S-rank criminals—extremely dangerous!
Just like Orochimaru, who infiltrated Konoha two days ago!
But at the same time, capturing an S-rank criminal brings an enormous reward.
Each capture guarantees at least one million ryo from the village!
Although Shinju currently has some money on hand, in the long run, that amount of ryo is far from enough...
On the black market right now, the price of ninja tools has skyrocketed.
Explosive tags are going for hundreds apiece, and even a basic shuriken costs several dozen ryo...
If not for the village's supply distribution, Shinju, Naruto, and the others would have to throw kunai sparingly, counting every one.
Because of this, Shinju began to consider—could he capture an S-rank criminal and make an absolute fortune...?
Though it wouldn't be easy.
From what he knew, Uchiha Itachi's strength was terrifying. He graduated from the Academy at the age of seven!
Whether it was taijutsu, ninjutsu, or genjutsu, his abilities were unmatched.
Otherwise, how could one man single-handedly annihilate the entire Uchiha clan?
"Tch~"
Just as Shinju was lost in thought, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure outside the ramen shop.
Kakashi-sensei!
...
Outside the ramen shop.
Kakashi also noticed the two mysterious figures in black cloaks standing at the entrance. His hand slipped into his ninja pouch, tightly gripping the kunai inside.
In just these past two days since Shinju revealed his Wood Release, there had already been no fewer than twenty assassination attempts.
These two cloaked strangers were most likely here for Shinju as well!
Kakashi cast a subtle glance toward Shinju, signaling him to leave immediately.
After a brief hesitation, Shinju nodded, grabbed Naruto—who was still slurping down his ramen—and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Swish!"
Teuchi, the old man running Ichiraku Ramen, froze in shock. Just a moment ago, the two kids had been sitting there peacefully eating ramen, and now they had vanished!
As he was about to nervously ask what happened, Kakashi gave him a silent look.
Teuchi, being no fool, nodded and quietly withdrew.
Outside Ichiraku Ramen, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, clad in black cloaks patterned with red clouds, stood with their backs to Kakashi.
"Itachi-san, looks like we've been discovered," Kisame said with a shark-like grin, baring rows of razor-sharp teeth.
"Ignore him."
Itachi's voice was calm as he led Kisame forward, unconcerned.
Kakashi didn't attack immediately either. He knew well that if a battle broke out here—in the very heart of Konoha—countless buildings would be destroyed.
It was better to lure them outside first.
So, Kakashi followed Itachi and Kisame from a distance.
On the way, he encountered Might Guy and Asuma.
A few quick exchanges of looks, and Asuma understood. He immediately headed to the Hokage's office to call for reinforcements.
...
On the outskirts of Konoha.
Uchiha Itachi suddenly stopped and spoke in a level voice:
"Kakashi-san, you've been following us for quite a while now."
Hearing that voice, Kakashi's brows furrowed. Something about it was hauntingly familiar.
Stepping forward, he said, "Two unidentified intruders wandering inside the village—we can't afford to take that lightly."
Kisame's hand reached for the massive sword strapped to his back, wrapped in white bandages.
"Should we do this, Itachi-san?"
"No rush."
Itachi pressed his hand downward calmly.
The two then turned with unshaken composure.
Itachi even went so far as to remove the wide-brimmed straw hat concealing his face.
The instant Kakashi clearly saw who it was, his pupils quaked in shock.
Uchiha Itachi.
Back when Itachi had first joined Anbu, he had served under Kakashi's command.
Even as a boy, Itachi had already shown talent far beyond his peers!
Not only was he proficient in taijutsu and ninjutsu, he possessed an unfathomably strong mind as well.
The brilliance he displayed made even Kakashi—who had become a jōnin at twelve and an Anbu captain at fifteen—feel inadequate by comparison!
Sure enough, not long after entering Anbu, Itachi had been promoted to captain at just thirteen.
Not long after that, the Uchiha massacre occurred, and Itachi defected from Konoha.
To be honest, when Kakashi first heard that Itachi had slaughtered his entire clan single-handedly, he didn't believe it.
After all, though the boy had always been deep and unreadable, he was absolutely loyal to Konoha.
But… the facts had already been laid bare.
"It's been a while, Kakashi-san."
Itachi turned his head politely toward him and offered a greeting.
Cold sweat trickled from Kakashi's temples.
He might have been considered a genius back in the day, and over the years he had built up plenty of experience from missions, not to mention his Sharingan that could copy jutsu.
But standing face-to-face with Uchiha Itachi… Kakashi couldn't help feeling uneasy.
He steadied his nerves and asked, "I never expected you to return to Konoha. Who is your target this time? The Shinju?"
"No," Itachi answered honestly. "Although a Wood Release shinobi who has mastered Sage Arts is indeed formidable, he is not the one I've come for."
Kakashi instinctively felt that Itachi wasn't lying.
His mind raced, going through the possible targets one by one.
Could it be Sasuke?
Did Itachi come back to wipe out the last blood relative of his clan?
No… that didn't add up.
If he had returned alone, that might have been possible.
But this time, he wasn't alone.
That tall man beside him, wearing the same clothes, was clearly no harmless companion.
Kakashi vaguely remembered Jiraiya once telling him that after defecting from Konoha, Uchiha Itachi had joined a mysterious organization called Akatsuki.
The black cloaks with red clouds—they had to be the Akatsuki's uniform.
Which meant Itachi and that towering man had come to Konoha as part of an Akatsuki mission.
Thinking it through, Kakashi came to a chilling conclusion—their target was very likely the Nine-Tails inside Naruto!
It was said that Akatsuki had been secretly gathering information on the Tailed Beasts for years.
"Whatever your purpose is for returning this time, I won't let you succeed!"
Kakashi gripped his kunai tightly, speaking with resolve.
At that moment, Might Guy leapt to his side, one hand behind his back, the other extended forward.
"Yo! Kakashi, looks like you could use my help!"
"Who's the weirdo in the green jumpsuit with the watermelon head?" Kisame glanced at Guy's outfit, amused, and asked casually.
Guy roared in response, "I am the proud Green Beast of Konoha—Might Guy!"
"Green Beast? More like some kind of rare exotic creature if you ask me."
Kisame pulled the massive blade from his back and slammed it into the ground with a dull boom, leaving a large crater.
Excitement flashed in Kisame's beady eyes.
"Looks like a fight's unavoidable."
Even before he finished speaking, Guy had already lunged forward with a flying kick aimed straight at Kisame's chest!
"Yaaah!"
Kakashi sighed, exasperated.
"Guy, don't act recklessly."
Then he quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
At the same time, Itachi finished weaving his own seals on the riverbank.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball erupted from Itachi's mouth!
And Kakashi's water dragon surged forward to meet it head-on.
Water and fire collided!
Sizzle—!
A torrent of scorching steam burst upward in an instant!