"You're here."
"As expected of you, pursuing power in two ways. You should have realized by now—your body has its limits. Your only bet is on Sasuke."
"After all the explosive news about Konoha, it would be unlike you to stay away."
Naruto shook his head. Of course, he was talking about the devoted older brother.
Sasuke's ears twitched. "Naruto, what do you mean?"
"That beast is back?"
"Two different approaches to gaining strength... I think I understand what you mean!"
His Sharingan flared to life in an instant. "Naruto, I want to kill him!"
"Go ahead."
Sasuke didn't hesitate. He turned and left without another word.
Naruto had spoken loud enough for the Hokage to hear.
"Master, ah~"
Karin fed Naruto a grape while Uzumaki Mina chuckled from the side.
In another room, Kushina's expression was stormy, her aura heavy enough to make the air feel thick.
"You're really not Mikoto?"
"Lady Kushina, I'm not Lady Mikoto. Izumi and I... we're just marginal figures of the Uchiha clan. On the night of the massacre, we escaped and happened to run into Lord Naruto. We swear we're telling the truth!"
Kushina narrowed her eyes, suspicion still lingering.
Just as she was about to press further, Uchiha Izumi's expression hardened.
"Sister Emi, that bastard Uchiha Itachi is back!"
"What?!"
Uchiha Emi—formerly Mikoto—was momentarily stunned before turning to Kushina with a pleading look.
"Tch... Fine, I'll take you there."
Without another word, she led the two women away.
"Mina, we're going out for a bit."
"Yes, Kushina-sama."
The three of them hurried off.
After eating a few more grapes, Naruto walked to the window and reached out, gently stroking the sapling beside it.
The young tree responded, wrapping its tender leaves around Naruto's wrist in a soft embrace.
Naruto chuckled and pulled it up by its roots with ease.
"Naruto-sama~"
"When people grow up, they grow legs too."
He fed it a small amount of nutrients, a scene appearing in his mind.
Pain had carried rice to Konoha, only to be booted away by a massive tree before he even set foot inside.
"Master, can you really hear the voices of plants?" Karin asked curiously.
Naruto turned to her. "It's greeting you."
"Huh?"
"Master, is it really okay to uproot it like that?"
"It's fine. It's still young. Just wait a bit, and it'll grow legs and walk on its own."
Karin's eyes widened. "Eh? In that case, does the head of the family plan to make every tree in Konoha like this? Sugo~i!"
Meanwhile, outside Konoha...
Two figures slowly approached the village gates, clad in identical black robes with red clouds.
One of them smirked. "Heh... This is your hometown?"
"Doesn't look like it suffered any damage. Maybe the rumors were false."
"Perhaps."
The other man's voice was cold, devoid of emotion.
"Hmph. This isn't like you. Even after leaving, you feel nothing?"
Hoshigaki Kisame watched Itachi carefully, trying to spot a flicker of sorrow, regret—anything. But from the moment they arrived, Uchiha Itachi remained utterly indifferent.
"Perhaps there's still a little attachment... or perhaps not."
With that, Itachi activated his Sharingan.
"Someone just—huh?"
"Kisame, did someone pass by just now?"
"Told you not to train with Gai and Kakashi so much. You're hallucinating... Where's this 'someone'?"
"...Never mind."
After entering the village, Itachi and Kisame found a quiet teahouse and took a seat. Itachi kept his bamboo hat low, masking his face.
Suddenly, his body stiffened.
His Sharingan activated involuntarily, his pupils shaking. His hands trembled as he set his teacup down.
Kisame noticed. "What's up?"
He followed Itachi's gaze and frowned.
An elderly man in a tattered, nearly unrecognizable Hokage's robe was sweeping the streets.
Villagers passed by, sneering, spitting at the ground near him.
"Is that... Naruto?"
Kisame blinked. "Wait, does your village just let anyone wear the Hokage's robe?"
Itachi didn't answer. He simply closed his eyes, trying to process the bizarre scene before him.
"Hiruzen, let's get some tea. We've been at this since morning."
"Koharu's right. We're still the Hokage's advisors, after all."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a silent nod, put down his broom, and entered the small teahouse with Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
Itachi had already made his decision.
He lowered his hat, placed money on the table, and stood. "We're leaving, Kisame."
"Eh? Already?" Kisame sighed, standing as well. "Fine, fine."
As they left, the shopkeeper looked after them, confused. "You two just sat down..."
The boss's words abruptly stopped as he turned his gaze toward the three figures standing at the entrance, his expression twisted in disgust.
"Boss, can we have a glass of water?"
"We've been busy since morning... Please."
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke humbly, keeping a low profile.
But the next moment—
Crash!
A cup of tea was poured onto the floor.
"Go drink from the ground!"
"Get out, get out! You're scaring away my customers!"
The shop owner grabbed a broom and stepped forward aggressively.
"You—!"
Before Mitokado Homura could finish, the boss swung the broom at them.
"Ow! Fine, fine! We're leaving!"
Utatane Koharu grabbed Homura and pulled him away before they could receive another blow. The three retreated hastily under the scornful glares of the patrons.
