Itachi, losing your composure already?

Ding... Ding...

Suddenly, the Wind Chime rang out in the Forest, clear and melodious, like the song of a nightingale.

Two blurry figures approached from a distance, gradually becoming clearer.

"Itachi, if we keep going down this road, we'll reach Konoha. Are we going to Konoha?" Kisame, who was carrying a large Kisame wrapped in a cloth, asked curiously.

It seems Pain hasn't been giving them any tasks lately.

As for capturing the Nine-Tails, there's no need to rush. After all, the Nine-Tails has the most chakra, unlike the previous ones, so it must be sealed last.

Itachi Uchiha walked on expressionlessly, his pace unhurried. Hearing Kisame's question, he didn't even lift his eyelids, replying indifferently, "I'm going to visit someone."

"Oh? Someone from Konoha?" Kisame raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile.

Itachi Uchiha glanced at Kisame coolly, then turned back and continued walking, seemingly not intending to continue the conversation.

Kisame shrugged indifferently and followed Itachi.

In Konoha, Tōka gave those three brats a day off today because he planned to "pay a visit" Danzo that old man Danzo.

But as soon as he stepped into a quiet forest, two people in Red Cloud Black Cloak blocked his way.

Itachi, Kisame.

"You're the first Rogue Ninja to be this arrogant!" Tōka said with a hint of mockery.

This is Itachi's second appearance in Konoha, and he is S-rank Rogue Ninja wanted by the village.

Or do they truly not take Konoha seriously at all?

"Senior Tōka, there's something I don't understand. I came here specifically to see you today," Itachi Uchiha said calmly.

However, Itachi stopped there, seemingly waiting for Tōka to speak.

Tōka knew what Itachi meant; he simply wanted to talk to him alone.

Tōka glanced at Kisame standing to the side, then quickly looked away. "Itachi, come for a walk over there with me."

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Itachi's reply, Tōka turned around and walked straight towards the Mountain Stream.

A stream rushed by, its rushing water drowning out their footsteps.

"This place is nice, with beautiful mountains and clear waters." Tōka stood by the stream, stepping on the smooth Pebbles polished by the water.

"Didn't you have something you wanted to say to me?"

Tōka finished speaking but received no response. Itachi stared blankly at the water at his feet, his cold eyes flickering slightly.

His dark eyes concealed all emotion. After several minutes of silence, Itachi finally spoke slowly, asking, "Senior Tōka, I'd like to know why you became the instructor of Team 7?"

"You came here for this?" Tōka raised an eyebrow, looking at Itachi's tense face with surprise. "Your information network is quite impressive."

A very serious expression, and very eager eyes.

One strange thing is...

Tōka inexplicably sensed that Itachi was a little nervous—an indescribable feeling that vanished in an instant.

"Senior Tōka, have you been on any missions lately?" Itachi asked, seemingly out of the blue, but Tōka immediately understood what Itachi meant.

That's a really unpleasant thing to say.

In exchange, would it be not becoming the teacher of Team 7?

Tōka's initial purpose in approaching Sasuke was indeed Itachi, but this time, Itachi truly misunderstood Tōka.

Tōka still hasn't figured out what the Third Hokage is up to!

However, since Itachi has come to us personally, we might as well let him sound out the Third Hokage Fox's true intentions.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Tōka curled his lips into a Fox smile. "I'm not entirely sure about this either, but it seems the Third Hokage did this intentionally."

The implication is that if there are any problems, go find that Fox from the Third Hokage; he's just following orders.

Itachi only knew that Sasuke's name was on Tōka's list, but he didn't know whether the Third Hokage was involved in this matter.

"Is that so? Then I'll take my leave."

In a hidden corner of a high-rise building, a huge black shadow covered the ground. As soon as you stepped into this shadow, you immediately felt that the surrounding scenery had darkened.

The Third Hokage, dressed in the robes of the Third Hokage and wearing a straw hat, with a pipe dangling from his mouth, slowly walked in.

"Is that Itachi? You shouldn't be here." The Third Hokage took a deep drag on his pipe, then exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke.

As his voice rang out, a dark figure gradually emerged from the shadows, and light shone upon him, revealing his face hidden in the darkness.

Itachi Uchiha slowly approached and stopped five steps in front of the Third Hokage.

"I'm sorry, Lord Hokage," Itachi said softly, "I know I shouldn't be here, but I couldn't rest easy."

The Third Hokage was slightly taken aback, then realized that what Itachi meant by being worried was the last remaining member of the Uchiha Clan — Sasuke Uchiha.

