Probing Uchiha Itachi

"Uchiha... Itachi?"

Kō looked at Obito, who had a confident expression on his face, in surprise, and for a moment he didn't know what expression to use to respond to this answer.

The power that had been brimming in his eyes gradually receded.

"Yes, that's him!"

Obito nodded solemnly and said with certainty:

"Right now, the only people in the Ninja World who know of Uchiha Madara's existence, besides you, Kisame, and Black Zetsu, are Nagato, and Konan, whom I personally introduced to Akatsuki."

As he spoke, he paced back and forth on the ground with his hands behind his back:

"While Nagato and Konan cannot be completely trusted, I am certain that they would never pass on any information to Konoha!"

Obito refocused his gaze on Kotomi's face, his voice even lower:

"So, the most suspicious person right now is still Uchiha Itachi."

Obito paused slightly, then continued in a somber tone:

"Although I knew long ago that guy was a spy sent by Konoha, I originally thought that, given his cautious nature, after joining Akatsuki, he would at least establish himself first and lie low for a while before gathering enough intelligence."

He shouldn't do anything too extreme in the short term.

He raised his eyes, a hint of undisguised coldness in his voice:

"But now it seems I was wrong."

Even so, Obito still harbored a lingering doubt.

If it was indeed Itachi who leaked the information, then Konoha shouldn't be in such a hurry to investigate the Akatsuki...

Moreover, judging from Kakashi's reaction, he didn't seem to be entirely certain about this information.

Obito pondered this contradiction repeatedly in his mind, and suddenly felt a sense of trouble.

Clearly, the current situation is sliding in a direction he cannot control.

After hearing Obito's words, he did not immediately respond.

He remained silent, pondering the strangeness of the situation.

Kakashi's ability to notice the unusual behavior in Obito was indeed beyond his expectations.

According to the original timeline, before Obito officially entered the Ninja World as "Uchiha Madara" after Itachi's death, Kakashi should not have noticed anything amiss from beginning to end.

As for Itachi's role as a spy within the Akatsuki —to put it bluntly, it was practically the same as not having one at all.

They ate hundreds of skewers of the Three-Color Dumplings, yet not a single piece of information was actually sent back to Konoha!

In the end, everything he did over the years was paving the way for his own Aizo TV.

Based on his understanding of Uchiha Itachi, this information most likely wasn't leaked by him.

Kakashi could see Obito's current problem; there's only one other possibility.

He, or rather Konoha, has other sources of information...

Obito seemed unaware of Kotori's momentary lapse in concentration.

He had snapped out of his thoughts, looked up, and his tone regained its usual calm and cautiousness:

"Currently, although Itachi is the most suspicious, we still need solid evidence to draw a conclusion."

He paused, then turned his gaze back to Kou, his tone regaining some of its usual calmness:

"Ultimately, the reason I let him join Akatsuki was to keep him under my watchful eye and restrict his actions."

Taking action without solid evidence would only alert the enemy.

He instantly understood the meaning in the Obito dialect.

He raised his eyes, met Obito's gaze, and calmly continued the conversation:

You mean... you want me to contact Itachi to confirm if he was the one who leaked the information.

Obito nodded:

"At the last all-staff meeting, Nagato had already assigned the task of hunting down Orochimaru, who had defected from the organization, to Itachi and Sasori."

I hope you can join this mission under the guise of reinforcements, and try to gauge Itachi's reaction during the mission.

With Sasori, an outsider, present, that guy wouldn't dare do anything out of line if he wanted to stay in Akatsuki.

He paused, then changed the subject and began to explain his itinerary:

"While I'm at it, I'm using this time to scout for new members for the organization throughout the Ninja World, trying to avoid direct contact with Itachi as much as possible."

At this point, Obito's tone became more meaningful:

"If necessary, I will arrange for Black Zetsu to team up with him and monitor his every move."

"Great idea!!"

Looking directly at Obito, he blurted out without hesitation.

Obito was taken aback by the instant response from the knock, and a clear look of surprise flashed in his eyes beneath that pupil.

He originally thought that Koto would at least hesitate, since it would be a matter of getting close to him, but that Uchiha Itachi...

For Koko, who hadn't yet unlocked his Mangekyo, that was by no means an easy task.

But his quick response caught me off guard.

Knock instantly realized he had agreed too readily.

He coughed lightly, quickly adjusted his expression, put on a serious face, and solemnly tried to smooth things over:

"Ahem! What I mean is... after three days apart, one should really look at one with new eyes."

I'm truly surprised that you could think of things so thoroughly.

As he spoke, he pulled his hand out of his sleeve and patted Obito's shoulder in a pretentious manner, his tone full of exaggerated satisfaction.

"... I'll take that as a compliment."

