Kakashi Hatake remained entirely unmoved by the Third Hokage's pep talk. In a life defined by constant disillusionment, his heart had long since turned to dead ashes, making it difficult to feel much of anything.
For Kakashi, the Uchiha clan's annihilation was just another grim tragedy in a life full of them. The fact that his old comrade was an Uchiha and the killer was his former subordinate, Itachi, didn't stir much more than a heavy sigh.
Cleaning up the aftermath just left him feeling that the path of life was even more of a cruel joke.
Storm Release kekkei genkai? Just another fancy combat trick.
Back in the day, Kakashi had awakened it himself, even tinkering with new techniques based on his Chidori.
Now? It didn't matter.
Even the Third Hokage's dramatic reveal that a "great person" had taught it to his father failed to cause a ripple in Kakashi's dead-calm heart.
So what? How great? Could that greatness resurrect the dead?
Kakashi listened to Hiruzen's nagging with passive indifference, then headed down to deal with ANBU affairs, his usual listless aura trailing behind him.
"Senior Kakashi!" a man with a broad, square face hurried over, his voice low. "Are those Root ninjas really joining the ANBU?"
"Tenzo," Kakashi said, finally lifting his gaze and giving a slow nod. "Root has been disbanded. From now on, they're ANBU."
Tenzo's presence was one of the few things that could coax a proper sentence out of him. Kakashi had discovered Tenzo's Wood Style back when he was still in Root and had personally pulled him out from under Danzo's thumb. In a way, he felt a sliver of responsibility for the guy.
Tenzo hesitated, knowing the truth. "They still have his Cursed Tongue Eradication Seals on them..."
"And what does that matter?" Kakashi's hand rested on Tenzo's shoulder, but his eyes were empty. "Even if you remove the seals on their bodies, the ones carved into their hearts can't be erased."
Compared to the salvageable Tenzo, the other Root ninjas were little more than killing machines, brainwashed by Danzo to the point of having no emotions left. These were facts that didn't need to be reported to the Third Hokage. Sarutobi was a master of cursed seals himself; if he hadn't mentioned it, it meant there was no reason for them to make a move.
"I'm going to the Memorial Stone," Kakashi said, his hand dropping. His entire form looked desolate as he went to change. He figured he should tell his dead comrade about the fate of the Uchiha. After all, Obito had once been proud to be one of them.
-----
Meanwhile, at the border of the Land of Fire, the mysterious masked man and Itachi Uchiha received a message from a White Zetsu clone.
"Lord Emiya wants to see you," it said, before adding, with an almost nagging tone, "Oh, and by the way, Lord Emiya has taken over the Akatsuki. You must be respectful. My main body is always worried you won't be respectful enough."
This was, apparently, a matter of great importance. The main White Zetsu was quite fond of its pawn, Obito, and didn't want him getting on Shirou's bad side. The masked man, however, was already annoyed.
"Lord Emiya?" Itachi frowned, puzzled.
"Hmph. The 'great figure' I was telling you about," the masked man said, a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice. "That medical ninja who supposedly quelled the First Great Ninja War. The one from all the bedtime stories. Orochimaru used Edo Tensei to drag him out of the Pure Land again."
Surprise flickered across Itachi's face.
Is this some kind of joke? The Akatsuki has a connection with him?
He had expected a Kage-level figure, but this... this was a literal saint from the history books.
A dead saint... there was no identity more shocking.
"You must respect him!" the White Zetsu clone insisted, desperate for its favorite pawn not to screw this up.
"I know," the masked man snapped, glancing at the clone with irritation. "If he doesn't disrupt my plans, I'll give him the respect due to a senior."
Why are you still talking?
The constant nagging was grating on his nerves.
"That's good, that's good," the clone giggled, before sinking back into the ground.
"It is..." Itachi began, narrowing his eyes, curious about the clone's ability.
"Just an idiot," the masked man stated bluntly. "Mainly for gathering intelligence."
"It sounds like it's not your organization anymore," Itachi said, seizing the opportunity to sow a little discord. "Will he really agree to my joining? I remember Lord Emiya being a great medical ninja, dedicated to relieving the world's suffering. He probably wouldn't approve of ninjas like us, stained with blood."
"Hmph. He won't have time to bother with the Akatsuki anyway," the masked man said with cold contempt, recalling the story Madara had told him. "It'll probably be just like the first time he was resurrected. He'll be off healing the sick and saving people, while we carry out the second peace plan in the shadows."
But things had changed. He knew there were people in the Akatsuki who would now be more loyal to Shirou."
"The second peace plan?" Itachi's curiosity was piqued again.
Obito, surprisingly tolerant of his new clansman, nonchalantly recounted the secrets from the time of the First Great Ninja War. "That's right. Emiya Shirou realized that wars are inevitable. He prepared a second plan to bring peace, but chose not to use it, believing it was a path for humanity only in the worst of times. Now, resurrected once again, he should realize this world is already bad enough. A new world needs to be established."
Itachi's heart began to beat violently. This was unexpected. He hadn't even officially joined, and he was already privy to information that could shake the entire ninja world.
"Hmph. It's all that Second Hokage's fault," the masked man sneered. "If it weren't for him, the Uchiha wouldn't have been wiped out. If it weren't for him developing a soul-desecrating jutsu like the Impure World Reincarnation, we wouldn't have this second peace plan."
As he mocked Tobirama, he led Itachi towards their meeting place. "I don't like these long-dead old geezers getting involved again. This world doesn't need them anymore."
What he didn't expect was that the person who truly wasn't needed anymore might have become himself.
Before they could meet Shirou, Zetsu blocked their path. Black Zetsu, usually so tolerant of him, now looked at him with open displeasure.
"We just caught a Konoha spy," Black Zetsu said, a sinister smile playing on his lips as he looked from the masked man to Itachi. "Can you guarantee that he is not a spy sent by Konoha?"
The masked man's heart skipped a beat. Because he really couldn't. He was even planning to partner Itachi with someone else, just to monitor him.
Itachi's heart tightened. Because he really was a Konoha spy.
Does the Akatsuki have some way of detecting spies? And... which spy did they catch?