Two Uchiha Itachis

In Konoha, the Kurama Clan had never given up tracking down Uchiha Itachi.

This was the first mission since the clan had been reestablished, and it held great significance in the hearts of its members.

Throughout the world of Naruto, especially in Konoha, all ninja took their missions very seriously.

Kakuzu, an elite of Takigakure, had accepted a mission.

"Go kill Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, at the height of his power."

Even though he knew he was no match for his opponent, Kakuzu had still dared to attack the First Hokage, despite not yet having obtained the forbidden technique Earth Grudge Fear. The outcome had been obvious: Senju Hashirama had easily defeated him with Wood Style.

The White Fang of Konoha, Kakashi Hatake's father, had also failed to complete a mission in order to save his comrades. The villagers of Konoha had berated him until he became a recluse, and in the end, unable to bear the pressure, he had taken his own life.

In the Ninja World, the simplest way for a superior to deal with a subordinate was to give him an impossible mission. It was the cruel side of the system, but also the true test of a ninja.

As one of the Kurama Clan's few Chunin, Kotaro was long past the age of being on the "front lines."

Age weighed heavily on his graying temples. But he still dressed neatly every day, tightened his Forehead Protector, slung a scroll over his back, and headed out—even though the children in the village no longer recognized his Clan Crest.

Some people laughed at him. "At your age, you're still going on missions? Afraid you'll die too peacefully?"

Kotaro always just smiled and replied, "If I haven't completed my mission, I don't deserve to die."

In Konoha, a ninja's income and status had always been higher than those of people in other professions. Even in old age, some were still willing to put on their Forehead Protectors and carry out missions. Kurama Kotaro was one of them.

For the past few days, he had been carrying out the clan's mission.

There was only one target: find Uchiha Itachi.

Even when new tasks had been added along the way, such as keeping an eye on suspicious strangers in the village, he had never forgotten the clan's first objective.

The problem was that Uchiha Itachi was a famous young genius in Konoha. He was not only powerful, but also an Anbu Squad Captain, with a secretive trail and tightly guarded information. Even if he were lying low somewhere in the village, hardly anyone could track his movements with any certainty.

Today, as usual, he was drinking tea at an old teahouse in the southeastern corner of the village. The place was small, and its owner was a bald old man nearing fifty who kept to himself, but he brewed excellent tea—especially his "Bitter Tea," which was so astringent it could clear a person's head.

"Brother Kotaro, same seat today?"

"Mm. The one by the window."

After sitting down, he casually swept his gaze outside. From his seat, he had a clear view of the street corner outside the teahouse and the main road through the village.

Information was often hidden in the details no one noticed.

It was his keen eye that had spotted the mysterious ring worn by the clan's young lady, Kurama Yakumo. That style of ring was never sold in Konoha. It must have been specially made, a token meant only for someone of the upper ranks.

And who would casually give away a gift of that caliber?

"That ring she's wearing... It must have been given to her personally by some important figure," Kotaro had once thought. "Perhaps someone high up in the Land of Fire—or even someone who'll decide Konoha's future."

The Kurama Clan was in decline. Aside from Yakumo and Kurama Yui, he was the only one left who could barely keep up appearances: an old Chunin. They could not afford another loss.

So he dared not slack off.

His dogged pursuit of Uchiha Itachi was not only about completing the mission assigned by the clan. He also hoped to seize this opportunity to prove himself to the powerful figure lurking behind Yakumo.

The Kurama Clan could still be trusted, still had value, and still deserved a place on Konoha's board.

Even he—even an old Chunin—could still complete a difficult mission.

Outside, a Shiba Inu was wandering around.

It belonged to the teahouse owner and was named A Ba. Every evening, the owner let it out for some fresh air, and it had one remarkably regular habit: at exactly 6:01 p.m., it ran to the old utility pole on the street corner to relieve itself. Rain or shine, it had never missed its appointment.

"Shiba Inu Shiba—Konoha's most punctual," Kurama Kotaro had once joked.

But today was different.

After being let out, A Ba ran to the utility pole as usual. It looked left and right, lifted its leg... but didn't pee.

