There Were Differences Even Between Sharingan

[There were differences even between Sharingan. It had to be said, Itachi was insanely handsome. Otherwise, why was he still so popular after becoming such a filial son? As they said, looks were justice—if the face remained, the kingdom remained.]

"Uchiha Itachi!"

Uchiha Sasuke stared fixedly at the words appearing beneath the video, his uncontrollable arms trembling slightly.

Uchiha Sasuke clicked it open, and the video began.

The video opened on a misty scene. Accompanied by footsteps, two people wearing Black Cloaks with Red Clouds slowly approached Konoha's village gate.

"Um..."

The Chunin guarding the gate was about to question them when one of the shorter figures suddenly opened his Sharingan. With a single glance, the Chunin fell under a Genjutsu and went to sleep.

Accompanied by the sound of bells, the two figures slowly vanished into the depths of Konoha.

Sharingan!

Uchiha Sasuke recognized them almost instantly. Those eyes were far too familiar—the Sharingan.

This person's identity was also obvious.

The wanted criminal who had slaughtered the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Itachi.

The scene changed. From atop a tree in Konoha came the voices of the two men, until Kisame, the last honest man, asked.

"Have you found him?"

"Mm." Uchiha Itachi answered calmly.

"Then this will be easy." Kisame said slowly.

"Let's go," Uchiha Itachi said.

--

Outside the video, Hatake Kakashi stared hard at the people onscreen. He had already recognized one of them: Uchiha Itachi.

They had carried out missions together in the Anbu. Uchiha Itachi had even been his subordinate, so naturally he knew him.

But he had no clue who the person beside him was.

Who was he?

This person seemed to be Uchiha Itachi's partner, and his status did not appear to be any lower than Itachi's.

In other words, this was probably not the sort of relationship where Uchiha Itachi had recruited a subordinate outside the village, but rather some kind of partnership.

Given Uchiha Itachi's abilities, by this point he was at the very least an Elite Jonin no weaker than Kakashi. With a slightly broader estimate, he might already have grown into a Kage-level existence.

Anyone who could become his teammate would not be simple.

Before he could think further, the scene changed again.

In the video, Hatake Kakashi stood guard outside a teahouse, holding a copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

Not far away, Sarutobi Asuma and Yuuhi Kurenai strode over.

"Yo, you two seem awfully close." Hatake Kakashi put away his book and spoke.

At Hatake Kakashi's teasing, Yuuhi Kurenai's pretty face reddened slightly. She then explained, "What are you talking about? I'm just buying Dango for Anko."

"What are you doing here?" Sarutobi Asuma asked.

"Nothing much. I came out to buy an Offering and happened to be waiting for someone here." Hatake Kakashi looked into the teahouse as he spoke. "Waiting for Sasuke."

Inside the teahouse, two people in Black Cloaks with Red Clouds were drinking hot tea. When one of them heard Uchiha Sasuke's name, his fingers twitched slightly.

That obvious movement caught Yuuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma's attention.

"You actually wait for people? That's rare." Sarutobi Asuma mocked him while also looking into the teahouse. "Is that Offering for someone?"

"Yes, that's right," Hatake Kakashi replied.

For a moment, the entire scene was extremely tense. Then someone's arrival broke that tension, and it was none other than Uchiha Sasuke.

"Kakashi, you got here before me for once?"

Uchiha Sasuke, now dressed in a neat combat outfit, stepped forward to greet him.

"Once in a while," Hatake Kakashi said without adding anything else.

When Uchiha Sasuke seemed to sense something and looked toward the teahouse, he discovered that Uchiha Itachi and Kisame, who had been sitting inside drinking tea, had long since disappeared.

Outside the video, Uchiha Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi could now basically confirm one thing: the future Uchiha Sasuke had indeed become part of Hatake Kakashi's team and become his subordinate.

However, there was a difference between a subordinate and a disciple.

A subordinate was merely a subordinate, but a disciple was meant to inherit one's teachings.

Still, for Commoner Ninja without any connections, a team-leading Chunin or even Jonin might be the only high-level resource they could ever access.

Even becoming a subordinate and receiving guidance in one or two ninjutsu was an exceptionally rare opportunity.

After all, many Chunin, even after becoming Chunin, knew only three to five ninjutsu beyond the Three Techniques taught at the Ninja Academy, and that was already considered a lot.

Someone like Hatake Kakashi, who was said to have copied over a thousand ninjutsu with the Sharingan, was simply a fantasy to them.

"I don't eat Natto or sweets."

In the video, Uchiha Sasuke said somewhat impatiently.

"Is that so?" Hatake Kakashi immediately looked toward Sarutobi Asuma and Yuuhi Kurenai. The two understood at once and directly left, chasing after Uchiha Itachi and Kisame.

"You aren't from this village, are you?"

After intercepting the pair, Sarutobi Asuma spoke first.

"What are you here for?"

Facing Sarutobi Asuma's questioning, Uchiha Itachi finally spoke. "Long time no see, Mr. Asuma, Miss Kurenai."

"You know us?" Sarutobi Asuma apparently had not recognized Uchiha Itachi yet and immediately said, "So that means you were once Konoha ninja?"

Faced with this, Uchiha Itachi simply removed his conical hat, revealing his true face.

One pair of Sharingan stood out sharply.

At this point, Sarutobi Asuma and Yuuhi Kurenai finally remembered who he was.

He was the ruthless monster who had massacred his own clan.

"Hmph, there's no mistake. Uchiha... Itachi!" Sarutobi Asuma said, cold sweat covering his body.

He had clearly remembered Uchiha Itachi's terror. Although he did not know the truth behind That Night, the information he had received on the surface alone was enough to make him deeply wary of Uchiha Itachi.

That had been the powerful Uchiha Clan. Jonin had been everywhere, and there had been no shortage of Elite Jonin capable of rivaling him. After the Senju Clan's destruction, they had been regarded as the greatest clan in the Shinobi World.

They had possessed countless experts, yet they had actually been destroyed by the man before him.

"You know Itachi, so I suppose I should introduce myself as well. Kisame Hoshigaki." Kisame Hoshigaki could not help removing his conical hat too. The slash across the ninja Headband on his forehead was extremely conspicuous.

A Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure in the Land of Water.

Rogue Ninja from two different ninja villages had come together.

Outside the video, Uchiha Sasuke understood this as well. A slash carved across a ninja Headband generally meant one identified as a Rogue Ninja. This was basic knowledge taught in class.