Uchiha Itachi

Land of Lightning.

Kumogakure.

"BANG!"

The Fourth Raikage, A, slammed his fist onto the iron office desk before him, producing a deafening crash as the sturdy surface buckled inward under the blow.

"Bastards!"

"To let Orochimaru and those Sunagakure scumbags get their hands on it first!"

The Fourth Raikage's eyes blazed with fury, lightning flickering faintly across his body:

"Konoha is nothing but an egg with a cracked shell now!"

"Tell Samui to take her reconnaissance unit and get to the northern border of the Land of Fire immediately. I want the most detailed frontline report!"

"Also!"

"Contact every one of our hidden lines in the Land of Fire. Assess Konoha's current defensive weaknesses and any openings we can exploit!"

"Yes, Lord Raikage!"

Kumogakure's style had always been direct and aggressive.

In the Fourth Raikage's eyes, Konoha's weakness was a gift from heaven.

Even if a full-scale war wasn't launched immediately, maximum military pressure had to be applied to seize strategic advantage.

If he could sink his teeth into that fat sheep called Konoha and tear off a chunk of meat, nothing could be better!

For a time, the entire shinobi world churned with undercurrents and surging tides because of the Third Hokage's death.

In comparison.

Another piece of news—

Shimura Danzō, in league with Orochimaru, had assassinated the Hokage and was now officially listed by Konoha as an S-Class Rogue Ninja, wanted globally.

Though equally shocking.

It seemed almost trivial in the face of the massive storm brought by the Third Hokage's fall.

People's attention, the strategic focus of the major hidden villages' leadership...

Nearly all of it was drawn to Konoha losing its Third Hokage.

Land of Fire border.

A small-town restaurant, greasy lamplight, voices clamoring.

Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame sat at a corner table, silently eating the food before them.

At the next table, a few rogue-looking ninjas, faces flushed red from drink.

Were loudly discussing the explosive news they'd just heard.

"...Did you hear? Konoha's Third Hokage is dead!"

"No way? You're joking? That's the Third Hokage!"

"Absolutely true!"

"They say it was Konoha's own S-Class Rogue Ninja, Orochimaru, and that 'Root' leader guy named Danzō, working together!"

"Sunagakure and Otogakure had a hand in it too... Tsk, Konoha really made a fool of themselves this time!"

"No kidding! Not only did they get stabbed in the heart by their own people, even their village's Kage got taken out!"

"..."

Itachi's hand, holding his chopsticks, paused almost imperceptibly.

The Third Hokage was dead?

Hoshigaki Kisame bared his teeth in a shark-like grin, laughing silently, listening with keen interest.

The ninjas at the next table kept talking, their voices carrying exaggerated amazement, and of course, schadenfreude.

Itachi silently set down his chopsticks. More than half the food in his bowl remained, but he had no appetite left.

"Let's go."

Itachi said quietly, stood up, placed money for the meal on the table, and walked out of the restaurant without looking back.

"Eh? Full already? You sure don't dwell on things long, Itachi-san!"

Kisame shrugged, grabbed Samehada from beside him, and followed.

The two walked one after the other into the dim street, leaving the restaurant's noise behind. The night wind carried a chill.

Kisame, shouldering the great blade Samehada, broke the silence first, his voice laced with undisguised mockery:

"'Konoha'... Hah! What a sight of decay!"

"The number one great shinobi village in the world, and it ends up with its own people assassinating its Kage."

"I thought only our Blood Mist Village was so rich in this 'tradition' of the inferior overthrowing the superior!"

Itachi did not respond, still walking ahead without pausing.

The wide bamboo hat covered most of his face, hiding all expression.

Yet beneath that calm, unruffled exterior, Uchiha Itachi's heart was already churning with stormy waves.

The Third Hokage... dead?

That old man who always had a pipe in his mouth, with gentle eyes that sometimes showed complex emotions when looking at him...

