Jugo: Sasuke, our spy from the academy is here.

Sasuke: Let her in.

Jugo signaled for her to come inside. Then she immediately jumped on to Sasuke and embraced him.

Shana: Hi daddy. Did you miss me?

Jugo: She's not your dad Shana.

Shana: He will be in the future Jugo. Don't be jealous.

Sasuke: I have always been your dad Shana. We just need to legalize the adoption papers then you are an Uchiha.

Shana: See Jugo. My dad never forgets our deal.

Jugo: Whatever you say brat. Why are you here?

Shana: Oh yes I remember I am here to report something huge. Your stupid daughter Sarada blew up her cover to Itachi.

Sasuke: What?

Shana: Yes. She'd shown her being an Uchiha to everyone watching her sparring in the academy yesterday.

Sasuke: That idiot did it so early. What happen to her?

Shana: Well she collapsed after fighting and Itachi left the academy carrying Sarada who was unconscious. I lost tract of where Itachi went so I just went to spy at their home. But then Itachi went home alone just this morning. He's back without Sarada. Then I just heard there has been a commotion inside their house. I guess Itachi was fighting with his wife.

Sasuke: Sarada didn't send a message... Damn, Itachi... He killed Sarada.

Jugo: I will ask all animals available to gather intel about where Sarada's body is.

Shana: I checked out our rendezvous in case of emergency, but she wasn't there.

Sasuke: Did you check where Itachi could possibly brought her?

Shana: Yes I did send all my birds to look for Sarada in the forest near the academy.
None of them saw her body.

Jugo: It is possible she's still alive. She must be hiding somewhere.

Sasuke laughed out loud.

Sasuke: Hahahahahaha... If she's not dead yet and Itachi did something to her.... Then she would be burning with hatred for him right now. hahahahahahaha

Jugo and Shana looked at each other confused at why Sasuke was laughing.

Sasuke: I believe she survived. I trust her.

Jugo: Are you sure she doesn't need our help just yet?

Sasuke: I know she's cooking something on her sleeve today... She knows it's Itachi's special day. Now, she's not just after him because I told her so.... she has her own desire to kill Itachi... That is good for me, Jugo.

Karin entered the room with a birthday cake.

Karin: Here's your order Sasuke.

They both sang a happy birthday song with sarcasm. Then he closed his eyes and made a wish before he blew a small fireball burning the Itachi doll on top of the cake.

Jugo: Who's birthday is it Sasuke? Is it yours?

Sasuke: It's Itachi's birthday. I just made a death wish on his birthday. Hahahahaha...

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(At Itachi's residence)
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Haruto POV

I am in distraught about the hard truth I learned. About the history of the Uchiha clan... about Sarada and Sasuke...

I looked at both my parents with pain in my heart. I loved them so much but they aren't mine from the start.

Dad confessed to me his dark past. It was the first time I knew how wicked he was.

He was branded as a prodigy since he was young. He is the best Uchiha of all.

But what's the use of being the best when in his heart there is unrest?

He said he chose to be a villain the village needed at that time... and to maintain its peace he annihilated his clan.

He had broken his brother Sasuke. He made him harbored hatred on him so he could be a strong weapon who will protect the village from the shadows.

But he didn't turn out to be whom Itachi expected him to be. Sasuke chose to be an avenger. He was selfish and only thought about how he was wounded and scarred. He even got Sarada into this brotherly feud.

Sasuke... huh... I hate him.

I felt extreme sorrow for Sarada.

But I respect my dad even more. He told me he had stolen the nine-tails so it won't fall into the hands of a reckless power-hungry shinobi who might threaten the world peace for their own benefit. He only trust himself to keep the kyubi from destroying another village like the Konoha when he was young.

He founded the Akatsuki academy. Gathering and training the strongest to become even better than who they already are.

He gathered any one with murderous and evil thoughts so he could put their passion into good use. All for the sake of world peace.

He is no hero in the eyes of many, in fact he is a villain to the world. But to me he is my hero.

He believes, peace must be obtained for everyone to live a better life. He chose peace and will choose it over family, love, friends, fame, money or anything.

He is that shadow who protects that peace..a silent worker, a secret warrior, that's who he chose to be. And I salute him even if I am not an Uchiha.

Dad said, with what I am capable of, I belong to the Senju clan, I descended from one of the founders of the Konoha. Most of the Hokages of that village came from my clan. The blood of a leader runs through my veins. But I don't feel like a Senju. I don't have to be a Senju. I don't care who my real parents are. I wanted to be like Itachi. I may not be an Uchiha, but I am raised by one. I choose to be an Uchiha.

I am what I am, not because it is what I have to be, but because it is what I choose to be.

I choose to follow the path that Itachi took.

Itachi: Haruto, Izumi, I did a horrible thing to Sarada. This is the first time I wanted to die. Every time I chose peace over something, my heart is not at peace. War broke within me ever since I killed my clan. I hear the voices of those I killed wailing on my head. I kept my cool, kill my own emotions so I could live on as who I chose to be. I pat my own back and told myself, I am not selfish. I am the most generous of all... This is how I love, I give my all. I ignored all wars inside my mind. I am proud of who I am no matter what others say. But last night... I was wrong. I killed my own daughter. Forgive me not and kill me now. Avenge Sarada. This is my death wish.

Although I know he is not perfect, and what he did to Sarada was wrong. I couldn't kill him. I still love him and admired him.

At least he knew and acknowledged his mistake.

So I gave him a piece of cloth as a gift

Haruto: Happy birthday dad. You've forgotten today is your birthday. It's Sarada's handkerchief. She's alive. I just saved her last night and I know where she is.

Izumi: Really Haruto?

They both cried with a mixture of happiness and pain.

Izumi: Itachi, today is your birthday. Let's make it happy, let's go find Sarada.

Haruto: Leave it to me. I will bring her back. Just stay here and rest.

I am happy to see them both relieved. I leave them alone to rest in the house. I promised them to bring Sarada back in a few hours.

But my heart is stuffed. I am overloaded with many thoughts. The happy go lucky that I was grew matured and serious over a matter of hours. While I was walking, I thought of Sarada.

If I caught on to her today and tell her the truth, will I be able to stop her revenge? How will she forgive Itachi? What if she can't accept the truth?

I reached to the place where I left her, but she's not there anymore. I thought she would stay for a while to rest, but she's gone. She's gone with vengeance in her heart.

What if she kills Itachi firsts before knowing he is her dad?

Or if she can't kill him, his brother Sasuke will.

Either way, that would give her too much bitterness and pain.

She will never have the peace that she deserves.

I went back to the house and just waited outside until it's dark. I stood on top of the electric post under a full moon. I thought of my happy past, my sad present and the future I want.

I thought of my dad Itachi, the man I want to emulate. He was 13 when he annihilated the Uchiha clan to protect the peace in the village.

The peace he's been fighting for is superficial. Physically peace is there because there is no war. But this peace does not give real peace of mind.

I want to protect a peace that goes beyond what I can see. Peace that is felt in the heart of the ones I care about.

I thought of Sarada, my dear sister... my troubled sister.

What if I am the villain she needed me to be?

If I kill Itachi right now without her knowing the truth... she would be at peace.

As for Itachi... I would just be granting his death wish. That would give him peace.