shinobi... all of us we are nothing but tools."
The word tools hung in the air like a curse.
Alex's tone grew harder, laced with disdain.
"We are tools for war, tools for slaughter, tools for the ambitions of men who sit on thrones and do nothing. Born into this world with talent, with will, with strength… and yet we're shackled, thrown around like weapons. That's all a shinobi is in this rotten system."
Itachi's brows furrowed further, his Sharingan faintly flickering to life for a heartbeat in his eyes. His lips parted, disbelief dripping in his quiet voice.
"…You mean…"
"Yes." Alex's smile vanished. His voice turned into a growl, sharp and certain. "I mean, I want to destroy the feudal lord system."
Itachi's chest tightened at the words. He turned his gaze fully toward Alex now, watching him with unblinking crimson eyes.
Alex took a step forward, his presence heavy, his voice carrying like thunder across the rooftop.
"No matter how strong a shinobi becomes… no matter how much influence he commands… in the end, he is a puppet. The Daimyōs... the lords pull the strings. They control the villages with gold and words, not with strength or conviction. And shinobi, with all our blood, sweat, and sacrifice, remain their dogs."
His tone sharpened, every word dripping with disdain.
"Tell me, Itachi… who gave them the right to decide? Rivers are made by nature, fed by rain. And yet, these lords dare to put taxes on the people who drink from them, as though they themselves were gods. As though their birthright gives them dominion over life itself."
His fist clenched, veins faintly bulging against the skin.
"And the wars... three Shinobi World Wars, Itachi. Three, in less than half a century. And who were the ones buried beneath the blood-soaked soil? The common people... The shinobi on the front lines... The innocents... And what about the Daimyōs? The men in power? They never lifted a single blade. They sit in their palaces, sip their tea, and count their gold while villages burn."
Itachi's lips parted, his throat tightening. He had seen it too—seen the families torn apart, the missions that served not peace but politics.
Alex's tone turned colder, more venomous."These lords… they possess no true strength, no conviction, no vision. And yet, they dictate the lives of so many strong men. Their only qualification was being born in a family that had ruled the land for the past... A rotting inheritance that shackles this world."
Alex's eyes burned now, voice booming. "The Sage of Six Paths gave chakra equally to all people to guide humanity toward growth and peace. And what have we done with it? We twisted it into a weapon... into a chain of curses and hatred. We turned his gift into a means of control, of slaughter, of endless cycles of war."
The rooftop air was heavy with his conviction, as if even the city below trembled under his words.
Itachi inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling slowly. His expression softened, troubled. He couldn't deny it. He had seen with his own eyes how Alex had already begun changing things.
He was teaching jutsu to common villagers, not as weapons, but as tools for daily life.
He had altered the terrain of Amegakure with Earth Style, making barren lands fertile.
He showed everyone how to chanel chakra into practical uses like water for crops, fire for warmth, wind for mills. He was reshaping shinobi arts into something more than war.
And yet…
Itachi's voice came low, conflicted, but firm. "…Let's assume you succeed. Let's assume you truly destroy the feudal system. What then? You can't simply let everyone live as they please. If you do… there will be no order but only chaos. Is that the future you want for your children?"
The wind howled faintly as Alex turned to him again and chuckled. A low, rich sound that broke the tension for a brief moment. He shook his head, his hand lifting dismissively.
"No, Itachi. If I succeed… then what comes after is simple."
He stepped closer, his eyes burning with certainty. "It is to create a new a system. It will not be a system that is handed down from a single family in generations like a throne. But it will be a system built by everyone. It will be transparent and impartial. A structure where the people themselves have the right to choose who leads them. It will be open and fair to all where the leadership was determined not by bloodline, but by character, charisma, deeds, and vision."
His hand rose, and he clapped it firmly onto Itachi's shoulder, his grip strong but not oppressive. His smile returned, softer now, almost pitying.
"You worry about Konoha, don't you? About the Leaf, about the other villages. Relax, Itachi. I have no enmity with them. I am no interested in crushing them. In truth… I even pity them. I pity all of you, shackled by lords and politics. My target is not the shinobi villages."
His eyes narrowed, sharp and cold. "My true enemies are the Daimyōs. The parasites sitting above you. And until they are torn down, this world will never know peace."
The weight of his words hung heavy in the air. The rooftop fell silent once more, save for the low howl of the wind and the pounding of Itachi's heart in his chest.
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