Obito suddenly showing up to recruit Itachi was something Kiyosuke hadn't anticipated.
The Uchiha clan had shown no signs of rebellion at all, and Itachi had no intention of wiping out his clan. Yet Obito appeared just like that—it caught him completely off guard.
Still, his appearance presented a good opportunity.
Kiyosuke went straight to the Hokage's office and got to the point with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"This new organization has caught my attention too. But there's hardly any intel."
"Orochimaru is one of them," Kiyosuke said.
"What?" Hiruzen's hand trembled, almost dropping his smoking pipe. "How did you find that out?"
"There's a spy of Orochimaru's in the village. He passed the information to me. The spy's quite skilled—managed to escape from me."
Hiruzen's expression darkened. Orochimaru had always been a thorn in his heart. The village having spies wasn't surprising—there were plenty already—but Orochimaru was the real issue.
"Is Orochimaru the leader of the organization?"
"No. He's a member. The leader is even stronger than him."
"Stronger than Orochimaru... Just what kind of person is this leader?" Hiruzen went quiet for a moment, then asked, "What about you? What do you plan to do?"
Kiyosuke had clearly come here with a plan.
"I want to send Itachi to infiltrate the Akatsuki."
Yes, he was going to make Itachi go undercover. It was what he did best, after all. The only concern was that without the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi's strength might take a hit.
"Have you asked him?"
"Not yet. But I believe he's already prepared. Besides, I have other plans. For now, I want him to stay with me for special training."
"Then I'll leave it to you." Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe and thought to himself how old he was getting—so hesitant, unlike the decisiveness of youth. He asked again, "Kiyosuke, do you want to be Hokage?"
"No. Desk jobs don't suit me."
Just as expected.
"Then go to Fugaku's home first. Talk to him and his wife. After all, it's their son you're sending into a dangerous mission. You'll need their consent."
"Alright."
...
Evening, Uchiha Fugaku's Residence
Uchiha Fugaku had just gotten home from work when Kiyosuke came to visit.
"Kiyosuke-sama, it's been a while! What brings you here? Want to share a few drinks?" After many dinner visits, Fugaku and Kiyosuke had become quite familiar. But this time, it wasn't about food.
"No drinks today. I'm here on business."
"Oh?" Fugaku straightened his expression and knelt down. Uchiha Mikoto brought out tea and was about to leave when Kiyosuke stopped her.
"Mikoto-san, please stay. This mission concerns Itachi."
"Itachi?"
The couple froze and quickly sat down together.
"My teacher—one of the former Sannin of the village, now a missing-nin—Orochimaru, has joined a group called the Akatsuki. It's a collective of rogue ninja. Just recently, Itachi received an invitation from one of their members to join the organization."
"Why would they target Itachi?" Fugaku asked.
"Talent. Itachi has arguably the greatest natural talent in all of Konoha. Of course they'd take interest in him," Kiyosuke said.
"No surprise there. He is my son!" Fugaku said proudly.
Mikoto rolled her eyes. He had been saying that same line for over a decade.
Kiyosuke couldn't help but sigh. "Fugaku-san, now's not the time to bask in your pride. The Hokage and I want Itachi to infiltrate the organization."
"What?!" Fugaku's voice rose. "You and the Hokage want Itachi to go undercover in that kind of organization?! What are you thinking?"
"Calm down. Let's hear Kiyosuke-sama out."
"Yes, I know how much you both value Itachi. But I'll tell you something I haven't even shared with the Hokage."
The couple's expressions turned serious as Kiyosuke said solemnly,
"The Akatsuki's leader possesses ocular powers on the level of the Sage of Six Paths—he has the Rinnegan. That's why I want Itachi on the inside."
"Rinnegan..."
Fugaku and Mikoto had heard of this fearsome dōjutsu. It surpassed both the Sharingan and Byakugan—an ultimate ocular ability. They never imagined someone could actually possess it.
"Wouldn't that make it even more dangerous for Itachi?" Mikoto asked worriedly.
Kiyosuke shook his head.
"No. In fact, once Itachi joins, the real threat will only come from two people—the one who tried to recruit him, and my teacher, Orochimaru."
"Why is that?"
"The one recruiting him has ulterior motives. As for Orochimaru... he's after Itachi's body."
Fugaku and Mikoto: ╭(°?°)╮╰(°?°)╯
They looked like they'd just heard something outrageous—completely unsure how to react.
Mikoto asked, "If I remember right, Orochimaru is a man, isn't he?"
Kiyosuke replied, "Mikoto-san, my teacher is a pervert. That much is known across all of Konoha. He doesn't just want Itachi's body—he wants to possess it. To claim the Uchiha's kekkei genkai and Itachi's terrifying talent."
"What?! How can that even be possible?!"
"It is possible. Because he's Orochimaru."
A man with access to forbidden knowledge... someone with mastery over core technologies...
"If it's Orochimaru..." Fugaku muttered.
Kiyosuke said, "But don't worry. Itachi's already surpassed him in strength. Orochimaru's current body is deteriorating—he's not as strong as he once was."
"My son has already reached that level?" Fugaku's face lit up. He was deeply pleased and secretly wanted to say, 'No surprise—he is my son.'
But wake up, man. Your son's already way more badass than you.
Both of them are.
"That's why I hope Itachi can join the Akatsuki. At a critical moment, he can pass intel back to the village." Kiyosuke spoke gravely. "This isn't just for Konoha—it's for the entire shinobi world."
The couple fell silent. As parents, they didn't want their son to take such a risk. But as shinobi, they would accept the mission.
"We understand. The Uchiha will follow the village's decision. Consider it our way of repaying you, Kiyosuke-sama."
Fugaku closed his eyes as he spoke.
Mikoto knelt beside him silently, showing her support.
"I'm sorry."
Kiyosuke let out a long breath. If it hadn't been him personally, he might not have gotten their approval.
Still, this favor from the Uchiha... had cost him quite a lot of credit.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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