In a small town in the Land of Fire.
An old man and a young boy were walking slowly down the street; they were Hiruzen Sarutobi and Itachi Uchiha.
After leaving Konoha, the two did not immediately leave the Land of Fire.
Hiruzen Sarutobi Konoha Itachi, but Itachi quickly caught up with him. As for how Itachi knew Hiruzen Sarutobi's location and the direction he left in, it was naturally because someone helped him.
After the two met, Itachi gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a scroll. After reading the scroll Hiruzen Sarutobi had mixed feelings, but he still carefully put the scroll away.
The two then disguised themselves as grandfather and grandson and wandered around the Land of Fire.
Neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Itachi had any clue how to join the Akatsuki; the lack of information prevented them from making any plans.
They can only occasionally show their faces in various towns and cities of the Land of Fire, where they are discovered by those with ulterior motives.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Itachi Uchiha were naturally followed by Konoha Ninja, but their mission was always just to track their movements.
Aside from Ren Konoha, Guy who wasn't instantly killed before opening the Gate of Wonder, and Shisui who possessed the Flying Thunder God and Susanoo, no one else in Konoha, including Fugaku, could be said to have a guaranteed victory over Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Just follow behind. If we actually go up, then we'll decide whether to let Hiruzen Sarutobi or not.
Even Konoha has spies, let alone the Land of Fire. With Hiruzen Sarutobi and Itachi intentionally revealing their whereabouts, every ambitious force in the Shinobi World has more or less gained some knowledge of their movements.
Most people focused their attention on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The five great ninja villages each have their Kage listed on the black market, and the prices are astronomical.
I don't know who posted the bounty; perhaps some of them were listed by the black market to elevate their prestige, but some, or at least one, were not.
That was Ren's bounty. Before becoming Hokage, Ren had someone hide his identity and post his own bounty, which was twice the price of Hiruzen Sarutobi's.
After becoming Hokage, Ren received an additional bounty, becoming the top-ranked person on the black market bounty list, with a price several times higher than the second-ranked person.
Now, a lone figure has attracted countless eyes, including those of Kakuzu.
Nagato did not stop Kakuzu's actions. Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was famous, there were many people who were not worthy of their reputation.
Letting Kakuzu test his strength before recruiting him is a good option.
Itachi Uchiha, who followed Hiruzen Sarutobi Uchiha Clan, was almost universally regarded as a nobody.
However, nothing is absolute. Itachi looked weak and frail, and even though he had only been on the black market for a few days and had no reputation before, he was still being targeted.
By intentionally controlling their speed and occasionally revealing their presence.
The routes taken by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Itachi Uchiha have also been roughly compiled by those who are interested.
After leaving Konoha, they headed northwest, and the last time they appeared, they were very close to the border of the Land of Fire.
The next location to appear is either the Land of Grass or the Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain is not monolithic; various factions have their own intelligence agents within Land of Rain.
The most impenetrable and one-way place is Amegakure. Amegakure, which has been unusually low-key since the Third Shinobi World War, is like a graveyard for intelligence agents.
After suffering several setbacks, all the various factions stopped trying to cause trouble in Amegakure, which was a way of giving Hanzo, a demigod, some face.
Several days later, in a small town where it was drizzling, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Itachi Uchiha reappeared.
The Land of Grass?
Those who had designs on Hiruzen Sarutobi and his companion began to take action.
After replenishing their food supplies and resting for the night.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Itachi Uchiha left the town. Unlike the Land of Rain, which was shrouded in continuous rain, the Land of Grass had also entered its rainy season.
Wearing raincoats and straw hats, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Itachi Uchiha walked slowly in the rain.
Suddenly, Itachi stopped and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi beside him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi also turned his head and exchanged a glance with Itachi; both of them had noticed the ambush.
"Come out, there's no need to hide anymore."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a somewhat aged voice.
Immediately afterwards, a voice hurling curses rang out.
"It's all your fault, Hidan! You can't even hide your presence properly."
"What? The fact that you even came with me is already a favor I'm doing you. This isn't a mission, so don't expect me to lift a finger!"
As the argument raged, two figures appeared before Hiruzen Sarutobi and Itachi Uchiha, causing their pupils beneath their straw hats to contract slightly.
Akatsuki?!
It's finally here!
Itachi immediately activated his Sharingan, then frowned slightly and turned to look in a certain direction.
"Who's there? Aren't you coming out?"
Itachi's words shocked the remaining three, as they were not sensory ninjas and had not noticed anyone else nearby.
Itachi, however, discovered a flaw by using his Sharingan's exceptional perception and ability to see Chakra.
A voice that sounded somewhat familiar to everyone present except Hidan rang out.
"Teacher Sarutobi, Itachi-kun, and the two from Akatsuki, what a coincidence!"