Itachi Uchiha's Choice!
Within the Land of Fire, two figures dressed in Red Cloud Black Cloak walked unhurriedly through a dense Forest.
Itachi deliberately avoided Nagato of the Land of Rain and Higashika of Tōka Land of Waterfalls, and crossed the Land of Grass to enter the Land of Land of Fire, clearly with a special purpose.
Just because he doesn't admit it doesn't mean Kisame can't see it. Even if Kisame could see it, Itachi wouldn't care.
A gentle breeze blew by, causing the branches to sway and their shadows to flicker like ghosts, and a rustling sound suddenly filled the forest.
"Itachi-san!" Kisame's eyes darkened, and he quickly flashed to Itachi's side, whispering.
As S-rank Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure, Kisame is extremely vigilant and can detect even the slightest hint of killing intent.
The weasel stopped Budong, and a dark shadow would occasionally flash through the Forest on both sides.
"It seems we're surrounded." Kisame had already removed the Samehada from his back, and was now coldly wary of his surroundings.
Compared to Kisame, who was tense all over, Itachi's expression was much more relaxed; he still maintained a cold demeanor.
Itachi stood still, adopting a "if the enemy Budong, I Budong" tactic.
Swish, swish, swish!
Three dark figures suddenly descended, appearing out of thin air on the open ground directly in front of Itachi, their backs turned to Kisame, who was wary of him from behind.
His pupils contracted sharply, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
Why is the Hokage here?!
The Shadows of the Great Nations do not leave the village easily, especially the Shadows of the Five Great Nations, and Black Zetsu had not sent any prior intelligence.
There's something fishy about this...
"Itachi Uchiha, S-rank Rogue Ninja from Konoha, and Kisame Hoshigaki, S-rank Rogue Ninja Kisame Hoshigaki from Kirigakure!" Tsunade said in a deep voice, Kakashi and Guy, who were on her left and right, immediately became extremely alert.
Both of them are Kage-level, top-tier combatants in the Akatsuki Organization!
The Konoha side, on the other hand, had an elite squad composed entirely of Elite Jonin, plus the Fifth Hokage of Konoha.
Such a powerful lineup...
Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly, and three jet-black Tomoe gradually emerged in his scarlet pupils, filling the entire Forest with a terrifying power that sent chills down one's spine.
"Don't look into his eyes!" Kakashi's expression changed drastically as he quickly lifted his blindfold and shouted.
To fight against the Sharingan, only the Sharingan can do it!
Everyone averted their gaze, not daring to meet Itachi's crimson Sharingan, the more natural it was to activate Genjutsu.
Perhaps it was just a fleeting glance, or perhaps just a casual gesture.
"You think you can just ignore my eyes? Kakashi, your thinking is far too simplistic." Itachi's cool voice rang out leisurely.
As his words fell, the entire Forest seemed like a torn scroll, with tattered pieces of cloth flying into the sky.
Darkness descended, and everything was swallowed up by this boundless darkness.
Genjutsu?!
When?!
Everyone's faces were filled with shock. They hadn't even seen Itachi's eyes; he had already closed them when Kakashi shouted.
Could it be...?
Buzz!
A pair of enormous pupils appeared in everyone's minds, and three jet-black Tomoe slowly began to rotate, then faster and faster!
In the end, it turned into a blur, its beginning and end completely intertwined.
It formed a completely new pattern, exuding a mysterious and powerful aura; its terrifying Dojutsu seemed capable of sucking a person in instantly.
A big windmill, a black windmill!
"Mangekyo?!" Kakashi's eyes trembled involuntarily; he knew very well how terrifying the power of the Mangekyo was.
As a genius that is only seen once in a century in the Uchiha Clan, Itachi Uchiha actually awakened the Mangekyou Mangekyo!
Itachi's surprise was no less than Kakashi's, and even his voice was somewhat pale.
"Kakashi, you're not from the Uchiha Clan, yet you've managed to awaken the Mangekyo?"
Dojutsu by Itachi's Mangekyou Mangekyo, Kakashi's eyes spontaneously transformed into a Mangekyo Sharingan.
Kakashi was shocked by Itachi's age when he awakened the Mangekyo, while Itachi was surprised that Kakashi, an outsider, could awaken the Mangekyo.
"Kakashi, can't you open your eyes yet?" Tsunade, this feeling was very annoying to her!
However, Genjutsu is not Tsunade's forte. And among the entire team, Kakashi is the only one who is truly proficient in Genjutsu.
