Land of Rain
Amegakure
Central Tower
When Uchiha Itachi, exhausted and battered, returned to the familiar steel jungle of Amegakure with a limbless Scorpion of the Red Sand in tow, three days had already passed.
The moment the two of them were touched by the rain of Amegakure, Pain had already sensed their return.
"Itachi's back~~~"
Not only Pain, but White Zetsu had also noticed Uchiha Itachi and Scorpion, immediately reporting to Uchiha Obito, who was lurking in some unknown corner.
"They're back, so what? Why are you telling me?"
Uchiha Obito, flipping through the scrolls of Uchiha Madara's legacy, responded to White Zetsu with indifference.
Since his last encounter with Sakura, Obito had become painfully aware of his own shortcomings.
His combat style relied almost entirely on Kamui. If Kamui was countered, he would be left in an extremely vulnerable position.
Discovering the mechanics of Kamui wasn't exactly difficult.
A couple of seasoned Jonin working together could easily deduce its properties.
In his last fight against that pink-haired kunoichi, Kamui had been rendered nearly useless.
Not only had he failed to prevent the Fourth Raikage's death, but her overwhelming physical prowess and terrifying recovery abilities had all but ignored his attacks.
He hadn't even managed to stall her for long.
At the thought, Obito's gaze darkened with a hint of gloom.
It didn't end there. After his identity was exposed, not only did Pain start assigning him tasks, but even someone like Kisame Hoshigaki had the gall to mock him. If he ran into the likes of Deidara or Hidan, with their incessant chatter, they'd probably ridicule him to death.
He needed to improve his strength, and fast.
"They look pretty roughed up~~~"
White Zetsu, ever the instigator, relished the tension between Obito and Itachi, and his tone dripped with mischief.
"Hm?"
"When did this happen?"
Obito's interest was piqued.
"Just now. They're probably heading to report to Pain about their mission~~~"
White Zetsu's grin was brimming with schadenfreude.
"Let's go take a look!"
Obito stood abruptly, setting aside the scroll on Fire Release: Dragon Flame Singing Technique, and strode toward the door.
White Zetsu, eager to stir the pot, trailed behind him with a skip in his step.
If Black Zetsu were here, he would've surely urged Obito to focus on training and avoid meddling.
Unfortunately, Black Zetsu was thousands of miles away in Kumogakure.
Though Black Zetsu had successfully taken control of Kumogakure, the post-war affairs had tied him down.
Aside from him, the "Raikage's advisor," and Killer Bee, no one else was qualified to handle the mess.
And Killer Bee's personality was hardly suited for such tasks.
In the dim, yellowish steel corridors
The crisp sound of footsteps echoed, mingling with the rain and wind outside.
"Itachi, this time I was the unlucky one. If I have a choice, I'm never going on a mission with you again," Scorpion of the Red Sand growled through gritted teeth, glaring at the stoic man beside him.
This mission had been an utter disaster for him.
Not only had he lost his Kazekage puppet in Konohagakure, but the puppet body he'd crafted from his own flesh was also destroyed there.
Even the three hundred puppets he used for his Performance of a Hundred Puppets were completely wiped out.
The body he was using now was just one of those three hundred puppets, and even that had an arm severed by a monstrous shuriken during their escape.
This mission had cost Scorpion years of effort, reduced to ashes in a single blow.
"I didn't ask you to come with me," Itachi replied coolly, unfazed by Scorpion's complaints.
Why had things gone so wrong? Itachi had figured it out afterward.
At first, he thought Scorpion was just unlucky—or that both of them were.
But after parting ways with Scorpion, not only did he run into that woman with dual kekkei genkai again, but he also crossed paths with Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin.
That's when Itachi realized.
It wasn't Scorpion who was cursed with bad luck—it was him, Uchiha Itachi.
And the reason why…
Sasuke.
Itachi recalled Sasuke's pair of seven-pointed kaleidoscope Sharingan.
When they parted, Sasuke had used a technique called "Douten Hanmei" on him—a pupil technique.
A surge of Yin Release energy had enveloped Itachi.
At first, he thought Sasuke had simply misfired the technique…
But no.
It was a kaleidoscope Sharingan that could manipulate fate itself.
Say what you will about Itachi's character, but his talent as a ninja was undeniably among the best in the shinobi world.
He quickly deduced the power of Sasuke's kaleidoscope Sharingan.
Bad luck, misfortune, a walking jinx—call it what you will. It made a person catastrophically unlucky.
Konohagakure was vast, yet after parting with Sasuke, Itachi had run into Terumi Mei, Inuzuka's ninja hounds, and Haruno Sakura. After splitting from Scorpion, he was hounded by Mei again.
After barely escaping her, he ran into Jiraiya.
By then, Itachi was utterly powerless to resist.
From Uchiha Hikari at the start to Terumi Mei, Haruno Sakura, and Jiraiya later—every single one was a formidable opponent.
Worse, the battlefield was in Konohagakure. No matter how he fought, Itachi was constrained, constantly wary of being surrounded. And his enemies came at him one after another, like a relentless gauntlet.
But thankfully, it was a gauntlet and not a full-on ambush.
What a terrifying eye, Sasuke…
Is this what you meant by a kaleidoscope Sharingan born of love?
"You…"
Scorpion, glaring at the impassive Itachi, ground his teeth in frustration.
At that moment, a figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
Uchiha Obito.
"Get out of the way," Scorpion snapped irritably, in no mood for obstacles.
He didn't recognize Obito at first, assuming he was just some Akatsuki reserve.
It was only later, through Kisame, that he learned this man had been masquerading as Uchiha Madara, deceiving everyone.
But that was none of Scorpion's concern. All he cared about was perfecting his eternal art.
Obito had no intention of clashing with Scorpion. He stepped aside, letting him pass, before locking eyes with Itachi.
"Heard you had a rough time on this mission, huh?"
His tone dripped with mockery, his eyes gleaming with provocation.
Obito's words made Scorpion, who was about to leave, freeze in place.
What was that?
Was he mocking Itachi, or was he taking a jab at him?
Scorpion wasn't stupid. He knew Obito's barb was aimed at Itachi.
But still…
It pissed him off!
This rat, skulking in the shadows!
"And?"
Itachi gazed calmly at Obito.
Having just returned to Amegakure and not yet rested, he had no desire to pick a fight with this man.
But that didn't mean he was afraid of him.
Obito's intangibility was impressive, sure, but Itachi's Tsukuyomi wasn't to be underestimated.
Physical attacks might not work, but genjutsu was another story.
"Heh. Seeing your little brother again… did it bring back memories of that night? The night you slaughtered your parents with your own hands?"
Obito knew the full story behind the Uchiha clan's annihilation.
Itachi's mission to Konohagakure was supposedly to gather intel on the Two-Tails?
Who would believe such nonsense?
The real goal was to put pressure on Uchiha Sasuke again.
And Obito held grudges.
The last time Itachi mocked him for killing his sensei, that score still hadn't been settled!
Obito's words struck a nerve. Itachi's composure wavered.
He couldn't help but recall Sakura's words.
His massacre of the Uchiha clan was merely a bargaining chip to ensure Konohagakure would protect Sasuke.
And back then, this very Uchiha Obito had been pulling the strings behind it all!
And… Izumi.
It was this man who killed her!
Itachi had no intention of absolving himself, but…
Uchiha Obito deserved to die!
A scarlet glow ignited in Itachi's eyes.
"You want to fight me?"
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