Ren's Mangekyo Sharingan Dōjutsu Shinato's practically a Konoha Ninja's.
Nobody knows its name, but everyone knows how effective it is.
Upon hearing Ren's command, Itachi immediately set off towards the mountain.
Upon reaching the mountaintop, Itachi spotted two familiar figures, one large and one small.
One of them was Ren, sitting on a huge rock, with a figure lying at his feet— Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke Uchiha Fudō at this moment, and if it weren't for his steady and powerfully rising and falling chest, one could easily mistake him for a corpse.
Even if it wasn't a corpse, Sasuke Uchiha's appearance made Itachi's eyes turn icy cold.
Seeing that Itachi was focusing all his attention on Sasuke Uchiha, Ren said softly.
"Don't worry, Itachi, Sasuke Uchiha's fate is in your hands!"
Then, Ren even turned his back to Itachi, looked up at the moon in the sky, and said something in a pretentious manner.
"Itachi, I have a task for you. If you agree, Sasuke Uchiha will become my disciple!"
After a brief pause, Ren continued.
"If you don't agree, then..."
Ren didn't say what would happen if he didn't agree. Saying that would have drastically reduced his intimidation and prestige. Itachi also has a brain; he should learn to use his imagination.
Itachi glanced at Sasuke Uchiha, who was less than 20 meters away, and Ren, whose back was turned to him, and silently calculated the odds of success of his sneak attack.
Itachi came up with plans one after another, only to reject them immediately. He wasn't confident he could save Sasuke Uchiha with 100% certainty, and ultimately, Itachi chose to compromise.
"Lord Hokage, I agree, but there's no need for Sasuke Uchiha to become your disciple!"
Upon hearing Itachi's reply, Ren immediately turned around, a smile on his face.
"I'll take that as a yes, Itachi. Do you remember the Joint Pursuit Force you joined before?"
Without waiting for Itachi's reply, Ren continued.
"We've roughly figured out the identity of that mysterious ninja. Your mission is simple: infiltrate the organization he belongs to and gather intelligence."
"During the mission, you will become missing-nin of Konoha, and the other side may not trust you, so be prepared to be executed if you are exposed at any time."
After saying that, Ren took out a scroll that was the same type he Hiruzen Sarutobi before and threw it at Itachi, who was not far away.
"This is the intelligence we've gathered so far; you'll need to do the rest yourself."
Itachi took the scroll and began to read it carefully.
The more he looked, the more alarmed he became, and a question arose in his mind: What made Ren think he was qualified to join them?
Itachi, who was very self-aware, knew that he was at most an elite Jonin, and at most barely qualified to join them.
After Itachi finished reading, he looked up at Ren and asked.
"Lord Hokage, I'm willing to accept this mission, but my strength might not be enough for them!"
Ren had a strange feeling about Itachi always calling himself Hokage; he always felt that the Hokage Itachi referred Hokage wasn't himself.
"Itachi, do you know why our Uchiha Clan was once known as an evil clan?"
Without waiting for Itachi's reply, Ren asked and answered his own question, simultaneously activating his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Because these are cursed eyes. We are a cursed clan, experiencing love and then losing it. Those with talent can awaken the supreme eye of the Uchiha Clan, the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Then, Ren pointed at Itachi and said.
"Itachi, as the most talented ninja of the Uchiha Clan, you undoubtedly possess the talent to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. So, don't blink now, it'll happen very soon!"
When Ren spoke of 'experiencing love, losing love,' Itachi had a bad feeling.
After Ren finished speaking, flames appeared out of thin air in his hand, condensing into a flaming longsword, which he then thrust directly into Sasuke Uchiha's chest.
Due to the temperature, no blood flowed out, but Sasuke Uchiha still regained consciousness, though only for a moment. After letting out a muffled groan, he became unresponsive.
His hands fell limply to his sides, and the paper he had been clutching began to flutter to the ground. Itachi could clearly see the contents of the paper.
Those were Sasuke Uchiha's exam papers, the handwriting exactly like Sasuke Uchiha's, but they all disappeared in the blink of an eye.
It wasn't a Genjutsu; as Ren moved, a blinding white light appeared, and Sasuke Uchiha, along with the boulder beneath him, turned to ashes.
This wasn't Fugaku's previous Genjutsu, Itachi was 100% certain, and it was definitely Sasuke Uchiha; his physique, aura, and even Chakra were exactly the same as Sasuke Uchiha's.
Itachi's mind was in complete chaos, as if countless needles were piercing it. All that remained in his mind was the image of Ren smiling as he plunged a flaming sword into Sasuke Uchiha's chest.
Reason.
Logic.
Calm.
These words were completely irrelevant to Itachi at this moment. He felt pain he had never experienced before in his life. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot, and the Tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly.
In just a moment, they connected to form the shape of a triangular dart.