Fourth Shinobi World War

"If this is all you're capable of, then I wish I'd never known you. Uchiha Itachi, get out!"

Hyuga Kagami gave a cold snort, his face hard as iron.

"Times change, but Konoha is still Konoha. It's never changed. The people are the ones who've changed. Konoha is like a great tree. Since it's already rotten, we'll cut out every last worm! And if we can't, then we'll tear the whole tree down and plant a new sapling!"

His face was fierce!

He didn't waver!

Uchiha Itachi's heart trembled. Looking up at Hyuga Kagami's handsome, tranquil face, he felt an incomparable aura of Haki and personal magnetism!

Even when the Hokage, the Root leader, and countless clans had all rotted away...

Kagami-kun... had still held fast to his convictions?!

What kind of willpower... did that take?!

"Kagami-kun... I, I..."

A glimmer of light gradually returned to Uchiha Itachi's ashen eyes, as if he'd glimpsed sunshine and hope in the darkness.

"You're right! I'll save Konoha. I'll... make Konoha better!"

Hyuga Kagami's lips curled upward.

As a genius who'd stayed hidden in the shadows, and who'd never been vindicated even after his death, how could Uchiha Itachi be so easily defeated?

Though Uchiha Itachi had despaired,

it was because he'd lost his purpose in life.

If he'd lost it, why not give him a new one?

Uchiha Itachi's guiding principle was to protect Konoha. Since Konoha had grown rotten, then he could change his goal to rebuilding it!

"Good. Now this is the Uchiha Itachi I know!"

Hyuga Kagami patted Uchiha Itachi on the shoulder in approval. "Let's build a new Konoha together!"

Uchiha Itachi looked at Hyuga Kagami: his tall stature, his kind and sunny face, his strong will, his overwhelming power... Every part of him radiated a light that commanded admiration.

Now this was a leader worth following!

Hyuga Kagami's mouth twitched. Had this guy's brain short-circuited again?

Uchiha Itachi suddenly stood up and nodded firmly. "Kagami-kun, you're right!"

He paused, then suddenly remembered something.

His eyes couldn't help turning toward the three dead bodies.

"Now that the Kumogakure shinobi have been killed, Kumogakure will eventually realize something's happened when they don't return. By then... war might really break out!"

Uchiha Itachi looked worried. "What should we do?"

War would drag countless shinobi into its grasp.

That wouldn't be good for Konoha.

Hyuga Kagami's lips curled upward. "War isn't necessarily a bad thing. Only through trials can people shine. The same goes for Konoha."

"Using war to purge the rot is the best way. What we have to do is earn greater prestige during the war—enough to... turn Konoha's situation around!"

Prestige was a terrifying thing.

Especially on the battlefield.

Why had Namikaze Minato become the Fourth Hokage? First, the Third had been forced to step down. Second, Namikaze Minato had enjoyed terrifying prestige; on the battlefield, a single call from him could rally everyone!

He was practically a god in the hearts of Konoha's shinobi!

With prestige like that, even if Namikaze Minato had told them to rebel, they would've followed him without hesitation!

That was also why Hitler had been able to gain Absolute Control over the military: his prestige had been too great!

"So war... can serve that purpose too?!"

Uchiha Itachi was stunned.

Suddenly,

his pupils contracted. Something occurred to him, and his scalp prickled!

Kagami-kun... had planned his next move from the very moment he'd struck!

Killing the Kumogakure shinobi hadn't just been about recovering Hizashi Hyuga's body. It had also been about setting war in motion, earning tremendous prestige, and purging the darkness in Konoha!

His whole body trembled. He couldn't help taking a deep breath. "This... is truly insane."

"To purge Konoha... you're going to start a war?"

It was terrifying!

At that moment, he suddenly realized that, compared to Hyuga Kagami, he—despite being called a genius—was nothing but an ant!

Kagami-kun's courage, his vision,

and the breadth of his spirit were countless times greater than his own!

War!

How many people would do anything to avoid it?

How many people feared the unknown horrors it might bring?

Yet Hyuga Kagami wasn't afraid. Instead, he calmly and coolly planned to set war in motion, then scheme for everything he wanted amid the fighting, as though he were... the invisible hand guiding the war!

"Itachi, this plan is too big, too dangerous." Hyuga Kagami remained calm, even offering a hint of reassurance. "If we're discovered, we'll die without a burial place. Even if we somehow survive, we'll become rogue ninja."

"You're my friend. I don't want you to get hurt. You still have a chance to back out."

When dealing with geniuses,

you shouldn't always try to trick them.

Reverse psychology worked better.

"I won't back out!"

Uchiha Itachi's expression was resolute. The word "friend" had truly touched his heart!

"Please believe in me, Kagami-kun. I'll become the blade in your hand, pierce through Konoha's darkness, and give Konoha a new life!"

"Only a new Konoha will be worth protecting. The Konoha of today is already riddled with decay!"

Konoha had to sweep away the darkness!

Hyuga Kagami rubbed his nose. It seemed the motivational drivel he'd read online in his previous life really was pretty useful.

"Then work hard to make yourself stronger. Opportunity favors the prepared. Let's wait for the right moment, then strike in one move and become unrivaled! Until then, you can join the Anbu and gain more opportunities."

Hyuga Kagami offered his suggestion.

Once Uchiha Itachi joined the Anbu, he would surely earn their trust. He'd be able to obtain all kinds of Konoha intelligence and secrets with ease.

"I understand!" Uchiha Itachi's dark eyes were resolute. "I'll get my father to agree to let me join the Anbu!"

His father probably wouldn't agree to it.

But so what?

To purge Konoha, he was willing to defy his father!

The night was deep. Hyuga Kagami casually conjured a ball of fire and burned the three bodies to ashes. The two exchanged a glance, then disappeared into the darkness.

Hyuga Kagami's lips curled upward. "Tonight's haul was pretty good!"

"Now that I've recruited Uchiha Itachi, it's like gaining a future Mangekyō Sharingan powerhouse!"

Uchiha Itachi wasn't just a combat genius.

He also had remarkable strategic insight!

For example, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, everyone else had struggled miserably against the dead brought back through Impure World Reincarnation.

But Uchiha Itachi had thought to undo the Impure World Reincarnation.

In the end, he sealed Yakushi Kabuto, helping make victory in the Fourth Shinobi World War possible.

Otherwise, the Allied Shinobi Forces would've been worn to death by the reincarnated dead!

"This was a huge win!"

Hyuga Kagami's lips curled upward. "I've already recruited Uchiha Itachi. How far off can Uchiha Shisui be?"

He rubbed his chin.

Uchiha Shisui's loyalty to Konoha was deeply rooted. Changing his mind would be much harder than changing young Uchiha Itachi's. This would... take the right approach and timing.

"Also, perhaps... the Fourth Shinobi World War will come early."

Hyuga Kagami's eyes glinted. "The Raikage may be rash, but he's also clever and cautious. Looks like I'll have to do something to add a little fuel to the fire."

His lips curled upward.

In the darkness, a pair of white eyes glimmered.