"I don't know. Such a strange surname, I've never heard of it."
Yun said this as he bit into his bread. 'This guy ran out of chips last night, and now early in the morning, he wants free intel?'
'Even if I give it to him with Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, and Obito's current power, his freshly-awakened Mangekyō wouldn't stand a chance.'
'And if Pain of the Six Paths were added in…If Itachi really went knocking on that door, it'd be suicide.'
Yun's answer left Itachi brooding. He glanced at Shisui, who just spread his hands. "I told you first thing this morning, I really don't know these names. But where did you even get them? Ōtsutsuki is such a bizarre surname."
Itachi sighed, lowered his voice, and said, "Last night… I went to a strange, otherworldly space. The knowledge just appeared in my mind; it called itself an intelligence trading hall. You could trade chips for intel. Chips could be talents, or kekkei genkai, like the Sharingan. But… when you traded them, you didn't actually lose anything."
The words had barely left him before Shisui urgently asked: "How many chips did you trade? And your Mangekyō abilities, besides the black flames of Amaterasu, what else do you have?!"
Seeing Shisui so shaken, Itachi grew curious.
Yun, however, patted Shisui's shoulder. "Don't panic, let him finish. Trading innate powers for information? And in another dimension? Even I'm curious."
Shisui exhaled, glanced at Yun, then said: "He came to me a year ago. And nearly five years ago, when the Hokage's son was born, he struck a deal with the Hokage himself."
"What?!" Itachi turned sharply to him.
"Nearly five years ago… the day the Hokage's son was born, that was also the night my father was killed. Is there… a connection?"
Shisui gave a faint nod, "With your Mangekyō, you've gained the power to start grasping these things. The Hokage told me that when he made his deal, he saw only a shadow. But when it was my turn…"
"Maybe because he knew we already recognized him… what I saw was Uzumaki Ku."
'Uzumaki Ku?!'
Itachi's gaze grew heavy, but he waited for Shisui to continue.
"Uzumaki Ku is that intelligence broker. The Hokage's deal with him that night was about Konoha's imminent crisis. A masked man with the Sharingan tried to exploit the moment when the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Kushina, the Hokage's wife, was giving birth. He wanted to use the Nine-Tails' power to destroy the village."
"That intel led the Hokage to hand over his Flying Thunder God technique and some talents, which Ku obtained."
"Later, that masked man's arm was cut off by Ku. Afterward, Ku gained Wood Style. The Hokage suspects… he might even be capable of trading with those who have long passed."
"In other words… with the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama."
Shisui's explanation left Itachi clenching his fists.
Perhaps last night, he shouldn't have asked who killed his father. Instead, he should have asked about that masked Sharingan user. If he had a Sharingan, then his name must exist somewhere in Uchiha history.
At that moment, Yun scratched his head in mock annoyance. "So he came to you as soon as you awakened your Mangekyō, but I've had mine for ages, and he hasn't shown up? What gives?"
Shisui looked at him. "Yun… is there intel you're seeking too?"
Yun waved a hand dismissively. "I just want to ask him how long I have to loaf around in Konoha before my dream of eating and waiting to die finally comes true."
That answer made Shisui twitch his mouth, but he turned back to Itachi. "Besides the black flames, what's your other eye's ability?"
Itachi didn't intend to hide it. "Genjutsu, a technique called Tsukuyomi. With just eye contact, I can drag a target into another dimension where everything is under my control. A single instant in reality becomes seventy-two hours inside Tsukuyomi. In other words, one instant of eye contact, and the victim suffers seventy-two hours of torment."
"In short… their mind breaks."
After hearing this, Shisui's expression hardened. "Then Ku already has your abilities, too. Wood Style and Mangekyō Sharingan… with that kind of power, he's becoming more dangerous by the day."
After a pause, Shisui turned toward Yun. "We've never asked because abilities can mean life or death… but Yun, what are your Mangekyō powers?"
Yun scratched his head.
The truth was, he had too many. Fortunately, when he destroyed Root, no one saw Susanoo.
Which ones should he admit to? The Kotodama?
'Wait… there were also the Secret Scroll powers. Clone couldn't be mentioned. Recovery and Release… hmm.'
He thought for a moment. Itachi was watching him too, assuming Yun was just carefully weighing what to reveal.
Finally, Yun said, "Amaterasu damages me too much, so I never use it. But yes, one of my abilities is Amaterasu."
"My other ability, you should've seen, Shisui. I can perceive two seconds into the future. Cooldown: five minutes."
Shisui nodded, about to say more, when Yun casually added: "And there's a higher form of Kotodama: Reversal. I can rewind a dying person's injuries back to before they were hurt. The cooldown… one day."
Both of them froze.
This second ability was nothing like Itachi's. Tsukuyomi could be passed off as an advanced Sharingan genjutsu. But this, this was something else entirely.
Which meant from now on, Yun couldn't let any Tsukuyomi victims survive, too easy to get exposed.
After a moment, Yun clapped Itachi's shoulder. "So if you ever get badly hurt, remember to find me. Best if you're half-dead and near me, that way, you've got a second life."
Itachi, ever cold-faced, nodded. Then he stood, bowed to them both, and said, "I still don't know who Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and Indra are. But once I find Black Zetsu… I hope I can rely on you."
This Itachi was already completely different from the one Yun remembered.
The fact that he could openly ask Yun and Shisui for help showed he knew full well that even with Mangekyō, he couldn't handle it alone.
Yun and Shisui exchanged a smile. Shisui spoke firmly: "Clan Leader Fugaku's death is an Uchiha matter. Yun and I, we'll help you."
Yun gave a calm nod beside him, and only then did Itachi rise.
At that moment, a messenger-nin pulled back the tent flap. "The commander requests all three of you in the conference room. There's an important matter to discuss."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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