From a distance, Uchiha Itachi watched the scene unfold, his usually stoic face betraying a rare flicker of shock.
These figures—once the high-ranking Third Hokage and his advisors, the ones who constantly preached the Will of Fire—were now reduced to this?
It was almost unbelievable.
"Hm?"
A murmur from Kisame pulled Itachi from his thoughts.
"One against seven... I thought the Uchiha were all but wiped out?"
Kisame narrowed his eyes. "And why does that old guy have a Sharingan in his right eye?"
Itachi's gaze snapped toward the direction Kisame was looking.
A man emerged from a nearby restroom, gripping a mop in his hand as if it were a legendary weapon. His face—
Even if the Hokage turned to ashes, Itachi would recognize that face anywhere.
Yet in this moment, he found himself questioning reality.
"Huh... one against seven? Look at his arms. So bumpy... Those shapes... almost look like—eyes?"
Kisame observed closely, his voice tinged with curiosity and unease.
"And his right Sharingan... looks strange. Is it blind?"
For the first time, Itachi and Kisame shared the same expression—confusion and shock.
"Could the rumors be true...?" Kisame muttered.
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "We need to move. They've noticed us."
With that, the two disappeared from the rooftop, vanishing into the shadows.
As they moved through the village outskirts, Itachi's sharp gaze caught sight of another peculiar scene.
A man in white robes was tied to a wooden stake, his feet resting atop a copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
A group of furious women surrounded him, their eyes red with rage and humiliation as they hurled rotten eggs and wilted vegetables at him.
Though the distance muffled their voices, Itachi's lip-reading skills allowed him to catch snippets of their cries:
[Give me back my dignity!]
[I can't even look my husband in the eye!]
[He says he forgives me, but I still want to kill you!]
Itachi's Sharingan flickered in disbelief.
"Jiraiya...?"
The legendary Sannin—once so high and mighty—now stood there, completely disgraced.
For the first time, Itachi wondered if this truly was Konoha... or if he had somehow been caught in an illusion.
It was then that he felt it—a familiar chakra signature.
"Move!"
Without hesitation, he increased his speed. Though puzzled, Kisame followed close behind.
Soon, the two figures disappeared beyond the village gates, leaving Konoha behind.
Inside the Hokage's office.
"You're not going to interfere?"
"Second Grandpa, these people were detained the moment they arrived."
"One of them is Uchiha Itachi—the man who slaughtered his own clan."
"Let Sasuke handle this himself."
Tsunade barely looked up from the documents she was reviewing as she spoke.
"Hmph!"
"The Uchiha are born wicked!"
"Tobirama, you're at it again."
"Sorry, big brother... it's a habit."
"Still, this one is worse than a beast!"
"He killed his own people. Have you sensed what happened in the Uchiha district?"
"Not a single elder, woman, or child was spared!"
Even Senju Hashirama nodded. "Did Danzo mold him into this?"
"Brother! This isn't something you cultivate; it's in their nature!"
"Sigh... let the kid handle it. I've heard bits and pieces of what happened. It's a miracle that child didn't lose his mind."
This time, even Tobirama held back his usual harsh words.
"Indeed. He's the most 'normal' Uchiha I've ever seen... well, if you can call him that."
"Should we check it out?"
"A fight between brothers... Well, if he can't finish it, we'll step in."
Whoosh—
The moment the words left his mouth, Tobirama couldn't wait. Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he took Hashirama and vanished from the Hokage's office.
At that moment, they appeared at Konoha's gates.
"Hey, Sasuke, heading out?"
Kotetsu Hagane greeted him with a smile.
"Going to kill someone."
With that, Sasuke disappeared from sight.
Kotetsu: "???"
Whoosh—
"Huh?"
"Shodaime-sama, Nidaime-sama, are you leaving as well?"
"Yeah. Going to watch a kid fight his brother."
The words had barely left his mouth before the two vanished again.
Whoosh—
"Kushina-sama, are you heading out to watch Sasuke fight too?"
"Mm."
Whoosh—
"Izumo, you too? Eh?"
"Kotetsu, I told you someone was sneaking in! Damn it... I'm gonna get chewed out tonight. I can't even guard the gate properly!"
—
Not far from Konoha Village.
"Itachi-san, that kid has the Uchiha crest and a pair of Sharingan... This time, he's definitely a real Uchiha, right?"
"He's my brother. My backup eyes."
Uchiha Itachi's voice was emotionless.
Kisame paused for a moment, then laughed.
"Itachi-san, you're ruthless. Treating your own brother like that... The only reason you didn't kill him was to keep him as a spare, right?"
"Still, Itachi-san... we should report back to the leader soon. If the rumors about Konoha are true, then the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is indeed perfect."
"That could be a major problem for our plans."
But at that moment—whoosh! A figure appeared, blocking their path.
Hoshigaki Kisame narrowed his eyes. "Yo~"
"He's pretty fast... Itachi-san's little brother."
Uchiha Itachi's expression remained cold, but inside, he wavered.
Sasuke raised his head, his Sharingan spinning as he locked eyes with Itachi.
Through gritted teeth, he spoke.
"I finally found you... bastard... Itachi!"