Before the Storm (2)

The crimson glint in the itachi's eyes was fleeting; his black pupils quickly returned to their calm state.

Nobody spoke.

Despair filled Itachi's eyes, but the latter remained calm, simply lowering his eyes and keeping everything hidden in his heart.

For a moment, all that could be heard was the crackling sound of burning branches in the campfire.

A long time.

"Sasuke Uchiha..." Kisame's sudden voice broke the silence. He turned to look at Itachi, "Itachi, is he the only family member you spared back then?"

Itachi didn't even raise his head, just coldly stared at the jubilant flames before him, his lips seemingly glued shut, remaining silent for a long time.

Kisame kept staring at him, waiting for an answer.

After a long while, just as he was about to lose his patience, Itachi slowly nodded. "Yes."

"Is that so?" Kisame grinned coldly. "I never thought someone as heartless as you, who slaughtered your entire clan, would have a moment of compassion! You killed your parents, yet you spared your younger brother. You must love him very much, right?"

"No."

Itachi's voice was as cold as the winter wind.

"Between Sasuke and me..." He raised his head, his eyes devoid of any emotion, and said coldly, "There was only hatred."

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, and a murderous intent quietly permeated the air.

Kisame planted his greatsword, carving a deep crater in the ground, and said coldly, narrowing his eyes, "Then, when we meet him, I won't hold back!"

Itachi remained silent.

Zetsu interjected, "Kisame- san, you're going to deal with that Ice Release girl, and you'll also have to handle Itachi's brother. Are you going to be fighting two people at the same time?"

"Hmph..." Kisame snorted coldly, leaning on his Samehada sword, and said, "You're wrong about one thing. According to the latest intelligence, Sakura Haruno's forte isn't Ice Release, but Water Release..."

"It's rare to encounter a master of Water Release; I'd really like to test my skills against her!"

"As for Itachi's younger brother Sasuke Uchiha, he's not as talented as Itachi. At fourteen or fifteen years old, no matter how skilled he is, there are limits..."

Kisame was brimming with confidence.

"I have a feeling you'll get utterly thrashed, hehe..." Zetsu sneered. "Sakura Haruno is very strong, and even stronger than before, I can tell... As for Sasuke, he shouldn't be underestimated either, he is, after all, a member of the Uchiha Clan!"

Their words had a somewhat confrontational tone.

"Alright, let's stop arguing about this." Seeing the Yakumi rising, Itachi raised his voice slightly, "We're here to retrieve the Seven-Tails, not to provoke the Konoha Ninja! We should try to avoid these two during the mission to retrieve the Seven-Tails. Don't create unnecessary trouble unless absolutely necessary..."

"Neither Sakura Haruno nor Sasuke are easy enemies. We've already suffered so many losses at Sakura Haruno's hands; it would be incredibly foolish to still be wary of her! As for Sasuke... never underestimate an opponent with the Sharingan!"

Kisame and Zetsu fell silent.

Itachi's wisdom and Mangekyō Sharingan kept Kisame in his place of respect.

"Itachi, I'll listen to you," Kisame licked his lips, "But if I run into Sasuke, I won't hold back..."

Itachi's expression was completely calm, as if Kisame were talking about a complete stranger.

"Whatever you like," he said.

Kisame pulled out Samehada, stood up, and said, "That's enough for today. I'm going to rest."

Night had already enveloped the entire earth, with countless stars embedded in the night sky, their light shining brightly, and a full moon hanging high in the air.

The silvery moonlight shone on the earth, illuminating the campsite in the forest. Kisame, using the light, went to the bed that had been made up and lay down to sleep. Soon, soft snores began to fill the air.

Only Zetsu and Itachi remained by the campfire, gazing at each other in silence.

"Does Mr. Itachi also think those two are troublesome?" After a long silence, Zetsu added a few more pieces of firewood and suddenly asked.

"I don't know how strong my younger brother Sasuke is right now," Itachi said, gazing at his palm. "But Sakura Haruno is indeed a formidable opponent. Although Kisame is very confident, I can tell... Kisame might not be her match."

Zetsu casually poked at the campfire, glanced at Itachi, and said, "Looks like you've been following what happened last month..."

"Any new intelligence?"

"Yes. It has been determined that the opponent who fought Sakura Haruno at the time was most likely Orochimaru," Zetsu said slowly. "Moreover, he used the Impure World Reincarnation technique."

Whom did he summon?

Zetsu stood up and glanced at Itachi; he seemed interested in Orochimaru's information...

"It's the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju." Zetsu slowly sank to the ground, saying, "He's very skilled in Water Release, but he was clearly suppressed by Sakura Haruno's Water Release."

"Sakura Haruno defeated those two single-handedly. So... you should all be careful too."

"Is that so...? I understand." Itachi lowered his eyes and said softly.

From his indifferent eyes and calm expression, one could never discern Uchiha Itachi's true thoughts.

This man always kept himself shrouded in mystery; no one could see through his thoughts.

Did Itachi completely betray Konoha and sever all ties with it, or did he still maintain some connection with the Konoha?

Did Itachi harbor deep resentment towards his younger brother, or did he truly love him?

