Chapter 6: "Light"
The next morning.
The Konoha Council convened in full. Elders. Advisors. Clan Heads.
Tension choked the air — everyone had heard the rumors.
Tsunade stepped forward in full battle regalia, her Hokage cloak already on her shoulders.
Behind her, Jiraiya.
To her left… Galen Anthony.
He placed the sealed container on the table.
And opened it.
The room froze.
Danzō's arm, riddled with Sharingan.
His eye, clearly not his own.
Then came the scroll — a public copy of Root's archives, with Hiruzen's own former signature visible on half the missions.
Gasps. Outrage. Silence.
Tsunade spoke like a hammer striking stone.
"This… is what's been happening beneath our feet. Behind your children's backs. In the shadows of our peace."
Galen stepped forward.
"I am not from this world. But I know darkness when I see it. And I refuse to let it grow unchecked."
Hiashi stood. "Is he dead?"
Galen shook his head. "Not yet. But he's no longer a threat."
Jiraiya looked across the council. "Now the question is: will you let the Light return to Konoha… or will you pretend this never happened?"
And slowly — one by one — heads began to nod.
Location: A remote mountain shrine, far beyond Konoha's borders
Late evening. Fog curling through ancient stone
Itachi Uchiha stood alone.
He always did.
He was still, perched on the edge of a weathered torii gate, eyes closed, listening to the wind as if it carried whispers only he could hear.
Until—
step
A single footstep. Silent, precise. But Itachi noticed.
"You've followed me a long way," he said without turning.
"I didn't need to," came the voice. Calm. Steady. Galen Anthony stepped out of the mist, cloak trailing behind him like the fading warmth of a memory.
"The Force guided me here."
Itachi opened his eyes, Sharingan glowing faintly in the fog.
"And what do you want ?"
Galen didn't answer right away. He just walked forward, standing beneath the gate, looking up at him with quiet empathy.
"I came to tell you the truth... because no one else ever has."
Itachi tilted his head slightly. "Truth?"
"You're not a traitor," Galen said softly. "You're a guardian."
The air went still.
"You didn't kill your clan because you wanted to," Galen continued. "You did it because the elders cornered you. Because Danzō manipulated you. Because you thought it was the only way to protect your brother."
Itachi's expression didn't change — but the silence around him grew heavier. His voice, when it came, was almost a whisper.
"No one was supposed to know that."
"I do."
"How?"
"I saw the echoes in Danzō's mind. I saw the orders. The mission. The guilt."
Galen stepped closer.
"I saw you. The boy who was given a monster's task, and chose to become one so his brother didn't have to."
For the first time in years, Itachi looked shaken.
Not angry. Not afraid.
Just… seen.
"You're wrong," Itachi said, softly. "I am a monster. I've killed innocent people. I've done unforgivable things."
"So have I," Galen said.
The wind picked up.
"I was trained to kill," Galen continued. "I followed orders. I burned planets, fought Jedi, and betrayed the people I loved… all in the name of duty. I thought power would save me."
He paused. "But I found the Light again. I made a choice."
Itachi looked down at him.
"And what choice is that?"
"To forgive myself. To be better. To walk the Light, even if it's painful. Even if it's lonely."
Itachi closed his eyes.
"I don't deserve that."
"You don't have to," Galen said. "You just have to choose it."
They stood in silence, two broken warriors bound by different worlds — yet connected by the same burden.
After a long moment, Itachi finally spoke again.
"…How is Sasuke?"
Galen smiled softly. "Angry. Conflicted. But alive. And growing stronger every day."
Itachi nodded slowly. "He will hate me."
"He might," Galen said. "But he'll also understand. Eventually. Because I'll tell him. All of it."
Itachi turned away.
"I can't go back. Not yet."
"I know," Galen said. "But when the time comes… I'll be there."
As Galen turned to leave, Itachi called out.
"Why… do you care?"
Galen stopped.
"Because someone should have cared about you, Itachi. Someone should have stopped you from carrying it alone."
He looked back one last time.
"And now… someone finally does."
And with that, Galen disappeared into the mist.
Leaving behind a man no longer entirely alone.