Itachi!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face grew darker. In the time since leaving the village, Uchiha Itachi had changed a lot—a lot.
Now,
Uchiha Itachi was no longer as easy to control as before. He had new thoughts!
"People change after experiencing a lot," Uchiha Itachi said calmly, not a hint of emotion crossing his face.
He had once prided himself on being clever, only to fall into others' schemes.
Now, after spending some time out in the world, Uchiha Itachi had learned many things. He could even guess some of the thoughts in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind!
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi must be furious. He wouldn't listen like he used to.
"Heh... I still prefer the pure Itachi from before!" Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to play on emotions, seemingly trying to make Itachi reconsider.
"The Itachi of that time is already dead," Uchiha Itachi responded indifferently.
With that said, Uchiha Itachi vanished in a flash, transforming into a crow and circling in the sky for a while.
He had planned to visit Sasuke in the Uchiha clan's district, but when he thought of Uchiha Genya, the "god of death," he decided against it.
Without the absolute power to defeat Uchiha Genya, Uchiha Itachi didn't want to recklessly provoke him.
"Itachi..." Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Itachi's figure disappear, his fists slowly clenching. "Letting you leave back then… maybe that was my mistake."
Hiruzen murmured to himself. He should have taken advantage of Itachi's injury and killed him when he had the chance!
Uchiha Itachi was becoming increasingly uncontrollable. Now, Itachi had become a ticking time bomb for the Sarutobi family, one that could explode at any moment!
Damn, this is truly frustrating!
"Itachi, I will make you regret this."
Outside the village,
Uchiha Itachi stood under a tree. His ears twitched, and his eyes scanned a spot behind him. "Come out!"
Someone was following him!
He had returned to Konoha so secretly, yet someone still noticed.
The thought of one person immediately crossed his mind—Uchiha Genya.
When he left Konoha, he had chosen a specific direction. The only one who could have caught up with him was Genya.
"Itachi, it seems like your vigilance has gotten stronger during your time away!"
As Genya's voice echoed, he stepped out from the darkness.
"I hid myself so well, yet you still found me!"
Tonight, Genya wasn't wearing his black cloak. He walked slowly toward Uchiha Itachi.
Step by step.
There was a smile on his still somewhat youthful face. But when Genya got within ten meters of Itachi, Itachi quickly stepped back.
Right now, he couldn't afford to get close to Genya. Genya had too many tricks up his sleeve, and if he wasn't careful, he would end up in a passive position!
After retreating, he looked at Genya and asked, "Did you come here to kill me?"
With that, he took a defensive stance: "But you might have come at the wrong time. I can't die yet. If you want to make a move, we'll have to fight again!"
By the end of his words, Uchiha Itachi was ready for battle at any moment.
For some reason, he was feeling more and more pressure from Genya. His Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu were all suppressed by Genya.
The only thing Itachi could still rely on to fight back was Susanoo!
If Genya really attacked, he wouldn't hesitate to activate Susanoo.
"I'm not here to kill you today!" Uchiha Genya looked at Itachi's cautious expression and smiled slightly. "How about you help me with something?"
"What is it? Are you here because of the Wood Ox incident?" Uchiha Itachi frowned and asked. The only thing he could think of was the Mokuton ninja.
"Heh... Sarutobi Hiruzen sent you because of the Wood Ox incident? How laughable, hasn't he given up yet?" Genya chuckled upon hearing that, rubbing his chin.
"I guess... he probably wants you to bring Wood Ox back to Konoha, doesn't he? Does Konoha not have any strong ninjas left?"
"You guessed it!" Uchiha Itachi looked at Genya's expression and voiced his doubts.
"Wood Ox is yours, right? Let me think... it should be someone from your side in Konoha, right?"
"Senju Hayashi?"
Uchiha Genya's eyes flickered. Itachi was truly the intelligence powerhouse of the ninja world. Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had deceived him, Itachi's mind remained sharp.
From a simple conversation, Itachi had already guessed the general situation!
"Heh... I'm here to find you, not to answer your questions!" Genya didn't respond to the question and instead brought the conversation back to the point. "Do me a favor!"
"What is it?" Uchiha Itachi could tell from Genya's expression that he had guessed right, but Genya wasn't willing to admit it. He didn't press the issue and replied, "If I can do it, I will."
Itachi agreed to this request as a way to repay Genya for looking after Sasuke.
"I want to know the whereabouts of your organization's Hidan, and his hideout!" Genya spoke slowly and clearly, his tone firm.
"Hidan?" Uchiha Itachi repeated the name, seemingly puzzled about why Uchiha Genya would be so fixated on this person. "The guy with three sickles on his back?"
"That's right, him!" Genya nodded.
"How do you know him? What do you need him for?" Itachi asked instinctively.
Even Itachi had only seen Hidan's shadowy form, but how could Genya know of Hidan's existence, especially knowing that Hidan had joined the Akatsuki?
"How I know about Hidan is none of your concern. As for my purpose... it's similar to Sarutobi Hiruzen's search for the Wood Ox!" Genya looked at Uchiha Itachi and said, "Once you find him, send me a word. As payment, Sasuke will be safe and won't face any danger within the village!"
This time, Genya made no threats or promises!
Itachi's expression grew serious. Genya wouldn't use Sasuke's life to threaten him!
"Alright, I'll be waiting for your message!" Genya finished, and with a flicker of his body, disappeared right in front of Uchiha Itachi.
Gone in an instant!
"Body Flicker Jutsu?"
Itachi's eyes sharpened as he looked at the spot where Genya had vanished.
It seemed Genya had grown stronger again. If he kept training like this, Uchiha Genya could become the next Madara, the leader of the Uchiha Clan!
Moreover, with his spatial ninjutsu, Uchiha Genya was nearly invincible, not to mention his formidable combat abilities.
If the Fourth Hokage were still alive and neither side used the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Fourth would have no chance against Genya.
After these thoughts, Itachi didn't linger any longer. He too vanished into the forest in a flash.
Time passed, and it seemed the ninja world had once again returned to a calm state.
On this day, Hayashi walked out of a Bounty Station, carrying a suitcase. He glanced over at a massive tree nearby, about several hundred meters tall, with a hint of sentimentality.
It had already been half a year.
"Genya-sama, I've completed the first task you assigned. Next, I'll locate Orochimaru's whereabouts. I'll make sure to bring back Kimimaro!" Hayashi muttered, rubbing the suitcase in his hand.
The target value for this task was 20 million ryo, quite a hefty sum!
"Should I send this money back to Genya-sama? I'll find a nearby Uchiha Merchant Association."
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