Spirit Network
"What a brilliant idea... Itachi, is this the answer you've been searching for...?"
"Buzz..." A wave of dizziness washed over him, and a sound that seemed to suddenly surface from the depths of his mind caused Itachi Uchiha to stop in his tracks. It was as if, without realizing it, he had already reached the outskirts of Konoha, and in the distance, it appeared, was the location of the Root Base, which he had learned about from Shisui...
"Who!" Forcibly pressing down on his head, Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan, but he suddenly realized that he did not seem to be under Genjutsu.
"Has so much time passed... so long that you've forgotten your former teacher..." As Kato Osamu's voice echoed in Itachi Uchiha's mind once more, a series of rustling footsteps quietly approached from the Root base.
Visitor— Root Mountain Yamakaze!
"Teacher... Kato- sensei..." Itachi Uchiha's eyes widened instantly. His vague memory of Kato Osamu suddenly became clear again. The distant footsteps jolted Itachi Uchiha awake once more; this was near Root's base. If he were discovered...
"The person Lord Kato was referring to, must be you... Itachi Uchiha..." The newcomer made no attempt to conceal himself; his voice rang out even before he arrived. Hearing the way he addressed Kato Osamu, Itachi Uchiha understood that this person was likely one of Kato Osamu's subordinates...
"It's you... one of the Root's captains, Shimura Danzō's right-hand man... How is this possible..." The moment the newcomer's face was revealed, Itachi Uchiha's pupils constricted. He had been in the Anbu for many years, a double agent, and naturally knew all the intelligence. The Root ninja codenamed "Yamakaze" held a position second only to Danzo within Root. He had never imagined that such a person would betray Danzo...
"Nothing is impossible. From the very beginning, I have been Lord Kato's man..." Yamakaze smiled slightly, seemingly taking it for granted. But what he didn't know was that this memory was tailor-made for him by Kato Osamu, and in his mind, all the Danzo he had undergone by Danzo had transformed him into someone who pledged allegiance to Kato Osamu ...
"Alright, Lord Kato wants to see you... See you later..." A flash of respect crossed Yamakaze's eyes, as if something had descended upon him. His body trembled slightly, and then his entire face began to distort and change until Kato Osamu's face appeared...
"It seems this technique has been developed quite successfully..." Adapting to the believer's body, Kato Osamu smiled slightly. With the fusion of Yin-Yang Release Technique and Senjutsu, and the continued in-depth development of the 'Spirit Network', it was no longer limited to stealing intelligence and information. For beings like Yamakaze, whose souls had been almost completely assimilated by his Soul Seed, he could now instantly take over their bodies and 'descend' to every believer in this world.
"Kato... Kato- sensei..." Itachi Uchiha, seemingly never imagining he would reunite with Kato Osamu in this way, watched the entire process with a hint of bewilderment in his eyes. Even after awakening the Itachi Uchiha Mangekyō Sharingan, Kato Osamu's techniques still gave him a sense of 'miracle.' Compared to ordinary ninjas still struggling with various ninjutsu, Kato Osamu seemed to be the true extraordinary being of this world...
"Itachi, it's been a long time..."
"Haven't seen you for a long time..."
"Obito Uchiha came looking for you earlier, didn't he...?"
"Obito Uchiha? Could that Masked Man be the already sacrificed Obito Uchiha?" In a daze, a feeling of being caught up in some conspiracy sprouted from the depths of Itachi Uchiha's heart...
"What... what is going on? The voice in my head... Obito Uchiha's appearance... the Akatsuki..." Even with Itachi Uchiha's intelligence, his mind seemed to be in complete chaos for a moment. Fragments of information floated through his mind, but he could not grasp the whole picture...
"Itachi, first question, what is your answer...?" Without answering Itachi Uchiha's question, Kato Osamu looked at Itachi Uchiha. Even though the 'Soul Seed' left in Itachi's soul allowed him to sense Itachi Uchiha's inner journey, he needed a clear answer to this matter...
