Encountering Uchiha Itachi Again

"Lord Third Hokage, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."

Seeing that the Third Hokage remained silent, Yun Xi prepared to depart immediately.

"Hm, go on then..."

The Third Hokage did not say anything more as he watched Yun Xi prepare to leave.

He merely waved his hand, signaling that Yun Xi was free to go.

I must be more careful the next time I plan to leave the village!

Gazing out into the silent night, Yun Xi thought to himself.

If Konoha were not currently in a period of peace, the mere act of leaving the village without authorization would have been enough to cause Yun Xi a great deal of trouble.

"You've returned?"

Just as Yun Xi was on his way home, a voice, slightly cold in tone, suddenly emerged.

"Who's there?"

Upon hearing the voice, Yun Xi spun around instantly, only to discover a figure standing in a tree not far away.

When Yun Xi looked closer, he was shocked to find it was Uchiha Itachi!

"What did you mean by what you said earlier?"

Faced with Uchiha Itachi's inquiry, Yun Xi did not answer, but instead took the initiative to ask what he meant by those words.

"It meant nothing; I simply found you more interesting than I had imagined."

Seeing Yun Xi challenge him, Uchiha Itachi jumped down from the tree and said, "Don't misunderstand. I only happened to discover by chance that what you left in the village was merely a clone."

"Meeting you here today was also a coincidence; I have absolutely no intention of following you."

After speaking, Uchiha Itachi prepared to leave, heading in the direction of the Hokage Office that Yun Xi had just departed from.

"I trust you don't have the time to concern yourself with a commoner like me."

Watching the direction in which Uchiha Itachi was heading, Yun Xi replied with a smile.

"Why?"

Clearly, Yun Xi's calm expression caught Uchiha Itachi off guard.

He stopped in his tracks, returned to stand before Yun Xi, and asked, "Why aren't you even slightly suspicious that I came here specifically to follow you?"

"You and I are both intelligent people. I don't think I need to say much more to you; you certainly don't have the time right now to be tailing a commoner like me."

Watching Uchiha Itachi return, Yun Xi also smiled.

After finishing his explanation, Yun Xi added one last sentence before leaving: "Hurry along now, the Third Hokage is likely waiting for you..."

Does he know something...

After hearing what Yun Xi had just said, Uchiha Itachi's expression underwent a subtle change.

Initially, he had simply been curious and struck up a conversation with Yun Xi.

After all, a commoner youth who had mastered the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique at such an age was enough to capture Uchiha Itachi's attention.

However, there was a very important matter awaiting Uchiha Itachi this evening.

That was to meet with the Third Hokage and prepare to inform the Konoha high command of the Uchiha clan's rebellion plans.

But Uchiha Itachi had not expected Yun Xi's words to be so profound...

They even made Uchiha Itachi feel a chill run down his spine!

"Stop right there. What exactly are you trying to say?"

Finally, Uchiha Itachi lost his composure and directly blocked Yun Xi, who was preparing to head home.

"I don't know anything, but then again, perhaps I know a thing or two..."

Looking at the visibly nervous Uchiha Itachi, Yun Xi smiled.

The cold, aloof god and top-tier brother-obsessed figure from the original story was actually showing signs of panic.

"I feel like you must know something."

Previously, Uchiha Itachi had not been certain whether Yun Xi knew about the situation between the Uchiha clan and the village.

But this ambiguous remark from Yun Xi made Uchiha Itachi certain that he definitely knew something!

But that shouldn't be possible, right? Why would a commoner ninja know about these things? Even as Uchiha Itachi regained his senses, he found it incredible.

The figures behind the Uchiha Clan Downfall Incident were complex and intertwined; Danzo, the Third Hokage, Uchiha Itachi, and others were all involved, yet not a single person could see the full truth of the entire affair.

This even included Uchiha Itachi, who served as a double agent during the incident.

"Everyone stands in a different position, so they see different things. It is useless for me to try and persuade you now."

Watching the shocked Uchiha Itachi standing right before him, Yun Xi decided to offer him a reminder.

"If you want to know the truth behind this, you can come find me at the Back Mountain of Konoha after everything is over."

"I can tell you about it then..."

After revealing some information, Yun Xi left Konoha Main Street at an incredible speed.

Only Uchiha Itachi remained on the vast street...

"Such speed!"

Seeing Yun Xi vanish in a blur, the shock in Itachi's heart deepened...

Who exactly is this kid?

Watching Yun Xi's receding figure, Itachi felt a complex mix of emotions.

At first, he had only been interested because Yun Xi was a genius, but the speed just displayed...

It undoubtedly left Uchiha Itachi even more astonished; he hadn't even been able to track Yun Xi's departure without activating his Sharingan!

One had to realize that although the current Uchiha Itachi was slightly weaker than the version who had already joined the Akatsuki in the original timeline, he was still an absolute Elite Jonin, capable of reaching Kage-level strength when activating his Susanoo...

Coupled with what Yun Xi had said earlier...

If Uchiha Itachi hadn't already made up his mind to carry out the Uchiha Clan Downfall Incident, he might have even chased after him to demand an explanation...

"Forget it. I will find him after everything is over..."

Glancing at the now-distant Yun Xi, Uchiha Itachi ultimately chose not to pursue him.

Instead, he headed toward the Hokage Building...

It seems I've managed to pique Itachi's interest...

After arriving home, Yun Xi began preparing dinner for himself and Karin.

At the same time, he pondered how to recruit Itachi into his own organization.

After all, with such a talent, Yun Xi was certainly not willing to hand him over to the Akatsuki...

In the original story, Itachi returned home after meeting with the Third Hokage, and then carried out the tragic massacre.

Although, on the surface, it appeared that Itachi committed the massacre to defect from Konoha, Yun Xi was a man who had read the original Naruto series; he naturally knew the truth behind the clan's downfall.

In reality, the Uchiha Clan Downfall Incident was by no means something Uchiha Itachi could have decided on his own.

After the decisive battle at the Valley of the End, the Uchiha Clan gradually revealed their dissatisfaction with Hashirama's monopoly over Konoha, even plotting to seize the seat of the Hokage.

The original Konoha leadership had already lost all trust in the Uchiha Clan.

Later, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, established the Konoha Military Police Force, with the primary duties held by members of the Uchiha Clan.

On the surface, this was a gesture of trust, showing a willingness to entrust the village's security to the Uchiha, but in reality, it was a way to divide their power to appease the clan and guard against another betrayal.

The contemporary head of the Uchiha family, Uchiha Fugaku, was extremely dissatisfied with the Konoha authorities.

Coupled with the fact that the Uchiha family's power had reached its peak at that time, they were naturally preparing to launch a civil war.

Uchiha Itachi became a double agent; Uchiha Fugaku had him observe the Konoha leadership, while conversely, the Konoha leadership had Itachi observe the Uchiha Clan.

Initially, Uchiha Itachi only wanted to resolve the Uchiha's planned rebellion through peaceful means.

The Third Hokage had agreed with Itachi's approach, but Danzo had intended to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan in one fell swoop...

It could be said that throughout the entire Uchiha Clan Downfall Incident, Itachi was an extremely conflicted character.

As a transmigrator, Yun Xi still held a bit of affection for the character of Itachi.

Although he did not intend to stop Uchiha Itachi's actions, he decided to help him just this once...