Cold rain beat against the rocks, its monotonous patter oppressive. Tobi stood in the downpour, amusement in the single eye behind his Spiral Mask as he waited for Sasuke's response. Karin, Guren, and Jugo stood warily behind Sasuke, the tension poised to snap.
Sasuke's Sharingan stayed fixed on Tobi as his mind raced. Cooperate? Working with this secretive man whose motives were unknown would be like bargaining with a tiger for its hide. But what if I refused? Blindly searching for Itachi in the Land of Rain, where Pain monitored everything, would not only be inefficient-it could expose us prematurely and leave us surrounded. And... the dark power stirring inside me really did require information, even if it was only a few scraps.
"You know about the 'trouble' inside me?" Sasuke's voice was colder than the rain.
"A little." Tobi spread his hands, his tone casual. "That power is anything but tame. One wrong move, and it'll devour you, bones and all. Still, high risk means high rewards, doesn't it? It all depends on whether you have what it takes to control it, Sasuke-kun."
The implication in his words made Sasuke's gaze flicker. Control it? Not remove it?
"Where is Uchiha Itachi?" Sasuke changed the question.
"Well..." Tobi drew out the word. "There's no harm in telling you. His recent movements have indeed been within the Land of Rain. He seems to be attending to some... personal business. I can give you a general area. But finding his exact location and creating the conditions for a 'fair' duel would be rather difficult without my help. Pain won't just stand by while you two fight it out in his village."
His words were a mixture of truth and lies. The location was real, but the "fair duel" and his "help" were