Chapter 124: Uchiha Itachi Revisits Konoha
Inside a restaurant on a bustling street in Konoha.
A right hand, as delicate and fair as white jade, held a pair of chopsticks. The ring on the finger glowed with a faint red light. The man seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere, his movements while eating slow and elegant.
"You really aren't nervous at all." The man sitting opposite him appeared somewhat reserved—or to be more precise, restless. "As expected of you, Itachi!"
As it turned out, the two were none other than Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki.
"This was once my home, so being nervous is completely meaningless." Uchiha Itachi chewed slowly and deliberately. Only after swallowing the food in his mouth did he softly utter these words.
"The past is the past, but now you are an S-rank Rogue Ninja of Konoha." Kisame Hoshigaki was still restless and uneasy. "This is inside Konoha. Even if you are confident in your own strength, once discovered..."
"There are no 'ifs' or 'buts'." Uchiha Itachi remained very calm. "We have already been discovered..."
"We..."
Kisame Hoshigaki's body instantly tensed. His right hand reached backward, grabbing the hilt of the great sword Samehada on his back, his eyes narrowing in vigilance.
"No need to be so tense." Uchiha Itachi was calm to a fault. "After all, this is the heart of Konoha; they will not choose to make a move here. Before the real fight begins, let's enjoy the food in front of us. These moments of leisure are becoming fewer and fewer with each passing day!"
"Aha, that's very true!" Kisame Hoshigaki also felt he was too tense. Compared to Uchiha Itachi, he felt he had become the one holding the team back.
Meanwhile, at the secret base of Root.
Because of the issues with Fu Yamanaka and Aburame Torune, Danzo Shimura had become suspicious and paranoid, even questioning whether his methods of controlling his subordinates were as flawless as they used to be.
However, now was clearly not the time to consider such things; patching the loopholes and making up for past mistakes was the most critical task at hand.
After all, the background of Konoha's Hokagecould not tolerate even the slightest blemish. If Danzo Shimura wanted to remain firmly in the position of Hokage, he needed to bury all his past deeds completely.
Whitewashing—everyone understands this kind of thing. Many people living in the darkness who want to come ashore must go through this step.
But misfortune never comes singly. After sensing problems within Root, intelligence regarding Uchiha Itachi's sudden visit to Konoha was quickly delivered to Danzo Shimura's desk.
"Why has he come to Konoha at this time?! Is he here to gather intelligence, or is he trying to intimidate me!"
Danzo Shimura clutched the intelligence, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. Like most people, one of the things Danzo Shimura hated most in his life was being threatened.
"However, since you've come to Konoha, it would be disrespectful not to let you do something for me." Danzo Shimura's anger quickly dissipated. "Using the hands of a Rogue Ninja like you to clean up those who oppose me isn't too much to ask, is it?"
Danzo Shimura was the type of person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals and could utilize every factor to his advantage. In his eyes, there was no right or wrong, only whether something was worth it or not.
Clearly, Uchiha Itachi's visit to Konoha this time was, in Danzo Shimura's view, an opportunity worth exploiting.
"Lead Uchiha Sasuke to Uchiha Itachi, spread this news, and incidentally, create some topics for Hiruzen Sarutobi."
This order issued by Danzo Shimura was not just killing two birds with one stone; he was aiming for three. After all, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke had a close relationship. If Uchiha Sasukeacted abnormally, there was no reason for Uzumaki Naruto not to follow.
As long as Uzumaki Naruto showed himself, the Root Ninja could once again attempt to capture him!
But all of this was exactly what Uzumaki Narutohad hoped for. He was worried about not having a legitimate reason to contact Uchiha Itachi, and now, Danzo Shimura had created all the necessary conditions. Now, Uzumaki Naruto could proceed boldly.
"I didn't expect to run into you at this juncture. Could it be that the Akatsuki Organization also wants a piece of the pie?!"
Thanks to Uzumaki Naruto, the spread of the Akatsuki Organization's reputation was much faster than it had been originally. With Uzumaki Naruto stirring the pot, Konoha had long since listed the Akatsuki Organization as an S-rank threat.
Not only was the priority for intelligence gathering on the Akatsuki Organization significantly adjusted, but information regarding them was also in a semi-public state. At the very least, in the eyes of the qualified Jonin of Konoha, the Akatsuki Organization was no longer so mysterious.
When Jiraiya was not personally leading the team, Kakashi Hatake was undoubtedly the leader among Konoha's Jonin; he had both the strength and the seniority.
It was precisely because of this that Kakashi Hatake became the spearhead in dealing with Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki, standing at the very front of the Konoha Jonin team.
"It's Senior Kakashi..." Uchiha Itachi was expressionless, but the emotion in his words revealed his lack of composure. "I once served under you for a period of time."
"You are not the kid I remember from before!" Kakashi Hatake's tone was unfriendly. "State the purpose of your visit. I can, out of consideration for the past..."
"No need!" Uchiha Itachi interrupted Kakashi Hatake's persuasion. "Although you are known as the Copy Ninja, you only use the Sharingan crudely. You know nothing of their true power!"
"Don't look into his eyes!"
Kakashi Hatake's reaction was swift. While closing his right eye, he pushed his headband up to his forehead, revealing that Three-Tomoe Sharinganthat could never be deactivated.
"It seems you have found some methods to deal with the Sharingan!" Although Uchiha Itachipraised him, his movements were not slow at all. His right hand, painted with purple nail polish, glinted with a cold light as several Shuriken were abruptly grabbed in his hand.
"Watch out!"
"So fast!"
"Is he hiding the hand signs through fake movements!"
Contrary to what everyone expected, those Shuriken were not thrown by Uchiha Itachi. This was merely a feint by Uchiha Itachi, intended to draw everyone's attention away, creating conditions for the subsequent Water Releaseattack.
It must be said that Uchiha Itachi's combat awareness, combat strategy, and combat skills were essentially maxed out. Everyone present was completely played by him in the palm of his hand.
From this perspective alone, Uchiha Itachi lived up to the name of a Genius, but because of his past misdeeds, the word "Genius" needed a prefix—cold-blooded.
However, Kakashi Hatake was no pushover, as he was also a Genius in the past. This contest between two generations of Konoha Geniuses was merely an appetizer!
Kakashi Hatake ultimately reacted in time. While the Sharingan played a part, it was more because Kakashi Hatake was sufficiently cautious and strong enough; otherwise, even if he had seen it clearly, his body likely would not have been able to react.
"Splash!"
Kakashi Hatake's body instantly turned into a pool of water, and immediately following that was Kakashi Hatake's sneak attack from behind, the Kunai in his hand glinting with a cold light, aimed straight at Uchiha Itachi's neck.
"Splash!"
With another sound of flowing water, Uchiha Itachi, who was standing on the water's surface, did the same. The Water Clone, identical to Kakashi Hatake's earlier one, dissipated into nothing, turning back into water and merging with the surface.
"Kurenai!"
The Kakashi Hatake who had just attacked Uchiha Itachi dissipated again. When Kakashi Hatake's main body finally appeared, it was beside Kurenai Yuhi on the other side. He dove to shield her beneath him, immediately followed by a series of evasive maneuvers.
"You are the only outsider I have ever seen who can use the Sharingan to such an extent..."
Uchiha Itachi's main body finally revealed itself. Looking at Kakashi Hatake, a strange light flickered in his eyes. "However, I don't think you have ever witnessed the higher forms of the Sharingan!"
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