It was to be expected that Itachi Uchiha would be worried about his younger younger brother; otherwise, he wouldn't have made that strange request when he left the village.

"It's about Sasuke, isn't it? I know what you want to say." The Third Hokage looked up at the sky, the blue sky and white clouds blocked by the buildings above.

My gaze couldn't escape this cramped cage; it was as if the vast sky had suddenly become tiny.

Like an eagle with its wings bound, unable to spread its wings and soar high to overlook the earth.

For a moment, both of them fell silent.

A strange atmosphere subtly permeated the still air; silence did not equate to a lack of communication, for in fact, silent communication was the most unsettling.

The Third Hokage sensed Itachi's aura, but the more he probed, the stronger he felt Itachi became.

Faced with the deliberate pressure from the Third Hokage, Itachi remained calm.

No matter how strong or domineering you are, I will Budong.

As he grew younger, the Third Hokage's tense muscles relaxed, and his wrinkled face scrunched up. It seemed he needed to give Itachi a satisfactory answer.

"Tōka is very strong. I remember Itachi learned Genjutsu from him before, right?" the Third Hokage asked meaningfully.

Itachi doesn't deny this, and it's not a secret.

It's quite normal to see the Third Hokage's Telescope Technique once or twice. Itachi wouldn't actively mention to anyone that Tōka had taught him Genjutsu, but he wouldn't deliberately hide it either.

Seeing Itachi nod slightly, the Third Hokage continued, "In Konoha, I really can't find a mentor better than Tōka."

The word "awesome" has a pun in it.

The astute Itachi could immediately tell, but that wasn't a reason for Tōka to get close to Sasuke.

If possible, Itachi would absolutely not want Sasuke to appear in Tōka's sight.

Sasuke...

All you have to do is follow the path he envisioned, grow stronger step by step, catch up with him, awaken eyes like his, and then...

"I think Kakashi is pretty good too," Itachi said with a stoic expression, which was a rejection of the Third Hokage's opinion.

The Third Hokage nodded. Kakashi was indeed suitable. Not only was he a disciple of the Fourth Hokage and had a connection with Naruto, but the fact that he possessed the Sharingan also made him a good teacher for Sasuke.

However, Kakashi is now the captain-general of the Anbu.

"Kakashi won't do." The Third Hokage shook his head and put the pipe in his mouth.

"Why?" Itachi frowned, his narrow eyes narrowing slightly.

"Kakashi is the Captain-Commander of the Anbu." A very good reason. As expected, Itachi fell silent upon hearing this from the Third Hokage.

In my childhood.

Itachi looked up at the Third Hokage again, "It shouldn't be Tōka at least. If I remember correctly, Nine-Tails was also in that group."

This is the hardest thing for Itachi to understand, and he has already reminded the Third Hokage.

Tōka's purpose in infiltrating Konoha is very likely aimed at the Nine-Tails- Tails. Itachi witnessed the Nine-Tails' Rampage twelve years ago.

"You can rest assured about this." Naruto is safer now than anywhere else, at least for the time being.

However, this answer alone was not enough to satisfy Itachi, whose dark eyes were fixed intently on the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage coughed lightly. "I've already sent someone to look for Jiraiya. That kid should be back soon."

"Lord Jiraiya?" Itachi nodded in understanding.

The Third Hokage's words are easy to understand. After Jiraiya returned to Konoha, he had only one task: to keep a close eye on Tōka's every move.

If the situation Itachi fears arises, then there's no need for Tōka to stay.

The Third Hokage was very confident, and Itachi also believed in Jiraiya's strength.

"In that case, I'll take my leave." Itachi raised his arm, held it in front of him, and released the Jutsu Formula with one hand.

Bang!

A cloud of white mist exploded, and Itachi's figure instantly disappeared into the mist.

"Is it Shadow Clone?" The Third Hokage was slightly surprised. If that's the case, then the Original Body must have gone to see Tōka.

The dimly lit, narrow passageway, apart from a faint musty smell in the stuffy air, did not feel cold or damp.

It is common for mold to grow in the crevices of stone walls where they are rarely exposed to sunlight.

Tōka sniffed, not liking the strange smell, and quickened her pace.

Danzo had a penchant for building these chaotic underground passages, creating a maze that left people disoriented.

After several twists and turns, a spacious area appeared at your feet, with several passages connecting the surrounding area.

