It wasn't long before they reached the old house. Itachi stopped at the door, glancing back at the girl.
"I do not expect you to believe what I say. You likely know me as a criminal and a liar. But this place... this place makes its own truth. It pulls things... it pulls people... out of the shadows. I can't lie here, not about who I am, not about what I've done... That night has haunted me for seven years, Sasuke."
He rested his hand on the door for a moment. It felt very strange to call her that, but forced himself to say that name.
"The clan was on the verge of staging a revolt. When the order came down, and it was an order... The Hokage, the village elders, the mission they gave me was very clear... There were to be no survivors. It was all I could do to bargain for your safety. I did everything I could to protect you, to protect the village, to protect the Land of Fire from war... But none of that matters here."
no subject
"I do not expect you to believe what I say. You likely know me as a criminal and a liar. But this place... this place makes its own truth. It pulls things... it pulls people... out of the shadows. I can't lie here, not about who I am, not about what I've done... That night has haunted me for seven years, Sasuke."
He rested his hand on the door for a moment. It felt very strange to call her that, but forced himself to say that name.
"The clan was on the verge of staging a revolt. When the order came down, and it was an order... The Hokage, the village elders, the mission they gave me was very clear... There were to be no survivors. It was all I could do to bargain for your safety. I did everything I could to protect you, to protect the village, to protect the Land of Fire from war... But none of that matters here."