Mental World
After confirming repeatedly that he could neither escape nor use any Ninjutsu, Itachi finally gave up.
Itachi: "So Kisame didn't die? A pair of Js."
Hongshi: "No, no, no, he's dead. A pair of Kings."
Itachi: "(°ー°), Are you sure? A pair of 2s."
Hongshi: "(•͈ᴗ•͈ૢૢ) Yeah, I'm sure. A royal flush, I only have one left."
Itachi: ".., If I'm not mistaken, you're a three, right?"
Itachi looked at Kisame Hoshigaki lying on the ground. His Sharingan could no longer detect the flow of Chakra; he was indeed dead. "The power of the Rinnegan! You killed Kisame in one move. Just who are you?"
Hongshi chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm not your enemy. I have something to discuss with you."
Itachi: "What are you trying to say?"
Hongshi returned to Samehada's side, only to find that Samehada was still in the form of a spiked club, having eaten too much.
Hongshi pointed at the weasel. "Do you know why your illness can't be cured?"
Itachi was fully aware of his strange illness, but neither medicine nor Medical Ninjutsu had any effect.
Hongshi saw that Itachi didn't answer, "It's because you're not sick at all."
Itachi was startled. "What did you say?"
Hongshi pointed to his eyes. "The energy contained in your Mangekyō Sharingan is too immense, while your physical body is too weak. The two cannot be balanced, resulting in an imbalance of Yin and Yang and disharmony of Qi and Blood. Over time, this will lead to physical weakness and fatigue, which will only worsen. That's why you catch a cold from the wind and get a fever from the sun..."
The Lord God: "What, you even know about Traditional Chinese Medicine?"
Hongshi: "I know a little bit."
Itachi: "What do you mean?"
Hongshi: "In short, your physical body can't support your eyes, understand?"
Itachi: "You have a way?"
Hongshi: "Of course! But you'll have to be my underling."
Itachi: "(≖_≖) I refuse!"
Hongshi: "So decisive!!!"
Itachi: "This is so embarrassing."
Hongshi: "I didn't ask you to be my underling now. You can continue your plan to infiltrate the Akatsuki, and I will protect your stupid little bean."
Itachi was startled again. "You know about this?"
Hongshi chuckled again, "Didn't you just see me use the Human Path's abilities? I used them on Orochimaru and Danzo, so I know everything they know."
Itachi: "Okay."
Hongshi: "First, I'll collect some of Hashirama's cells..."
Itachi shook his head. "I've tried that method, but my body can't handle Hashirama Cells."
Hongshi smiled and said, "That's because you didn't use the right method. Equal eye power requires equal physical strength. The two must be balanced for adaptation. I will seal something special inside you. Moreover, after transplanting Hashirama Cells, combined with your Mangekyō Sharingan, with your talent, you will definitely awaken the Rinnegan. In addition, Orochimaru already has the method to perfectly integrate Hashirama Cells, but he just doesn't know it yet."
Orochimaru, who was fleeing in the distance, asked, "Is that so?"
Itachi: "?? You mean Orochimaru? Hmm, wait a minute! What Rinnegan? You can awaken the Rinnegan by merging with Hashirama Cells?"
Hongshi: "Oh my, there are things you don't know?"
Itachi: "If you're not going to tell me, I'm leaving."
Hongshi: "You think you can leave? This all started back in the time of the Sage of Six Paths, blah blah blah..."
Hongshi spent an hour recounting to Itachi the entire history from the Sage of Six Paths to the great battle Hashirama and Madara Uchiha, including the reincarnation of Indra Asura as his third son Black Zetsu, from Kaguya.
Itachi was somewhat skeptical. "But that's not how it's recorded on the Uchiha Clan's stone tablet."
Hongshi: "That was Black Zetsu's doing. He wanted to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki by sacrificing someone who possessed both the Senju body and the Rinnegan, thus restoring the ancient era's rule."
Itachi, with his extremely high intelligence, understood some things after hearing Hongshi's words. "So that's how it is. The Akatsuki was just a tool?"
In reality, Hongshi cannot currently alter Itachi's will and memories. First, Itachi is a master of Genjutsu, and the stronger one's willpower, the harder it is to alter. Hongshi has no way to change someone of Itachi's level. Second, the altered will is very likely to be overwritten by Kotoamatsukami in later storylines, causing all efforts to be in vain.
Hongshi's eyes shone like stars as he slowly extended his right hand towards Itachi: "(͡°͜ʖ͡°)✧, you little rascal... Come on, give me some face and become my underling. Run rampant in the Shinobi World carrying my name."
Itachi: "... When did you put on your Whitebeard?"
Hongshi: "With your intelligence, you should know what's best for your silly little bean."
Itachi: "I understand."
Hongshi continued, "The ninja world needs Chakra to connect hearts, not to gather scattered Chakra back together, nor to eliminate ninjas, nor does it need anyone to bear the darkness. Therefore, for true unity to exist, someone must act as the link connecting Chakra, and that person..."
Itachi: "(≖_≖) I know, it's you."
Hongshi: "No, no, no, that person is actually you. How could I do something so tiring?"
Itachi: "(°ー°)??? Big brother, what do you mean? I can't afford to lose face like that."
"Oh dear, you're already with me, are you still afraid of losing face?" Hongshi chuckled. "Look around, in my Mental World, your soul is currently imprisoned. If I wanted, I could directly alter your will and memories, like a combination of Tsukuyomi and Kotoamatsukami, but I don't want to do that. Forcing people is not my method."
Lord God: "What! Say that again??? How do you explain Haku and Zabuza? How do you explain Gato and those four idiots from the Ice Release F4??"
Itachi thought for a long time, "Judging from the power you've shown, you do indeed have the power to change the world. Okay, I agree to join you."
The Lord God: "Is it really necessary to force this?"
"Shut up!"
In reality
Hongshi and Itachi talked in the Mental World for three days before returning to reality, but in reality, only a few seconds had passed.
The black Amaterasu was still burning on Hongshi's body. " Preta Path - Sealing Jutsu - Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal."
Amaterasu the black flames of Amaterasu disappeared, Itachi gave Hongshi a deep look. "Boss..."
Hongshi: "Hey, that's great! Let me hear it again."
Itachi: "Goodbye, and remember to return Kisame."
The weasel transformed into several Crow and disappeared. "Idiot... idiot..."
Hongshi: "(°ー°)..."
Hongshi sensed that the battle had attracted the attention of Konoha and immediately sealed Kisame's corpse and Samehada into a scroll. " Kisame, you'll die for a while."
Then he used the Flying Thunder God to leave.
The newcomer was Ibiki Morino, who had been waiting on the walls of Konoha: "A terrifying Chakra just now erupted here. Everyone be careful. Orochimaru might have some other tricks up his sleeve."
"Yes!"
More than a dozen Konoha Chunin cautiously approached the location, but apart from the large crater created by the Hongshi, there were no other traces.
The sensory ninja reported, "Lord Ibiki, I can't sense Chakra around here. They must have all left."
Suddenly, a Chunin seemed to have found something. "Hey! Lord Ibiki, there's something here."
Ibiki Morino walked over and saw a yellow, spiral-shaped mask with only one eyehole visible—the right eye. His expression was grave. "I feel like I've heard of this mask somewhere before. Let's take it back and ask the Lord Hokage."
This mask was naturally left behind by Hongshi.
At this moment, Obito Uchiha, who was eating in the Kamui Dimension, suddenly found his Amaguriama dumplings no longer appealing. "(°ー°) Why do I have a feeling that someone is plotting against me again?"