"Is this guy some kind of reincarnated gopher? How come he's so good at digging holes?" Tōka muttered, preparing to activate his Eternal Tenseigan to find out which passage had people inside.

Sudden!

Two dark figures flashed out from the pitch-black passage on the left, standing side by side in front of Tōka, bowing and inviting him to go inside.

"Danzo is already waiting for you."

The voice... sounded somewhat familiar, but Tōka couldn't quite place it. He was certain he had seen this Root member wearing the Oni Mask before.

However, none of that matters. The important thing is that Danzo was being so generous this time?

Could it be that he already knows why he came?

Filled with questions, Tōka followed behind the two Root members, descending step by step into the deep passage.

Thump...

Knock knock...

A strange sound came from the innermost room. Two Root members walked to the door. One of them knocked three times, and then the other two stepped back and stood on either side.

The door was ajar, Tōka knew these two were letting him in.

"Interesting. This is the first time you've met Danzo so formally, isn't it?" Tōka's lips curled up slightly as he pushed open the door with a faint smile.

Squeak!

The sound of a wooden door opening rang out, and the thumping sounds from inside the room stopped abruptly at the same time.

A pair of sharp gazes shot towards him like arrows. Tōka's eyes narrowed slightly. Danzo's right eye Shisui's Eye?

Intending to control me with Kotoamatsukami?

Tōka narrowed his eyes, and a fleeting Ice Blue halo One Flash. His powerful Dojutsu pierced straight into Danzo's right eye like an invisible sword.

"Ugh!" Danzo groaned, then lowered his head and knelt on the ground with a thud.

He threw his cane aside, covered his bandaged right eye with one hand, and trembled slightly in pain.

Tōka curled her lip in disdain, a cold smile playing on her lips. "With eyes this lowly, you think you can control me?"

Moreover, his Dojutsu is too weak. Since fusing the Byakugan and Sharingan, Tōka's eyes are no longer comparable to the Mangekyo Dojutsu.

"If you're not dead, get up. Stop pretending." Tōka flashed past, turning into a blurry afterimage, and sat down in the main seat, leaning down to look at Danzo.

Danzo was both shocked and furious. His face turned pale, and the hairs on his forehead stood on end.

This kid can actually ignore the power of the Mangekyo? Even Kotoamatsukami, known as the strongest Genjutsu, can't defeat him?

Danzo a faint stinging pain in his eyes; he knew this was the result of the backlash from his Dojutsu, and it wouldn't recover for a while.

However, Danzo was, after all, the darkest and most ruthless ninja in the Darkness of the Ninja World.

He gritted his teeth, stood up without a word, and then slowly turned to face Tōka. "What do you want?"

Danzo knew that with Tōka's strength, his chances of winning in a one-on-one fight were very low. Danzo also knew that Tōka hadn't come to kill him this time, but to cooperate.

Therefore, Danzo dared to appear in his Original Body form and secretly use Kotoamatsukami.

Even if, hypothetically, the Kotoamatsukami is of no use to Tōka, and Tōka discovers him, his life will not be in danger.

"It's easier to talk to smart people. Orochimaru should have mentioned the Three-Month Plan to you, right?" Tōka casually picked up a pen from the table and idly twirled it in his palm.

"I know," Danzo coldly uttered, then paused before continuing, "But I don't know what benefit you'll get from doing this?"

"Benefits?" Tōka smiled. Of course there were benefits, and quite a few at that. But why should he tell you?

Seeing Tōka staring at him with a half-smile, how could Danzo veteran, not understand that the other party had no intention of telling him?

Hmph, I would have found out even if you didn't tell me!

Danzo's face darkened. If that plan hadn't been more beneficial to him, he wouldn't have been so friendly to Tōka!

His chances of winning in a one-on-one fight are slim, but he has the entire Root behind him.

Although the Root is now small in number, all those who remain are Elite Ninja, powerful enough to keep Tōka here!

At least that's what Danzo thought.

"I'm only here today to see how your preparations are going. If anything goes wrong..." Tōka sneered, a chilling killing intent flashing in his eyes.

If he can't even handle something as simple as biting someone, then there's no point in Danzo.

"If you've finished speaking, you can leave." Danzo, being a man of profound wisdom, calmly uttered these two sentences despite being seething with anger.

There's no point in talking when we don't see eye to eye. I wanted to see the strength of the remaining members of the Root, but now that's probably impossible.

Tōka stood up, giving Danzo look, and inwardly praised him, "No wonder he fought the Third Hokage his whole life."

If it weren't for that Fox Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha might actually have been Shimura Danzō.