Obito silently withdrew his gaze, too lazy to expose his exaggerated pretense, and his tone became more serious again:

"Then, I'll leave Itachi's side to you for now, okay?"

Kou did not answer immediately, but pondered carefully in his mind for a moment.

With my current strength, I really don't need to be as wary of Uchiha Itachi as I was before.

Although Kotoamatsukami is troublesome, that technique has an extremely long cooldown time, so Itachi most likely won't waste it on himself.

As long as you remain vigilant and prepared at all times, you'll be fine.

Moreover, he had actually been wanting to find out more about that guy's current situation...

Thinking of this, Kou nodded and replied decisively:

"Okay. Leave Itachi to me."

Obito hearing Kou's crisp response, Obito's stiff face beneath the mask relaxed slightly.

This feeling of peace and security is something I can only experience now when I'm with Kou...

Even though I know very well that these days will eventually come to an end.

He gave the man in front of him a deep look, said nothing more, and simply nodded in return:

"Then, I'll go to Nagato first and finalize your participation in the mission to hunt down Orochimaru."

Obito spoke, he stood up and brushed the grass clippings off his Akatsuki robe:

"I'll have Kisame contact you once everything is arranged."

After saying that, Obito took one last look at the distant battlefield, where the smoke and dust had already dissipated.

Kakashi was supporting the exhausted Guy, while Kabuto and Kisame, who was escorting them, were by their side.

At this moment, they are heading towards Mist Harbor, towards Konoha.

Obito's gaze lingered on the silver-white figure for a moment, then swiftly withdrew without a trace of lingering affection.

A spatial Uzumaki silently bloomed around him, engulfing him entirely.

The next moment, only Kou's figure remained on the empty hill.

Kō felt the increasingly cold wind, stood alone on the hill, silently watching Kakashi and the others' departing figures.

There were too many indescribable things churning in those dark eyes, but in the end, he suppressed them layer by layer back into his heart.

He stared for a moment, then looked away, a flash of blue lightning disappearing almost instantly across his body.

In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished from the hilltop, leaving only a few lingering arcs of electricity emitting a faint hiss in the air...

In a secluded karst cave on the outskirts of the city, Mist Village.

Dusk had turned the horizon a deep orange-red, and Kou's figure silently emerged from the mist.

As usual, he skillfully unlocked the seal on the cave entrance.

But before he could open the door, a red figure rushed out from the depths of the cave.

"Master! You're back!!"

Karin rushed to Kokoro's side, tilting her head back, her face full of undisguised joy.

Looking at Karin's cheerful smile before him, the smile that had been feigned all day finally softened completely.

"I'm back, Karin."

He responded softly to the girl's call, reaching out to gently ruffle her fluffy red hair; the touch beneath his palm was warm and soft.

"Why are you back so early today, Master?"

Karin tilted her head, following Koko towards the living room, and asked curiously as she looked up:

Don't you usually work very late?

Kou smiled, withdrew the hand that had been ruffling her hair, and casually put it in his pocket.

I finished my work ahead of schedule today, thinking that since I had some free time, I wanted to come back early to spend some time with you.

What, you're not welcome?

Hearing Koko's teasing words, Karin's face broke into an even brighter smile than before.

Looking at the smiling girl before him, he involuntarily stopped in his tracks, not following her forward.

Looking at Karin's radiant red hair and her small feet that hadn't left this cave for a long time, a subtle bitterness rose in his heart.

This child, whom I consider family, has spent three years here, from the age of four until now.

In those three years, he had never taken her to see the outside world.

Even though Kou knew perfectly well that he had struggled to protect himself all these years, he had no right to risk Karin's safety.

But now... things might be different.

He glanced in the direction of the secret chamber, a resolute look appearing in his eyes.

Karin.

He looked at the girl walking ahead and called out to her.

Hearing her master's call, Karin turned around with a puzzled look.

She looked at the unusual expression on Kou's face, blinked slightly, as if she had noticed something different.

He crouched down, looking directly into the girl's exceptionally clear eyes, his tone gentle, a stark contrast to his demeanor when confronting Kakashi on the battlefield.

"Do you... want to go outside with me?"

Karin paused for a moment.

She blinked rapidly twice, as if to make sure she hadn't misheard, and then asked cautiously:

"Master... are you taking me out to play?"

There was a hint of probing in her tone, but more than that, there was an overwhelming sense of anticipation.

Those bright, sparkling eyes had already betrayed her innermost thoughts completely.

He remained silent for a moment.

He looked into Karin's eyes, which were beginning to show a hint of expectation, and then slowly and earnestly shook his head.

No, what I mean is...

He paused for a moment, then continued speaking earnestly, word by word:

"Do you want to leave here and come with me to live in the outside world?"

(Three more chapters to go today)