Dead?

Killed in a joint attack by Orochimaru and... Shimura Danzō?

Danzō?!

That name stabbed into Itachi's heart like a poisoned thorn.

He knew better than anyone the darkness and ambition of Danzō!

But he hadn't expected this.

Danzō had gone this far! Directly moving against the Hokage?

Then.

What about the village now? Were Sasuke and Yo safe?

Had they been caught up in it? Would that madman Danzō take the chaos as a chance to strike at Sasuke and Yo?

Countless questions and worries nearly suffocated Itachi.

"Hey, Itachi-san, you seem pretty concerned, huh? Makes sense!"

Kisame's voice came from behind and to the side, tinged with amusement:

"After all... Konoha is your hometown. Hearing such a big scandal from your old home, how does it feel?"

Itachi's steps did not falter in the slightest, his voice coming through the fabric, still betraying no ripple:

"...No feeling at all!"

"A rotten tree will eventually fall; it's only a matter of time."

"Is that so?"

Kisame laughed noncommittally: "Well then, Itachi-san, where to next?"

"Continue north to the Land of Earth border and rendezvous with Scorpion and the others?"

Itachi, still walking ahead, didn't stop, but his voice came back:

"No! To Konoha!"

"Oh?"

Kisame was clearly surprised: "Not going to carry out that mission over there? That's not like you, Itachi-san."

Itachi had already prepared his reasoning, with no trace of a flaw: "The Third Hokage has fallen in battle; Konoha is unprecedentedly weakened!"

"Its defenses and vigilance will inevitably fall into chaos and gaps!"

"Now is the easiest time to strike while they're vulnerable."

"Seizing the Nine-Tails is one of the organization's primary objectives. Right now might be the best opportunity!"

Kisame heard this, grinned, and let out a silent laugh, the smile carrying a hint of understanding and amusement.

"Seizing the Nine-Tails, huh... Sounds like a good excuse!"

Kisame hefted the greatsword on his shoulder, his tone light:

"Perfect! I'd like to go see for myself just how chaotic the number one ninja village has become."

"Maybe..."

"I'll find a worthy opponent to stretch my limbs a bit."

The next morning.

After breakfast, Sasuke was about to head to the Naka River to continue his training.

Just as he reached the entrance, Yo's voice came from behind.

"Don't rush off just yet!"

Sasuke paused, turned back with a puzzled look at Yo.

Yo ignored him and tilted his chin toward the kitchen: "Karin, you come over too!"

Karin, who was washing dishes, quickly wiped her hands and followed Sasuke back to the living room, looking a bit nervous.

The two sat down across from Yo, not knowing what he wanted to say.

Yo didn't explain much. He reached into his robe, pulled out a Sealing Scroll, and spread it open on the low table between the three of them.

"Release!"

Yo formed a single hand seal.

In an instant!

Rustle!

A flood of scrolls gushed out of the small Sealing Scroll like a fountain, rapidly piling up.

In the blink of an eye, several stacks rose beside the low table, forming a small mountain.

These scrolls varied in age and material—some were made of ancient leather, others of fresh paper, each marked with different symbols and text.

"Th-this is...?"

Sasuke and Karin stared wide-eyed at the sudden mountain of scrolls, caught between bewilderment and shock.

Yo dusted off his hands and explained, "After taking down Danzo, I cleaned out the Root Base completely!"

"All the junk and random stuff inside—I destroyed it outright!"

"But these..."

Yo pointed at the pile of scrolls: "Ninjutsu, Secret Techniques, Forbidden Jutsu outlines, Cultivation Insights, Data Compilations on various nations and clans..."

"I figured they might be useful, so I packed them all and brought them back."

Yo turned to Sasuke: "In here, there are Fire and Lightning Release techniques, even some secret transmissions involving Nature Transformation and Ultimate Techniques!"

"You can take them to study—it should be better than figuring it out on your own!"