The truth in the hemp ropes

Uchiha Itachi didn't move; he had no intention of running away right now.

The Uchiha Clan Compound isn't like a main road outside where anyone can come and go as they please.

To put it bluntly, he can't leave even if he wants to.

Itachi lowered his head, staring at the layers of hemp rope wrapped around his body, and remained silent for a long time.

Are you guys really doing this appropriately?

"Second brother, isn't this rope a bit too thin?"

"How about we get a thicker one?"

Inside the room, Sasuke Uchiha questions with particular seriousness.

Before long, he had gathered a bunch of things that could be used to tie people up.

"It's alright!"

"The rope thing is just a formality."

"Even without a single rope, he wouldn't be able to step out of the Uchiha Clan Compound."

With his mouth stuffed with Three-Color Dango, Wu Chiwu's words were mumbled and unclear.

Those Azure eyes were slightly narrowed, curving into a slight arc.

Itachi, who was sitting not far away, heard this and his lips twitched slightly, full of helplessness.

Okay.

Since things have come to this point...

So what was the point of all that trouble you went through tying me up all around?

Itachi's gaze gently fell on Wu Chiwu beside him.

"Wu, I didn't expect you to be so capable."

"He's already a capable adult who can stand on his own."

During the time Itachi was tied up, Sasuke told him bits and pieces about the Uchiha.

He was truly stunned after hearing it.

Unbeknownst to many, Wu had already quietly accomplished so much.

Sasuke only knew a rough outline; he couldn't piece it all together from the fragmented pieces.

But Itachi still managed to glean something from those seemingly insignificant details.

He never imagined that Wu had already begun planning this many years ago.

Planning, probing, making decisions, finding a suitable ancestral home, secretly relocating, and undertaking infrastructure development...

Pick any one of them, and pushing it down would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.

But he carried it all alone for countless years.

Later, Shisui joined in, and finally, he was no longer walking alone in the dark.

But during those days when no one knew about it, all the burdens fell on his own shoulders.

Itachi's mind raced, and his gaze towards Satoru became even more complicated.

He always felt that he had made the right choice.

They even deeply believe that the decisions they made were the right ones.

Those days were dark and bitter, but this was the least bad outcome of all.

Since there's no other way to go, let's discard all the worse options and pick the best one.

But he never imagined that someone could actually carve out a path that no one had ever seen before.

So that's how things can be done.

It turns out that the path is never chosen from ready-made options; the path is made by walking it yourself.

turn out to be...

Itachi looked at the lazy boy by the window, and the more he looked, the more unfamiliar he seemed, and the more incredibly strong he appeared.

How could such a physique contain such immense strength and such unwavering resolve?

Itachi was truly stunned.

It's not just because that person is ridiculously strong.

It's also because of his captivating spirit and charismatic personality that draws people in and makes them want to follow him.

Strength will gradually diminish over the years.

The spirit doesn't exist; the spirit is imprinted in the heart.

Itachi's eyes darkened.

Only at this moment did he realize how arrogant he had been.

What's the best choice? It's all self-deception.

He always thought he had everything under control.

The choice you make yourself is the right and appropriate one.

Because they are too afraid to admit defeat, they make up lies to convince themselves that they won't lose.

In the end, they blinded themselves with the lies they made up, and never believed that others had that ability again.

So now that his companions are gone, so is their help.

Itachi silently went through these thoughts.

Of course, he had already realized by now who the person who had rescued him from the Masked Person's clutches back then was.

No need to guess, it's Uchiha Satoru!

Who would have thought he already possessed such ability back then?

That's truly impressive.

He, as the younger brother, is truly more outstanding than anyone else.

Itachi's eyes curved into a smile, and a genuine smile appeared on his lips.

The mysterious figure who had only shown his back back back then suddenly overlapped with Wu Chiwu on the other side.

He really was the most special one.

The boy by the window met his gaze, raised the Three-Color Dango in his hand, and spoke indistinctly.

"Yes, definitely."

"Need I say more?"

The three of them talked for a very long time, until the daylight faded and the darkness of night filled the sky.

On the other side.

Inside the Akatsuki's base.

This place is a completely different world from the quiet Uchiha Clan Compound; the air here is tight and stuffy.

The Akatsuki members, dressed in red robes and black cloud patterns, all turned to look at their leader, Pain.

"We're already halfway through our plan," Pain said calmly.

"It's time to release the follow-up to the second phase."

His plan consisted of three main steps.

The first step is to make money.

The second step was to use the money they amassed as capital to establish the first mercenary organization in the Shinobi World.

They swallowed up all war contracts at prices so low that no one could compete with them, thus controlling the war market.

Then, using the Tailed Beast as bait, they launched a war commensurate with the scale of the market.

In this way, they would have exclusive control over the pricing and initiation of all wars.

The third step is to devour the world and create peace.

Of course, there is another important thing in the second step - to openly declare war on the Five Great Nations and seize the rightful voice.

That's exactly what they're doing right now.

Declare war on the Five Great Nations!

Deidara immediately perked up and quickly responded to the question.

"So, we're about to go to war with the Five Great Nations?"

That sounds pretty exciting!

"Yes, that's right," Pain continued.

"It won't be long before the Five Kage Summit is held in the Land of Iron, and all Five Kage will be present."

"That would be the best time for us to declare war."

"Wow, that sounds interesting!" Tobi said in a lighthearted tone.

"But why haven't I seen Itachi-senpai today?"

Beneath the mask, a hint of doubt flickered across Obito Uchiha's face.

He hasn't been in the organization at all these days, so he's not quite sure what went wrong.

Why was Uchiha Itachi absent?

This person isn't usually like this.

Where did that guy go?

Seeing that things weren't going according to plan, Obito felt a little uneasy.

I have a feeling that something unpleasant is about to happen.

"I heard from Kisame Hoshigaki that Uchiha Itachi was taken away by Wu Chiwu," Sasori said slowly.

After saying that, his gaze shifted to Kisame Hoshigaki.

When Scorpion first heard the news, he was also taken aback and felt quite curious.

Uchiha Itachi's skills were among the best in the Akatsuki.

As a result, they were easily taken away, bag and all.

That's quite surprising.

Scorpion was filled with curiosity about the scene at that time.

Kisame Hoshigaki himself didn't understand this matter.

Even now, he's still confused about many things.

What exactly is the relationship between Itachi and Wu Chiwu?

What exactly happened that day?

And where did they both go now?

These questions were keeping him in turmoil.

However, he kept all these questions and details to himself.

He didn't utter a single word to anyone from the Akatsuki.

Kisame Hoshigaki shook his head, secretly pondering to himself.

This way.

Did Wu Chiwu take Uchiha Itachi away?

What's going on?

Upon hearing this, Obito Uchiha immediately tensed up.

What exactly happened during the time he was away?

how so?

How could these two possibly end up together?

Also, what was Wu Chiwu's purpose in taking Uchiha Itachi away?

What kind of feud did they have?

Obito's mind was filled with a jumble of questions.

By this time, he had already figured it out— Wu Chiwu was the mysterious person he fought on the night the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

And his younger sister was none other than Hatake Satoru-ko he fought that day.

Hatake?

When did Kakashi's family acquire two such troublesome individuals?

It seems I should find an excuse to ask him.

What exactly is Wu Chiwu plotting?