Karin had dealt with many Mangekyo Uchiha, so she was very clear about what the physical state of a normal Mangekyo Uchiha should be.
Although Itachi's pupil power was inferior to Shinji's or Mumei's, it was at least superior to Sasuke's.
However, the Itachi before her, who was in his youth and should have been at the peak of his vitality, gave her a sense of decaying life force and declining blood and qi. This was obviously abnormal.
Itachi first glanced at the White Zetsu clone that 'B' had thrown over, then looked vigilantly at 'B' opposite him.
He didn't understand how 'B' had discerned that he was suffering from a bloodline disease.
Karin had neither the desire nor the obligation to explain anything. Following Shinji's instructions, she simply said indifferently, "The Yang Release chakra contained in Hashirama cells is too violent. With your current physical condition, even if you possess high-intensity Yin Release chakra, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to achieve a Yin-Yang balance."
Itachi's expression dimmed.
He knew his own illness best. He had tried treatments, but they had very little effect, and recently his condition had been deteriorating rapidly.
Just as Itachi was losing hope, Karin suddenly changed the subject: "The cellular tissue on this White Zetsu clone is equivalent to diluted Hashirama cells. You can try to fuse with it. Although the effect will be inferior to fusing with real Hashirama cells, the difficulty will also be lower."
Itachi was startled: "What?"
The White Zetsu clone on the ground was also stunned.
"I've said all I need to say!"
Karin said no more, turning around to leave.
Itachi couldn't help but ask, "Why are you telling me this? What exactly is your objective?"
Karin stopped and spoke according to Shinji's instructions: "We need combat power, but Sasuke Uchiha's strength is too forced; he isn't reliable enough for executing certain missions. Since he has already joined our organization and accepted a code name, either he dies, or someone completes the missions 'E' needs to complete in his place!"
Itachi was somewhat speechless.
So 'A' wanted to press-gang him into service to replace Sasuke.
If anyone else had made such a request, he would never have agreed. Uchiha Itachi was loyal only to the "big picture" in his heart!
For the sake of the big picture, even the clan could be annihilated!
But since the opponent had leverage over Sasuke, it was equivalent to having leverage over him. He couldn't bring himself to refuse.
Whoosh...
Karin didn't wait for Itachi's answer. She used a Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from the spot.
In reality, Shinji had Karin say these things merely to divert attention and give Itachi a reason to lower his guard.
Regarding combat power, although Shinji was lacking, he didn't necessarily need Uchiha Itachi.
No matter how strong Itachi was, he couldn't reach the Six Paths level. Shinji had to confront a Hegemon capable of devouring the entire Ninja World; only those at the Six Paths level were qualified to be considered true combat assets.
In the current Ninja World, perhaps only Shion, if she successfully fused with Moryo to become a complete Miko, and Toneri Otsutsuki, who had awakened the Tenseigan and possessed the support of the giant Tenseigan, could be counted as combat assets.
Others, even Nagato, Karin, and Mumei, were all a notch below.
Of course.
Kaguya Otsutsuki, who was sealed; Isshiki Otsutsuki, hiding in the Ninja World; and Momoshiki and Urashiki Otsutsuki, who might arrive in the future, also met the standards for combat assets.
But these standard Otsutsukis were either sealed, in the wrong state, or only cared about themselves and not the Ninja World. Shinji couldn't count on them.
The next two weeks were surprisingly calm for the Ninja World.
'Upper Rank One', who had stirred up a storm in the Land of Grass, disappeared as abruptly as he had appeared.
Both the Ninja Village Alliance and the Akatsuki organization practically turned the Land of Earth and nearby countries upside down, but found no trace.
Obviously, Shinji, who had orchestrated the elimination of 'Upper Rank One', did not announce the news with great fanfare. So, both the Alliance and the Akatsuki were still foolishly searching for 'Upper Rank One's' whereabouts.
As for the Alliance and the Akatsuki themselves, both sides had suffered significant losses due to the successive battles.
The Alliance had lost soldiers and generals one after another. The setback of Kakashi's elite squad stretched the Alliance's high-end combat power even thinner. Consequently, the Alliance slowed down its strikes against the Akatsuki, focusing on intelligence gathering and accumulating strength.
Regarding the intelligence Itachi left in Sasuke's mental space via 'Tsukuyomi', due to Shinji's concealment, neither the Alliance nor even Sasuke himself noticed it. And the fact that Sasuke had lost his Mangekyo Sharingan went undiscovered by anyone, as Shinji had temporarily swapped in a pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan for him.
The situation on the Akatsuki side wasn't much better.
In the battle of the Land of Grass, among the eight Akatsuki members who participated, except for Itachi and Hiruko, the other six suffered varying degrees of damage. Coupled with the disappearance of both Moryo and Shinno, the organization's high-end combat power entered a period of weakness.
Regarding low-end combat power:
The offensive of the White Zetsu army was halted by the Alliance. The outer members of the Akatsuki were swept away one by one. The Sky Ninja Village's fleet was destroyed by the combined efforts of Neji and Kimimaro. The 'Immortal Army', which was planned to attack the Alliance in coordination with the White Zetsu army, also vanished due to Moryo's disappearance.
So, whether in terms of high-end or low-end power, the Akatsuki could no longer organize a decent offensive.
As for the fake 'Itachi Uchiha', he was being led on a wild goose chase around the Ninja World by Orochimaru.
However, the Alliance ninjas who accidentally encountered the fake 'Itachi Uchiha' were exceedingly unlucky.
The fake 'Itachi Uchiha' showed no mercy to these ninjas. Within a few days, news of Uchiha Itachi going on a killing spree spread widely, making the members of Kakashi's elite squad, who were recuperating at headquarters, filled with righteous indignation!
Especially Sasuke. He gnashed his teeth all day long. This feeling of being filled with rage yet powerless put him in a state of extreme irritability.
So, he could only lock himself up and numb himself—or rather, escape reality—through doubled training.
Naruto was also undergoing bitter training.
As targets of the Akatsuki, Naruto and Killer Bee were the core of this war. Therefore, they stayed at the headquarters alongside the Five Kage and did not go out on any missions.
Having nothing else to do, they had nothing but training to occupy their time.
Naruto happened to be at an age where his strength increased rapidly. Especially after subduing the Nine-Tails inside him and mastering the 'Nine-Tails Chakra Mode', his progress was remarkable, his strength improving by leaps and bounds.
Let alone ordinary ninjas, even a top-tier expert like Killer Bee could no longer take it lightly when facing Naruto.