Fleeing the Village, Former Subordinates

Lost in thought, Itachi Uchiha was jolted awake by a cold gust of wind.

He suddenly remembered that Sasuke was the protagonist. Why was he worrying so much?

If Sasuke got killed by Danzo and Hiruzen, he could just revive at full health and activate his cheat abilities...

At that thought, the furrow between Itachi's brows relaxed.

At the same time, a wave of emotion rose in his heart. Having thought it through, Itachi vanished from where he stood.

He must have been bored out of his mind to worry about the safety of a child of destiny.

Of course, he was also using that as a reason to convince himself.

"Good luck, my foolish little brother..."

Itachi's cold, concise words echoed through the air.

The scene shifted, and Itachi was already running across rooftops and through the trees according to the memories left behind by his former self.

He enjoyed the comfort brought by that spinning, leaping, explosive speed and power.

But the good times did not last.

A figure suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The woman Obito had bound with chains and killed.

Izumi Uchiha.

A faint sadness welled up from the depths of Itachi's heart.

Scenes involving that woman flowed into his mind like a film.

Then he remembered that he still needed to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Partly for Sasuke, and partly for himself.

Mostly because he was afraid something would go wrong.

Meeting Hiruzen meant telling Hiruzen Sarutobi that he was going to infiltrate that organization as a spy, and that he was still Hiruzen's man.

That way, the pursuers Hiruzen Sarutobi sent after him would probably be much weaker.

Then he would not have to face ruthless Danzo and Hiruzen's Root forces at the same time, caught in a pincer attack.

On the other hand, although he knew Sasuke had powerful cheat abilities, his transmigration could very likely cause a butterfly effect.

So he still had to do something.

He could not simply rely on luck and leave Sasuke inside that dangerous cage.

"You came, Itachi..."

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the twelve-year-old Itachi before him and spoke softly.

His eyes carried a hint of complexity and pity.

Then it vanished.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Itachi looked at the old man before him, his heart filled with vigilance.

The office fell silent.

A moment later.

Hiruzen picked up his pipe and puffed away.

Then he placed the pipe on the desk.

Looking at Itachi, who was no longer kneeling before him, he understood that a deep rift had formed between himself and this immensely talented child.

This child, who had once possessed a pure Will of Fire like Kagami, would probably never return.

At the same time, deep wariness rose within him.

The Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's greatest clans, had been exterminated by the twelve-year-old boy before him and a mysterious masked man.

It filled him with curiosity toward that mysterious organization, while also driving a thorn deep into his heart.

"Lord Hokage, I intend to enter that organization and gather intelligence. Sasuke... I leave him to you."

Itachi looked at the floor. Feeling Hiruzen Sarutobi staring at him in silence for so long made him tense and uneasy.

So he chose to speak first, reminding Hiruzen Sarutobi that he still needed to infiltrate that organization and gather intelligence.

Though he felt helpless about this sense of weakness, he was not confident enough yet. He did not want to make a move and test how deep Hiruzen Sarutobi's mastery of composite ninjutsu truly ran. Besides, Konoha had more than just Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Even if he could awaken Susanoo based on his memories, he knew the condition of his body.

No matter how talented a twelve-year-old child was, the limits of his body meant his chakra still had an upper bound.

Moreover, Itachi had always been a fighter who relied on technique and agility. Susanoo was all about brute force and burning through chakra to unleash overwhelming attacks.

The difference was self-evident.

The Uchiha Clan really does lack mana...

Itachi sighed inwardly.

"Go. Take care of yourself..."

At last, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke.

He did not ask after Itachi's well-being as usual. There was concern in his voice, though who knew how much of it was real and how much was fake.

"Yes, Lord Hokage..."

Itachi let out a sigh of relief and answered quietly.

Then his figure flashed, and he left the Hokage's office.

When Itachi appeared again, he was standing atop Hokage Rock, facing the cold wind.

Looking at the still-prosperous village, as though nothing had happened, he felt a surge of emotion.

The cold sweat soaking his clothes made him dissatisfied with his own reaction.

"With this kind of mental fortitude, how am I supposed to survive in this world..."

After taking one deep look below, Itachi turned and left.

He was also eager to adapt to this world and change his mindset.

"Come out. Stop hiding."

After leaving the village, Itachi, who had been traveling, stopped and stood on the ground.

Compared to narrow branches, the solid feel of the earth gave him greater peace of mind.

Itachi did not turn around. He merely spoke indifferently.

"Our former captain's senses are as sharp as ever. But for someone who fled the village like you, we ANBU have to at least make a show of hunting you down..."

Two ANBU wearing animal masks appeared atop a tree trunk.

One of them looked down at Itachi below and spoke with a teasing tone.

"Be careful. Don't look into his eyes."

The other ANBU gripped the hilt of the sword on his back and spoke solemnly.

Then two sharp gusts tore through the air.

The two appeared beside Itachi, and their blades pierced through his body.

Specks of blood splattered onto the ground.

"Did we get him? The Uchiha Clan is nothing special after all..."

Feeling the sensation transmitted through his blade,

the ANBU who had spoken first opened his mouth smugly.

But before he could finish, his pupils shrank, and he froze.

Intense pain burst from his lower abdomen. The Itachi before him had already vanished.

And his blade was embedded in his teammate's body.

"When did this happen?..."

Only two people remained in the clearing: the two ANBU sent to hunt Itachi down.

At that moment, both of them had been pierced through the body by the other's blade.

They were killing each other... stabbing each other...

Itachi slowly descended from the air.

From the day you became my subordinates, you had already fallen under my Genjutsu.

The moment you attacked me, you would become trapped within it.

Seeing that the two were beyond saving, Itachi lost any desire to finish them off.

He explained quietly.

His tone carried faint mockery and endless coldness.

"What a terrifying person..."

After hearing Itachi's explanation, the ANBU who had spoken first sighed.

Then the two corpses collapsed onto the ground. He had killed his teammate with a single strike.

He had held on until now only because he was unwilling to die without understanding what had happened...

Looking at the two corpses on the ground, Itachi's eyes grew unfocused.

No one knew what he was thinking.

A moment later, he leaped onto a branch and quickly vanished into the night.

The reason he had been able to detect the two earlier was because he had sensed the Genjutsu marks on their bodies.

Though they had not yet activated, they exposed the two like bright stars in the night sky.

Just now, he had also been recalling the process for using that trigger-type Genjutsu, which functioned like a passive skill.

As Itachi repeatedly recalled the memories of the past, killing had long since become numb to him.