The Uchiha Clan Compound.
Itachi was wiping down his sword beneath the veranda, while Shisui leaned against a pillar, reading.
Both stopped what they were doing when they saw Genya stride in.
"Did something happen?"
Itachi's voice was calm, but he was already on his feet.
Genya gave them a brief rundown of the intelligence.
Shisui closed his book, his brow creasing slightly.
"Obito? That Masked Man? He finally couldn't hold back anymore."
Itachi said nothing, but he had already turned to fetch his gear.
Genya stood in the courtyard, gazing up at the sky.
It was overcast, as though rain was coming.
He thought of Amegakure, of Konan, of Pain, of that place where the rain never stopped.
Obito was there, and so were Jiraiya and Kakashi.
The undercurrents that had begun years ago were finally about to surface.
Three figures raced across Konoha's rooftops, as fast as three bolts of black lightning.
Genya led the way, with Itachi and Shisui close behind, the three maintaining perfect spacing.
Not a single roof tile cracked beneath their feet.
When the villagers looked up, all they saw were three afterimages sweeping overhead, disappearing toward the village gates in the blink of an eye.
"We need to hurry."
Genya's voice carried through the wind.
"Kakashi finally got the intelligence on Obito he'd been waiting for. No one knows what will happen when those two meet."
Itachi didn't answer, but he picked up speed.
Shisui kept pace beside him, his expression unusually grave.
They all knew the painful history between Kakashi and Obito.
That Sharingan, the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, the wound that had never healed in all those years.
Kakashi had waited far too long for this day.
Not long after the three left the village, someone back in Konoha began