Itachi looked at the sky. The night was already deep.
But Sasuke still had not returned.
"I heard he fought Sunagakure's Jinchuriki during the day. He should have been back long ago," Fugaku said, stroking his chin in puzzlement.
His opponent was merely a Jinchuriki. Even if they had gone berserk, Sasuke should not have needed this much time.
Feeling uneasy, Itachi left to look for Sasuke.
Kabuto intercepted him midway.
"Sasuke is with me. He is doing the right thing."
"That voice... Kabuto? Why are you dressed like that?" Itachi stared at him in alarm.
"Some troublesome things happened, so I had no choice but to do this. Itachi, my brother values you highly. Though I have never really understood why, since that is his judgment, I will not go against it."
Kabuto slowly removed his hood. "You are different from Shisui. That guy trusts people too easily. He is an idiot. You, on the other hand, are very smart."
The moment Itachi saw Kabuto's face, his expression abruptly changed. He instinctively backed away several steps, putting distance between them. Every muscle in his body tensed as he revealed his Sharingan.
Kabuto's face looked as though something had corroded it. Countless cells writhed beneath the surface.
"Your face—no, what happened to your body? First Hokage Cells? No... these should be that person's cells. What are you doing?"
The Mangekyō Sharingan's vision could already see down to the cellular level. Precisely because he saw so clearly, a chill rose within Itachi's body.
Countless cells fought brutal, bloody battles like insects. The horrifying sight was enough to make Itachi shudder at the thought of it.
But what truly put Itachi on guard were Kabuto's eyes.
Byakugan.
Where had these Byakugan come from? The Hyuga Main Family only had two or three