Naruto: The Architect

Hiroshi, wearing an oni mask, greeted him in the main hall. "Itachi, Did you bring that?"

Itachi nodded, handing him over a storage scroll,

"Follow me."

Itachi followed him silently, his curiosity growing with each step.

Hiroshi led Itachi to a smaller, quieter chamber. The walls were lined with strange, glowing seals, each pulsating faintly with chakra.

"Stand there," Hiroshi instructed, pointing to the center of the room.

Itachi complied without question, Hiroshi opened the storage scroll revealing it's content, a thick, rope-like structure with a pale yellow color and spirals or coils that run along its length: it was the umbilical cord of...a newborn Uchiha.

Hiroshi used took small sample using surgical blade and resealed it back in scroll, then put sample in complex seal, which start scanning it, converting all info in numbers.

"Nova do your thing,"

As Hiroshi put his hand on Itachi, Itachi felt the shift in his chakra.

A soft golden glow enveloped Itachi's body. He felt warmth spreading through him, reaching deep into his lungs. The constant ache in his chest—a symptom of the rare autoimmune disease he had suffered from—began to fade.

As the glow venished, Itachi looked down at his hands, flexing them. The weakness he had grown so accustomed to was gone! He felt... strong and free!

"What did you do?" Itachi asked, his voice steady but filled with quiet awe.

"I cured you," Hiroshi said simply, "No more sickness. No more pain."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly, though his expression remained composed. "Why?" from their last meting Itachi was continued thinking about what Hiroshi said, Uchihas are moving towerd their end, more he saw the elders of his clan the more he start believing in it, so he decide to give masked man a chance.

Hiroshi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Because I need you at your best, Itachi. There's work to be done." he handed Itachi a mask, identical to his own oni mask. "Put this on."

Itachi took the mask, studying it briefly before sliding it over his face.

Hiroshi led him to a room deeper within the facility. Inside, Danzo stood at attention, his posture stiff and his eyes dull.

As they entered, Danzo spoke mechanically. "Subject N09, reporting for duty."

Hiroshi waved a hand dismissively. "I told you not to report like that in front of others."

Hiroshi glanced sideways at Itachi, gauging his reaction. But Itachi remained calm, his expression unreadable beneath the oni mask.

Hiroshi chuckled. 'He's as unshakable as ever,' he thought.

Hiroshi turned his attention back to Danzo. "are they ready?."

N09 noded, then bowed and exited the room without question.

Hiroshi sat down at a sleek, modernized table and gestured for Itachi to do the same. "The next step is crucial," Hiroshi began. "The corruption in this village runs deep. If we're going to cleanse it, we need to start from top."

Itachi nodded. "And what's your plan?"

Hiroshi leaned back, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Patience. You'll see soon enough."

The room fell into a tense silence, broken only by the faint hum of the seals lining the walls. Itachi watched Hiroshi carefully, his mind already calculating the possibilities.

The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: Hiroshi wasn't just playing a game—he was rewriting the rules entirely.

…

Hidden Grass,

"This place feels off," Kakashi muttered, his visible eye scanning every corner.

Jiraiya nodded. "Stay sharp, Kakashi. If Kent's information was correct, this warehouse might hold the answers we're looking for."

As they reached the warehouse described in Kent's final report, they found nothing but an empty building. No chakra signatures, no signs of life. Just the faint smell of something recently burned.

"Cleaned out," Jiraiya muttered, crouching down to examine the ground. He picked up a faint trace of ash on his fingers. "They didn't leave much behind."

Kakashi inspected the walls and ceiling. "They were in a hurry. If they've gone to ground, they won't be far."

Their next stop was the village chef's home—another location Kent had mentioned in early reports.

As they entered, they saw a woman serving village chief tea, as woman leaned towerd the village chief, he instinctively jerked back, his whole body tumbled for few moments.

"Kakashi," Jiraiya said quietly, his tone serious, "...Did you see that?"

Kakashi nodded.

Jiraiya summoned a small toad and whispered instructions to it. The toad silently followed the maid as she exited the home. After a few moments, the toad returned, it whispered softly in Jiraiya's ear.

"Two big chakra signatures, one was woman with cloud headband, and other was man with rock headband," Jiraiya murmured, narrowing his eyes. he took out Bingo Book and show it to toad. toad moved pages of book with it's small hand showing two entries.

"Yugito Nii and Han. Two and Five tails Jinchuriki! This just got complicated."

Kakashi tensed. "Two-tailed and Five-tailed beasts in the same place. What are they doing here?"

"Nothing good," Jiraiya replied.

…

"Two Jinchuriki," Nova remarked. "That's a significant opportunity for EP."

Hiroshi leaned back, crossing his arms. "Is it, but I'll let them be... for now."

He turned his attention to another screen. This one displayed live footage from Itachi's oni mask, showing the young Uchiha moving silently through the Hyuga compound at night.

Hiroshi smirked. "Let's see how other one plays out."

Itachi's POV

Itachi moved through the shadows of the Hyuga compound, his oni mask concealing his face. Behind him, a squad of Root operatives moved with silent precision, taking out guards and clearing paths without leaving a trace.

His first target was one of the Hyuga clan elders, known for his corruption. As Itachi approached the elder's quarters, he noticed a young maid trembling as she poured Sake.

The elder's voice was sharp. "Natsu, you clumsy fool!" he barked, slapping her hard across the face as the Sake spilled.

Natsu bowed low, her hands trembling. "I'm sorry..."

The elder sneered. "If you want to make yourself useful, Work as Hiroshi's maid. Steal the techniques he used against the Nine-Tails. Poison him if necessary. If you fail, I'll sell you and your mother to the slave traders. Do you understand?"

Tears welled in Natsu's eyes, but she nodded silently and hurried out of the room.

The moment she left, Itachi struck. With swift precision—he decapitated the elder!!

"It's done," he muttered to the Root operatives behind him.

They immediately began cleaning the scene, removing all traces of the elder's demise.

Itachi moved methodically from house to house, like a killing machine eliminating corrupt members of the Hyuga main branch.

Within a few hours, the job was done!

The compound was quiet, and clean. but unknown to itachi, even hiroshi someone alerted by unusual activity of root,

White Zetsu prowled the streets, disguised as a civilian. He detected unusual activity from Root operatives,

"Something's going on," Zetsu muttered to himself. "Danzo's men are too active tonight. Is that old fool finally lose it or something?" Zetsu decided to follow them.

He followed them back to the Root headquarters, carefully blending into the shadows. As he slipped underground, he felt a faint tingling sensation—a subtle chakra signature in the air.

Zetsu frowned. "A sealing barrier? Clever… But not enough, hehe~"