After all, he had also glimpsed a terrifying thought in Itachi Uchiha's mind—to slaughter his entire clan...
"I... have no other choice..."
"Kill Shimura Danzō..."
Itachi Uchiha might be willing to sacrifice others, but his younger brother Sasuke was the one he wanted to live. If Shimura Danzō couldn't even tolerate Sasuke, then he had no choice but to fight with all his might to kill him...
"And then... continue Hiruzen Sarutobi like a tiger seeking its skin? Even to the point of killing the entire clan?" Kato Osamu's gaze drifted towards Itachi Uchiha, and she saw a hint of reluctance in his eyes. Despite this, Itachi Uchiha still raised his head and quietly looked at Kato Osamu...
"I had no other choice..."
"That's not your reason... If you're trying to use the excuse of village peace and stability to explain your thinking and alleviate some of your guilt... you don't need to..."
"If power is not in one's own hands, hoping for the charity of others to achieve the peace one desires is wishful thinking..."
"Shimura Danzō couldn't bring peace, nor could Hiruzen Sarutobi, but perhaps without them, there could be..."
"Does Kato- sensei also support the Uchiha Clan...?" Kato Osamu's words touched Itachi Uchiha slightly, causing him to frown and pause for a moment.
"I don't support it... Every ruler hates any form of rebellion... and I'm no exception..."
"That..."
"But someone who kills their mother, murders their father, and slaughters their entire clan can no longer be called human; they are no different from beasts..."
Kato Osamu's cold voice echoed in Itachi Uchiha's ears. From the moment such a thought popped into Itachi Uchiha's mind, and he was even about to head to the Hokage Building to surrender to the Third Hokage and carry out this plan, Kato Osamu had already sentenced Itachi Uchiha to death in her heart...
Even if Itachi truly possessed unparalleled talent and the rare Uchiha Clan Mangekyō Sharingan, how could Kato Osamu trust such a cold-blooded and ruthless traitor who even harbored thoughts of harming his own parents to take him under his wing?
Today, he could be manipulated by Hiruzen Sarutobi's talk of Konoha's peace and stability to slaughter his entire clan. Tomorrow, will he be manipulated by Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu Uchiha's so-called peace of the Shinobi World to eliminate Kato Osamu, this "cancer"?
Kato Osamu doesn't want to take any risks...
If it weren't for Itachi's idea, he wouldn't have fully activated the power of the 'Soul Seed' deep within Itachi's soul. Now, Itachi Uchiha's soul is gradually being eroded and assimilated by the 'Soul Seed,' and before long, he will completely become Kato Osamu's 'familiar'...
Most of the time, Kato Osamu was unwilling to use such methods to alter a person's perception and erase their existence, but for hopeless individuals like the Root ninjas, and for 'brainless' individuals like Itachi Uchiha, he felt no qualms whatsoever...
"Itachi, perhaps sometimes, the right choice is more important than the effort itself..."
Since you were once my subordinate, I'll tell you something that's highly likely related to you...
"Perhaps after a while, Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi will disappear... who knows..." With a final, mocking glance at the stunned Itachi Uchiha, Kato Osamu abruptly detached from Yamakaze's body. Since Itachi would become 'one of their own' in the future, Itachi Uchiha's life was now her property, and she couldn't afford to squander it so easily. After Kato Osamu left, Yamakaze's face gradually returned to its original appearance...
"Kato- sensei... you mean... you're going to make a move?" With a gleam of surprise in his eyes, Itachi Uchiha was more excited than ever before, his hands gripping Yamakaze's shoulders tightly... Itachi Uchiha probably hadn't studied Chinese, otherwise the phrase "The mountains and rivers seem to block the way, but then a village appears amidst the willows and flowers" would surely have come to mind...
"Alright, Itachi Uchiha, Lord Kato has already left... It seems Lord Kato truly admires you..."
"If Root makes any moves concerning the Uchiha Clan, I will inform you..." With a hint of envy on his face, Yamakaze lightly touched the ground and suddenly disappeared from the spot, leaving only Itachi Uchiha behind, looking relieved...