Thou Shalt Not Kill

By Maria Szabo

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi and his publishers. This is a work of fanfiction and no profit is being made save that of enjoyment.

"Is it murder when you kill someone at war?"

How many years had it been since he had asked that question, Uchiha Itachi wondered as he sat by the grave of what was once his best friend. He remembered the day so clearly. The teacher had been surprised, not at the question itself, but at the fact that he'd actually spoken up. Things had come so easily to Itachi at the academy, so he rarely felt the need to ask anything.

"No," had been the teacher's answer, qualified by "although we must respect the lives of others, when they attack us, or when our country needs us to sacrifice those lives, then that is considered war."

"Then what makes it different from murder?"

"Murder, on the other hand, is a selfish act. War is when you kill someone for the good of your country. Murder is when you kill for your own convenience. Can you understand that, Itachi-kun?"

He thought he understood the concept at the time, but it didn't seem so clear now. Killing Shisui, for instance, was that really murder? His death was more of a sacrifice than anything else—Itachi had sacrificed the only person in the whole Clan who he felt comfortable with so that he could progress in his jutsu. It certainly wasn't convenient, and not something he particularly wanted to do, but there had been no choice.

"Do you forgive me, Shisui?" he asked the headstone. It gave no reply. He didn't expect it to.

As for what he was planning to do now…he checked his weapons as he rose to his feet. It would have to be tonight. There was a Clan Meeting later, and because of that, those who had been scheduled to work at the Police Office would be in the compound. One of the cousins had been on a mission to the Mist Country, but he'd finally returned, and another was set to leave for the Grass Country tomorrow. All the Uchiha would be there this evening—the men, the women, the children, the main branch and all the cousins and retainers. Everyone. The time would never be better.

And this would put an end to it. The questions and the pressure, from the Hokage wanting to find out what the Clan was up to, and the Clan wanting him to feed disinformation to the Hokage. He would no longer have to be perfect, or meet the expectations that he, as recognized heir of the Uchiha Clan, had spent his life conforming to. He would finally be free of all of it, and able to progress on his own, as fast and as far as he wanted, no…needed to go.

This would not be murder, no. Uchiha Itachi was his own country and he was going to war.

FIN