Therefore, Tsunade wisely chose to listen to Kakashi and closed her eyes immediately.
"We've already fallen into their illusion..." Kakashi's voice was somewhat heavy, implying that it wouldn't matter if he opened his eyes.
"Kakashi, is there a way to undo this?" Guy frowned slightly and asked in a deep voice.
He considered Kakashi his opponent and had once devised a method to fight against the Sharingan.
He didn't look directly into Kakashi's Sharingan, but relied solely on Kakashi's hand and foot movements to predict his movements. Guy did the same when facing Itachi.
That's why Kai found it strange!
How exactly did he fall under the Genjutsu?
Give it a try!
Kakashi raised his Sword Hand Seal, and his chakra surged wildly into his left eye, causing the pattern in his pupil to spin rapidly.
His Dojutsu, in no way inferior to Mangekyo's, erupted.
The only drawback is that Kakashi does not possess the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan, so using the Sharingan requires more chakra.
Especially when using the Mangekyō Sharingan!
As Kakashi Hand Seals, the black curtain visibly swayed, as if it would collapse at any moment.
At that moment, Itachi's eyes darkened, and he raised his hand to brush away the black curtain that enveloped everyone.
"Kakashi, don't be in such a hurry to break the Genjutsu!"
The illusion he deliberately created was not a visual illusion, but an auditory one, which could be maintained by subsequent chakra injections.
In other words, when Kakashi unleashed his powerful Dojutsu to disrupt the illusion, Itachi was able to consume his own chakra to counteract it.
As long as Itachi's Original Body continues to flow into the Jutsu Formula, this pitch-black world, like an endless abyss, will not collapse.
This is why Tsunade and Guy, despite avoiding Itachi's Sharingan immediately, were still caught in the Genjutsu!
Because this is an auditory Genjutsu, the Sharingan only enhances the intensity of the Genjutsu!
What are you trying to say?
Kakashi clearly noticed this as well, and he used the Dojutsu of his Mangekyo to attack the illusion, which Itachi then used to repair by consuming his Original Body.
Whether or not the illusion is broken is essentially a contest of chakra between the two sides!
It must be said, Itachi was a genius.
He simply created such a powerful illusion based on some unconventional Genjutsu theories that Tōka had taught him.
The alternative Genjutsu theory is actually the Genjutsu principle of the Six Harmonies Divine Technique.
Although Kekkei Mōra cannot be learned or copied, Itachi was still able to glean some truths from them and improve his Genjutsu skills!
Itachi's figure gradually faded away, and the ink-like darkness swallowed him up in the blink of an eye.
Everyone immediately felt an endless, boundless blackness sweeping in.
"Are you planning to go to the Land of Iron?" Itachi's voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears, like a whisper.
Upon hearing this, all three of them showed expressions of great surprise!
With the Seven-Tails stolen from Takigakure and a series of Tailed Beast incidents that have occurred in the Ninja World over the past few years, the Five Great Nations have realized that something is amiss.
The Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron was a closely guarded secret.
Apart from a small number of close confidants of the Shadow, even most of the village's high-ranking officials were unaware of the Great Nations.
The Hokage was still at his desk in Konoha, accompanied by his Hokage's Assistant, Shizune, patiently processing the documents.
The Raikage was still in his office in the Land of Lightning listening to Samui's report when he angrily smashed the table in front of him!
Similarly, the shadows of Tsuchikage, Mizukage, and Kazekage also appeared in various villages.
Tsunade thought they had done a good job, so why were they discovered? Was there a spy in the village?
"How did you know?" Recovering from her shock, Tsunade shouted without thinking.
"It seems the Third Hokage died without telling you anything." Itachi didn't directly answer Tsunade's question, but instead sighed inwardly.
No wonder Sasuke was taken away by Tōka so easily.
Third Hokage, you haven't kept your promise!
"The Third Hokage? What should the Old Man tell me?!" Tsunade keenly caught the loophole in Itachi's words.
It seems this S-rank Rogue Ninja from Konoha, the one who slaughtered the entire Uchiha Clan, has some kind of secret deal with Teacher Sarutobi?
Could it be something to do with the Uchiha Clan...?
Teacher Sarutobi?
The thought of this possibility made Tsunade's face turn pale, and disbelief flashed in her eyes. If it really was Teacher Sarutobi's doing...
Well, that...
Although the Third Hokage did not keep his promise, Itachi did not intend to bring up the past again.
He should bear all the blame and all the infamy; it's enough that Sasuke and the village are alright.
