Genjutsu Master!

Hidden Rain Village!

Itachi Uchiha stood in the rain beside Kisame Hoshigaki, dressed in his Akatsuki cloak, the scene stirring his emotions.

Only by letting the rain soak his body could Itachi Uchiha find some relief and peace of mind at night.

Only by tormenting himself could he slowly begin to measure the weight of his sins.

"Itachi-san, standing in the rain too long isn't good for you."

Kisame took two steps forward, his shark-toothed mouth curling into a smile as he voiced his concern.

Just as Itachi Uchiha was about to answer, new writing suddenly appeared in the Diary in his mind, and his expression shifted slightly.

"Mm."

With that, he used the Body Flicker Technique to leave, leaving Kisame alone.

"How strange..." Kisame left as well.

Back in his room, Itachi Uchiha hurriedly made sure no one was watching, then took out the Diary and gently placed it on the table.

He could actually read it in his mind, too...

Time to read...

The information wasn't particularly shocking.

"Kakashi?"

Seeing that Kakashi would be the one to teach Sasuke in the future, Itachi Uchiha sank into thought.

He was a suitable choice. After all, he also had a Sharingan, and since that eye had been a gift from a friend, he probably wouldn't harbor any ill intentions toward Sasuke.

Thinking about it that way, it did seem suitable.

Itachi Uchiha put away the paper in his hand. He had thought there might be some intelligence he could organize and pass on to Sasuke Uchiha, but apparently there wasn't. He could only wait for tomorrow's information.

Dropping out.

The Diary's owner was a student.

Today was July 5. With that information, a brief conversation with Hiruzen Sarutobi when he returned to deliver intelligence would be enough to track him down.

Then he could persuade him to help Sasuke Uchiha become Hokage. He could serve as the Hokage's assistant, and together they could build Konoha into something greater and restore its glory!

As for what Luo Mang wanted, Itachi hadn't considered that at all.

Itachi Uchiha had slaughtered the Uchiha Clan, but he was still very proud of that identity and surname. The eyes were its hallmark. Since the Diary's owner had one, there would be nothing wrong with changing his name.

Uchiha Something-or-Other sounded so much better. That was Itachi's thinking.

Elsewhere.

Kakashi had just entered the teachers' office when he suddenly felt the Diary stir. He opened it in his mind to read.

Copy Ninja...

The corner of his mouth twitched at the nickname he had been given.

But after that moment of speechlessness, he quickly spotted the key detail. Dropping out-the Diary's owner had dropped out today!

All he needed to do was find out who had withdrawn.

"Heh, Kakashi, sir. What brings you here?"

Iruka smiled as he asked, looking at the utterly listless Kakashi.

"Mm, there is something. I came to ask whether any students dropped out today."

Kakashi withdrew his attention from his mind and looked back at Iruka.

"Uh..."

Iruka looked stunned at those words. Someone just dropped out, and you already know?

Naturally, Kakashi noticed the change in his expression. Apparently someone really had, and from Iruka's own class, no less. He hurriedly pressed for more.

"What's his name? I need his information."

"Ah, well..."

After a brief hesitation, Iruka took out Luo Mang's information.

Click.

The moment Kakashi saw it, he took it without hesitation and began reading, checking as he went.

"Was he the only one?"

"That's right. The poor kid has had it rough. He's had to live on his own at such a young age."

Iruka didn't understand why Kakashi was looking for Luo Mang, but he still shared his opinion of the boy.

"Mm..."

Kakashi's dead-fish eyes showed no change. It was a perfectly ordinary student record, and he now had the boy's name and address.

Should I go find him directly?

The boy had already awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan at such a young age. He was a genius, but his character might go astray, so he needed someone to guide him. Kakashi believed that only he was suitable and qualified.

Would it seem strange if I showed up and offered to take him as my student?

Maybe I should wait and see what he needs, then find a chance to run into him and discover his talent. After all, revealing the Diary would bring a punishment.

Thump.

He closed the file and pushed it back.

"All right, that's everything."

After returning it, Kakashi turned and left without offering much explanation.

That left Iruka rather bewildered, but it would be a miracle if he could understand what an elite jonin was up to. Perhaps it was some special arrangement, or perhaps it was just a whim. Either way, it had nothing to do with him. He should get on with processing the boy's withdrawal.

The sun had fully set.

Night arrived, and the moon hung high in the sky.

Luo Mang propped up his chin and stared blankly at the scenery outside his window. Finishing his diary early left him so bored.

He had no classes tomorrow, and for the moment, he didn't know what to do. Take a mission? He didn't know whether he could get a good one.

If he took a C-rank mission or higher, he might attract attention.

After all, at his age, he hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy, yet he would be taking on missions like that. Whether he could accept one or not, wouldn't it draw attention? Once he returned, he would definitely be investigated.

[Daily diary check-in complete. Draw attempts gained: x1. Attempts can be accumulated for upgrades.]

"The draw's here. Time to gamble!"

Who would bother upgrading?

For his first five draws, he had spent attempts to upgrade to the intermediate prize pool, yet several of those draws had still given him garbage.

Even his Sharingan had come from the basic prize pool yesterday.

Luo Mang pressed his palms together in a devout begging gesture, bobbing his hands up and down with all the reverence he could muster. Then he mentally clicked the draw button.

Rattle, rattle~

The sound of the draw filled his ears as he watched a blue ball drop out of the prize box.

Luo Mang's eyes lit up. White, green, blue, purple, gold?

An intermediate reward-much better than the white glow from before. He closed his eyes and hurriedly tried to sense it.

[Transformation Technique, disguise technique mastery. Evaluation: essential for robbing the rich to help the poor, raiding homes, and plundering.]

Luo Mang: Awesome.

So even the Diary wanted him to raid homes and plunder for money, huh?

It had even handed him skills to support the idea. What a... clever little thing!

Robbing the rich to help the poor was certainly a good idea, but it was too soon. He had only obtained the Sharingan last night and still needed to familiarize himself with it.

"Yawn..."

Luo Mang yawned, not because he was sleepy, but because he was bored. He might as well train his Sharingan based on his memories. Its strength lay in genjutsu.

Could he become a "Genjutsu Master" too?

With a Sharingan, becoming a genjutsu master seemed possible. He really wouldn't have to be a fraud.

Better get used to it first.

After checking that the window and door were shut, he drew the curtains and sat on the bed. He cautiously activated his Sharingan, then closed his eyes and opened them again. Once he had adjusted to what he saw with it active, he deactivated it.

Getting proficient wasn't as simple as blinking a few times. It would be nice if he could draw Sharingan Mastery.

Although his current abilities still weren't enough to survive what lay ahead, he could take it one step at a time. After all, he still had several years, along with the advantage of knowing the plot.