Itachi had even begun to like life with the hunting group. This unrestrained, wild, carefree existence made him feel utterly intoxicated.
And Itachi had discovered something wonderful as well: here, he could use Ninjutsu without restraint. Yes, he could use Ninjutsu in Konoha too, but it was mostly against targets, or occasionally when sparring with the Jonin of his clan. It was nowhere near satisfying enough.
But now, he could freely use Ninjutsu against the monsters before him. The uninhibited thrill of it had drawn him in so deeply that, at night, Li called him over directly.
Only when he saw Li's expression did Itachi realize that he seemed to have indulged himself a little too much.
Yet Li did not punish him. Instead, he softly said, "If you like it, you can die here."
Itachi froze. For a moment, he thought Li truly meant to kill him, but then he understood what Li meant. Li meant that the clan would learn that he had died here.
"But, Teacher, do you know how much of a burden that would place on you?" Itachi said through gritted teeth.
Li nodded. "Of course I do. Your father is an important figure in the clan now, and he has two choices. The first is to fight me to the death. Rest assured, he won't come out of it well. Even if he kills me, he'll lose a major ally within the clan."
"And what if he cooperates with you?" Itachi asked slowly.
"Cooperate? Do you think I don't know what kind of person Fugaku is? Even if he is willing to cooperate with me now, he probably wants nothing more than to kill me in his heart. Once he has absolute power in his hands, that will be my end." Li smiled. "So,