"The past is no longer important, what matters is the present!" Itachi said calmly. Strictly speaking, they were allies!
"Heh... not an enemy?" Tsunade scoffed with a cold laugh. "Coming from the mouth of S-rank Rogue Ninja like you, how believable do you think it is?"
Although Tsunade didn't particularly like that group of arrogant and haughty Uchiha.
However, the crime of massacring the entire Uchiha Clan alone is enough to make Itachi the greatest enemy of Konoha!
Itachi didn't care about Tsunade's sarcastic remarks.
"Ōtsutsuki Tōka once mentioned a person's name, or more precisely, it should be the name of a god!"
Itachi's time is running out, and he is willing to take great risks to come to the Land of Fire in order to tell Konoha the information he has gathered so far!
Meeting Tsunade and the others here was a coincidence, not a deliberate arrangement.
Itachi also had his own spies in Konoha; otherwise, how could he have known immediately that Sasuke had left the village with Tōka?
Upon hearing Itachi's words, everyone fell into silent contemplation.
When Tōka left Konoha, he vaguely remembered that he did mention a name...
"You mean Otsutsuki Kaguya?" Tsunade blurted out.
She sent people to investigate, and even searched through all the ancient books left by the Senju Clan, but she couldn't find anything about the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
The furthest era we can trace back to is the era of the Sage of Six Paths.
Otsutsuki Kaguya's name is like a legend, a legend that has been forgotten by the world.
"Ōtsutsuki Tōka collected the Tailed Beast with the aim of sealing all their Tailed Beast Chakra into the Ten-Tails' hull..."
Itachi described the story in detail, and everyone listened intently, holding their breath.
An endless blackness swallowed everyone, obscuring even the figures standing close at hand.
They could only guess Itachi's location based on the direction from which the sound came.
Kakashi and Guy, who had been in a state of battle, decided to Budong and listen to Itachi finish speaking after hearing his explanation.
The information that Itachi revealed...
Simply...
"What you've said..." Kakashi felt his mouth go dry. He could tell Itachi wasn't lying, but all of this...
This is absolutely outrageous!
Kakashi... I can't believe it!
Or perhaps Kakashi simply didn't want to believe it!
" In the Land of Grass, in Otsutsuki Kaguya's palace, there is a Stone Tablet that records everything I've said," Itachi explained in a deep voice, seemingly sensing Kakashi's suspicion.
"It requires the Dojutsu of Mangekyo to decipher!"
He also stumbled into the palace by accident and discovered the secret on the Stone Tablet.
Perhaps Tōka was careless, or perhaps Tōka was too confident. Kaguya's Royal Palace had not set up any barriers, and Itachi easily entered the underground of the palace.
However, even with the Dojutsu of the Mangekyo, it was impossible to see everything.
Itachi only saw the first half, the events after Otsutsuki Kaguya descended upon the continent a thousand years ago; he couldn't see the second half, which concerned the origins of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
"Time is running out, let's end the conversation here!"
As the words fell, the darkness receded like a tide, and the world returned to the Forest once more.
Bang!
A dull sound rang out!
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat as Kisame gripped his Samehada tightly, his body poised to hit a home run.
A dark shadow, like a baseball hit with full force, streaked through the air, its powerful energy creating a violent storm.
"Gai!" Kakashi and Guy are rivals, but also friends.
No need for explicit words; a simple glance or gesture is enough to understand the other person's intentions.
Hearing Kakashi's shout, Guy's body sank, and he charged forward, rapidly approaching the falling black shadow.
Kai cupped his hands and made a pushing motion.
He had to pull back his momentum the moment the shadow collided with him, using the distance as a buffer to absorb the powerful impact and prevent his companion from being injured a second time!
That's right, the dark figure that Kisame away was none other than Sarutobi Asuma, an Elite Jonin of Konoha who was hiding in the shadows!
"Asuma, how is it?" Guy took Asuma and immediately returned to Tsunade's side.
Tsunade's medical skills are second to none in the Ninja World. She gestured for Guy to lay Asuma flat on the ground.
Mystical Palm Technique!
Buzz!
Yang Release Chakra into her hands, a ball of emerald light shimmering on her palms, Tsunade on Asuma's waist.
A gruesome wound continued to ooze blood.
This kind of Fangs -toothed wound...
"Watch out for that guy's weapon, Samehada, the Samehada from Kirigakure, is covered in blood-draining barbs," Tsunade warned in a low voice.
The illusion dissipated, and the desolate atmosphere in the forest only intensified.