"Lord Hokage, if there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Seeing that the Third Hokage didn't say anything, Yun Xi prepared to leave.
"Mm, go on home..."
Seeing Yun Xi getting ready to leave, the Third Hokage didn't say much.
He simply waved his hand to indicate that Yun Xi could go...
"Next time you leave the village, make sure to be more careful!"
Gazing at the quiet night, Yun Xi thought to himself.
If Konoha hadn't been in peacetime, simply leaving the village without permission could have caused Yun Xi a lot of trouble.
"You're back?"
Just as Yun Xi was on his way home, a rather cold voice suddenly rang out.
"Who's there?"
At the sound of the voice, Yun Xi immediately turned around and saw someone standing in a tree not far away.
Taking a closer look, Yun Xi realized it was Uchiha Itachi!
"What did you mean by what you said earlier?"
In response to Itachi's question, Yun Xi didn't answer. Instead, he asked Itachi what he meant by those words.
"Nothing in particular. I just realized you're more interesting than I thought."
Seeing Yun Xi question him, Itachi jumped down from the tree and said, "Don't get the wrong idea. I just happened to notice that you left a clone in the village."
"And running into you here tonight was just a coincidence. I absolutely wasn't following you."
Having finished speaking, Uchiha Itachi prepared to leave, heading toward the Hokage Office, where Yun Xi had just been.
"I'm sure you don't have time to bother with a civilian like me."
Watching Itachi head off, Yun Xi replied with a smile.
"Why?"
Yun Xi's calm expression had clearly surprised Itachi.
He stopped and returned to Yun Xi, asking, "Why aren't you even a little suspicious that I came here specifically to follow you?"
"You and I are both smart. I don't think I need to explain much. Right now, you don't have time to follow a civilian like me."
Seeing Uchiha Itachi come back, Yun Xi smiled.
After explaining, Yun Xi added one last thing before leaving: "You should hurry along. The Third Hokage is probably waiting for you..."
"Does he know something...?"
After hearing what Yun Xi had said, Itachi's expression shifted subtly.
At first, he had simply spoken to Yun Xi out of curiosity.
After all, even a civilian boy who had mastered the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique at such a young age was enough to draw Uchiha Itachi's attention.
But Itachi had something important to take care of that night.
He was going to meet the Third Hokage and tell the Konoha High Command about the Uchiha Clan's planned rebellion.
But Itachi hadn't expected Yun Xi's words to carry so much meaning...
They had even sent a chill down Uchiha Itachi's spine!
"Stop. What exactly are you trying to say?"
At last, Uchiha Itachi lost his composure and stopped Yun Xi, who had been heading home.
"I don't know anything. Or maybe I know a little..."
Looking at Itachi's tense expression, Yun Xi smiled.
The cool, aloof heartthrob and ultimate little-brother fanatic from the original story could actually look so flustered.
"I think you know something."
Until then, Uchiha Itachi hadn't been sure whether Yun Xi knew about the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village.
But Yun Xi's deliberately ambiguous remark convinced him that Yun Xi definitely knew something!
"But that doesn't make sense. Why would a civilian shinobi know about this?" When Itachi came to his senses, he still found it hard to believe.
The people involved in the Uchiha Clan Downfall Incident were tangled up in a complicated web. Danzo, the Third Hokage, Uchiha Itachi, and others had all played a part, yet not one of them could see the whole truth.
That included Uchiha Itachi himself, who had served as a double agent in the incident.
"Everyone sees different things from where they stand. There's no point in trying to talk you out of it now."
Looking at Itachi, who was standing right in front of him, visibly shocked, Yun Xi decided to give him a warning.
"If you want to know the truth behind all this, come find me in Konoha's Back Mountain after it's over."
"I can tell you more..."
After revealing a little information, Yun Xi left Konoha Main Street at incredible speed.
The vast street was left with Uchiha Itachi alone...
"What incredible speed!"
Seeing Yun Xi race away, Itachi was even more astonished...
"Who exactly is that kid?"
Watching Yun Xi disappear into the distance, Itachi was left with mixed feelings.
At first, he'd only thought Yun Xi was a genius, but the speed he'd just displayed...
It had left Uchiha Itachi even more shocked. Without activating his Sharingan, he couldn't even see how fast Yun Xi had moved!
Though the Uchiha Itachi of this time was weaker than he'd been after joining the Akatsuki in the original story,
he was still an Elite Jonin. With Susanoo activated, he could reach Kage Level...
And then there were the things Yun Xi had said...
If Uchiha Itachi hadn't already made up his mind to wipe out the Uchiha Clan, he would have wanted to chase after Yun Xi and demand an explanation...
"Forget it. I'll look for him after this is over..."
After watching Yun Xi disappear into the distance, Uchiha Itachi ultimately decided not to chase him.
Instead, he headed toward the Hokage Building...
"Looks like I've piqued Itachi's interest..."
After getting home, Yun Xi began preparing dinner for himself and Karin.
At the same time, he thought about how to bring Itachi into his organization.
After all, Yun Xi couldn't bear to hand such a talent over to the Akatsuki...
In the original story, Itachi had gone home after meeting with the Third Hokage, then carried out the massacre of his clan.
On the surface, it seemed that Itachi had massacred his clan so he could defect from Konoha.
But Yun Xi had read the original Naruto story, so he knew the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
In reality, Uchiha Itachi alone couldn't possibly have decided to wipe out the Uchiha Clan.
After the battle at the Valley of the End, the Uchiha Clan gradually began showing its dissatisfaction with Hashirama's monopoly over Konoha, and even started plotting to claim the Hokage's seat.
By then, the Konoha High Command had already lost trust in the Uchiha Clan.
Later, Second Hokage Tobirama Senju established the Konoha Military Police Force, assigning most of its positions to members of the Uchiha Clan.
On the surface, this showed that the village trusted the Uchiha Clan and was willing to entrust them with the village's security.
In reality, it was a way to give the Uchiha Clan a share of the power to placate them and prevent them from betraying the village again.
The current head of the Uchiha family, Uchiha Fugaku, was deeply dissatisfied with Konoha's leadership.
On top of that, the Uchiha family was at the height of its power, so they naturally planned to start a civil war.
Uchiha Itachi became a double agent. Uchiha Fugaku had him keep an eye on the Konoha High Command, while the Konoha High Command had him watch the Uchiha Clan.
At first, Uchiha Itachi had only wanted to resolve the Uchiha rebellion through peaceful means.
The Third Hokage agreed with Itachi's idea, but Danzo planned to wipe out the Uchiha Clan once and for all...
In the Uchiha Clan Massacre, Itachi was an exceptionally conflicted figure.
As someone who had been reincarnated into this world, Yun Xi had some fondness for Itachi.
Though he didn't plan to stop Uchiha Itachi, he had still decided to help him this once...
Before you continue