No one knows for sure. He has been secretly monitoring him for almost ten years, but still has no answer.

This is an unfathomable man...

Even Obito was wary of him!

These thoughts swirled silently in Zetsu's mind, then he tentatively asked, "You can't do anything about her either? Madara, your Mangekyō Sharingan is invincible. Even Orochimaru and his ilk have fallen to your mere glance. You are practically unstoppable in this world!"

Itachi's expression remained calm, unmoved by Zetsu's words.

"You overestimate me..." the black-haired youth said slowly, "The power of the Sharingan is far from invincible."

He has some things he wants to say, things he may never have the chance to say in his lifetime.

If the Sharingan were truly that powerful, why would Shisui have committed suicide? He could have used the Mangekyō Sharingan to control the Third and Danzo, forcing them to relinquish power to the Uchiha; or he could have controlled Fugaku and the clan elders, stopping their coup plot and achieving peace. Instead, Shisui was caught in a dilemma and forced to jump into the river to commit suicide.

Itachi could understand Shisui's feelings and helplessness, because soon after, the same thing happened to him.

But by then, the situation was already out of control, and even his suicide couldn't stop the Uchiha from being shot down.

Otherwise, why would he have personally slaughtered his entire clan?

There are always misunderstandings about the power of the Uchiha, including among the Uchiha Clan itself, who often overestimate their own strength.

The Sharingan's power seems invincible, but it is only seemingly invincible, which is one of the reasons why the Uchiha was wiped out.

The Uchiha Clan lacks true magnanimity, which is the magnanimity to correctly understand themselves and face their own shortcomings.

"Where are your Teru and Tsukuyomi.

"The power of Ninjutsu is not absolutely omnipotent..."

"I see... Well then, I'll be going now." Knowing he wouldn't get any more answers by asking, he sank down until only his head was visible above the ground.

"You should get some rest too. Tomorrow, there might be a fierce battle!"

Before disappearing into the earth, he made his last vow.

Before Itachi could respond, he sank deep into the earth and disappeared without a trace.

The surroundings fell silent, and in the stillness, the chirping of insects grew clearer.

Sakura Haruno didn't expect Takikage to make such a quick decision.

I don't know what kind of spell Fu cast on him, but the second time, Takikage added her name to the list of classes participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams.

"The class participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams held by Konoha this time is a three-person team led by Ryōko Shiraishi. The members are Yāvaro, Kurotsuka... and Fu," Takikage announced loudly from the stage. "I hope you can embody the spirit of Takigakure and demonstrate the strength and style of Waterfall Ninja to all the other ninja villages and the Daimyo!"

Dressed in a sexy outfit, Fu sat quietly in the audience, gentle and elegant. She only stood up and bowed to the crowd when her name was called, a far cry from her lively and energetic self yesterday. It seemed she already knew the result, which explained her calm demeanor.

"It seems to be a class that was put together temporarily." Sasuke glanced at the three Genin whose names were called, guessing from the fact that they were sitting far apart and lacked eye contact with each other.

"Probably," Sakura shrugged, speaking indifferently.

Temporary teams can bring together the strongest members from various villages, greatly enhancing the strength of the Genin teams. This is an unwritten rule in the struggle between ninja villages and major ninja villages.

However, the three individuals with the strongest individual skills may not necessarily form the strongest team, because they lack the synergy developed through long-term training, missions, and combat.

Not to mention, the Chunin Ninja Exams themselves specifically include questions that assess teamwork.

Candidates who lack teamwork and synergy are easily misled.

Teamwork challenges are usually tested in the first two rounds. Teams that have individual skills but lack team synergy and team spirit may not even pass the first two rounds, let alone qualify for the final battle that tests individual skills.

Sakura's gaze remained fixed on Fu. The only thing that surprised her about Takigakure was that they actually dared to send out Jinchūriki. Perhaps they were overconfident in their Tailed Beast Sealing Jutsu and believed that Fu wouldn't leak Tailed Beast Chakra, which was why Konoha couldn't tell she was Jinchūriki.

In some ways, they almost succeeded. If Sakura Haruno, the newly Kage Level ninja, hadn't witnessed Fu's partial Tailed Beast Transformation and flight, Konoha wouldn't have been able to tell that Fu was Jinchūriki.

"Look, she's secretly watching you again," Sakura Haruno nudged Sasuke's waist with her elbow and whispered.

In the report, Sakura described Fu's personality as cheerful but somewhat frivolous, not because of her avant-garde clothing. As long as she's not an exhibitionist, it's Fu's freedom to wear whatever she wants, and she actually looks quite sexy and pretty in it—except for her slightly oversized chest.

What's truly frivolous about her is that she's easily attracted to a handsome older brother.

Of course, it's normal for girls this age to have a tendency to be infatuated with guys.

However, as Jinchūriki and the strongest fighter in Waterfall Ninja, Fu has no right to be willful.

Takigakure may have done a perfect job sealing the Tailed Beast, but they were not perfect in cultivating the character of their Jinchūriki. They could have done much better.

Compared to other villages, it has gone from one extreme to another.

(It suddenly got so hard to stay up past midnight~)