Arrogant Uchiha

"Get lost, don't cause trouble!"

Uchiha An knocked Naruto unconscious again with a slap. Seeing the boiling signs of Chakra on Naruto's body subside, he continued on his way with relief.

Perhaps due to his previous loss of control, the Nine-Tails' Chakra would occasionally seep out of Naruto's body along the way, writhing and struggling like tentacles in the air, causing him trouble.

Fortunately, the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques were truly powerful. No matter how the Nine-Tails struggled, it was all in vain.

After leaking the intelligence, the road ahead had indeed become difficult.

Konoha's warning system was fully activated, and the outposts and patrol teams along the route had received the highest level alert.

He was heading straight for the Land of Rain with a clear target. From time to time, ninjas who had received orders from the village and rushed ahead to block his path would appear, only to die trying to delay his progress.

Although they were all mooks like Chūnin and Genin, a swarm of ants could still kill an elephant. His speed had been dragged down.

The pursuers behind were getting closer and closer. He could clearly sense the killing intent emanating from the air. His Sharingan could even vaguely see startled birds flying from the distant woods behind him, a sign of a large unit marching.

However, this time he didn't stop to face the enemy. Instead, he increased his speed.

The Land of Rain was already close at hand.

Uchiha An, carrying Naruto, turned into a flowing light in the forest. With each step, he precisely leveraged branches, continuously increasing his speed.

As he was running rapidly, a kunai suddenly shot from behind, carrying a sharp sound of breaking air, aiming directly for his back heart.

He stopped abruptly, drew his short sword with his backhand, and effortlessly parried the kunai.

But it was only a slight delay before several figures flashed out, lining up and blocking his path, sealing all forward angles.

"Itachi, you can't escape!"

Uchiha An's Three Tomoe Sharingan swept left and right, and he clearly saw everyone in front of him.

"Well, they're all old acquaintances!"

"The Ino-Shika-Cho are here too!"

"Three Jōnin squads, nine people chasing me. They're taking me quite seriously."

He looked back again. His rear path was also blocked by a group of people.

These ninjas wore special masks and held sealing scrolls in their hands, staring intently at Uzumaki Naruto in his arms.

"Is this the Sealing Force?"

"Ah, that's right. It's for the Jinchuriki."

"You've certainly prepared thoroughly!"

"But..."

He looked up at the gloomy sky, wiped the rainwater from his cheek, and smiled silently.

"You're still a step too late!"

"This is the Land of Rain."

"So what if it's the Land of Rain?" Akimichi Choza, known for his explosive temper, patted his round belly and coldly shouted, "Do you really think the people of the Land of Rain dare to interfere in Konoha's affairs?"

"Even Hanzo of the Salamander wouldn't be able to save you if he were here!"

"You'd better hand over the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki obediently and return to the village to accept judgment!"

"Otherwise, we'll eliminate you, a rogue ninja, for the village today!"

After he played the bad cop, Nara Shikaku stepped forward to play the good cop.

"Itachi, the Hokage-sama specifically instructed us before we came."

"He knows your naturally kind nature and that you are loyal to the village, and you wouldn't bear to see a disturbance within the village."

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is related to the foundation of rule within the village, and it absolutely cannot be lost, or war might break out because of it."

"This isn't something you wish to see either, is it?"

"I don't know what happened to you to make you do these things, but the Hokage-sama said that as long as you are willing to return to the village, all past transgressions will be forgiven, and the village will not pursue it."

"Whether it's Konohamaru's death or your kidnapping of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the Hokage-sama can pretend none of it ever happened."

Seeing the two of them playing along, using soft and hard tactics, Uchiha An couldn't help but feel burning with anger.

He deeply hated Uchiha Itachi, but Uchiha Itachi was still an Uchiha!

Even if he was a beast, he was still an Uchiha Family's beast!

When had the arrogant Uchiha ever been disciplined like a dog?

The pride of the Uchiha was etched in their bones and flowing in their blood; it could never be tamed by political means.

There was only one way to subdue the Uchiha: defeat them with overwhelming force!

If Konoha Village could truly destroy the Uchiha in a head-on battle, none of the Uchiha would have any complaints.

If your skill is inferior, you deserved to die!

But if Konoha Village could truly achieve that, the conflict between the Uchiha and the village would never have escalated to an irreconcilable point.

The reason the Uchiha always felt ostracized was precisely because Konohagakure lacked the ability to deal with them directly, and could only resort to dark and dirty political tactics to harm them in secret.

And given the Uchiha's arrogant nature, they disdained engaging in politics. They weren't good at it, nor did they like it. In the end, they could only continuously suffer losses when the Root, under the Third Hokage's indulgence, became aggressive.

No one is a fool. Even without evidence, being continuously targeted and ostracized, clan members inexplicably disappearing or dying during missions, caused the anger in the Uchiha clan members' hearts to grow stronger.

Every mission report full of doubts, every investigation request that was suppressed, eventually turned into blazing fury, wanting to burn everything.

But unfortunately, the Uchiha also had a weak and incompetent clan head, completely powerless when facing the Third Hokage's slow torture.

The accumulated resentment could not be vented, and the conflict naturally grew larger and larger, ultimately leading to more and more radical clan members, and the call for armed uprising spreading wider and wider. This finally caused Itachi, that traitor, to completely despair of peace and be used by others, triggering the Clan Annihilation Night.

Now, Uchiha An looked at these people from Konohagakure, their attitude of being certain of Itachi's defeat, and his anger at Itachi's foolishness grew stronger.

Why pretend to be magnanimous!

The entire Uchiha clan was annihilated, wasn't that enough to prove Uchiha Itachi's loyalty to the village?

Now, talking to Uchiha Itachi about Konohamaru and the Jinchuriki, were they trying to manipulate him, to continue to use him as a tool?

It was indeed the same old disgusting political tactics!

After understanding the intentions of the people from Konohagakure, the anger in Uchiha An's heart grew more and more intense. The chakra within his body began to boil uncontrollably, and his Sharingan involuntarily transformed into its Mangekyo appearance.

As the rainwater approached him, it was instantly evaporated into white mist, creating a dense fog that was extremely frightening.

He couldn't help but cover his forehead with one hand again, laughing madly at the sky.

"Heh heh... Haha..."

"What a great 'past transgressions forgiven'!"

"And 'pretend it never happened'!"

"The Third Hokage truly trusts me!"

"But it's a pity..."

"You political creatures will never understand, true Uchiha always trust in force!"

"Take away your dirty politician's faces!"

"Want to take back the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"Simple!"

"As long as you can defeat me, naturally everything will be up to you!"

"Whether it's taking back the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, or taking my eyes back to report to Danzo, it's all up to you!"

Seeing "Uchiha Itachi" reveal his madness, everyone knew that a peaceful resolution was impossible. Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza turned to look at the leader, Nara Shikaku, waiting for him to make a decision.

"Alas, what a pity! Itachi, you made the wrong decision!"

Nara Shikaku sighed, raised his hand, and gave the order:

"S-Rank rogue ninja Uchiha Itachi, for betraying the village, killing comrades, and kidnapping the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, your crimes are unforgivable. Under the Hokage's order, kill him on sight!"