Kotaro's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Something's up." Alarm bells went off in his head. He gulped down the tea in his mouth without even bothering to savor it.

He wasn't joking. He might be old, but he wasn't senile. Besides his missions and his tea, Kurama Kotaro had another hobby: watching dogs pee. It sounded absurd, but today it had won him a valuable piece of information.

He'd been watching that dog, A Ba, for three years. In all that time, it had never missed its appointment.

But today, it had hesitated.

What did that mean? That something was wrong with the utility pole.

Kurama Kotaro rose as if nothing were the matter and strolled outside the teahouse.

The breeze blew gently. He lit his pipe and pretended to enjoy the sunset, even wearing a kindly smile. But his eyes examined the utility pole inch by inch.

There were no posters on it, and it hadn't been freshly painted.

But near the top of the pole, he spotted a black feather stuck to it, fluttering lightly in the wind.

"A crow's feather." Kurama Kotaro was a veteran Chunin of Konoha and knew a great deal about animals. It was definitely a crow's feather.

Crows weren't common in Konoha. If it wasn't an ordinary wild bird, there could only be one explanation.

A Summoning Crow.

A name immediately came to mind.

Uchiha Itachi.

"Looks like it's him."

"But catching him isn't my mission. My mission is to find him." He knew his own limits and wouldn't expose himself on impulse.

Kurama Kotaro quietly tapped the ash from his pipe, then turned and went back inside the teahouse, returning to his seat.

It had taken no more than three minutes.

Kotaro took a thin sheet of drawing paper from inside his clothes and unfolded it. Dipping his brush in ink, he quickly sketched what he had just seen: the utility pole, the feather, the sunset, the Shiba Inu, and Uchiha Itachi.

He wrote not a single word, conveying the information entirely through pictures.

This was the Kurama Clan's secret technique.

When he finished the drawing, he pressed his thumb to the paper. A red mark appeared as chakra flowed through it.

The signal had been sent.

Meanwhile, at the other end of Konoha, a young woman sat cross-legged in a small house and received the message.

What surprised her was that another report had arrived from elsewhere, too.

Kurama Yui was lying in wait on the outskirts of the Uchiha compound. No one lived there anymore. The streets were pitch-black, even the basic streetlights extinguished. The whole area seemed to have been deliberately forgotten by Konoha. It was so quiet that even the sound of dry leaves falling in the wind seemed to be swallowed up.

To stay hidden, Yui had used Genjutsu to turn herself into an inconspicuous tree, standing in the deep darkness. Though the illusion was clever, it limited her ability to sense her surroundings.

Footsteps approached—soft and slow, carrying a chilling sense of oppression.

"Crack."

She subtly shifted a branch and peered down from above. A shadow emerged from the depths of the street. Black hair, a mask over his face, a blade in hand. His steps were steady, like a hunter returning to familiar hunting grounds.

It was "Itachi."

Although she couldn't get a clear look, she was almost certain: that was Uchiha Itachi.

Through the blur, Kurama Yui caught sight of his profile. One eye glimmered faintly with the crimson light of the Sharingan.

"Mask, black hair, a blade, Sharingan... It's him."

A cold gust of wind blew through, and the branch concealing Yui trembled slightly.

What happened next alarmed her even more.

The guards on the outskirts of the compound had been patrolling warily, but they didn't even get a chance to react before the man silently took them out one by one. One slash, clean and decisive. He made almost no unnecessary movements.

The man headed toward the Uchiha family main residence, moving silently with every step, as if he already knew every paving stone by heart.

The area around them was dead silent.

Only after the enemy had completely disappeared from sight did Kurama Yui slowly extend a branch, feed chakra into the ring, and send an urgent message: Uchiha Itachi has appeared.

A few seconds later, Kurama Yakumo opened her eyes. The ring in her palm was warm.

The reports from Kotaro and Yui almost perfectly matched.

Uchiha Itachi had appeared.

She hesitated for a moment. A glint flashed in her eyes, but in the end, she forwarded the information to Uchiha Rei.

"I'll leave everything to you, sir!"