"Leader, I need to leave for a bit."
Inside a temporary cave not far from Kumogakure, Uchiha Itachi, who had been standing silently with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
Nagato, who was controlling the Six Paths avatars as they fought against the many ninja of Kumogakure, frowned and looked at him.
"What is it?"
The operation had already begun, and this was the critical moment. For Uchiha Itachi to suddenly leave, he needed a reason.
"There's a battle I have no choice but to go to. After today, I won't return to the Akatsuki."
Uchiha Itachi lowered his eyes and said.
"Are you going to die?", Nagato asked.
Of course, he wasn't planning to kill Uchiha Itachi at this moment. It was just that he saw a clear intent to die in those dim eyes of his.
Uchiha Itachi did not answer the question. Instead, he said, "If what you said before is all true, then your safety won't be a problem."
After saying that, his figure directly turned into a flock of crows and vanished from the cave.
Only then did Nagato react. It was probably Konoha's people who had arrived.
Aoba possessed Flying Thunder God. From Konoha to Kumogakure was an instant. Uchiha Itachi was Konoha's undercover agent, so it was normal for the other side to know about his actions today.
He just didn't understand why Uchiha Itachi looked like he was deliberately going to his death.
To be honest, after chatting with him a bit yesterday, Nagato felt they actually got along fairly well.
But that was all. He soon threw himself fully back into controlling the Six Paths battle.
———
"Sorry, the one who came is the Akatsuki leader, Pain. I didn't see Uchiha Itachi," Facing Sasuke's question, Sasori, controlling Hiruko, shook his head.
"Uchiha Itachi didn't come?"
Sasuke looked at Aoba in confusion. If Uchiha Itachi hadn't come, then why did he bring him here in the first place?
"I can sense Uchiha Itachi's chakra. He's nearby," Aoba explained to Sasuke.
After getting the answer he wanted, Sasuke was no longer as anxious as before.
Aoba then nodded to Sasori.
"You did well on this mission."
Although Uchiha Itachi had given him information in advance, Sasori had indeed completed his task.
On that face made of puppets, Sasori actually showed excitement, "Then, about what you promised me, my lord?"
"You've found your parents' remains?"
"I've already found them."
His parents' bodies were buried behind the memorial monument in Sunagakure. There was just no specific marker, so he had secretly dug up every grave.
Sunagakure never expected someone would secretly dig up other people's ancestors' graves. On top of that, Sasori's actions were well hidden, so the village's ninja never noticed.
The only result was a few extra ghost stories used to scare children.
"Alright. Once things here are over, you can meet your parents again."
"Thank you, Lord Aoba!"
After finishing his conversation with Sasori, Aoba led Sasuke and Konan toward the chakra of Uchiha Itachi, which was not hidden at all.
———
Everyone in Kumogakure was focused on the intense battle at the center of the village. Although the fight there had only just begun not long ago, it had already entered a white-hot stage.
Killer Bee directly went into tailed beast transformation, becoming a massive Eight-Tails Gyūki with eight huge tentacles.
The Fourth Raikage, his entire body wrapped in lightning, stood on its head, fighting against the Six Paths of Pain riding their summoned beasts.
Even though Deva Path Pain had not yet used Chibaku Tensei, nearly half of Kumogakure was already close to turning into ruins.
So Aoba and the others made no effort to hide themselves and traveled openly and boldly.
After running for a while, Sasuke finally saw the figure he had been longing for.
"Uchiha… Itachi!"
Sasuke almost roared the name.
Uchiha Itachi, upon seeing the three of them, sent a glance toward Aoba, indicating Nagato's location, then turned around and ran.
"Aoba, leave him to me."
Sasuke did not hesitate at all and immediately chased after him.
Aoba looked at such an impatient Sasuke with some helplessness.
But judging from the current situation, Sasuke's strength should be above Uchiha Itachi's.
After all, one had contracted a bloodline illness the moment he awakened the Mangekyo, with excessive pupil power consumption, his life already like a candle in the wind.
The other had only just awakened it, had ample pupil power supply, and was still full of vitality.
Sasuke also carried his Flying Thunder God mark. If anything happened, he could arrive instantly.
"Aoba, should we follow, or go straight to Pain?", Konan came up beside Aoba and asked about the next move.
Aoba thought for a moment, "Konan-nee, you go first. Pain's real body should be over there."
He pointed in the direction Uchiha Itachi had just indicated.
Then he continued, "I'll deal with the Eight-Tails and the Fourth Raikage first."
Now that he had become the daimyo of the Land of Fire, it was equivalent to standing directly against the entire shinobi world.
Things like having a just cause no longer mattered at all.
"Then be careful."
Konan reminded him, then hurried toward Nagato's location.
———
On the other side—
Lightning crackled around Sasuke as he chased Uchiha Itachi at full speed. The other kept running. Although the distance kept closing, Sasuke couldn't catch up right away.
"Uchiha Itachi! You useless coward, is running all you can do?", Sasuke shouted angrily.
This brother he had once admired not only killed their father, but now didn't even dare face him.
"..."
Uchiha Itachi remained silent. After running for a bit longer, he finally stopped.
Sasuke also stopped at a position where he could attack him the instant he moved.
"You coward, done running?"
"It's enough. Running any further would just be a waste of time."
Uchiha Itachi's expression was cold, his eyes carrying a chill. Then a scarlet light flashed.
Mangekyo Sharingan!
"The time is about right. My foolish little brother, do you see these eyes? Next, you're about to—"
After revealing his Mangekyo Sharingan, Uchiha Itachi was about to continue saying something to provoke Sasuke's emotions.
But right at that moment—
"I see them."
Sasuke gave him a mocking, sarcastic look.
"The Mangekyo Sharingan, huh…"
Then the tomoe in his eyes began to spin wildly as well.
A flash of crimson burst out from both of his eyes.
"I have it too!"
Instantly—
"..."
Shock filled Uchiha Itachi's ice-like face.
He clearly hadn't expected Sasuke to have already awakened the Mangekyo.
'That shouldn't be possible.'
'The awakening of the Mangekyo requires sufficient negative emotions.'
'Logically, with mother and other people still around, Sasuke shouldn't have that much negativity.'
'Could it be something happened on Mom's side?'
'But didn't Aoba said he will take good care of her?'
"?"
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