Hokage Building
"The question of who we are depends on your choice..." Obito Uchiha stared silently at Itachi Uchiha, their Mangekyō Sharingan spinning wildly, seemingly having clashed countless times in an instant.
"That's... another Mangekyō Sharingan..." After obtaining the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi Uchiha realized the immense power represented by those crimson eyes. It was at this moment that he seemed to fully understand the source of Shisui Uchiha's confidence in single-handedly changing the relationship between the village and his clan...
Now, seeing that Obito Uchiha also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi Uchiha was already quite surprised. And as he sensed the almost inexhaustible power of Obito Uchiha, though his expression remained unchanged, a storm raged within him...
With only his Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi Uchiha, who had only recently awakened it, probably understood that he was no match for him...
"It seems you understand your place..." Seeing that Itachi Uchiha seemed to have given up on using the Mangekyō Sharingan again, Obito Uchiha smiled slightly.
"Perhaps now, we can have a proper talk... about the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan ..." Staring intently at Obito Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha remained silent for a moment before hesitantly nodding.
"What is your purpose...?"
"Perhaps we should talk about you first..." Obito Uchiha chuckled softly, ignoring Itachi Uchiha's question.
"If I'm not mistaken, your situation within the Uchiha Clan isn't good right now... Even your own clan members seem to have completely abandoned you..."
"This matter is none of your concern..." Itachi Uchiha's eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed these two had been here for quite some time... and he had only noticed them when they released a slight aura...
"If I'm not mistaken, you're heading towards the Hokage Building. It seems you're ready to completely side with Konoha?" Although his voice seemed flat, Obito Uchiha's tone was full of certainty...
"Do you really think Hiruzen Sarutobi can save the Uchiha Clan Shimura Danzō? Or are you choosing to believe Danzo Shimura, who killed his close friend Shisui? Haha, I'm afraid your understanding of these two is still extremely superficial..."
"It seems you've been lurking in Konoha for quite some time... You already know so much..." A shadow of unease crept into Itachi Uchiha's heart. If these two even knew everything about Shisui's death, then they had probably been infiltrating Konoha for a long time, and their actions now were clearly aimed at him...
Unconsciously, Itachi Uchiha's hands clenched slightly...
"Konoha..." Itachi Uchiha chuckled softly, sensing a hint of disdain in Obito Uchiha's tone...
"We have no ill intentions towards you; in fact, we've come to invite you to join our organization..." Perhaps feeling that he had put enough pressure on Itachi Uchiha, Zetsu's voice suddenly rang out, slowly introducing the Akatsuki to Itachi Uchiha: "We belong to the same organization, composed of several Kage Level ninjas, and our organization's purpose is to eliminate hatred between ninjas and establish a new world without war..."
"I can only tell you the rest of the information after you agree to join..." The presence of Zetsu, hidden within the pitcher plant, instinctively made Itachi Uchiha feel slightly uncomfortable, though he didn't show it on his face, quietly pondering whether there was such a powerful ninja with the Mangekyō Sharingan among the hidden organizations in the Shinobi World...
"By the way, I'll make an exception and tell you the name of the organization... I admire you... Remember the name Akatsuki..." Zetsu grinned, gave Itachi Uchiha a sinister look, and then his figure suddenly sank into the ground, disappearing in an instant.
Itachi Uchiha watched Zetsu leave, his expression slightly grave. If he hadn't seen Zetsu with his own eyes, he wouldn't have sensed his presence at all...
"If you encounter any problems you can't solve, you can come to me..." With that, Obito Uchiha tossed a scroll towards Itachi Uchiha. His face, hidden behind a mask, revealed no emotion, and then a faint, eerie voice echoed...
"My name is Madara Uchiha!"
"Huh? Impossible..." The first thought that popped into his head was "impossible." There was probably no one in the Uchiha Clan who didn't know the name of Madara Uchiha, but his existence was over fifty years ago; it couldn't possibly be this man before him...
But the overwhelming power of his eyes, so immense it nearly astonished him, seemed to shake Itachi Uchiha's resolve somewhat...
"Akatsuki... Madara Uchiha..."
Recalling Obito Uchiha's words, a rare hint of confusion flashed in Itachi Uchiha's eyes. Did he truly possess enough power to protect that insignificant part he wanted to protect? Itachi Uchiha had long understood that siding with the Third Hokage was like seeking refuge with an Itachi Uchiha, but at this moment, he wavered slightly, despite having believed he could carve out a path for himself amidst the chaos...
Standing silently in the jungle, Itachi Uchiha, who hadn't moved for a long time, seemed to have figured something out. His gaze fell on the scroll that Obito Uchiha, and a look of realization flashed in his eyes...
"So that's their purpose..." Clutching the scroll in his hand, Itachi Uchiha pondered for a moment before understanding Obito Uchiha's meaning. Setting aside the organization's dubious nature and the Masked Man's identity, this scroll actually represented a power—a power capable of summoning at least two Kage Level shinobi, the Masked Man and the pitcher plant...
If his power was insufficient, then he needed to acquire enough power to deter the Third and Shimura Danzō, and the emergence of the Akatsuki filled that gap perfectly.
Now, with this power in his hands, he has a choice. If he chooses to side with the Third Hokage, this power can serve as a deterrent to protect a portion of the Uchiha Clan. If he sides with the clan and launches a coup against Konoha, this power is enough to fill the biggest weakness of the Uchiha Clan's lack of strength...
"But in fact, do I only have one choice now...?" After carefully considering Obito Uchiha's behavior and logic, Itachi Uchiha let out a deep breath.
Why was he Obito Uchiha's target? What made him different from the other Uchiha Clan members...? It was that he was about to completely side with the Third...
If Obito Uchiha truly wanted the Uchiha Clan's coup to succeed, he would never have come to him. Fugaku Uchiha and Setsuna Uchiha, either of whom had far greater prestige within the Uchiha Clan and were far more likely to succeed in their coup...
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō Itachi Uchiha understood the subtext in Obito Uchiha's words. These two would never allow any Uchiha Clan members to continue living in Konoha harboring hatred for the Konoha; they would exterminate them all, and even he himself would be eliminated afterward...
Despite not having such an impression of the Third, Itachi Uchiha already had a guess as to what the Root, hidden beneath Konoha, would do, and he couldn't help but frown deeply...
Lost in thought, Itachi Uchiha continued walking through the jungle towards the Hokage Building as if unconscious. Only when he emerged from the jungle and entered the streets did he seem to suddenly awaken, abruptly looking up to find the towering Hokage Building already close at hand...
Gazing at the bustling Hokage Building in the distance, a crazy thought suddenly surfaced in Itachi Uchiha's mind, then grew increasingly wildly, seemingly impossible to suppress no matter what he did...
"If we eliminate Shimura Danzō first..."
His gaze grew increasingly sharp, and Itachi Uchiha could no longer move an inch. He stared at the Hokage Building in silence for a long while, then suddenly turned and walked away in the opposite direction...