Private Talks

Uchiha Itachi stared intently at Sakura Haruno for a long time before slowly speaking.

"So that's how it is... You deliberately let Tsukuyomi hit you!" he said, as if he had solved a long-standing mystery.

Sakura's reaction speed was evident from his previous failed sneak attack. With her lightning-fast reflexes, finding the right moment to make eye contact and unleash Tsukuyomi was, in Itachi's estimation, no easy task. The only reason he was able to cast Tsukuyomi so quickly was because she intentionally cooperated by making eye contact with him, deliberately immersing herself in the Tsukuyomi World.

"Same to you!" Sakura said with a faint smile. "Didn't you deliberately use Tsukuyomi on me too? You knew perfectly well Ninjutsu Tsukuyomi has no effect on me!"

"Sakura Haruno, your intuition is very sharp..." Itachi said noncommittally, still not directly answering her question.

It seems he doesn't completely trust Sakura Haruno yet.

"I understand your caution, but you can trust me, Uchiha Itachi..." Sakura Haruno took a few steps closer and continued, "I am the Fifth Hokage's disciple, the Third Hokage's grand-disciple, and one of the few ninjas in Konoha who have reached the 'Kage' rank. Both in terms of status and strength, I am qualified and capable of accessing the intelligence you've gathered and personally passing it on to the Fifth and Third Hokage!"

The girl walked right up to Itachi, her hand reaching out to touch the eight-shaped markings on his face. She looked up at Itachi and said calmly, "What do you think... Mr. Uchiha Itachi Konoha lurking within Akatsuki?"

Itachi lowered his eyes, his eerie Mangekyō eyes flashing with an unreadable light, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

He actually knew far more about Sakura Haruno than Sakura had just mentioned.

Born into an absolutely commoner family, she was a prodigy in Ninjutsu development but was never highly regarded. Later, she was recognized by the Fifth Hokage and taken in as a disciple, thus beginning her illustrious journey. Most of the Akatsuki members fought against her, and the result was that more than half of the Akatsuki members were killed or injured, but she grew stronger with each battle.

He is a true member of the Hokage's lineage, has an excellent relationship with the Fifth and Third Konoha, and is one of the top three strongest ninjas in Konoha. Such a person could not possibly be a pawn used by Akatsuki to test him, and he is indeed qualified to access the village's high-level secrets.

As the contact person, unless the Third Hokage comes in person, she is the most suitable candidate.

Itachi took a deep breath.

"It seems I can indeed trust you..." he finally admitted, "Indeed, I am Konoha spy who takes orders from the Third Hokage."

Sakura Haruno breathed a sigh of relief. After so many years, it was still unknown whether Itachi still recognized his identity. Some voices in Konoha High Command believed that Itachi, as a spy who had not sent information back to Konoha for many years, had obviously abandoned his Konoha identity. Even her master had doubts about this. Only the Third Hokage overruled the objections and insisted on trusting Itachi.

Sakura did have a vague recollection—she couldn't remember if she'd seen it in the manga or gleaned it from snippets online—that Itachi shouldn't be a bad guy. However, such an impression was meaningless, and besides, the world of Hokage had become completely different from the world in the manga after she'd stirred things up like this. Even if some basic things hadn't changed, she wouldn't decide how to act based on a vague memory.

Even clear and detailed intelligence can have omissions; she was completely outmaneuvered when fighting Kisame. How can vague memories from her past life be relied upon? What if there's a plot twist in the next chapter of the manga?

She only truly breathed a sigh of relief after Itachi personally admitted his identity.

"The village has been unable to contact you for so many years, and those who know your identity are very worried about you!" she said with a slight smile.

Hmm... I'm more worried that he's already betrayed us.

"The Akatsuki have been keeping a close watch on me..." Itachi explained slowly, "You should have seen Kisame and the White Zetsu hiding underground."

"Mm." The girl nodded.

Kisame was alright, White Zetsu, hiding underground, wouldn't be affected by the Sharingan Genjutsu. But they were still very troublesome. What was even more terrifying was their sheer number. Under the watchful eyes of so many, Itachi would be discovered at the slightest movement, leaving him with absolutely no chance to carry out his spy duties.

If it weren't for facing Sakura Haruno, Itachi might have had to continue lying low.

"I have a few words for the Hokage. Do not resist my Ninjutsu, Sakura Haruno." Itachi said solemnly, his left hand raised in front of him.

"Uh...?" Sakura was a little uneasy, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, "Okay."

Itachi One-Handed Hand Seals and conjured a Crow out of thin air, then... it flew into Sakura Haruno's mouth.

"Waaaaah...!"

This was the first time Sakura Haruno had such a huge bird stuffed into her mouth... She immediately rolled her eyes, feeling like she was about to choke to death!

She didn't have the habit of gathering Ninjutsu in her throat and then spitting it out. Now, with her mouth suddenly stretched wide, saliva was about to spill out, and when the black bird burrowed into her throat, she felt like she was going to burst!

Fortunately, she is only a projection of her mind in the Tsukuyomi World... so she won't be truly harmed by such rough treatment.

"Cough cough cough..." Sakura Haruno coughed several times after finally swallowing the whole Crow, feeling a lingering bird taste in her mouth, and even choking on the tears welling in her eyes. She looked up, indignantly saying, "What information... cough, couldn't you just have let me relay it to the Hokage? Why do it this way?"

"I'm sorry, but this is the safest way..." Itachi looked at the girl whose face had flushed red and said without any apology, "This Genjutsu will only take effect automatically when you meet the Third Hokage. Before that, you won't get any information about Akatsuki from me..."

Sakura Haruno wiped her mouth, frowned, and looked at the young man in front of her. "Tsk, you still don't completely trust me... Never mind!"

"The Crow is essentially just a Genjutsu and won't affect your real body..." Itachi added, watching her rub her stomach, then nodded, "Well then, that's all for now. I'm going to release Tsukuyomi."

"Wait! Have you thought about what you'll do when you get back to the real world?"

"Hmm..." Itachi pondered for a moment, then said, "In my original estimate, we would both be severely injured in the Tsukuyomi attack, while I would seize the opportunity to implant information into your body using Genjutsu... and then we would each retreat safely."

"But the Tsukuyomi has only just begun; it hasn't put too much of a burden on you, nor has it harmed me..." Sakura Haruno continued, "So after the Tsukuyomi ends, we'll both still be at full strength. If we retreat without even fighting, it would be too abrupt..."

"Our techniques are both too dangerous; it's hard to stop once we start fighting..." The image of that silvery-white water streak suddenly flashed into Itachi's mind, a chill ran down his spine, and he said solemnly, "So, do you have any suggestions?"

"It's very simple..."

(I had a few drinks at the party last night and felt a bit dizzy, so I can't write anymore after I got back)