At the same time, in a place neither of them noticed, two figures were hidden in a distant tree.
"Hmph," Obito Uchiha sneered. "Danzo Shimura really is good at conditioning people. Looks like we do not even need to guide him. Itachi Uchiha will make his own choice."
He turned to the Black Zetsu beside him and asked, "Was Madara Uchiha this twisted back then?"
Black Zetsu also felt something strange, surprised by how smoothly things were progressing. This Itachi Uchiha was cold and rational to a warped degree, completely different from the emotional and clan focused Madara Uchiha.
But that did not mean Itachi Uchiha lacked emotion. In Black Zetsu's view, he was the most extreme and obsessive reincarnation of Indra seen in a thousand years. The more emotion was suppressed by reason, the more violent the explosion would be.
"I am certain now," Black Zetsu said hoarsely. "He has the potential to awaken Mangekyo Sharingan."
Even Obito Uchiha no longer doubted it and simply said, "Mangekyo Sharingan is not important. What matters is whether he can awaken Rinnegan."
"Heh heh." Black Zetsu stared at Itachi Uchiha in the distance, as if seeing the darkness in his heart. "That depends on how far our plan can go."
It had to make Itachi Uchiha obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and then, like Madara Uchiha before him, witness the altered stone tablet beneath the Naka Shrine. By then, Black Zetsu could already imagine reclaiming Rinnegan.
Morning came with thin mist, the forest filled with the damp chill of grass and leaves. Itachi Uchiha set out very early and arrived at the meeting point almost at the same time as Shisui Uchiha.
"Itachi," Shisui greeted him with a smile. "Are you ready?"
Itachi Uchiha nodded, his eyes calm to an extreme degree. Seeing this, Shisui immediately guessed that something had happened after Itachi returned home last night.
"Itachi, what happened?" Shisui Uchiha's smile faded, his expression turning serious.
Itachi Uchiha opened his mouth but could not speak. Shisui stepped forward and said with a smile, "You should know my feelings are the same as yours."
Itachi did know that. They shared the same ideals. The secret monthly meetings at the Naka Shrine had grown worse in atmosphere, and both believed the clan's resentment toward the village had reached its limit.
No matter what, they had to prevent that dissatisfaction from fully erupting. If the Uchiha Clan rebelled, the village would be dragged into conflict and covered by death once more. This was the shared belief of the two of them.
"My father said," Itachi spoke heavily, "that he plans to agree with the radicals at the next meeting and fight the leadership for the clan's voice."
Shisui Uchiha's expression changed slightly as he frowned. "How could this happen? Fugaku Uchiha always stayed neutral and tried to ease the clan's resentment."
"It is because of me," Itachi Uchiha said his guess. "I joined ANBU, giving him hope. He wants me to gather intelligence from the leadership and cooperate from within."
Hearing this, Shisui Uchiha fell silent. He understood clearly that once Fugaku Uchiha openly sided with the radicals, the fragile balance within the clan would collapse. Those who wavered would follow, and a coup by the Uchiha Clan would become inevitable.
"Itachi, actually…" Shisui Uchiha's gaze flickered as he hesitated.
Rustle.
Footsteps approached, not deliberately concealed, crushing fallen leaves as they drew nearer. Itachi and Shisui instantly became alert and looked toward the sound.
Two figures emerged slowly from the shadows of the forest. One was a man nearing middle age, casually holding a bottle of alcohol, his eyes pale and unfocused. He was their target.
Wujie Kohinata.
As for the other man, he stopped in front of them and smiled gently. "Nice to meet you. I was temporarily assigned by the Third Hokage to join this mission."
"My name is Yunchuan Hyuga."
Noon arrived at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers. Four figures leaped from tree to tree through the forest, their movement steady in a silence that felt wrong. Nothing stirred below them, yet the air carried a sense of watchfulness.
Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha followed behind the other two, and a single glance between them was enough to share their thoughts. They had already confirmed the authenticity of the orders in Yunchuan Hyuga's hands. They also knew that his mission matched theirs, to assassinate the spy traitor Wujie Kohinata.
But why did the order come from the Third Hokage? Was it a temporary arrangement, or a form of surveillance? Or was it part of a deeper struggle among the village leadership?
"Senior Wujie."
Yunchuan Hyuga suddenly spoke, breaking the strange calm between the four of them. With a smile, he asked, "May I ask how your son is doing these days?"
Hearing this, Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha frowned almost at the same time. For Yunchuan Hyuga to bring this up clearly showed he had investigated Wujie Kohinata's background, which risked alerting him too early. It was a careless thing to say in the middle of a mission.
"Really unexpected," Wujie Kohinata replied with an easy smile, showing no concern at all. "A war hero everyone talks about, the Daimyo's famous 'Takemikazuchi no Otoko', actually caring about the situation of a distant relative like me."
"'Takemikazuchi no Otoko'..." Yunchuan Hyuga's smile stiffened. "Uncle, could you not mention that title in front of me?"
"Hahaha, you really do not act like those stiff elders from the Hyuga Clan," Wujie Kohinata laughed openly. "It is a handsome title. I have been a Jonin for so many years, yet you are far more famous than I ever was."
After the battle between the Land of Moon and Kumogakure, Yunchuan Hyuga's title had spread across the Ninja World. Those who had seen him holding thunder within storm clouds gave him the name 'Takemikazuchi no Otoko'. It marked him as one of the rare few even among elite Jonin.
Not just anyone could earn a title acknowledged throughout the Ninja World. "That name was bought with the lives of many companions, so I do not feel worthy of it," Yunchuan Hyuga said, lifting the arm that had once been injured. "Besides, that Ninjutsu put me in the hospital for almost half a year, and that was when I saw you visiting your wife and child."
"So that is how it was. I thought you had been investigating me, which would have been frightening," Wujie Kohinata joked lightly. This made Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha tense for a moment before he shrugged. "To be honest, my son's condition is not very good."
He suddenly stopped, and under the watchful eyes of Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, reached into his coat. He took out a roll of cigarettes marked with Root and lit one. Purple smoke drifted from his lips as he exhaled.
"I am worried about them, so I asked the Third Hokage for a month of leave," Wujie Kohinata said with a hopeful smile. "They always complain that I am never home. I need to finish this task quickly, then go back and spend more time with my wife and child."
"It seems you are a father and husband who values family very much," Yunchuan Hyuga said quietly. Wujie nodded without denying it and sighed. "You could say I live for them. Well, them, cigarettes, and good liquor."