"And Intel Jiraiya too? Does that mean one of the Three Sannin, Jiraiya, specializes in intelligence?"
Uchiha Itachi frowned slightly.
Wasn't that the same for everyone?
For ninja, intelligence gathering was the most important thing of all.
That was basic ninja competence.
And he himself was particularly good at collecting information during combat, so this so-called Intel Jiraiya did not strike him as anything special.
The rest was completely incomprehensible.
For example, "pain beyond Pain."
He knew Pain. That was the name of Akatsuki's leader. The terrifying existence with the Rinnegan who had wiped out Konoha Village with a single technique. A god among men.
But what exactly was "his pain"?
And who was this Kaguya?
Did "Experienced Kaguya" mean she lacked experience before?
There was simply too much information all at once. It was scattered and overwhelming, and Uchiha Itachi could not analyze it properly.
Still, he quickly recorded everything.
Just because he could not make sense of it now did not mean he would not be able to in the future.
Hatake Kakashi, staring at the diary's contents, felt the corner of his mouth twitch uncontrollably.
He knew Kaede Kitahara well enough. He was someone with a very warped sense of humor.
But when Kakashi saw lines like "welcome the return of the Dragon King War God," he realized he had still underestimated just how bad that sense of humor really was.
He did not know what Kaede Kitahara meant by things like Killing-Intent Naruto, No-Acting Sasuke, or Calm Kakashi.
But the general idea was clear enough.
It sounded like some kind of person who embodied the strengths of all these people at once.
What he could not understand was why Uzumaki Boruto had suddenly become Otsutsuki Boruto.
Uchiha Sasuke was just as confused.
He did not understand it either, but he was all too familiar with Kaede Kitahara's sharp-tongued teasing.
No-Acting Sasuke.
Who exactly was that aimed at?
Damn it.
[Look at the gap between these two generations. Roughly the same age, fifteen or sixteen. Three years later, the Dragon King returns. Naruto and Sasuke are still one step away from Kage Level, probably both around the same elite Jonin level as Hatake Kakashi. Only after getting their own opportunities do they finally break into Kage Level.
Now look at Uzumaki Boruto. He starts directly above Kage Level.
Is this really the same Uzumaki Boruto who had to cheat in the Chunin Exams using Scientific Ninja Tools?
And don't even get me started on Uchiha Sarada. Her Mangekyo Sharingan can even create artificial black holes. Does that make any sense?
Not at all. How is Eternal Mangekyo Madara supposed to live with this?
The young adult arc of Boruto is terrifying. The early stages were so much better. Nice and safe.]
Hatake Kakashi stared at the diary's new entry with a face full of dark lines.
The rate of progress Naruto and Sasuke would make three years into the future already made him feel pressured.
Judging from the strength Naruto had shown when chasing Sasuke into Orochimaru's territory, they had not yet reached Kage Level. But they were already absolutely not inferior to him.
The feeling of being caught up to by the younger generation pricked at his back like needles.
He had been too lax these past few years.
What left him even more speechless was that, even so, Kaede Kitahara still seemed dissatisfied.
Their children were even more outrageous?
He really wanted to ask.
Was this reasonable?
Reaching Kage Level in their teens would be considered unparalleled genius anywhere. Yet in Kaede Kitahara's words, it sounded completely ordinary.
But when he thought about the Uzumaki Boruto Kaede Kitahara described, someone who started above Kage Level at fifteen or sixteen, it suddenly made sense.
As the saying went, without comparison, there was no damage.
He still did not know what "above Kage Level" actually meant, but it was obvious that it was far stronger than normal Kage Level.
Originally, there was no precise concept of "Kage Level" in the ninja world.
There were simply too few ninja who stood at that height.
Usually, people only said someone could rival the Kage of the villages. And figures like that were exceedingly rare. Most of them either became Kage themselves or carved out legendary reputations.
For example, Hanzo the Demigod.
The vast majority of people would never see a Kage Level expert in their entire lives. Even for those from the Five Great Ninja Villages, the most they might ever see was their own village's Kage, and only during massive gatherings.
In everyone's eyes, the Kage were already the pinnacle. There was no need to create a separate classification.
But clearly, Kaede Kitahara did not see it that way.
In his eyes, there seemed to be many Kage Level experts, just like elite Jonin. Enough to warrant a clear distinction.
And just as Jonin were divided into Tokubetsu Jonin, regular Jonin, and elite Jonin, Kage Level likely had subdivisions as well.
Kage Level.
And above Kage Level.
As for whether there were more tiers beyond that, no one knew.
Uchiha Itachi had some understanding of the Mangekyo Sharingan. He had glimpsed its power through his battles with Uchiha Sasuke.
But what exactly was the Eternal Mangekyo?
Was it a variant of the Mangekyo?
"Eternal Mangekyo… something about this feels off."
Uchiha Itachi narrowed his eyes.
That "Madara" was almost certainly Kaede Kitahara's nickname for Uchiha Madara. Surprisingly, there was even a hint of respect in the way he mentioned him, rather than pure mockery.
Itachi knew about the Eternal Mangekyo.
It was the tool he had prepared to revive the Uchiha Clan.
With his own death.
By transplanting his Sharingan into Uchiha Sasuke, allowing Sasuke's eyes to evolve into an Eternal Mangekyo that would never go blind.
This was knowledge he had gleaned from certain records in the clan archives.
Back then, Uchiha Madara had obtained his younger brother's Mangekyo Sharingan and evolved into the Eternal Mangekyo.
Although those records were vague and incomplete, Itachi had pieced together the truth through other information.
By his understanding, the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan should possess far greater ocular power than a normal Mangekyo.
Yet from what he had sensed when encountering the man in Akatsuki who claimed to be Uchiha Madara, that man's ocular power was not much stronger than his own. There was no fundamental difference.
Had Uchiha Madara grown old and declined after so many years?
Or was he not Uchiha Madara at all?
But if he was not Madara, then who was he?
Itachi did not remember any other Uchiha with such terrifying strength.
The questions in his heart only multiplied.
Still, when he saw Kaede Kitahara mention his "eldest niece" Sarada, Uchiha Itachi could not help smiling, a trace of fondness showing on his face.
Her Mangekyo Sharingan could create artificial black holes.
My niece is really amazing.
"My daughter has a Mangekyo too?"
Uchiha Sasuke murmured.
Why did it feel like everyone and their dog could awaken the Mangekyo, yet it was so difficult for him?
Even just getting this one tomoe had taken endless hardship.
Was the future really that absurd?
But that had nothing to do with him right now.
At present, he was just a man bent on revenge. He did not have the luxury to think about daughters or anything else.
[The early stage really is safe. The biggest final boss early on is just Orochimaru. But compared to other villains, Orochimaru is indeed very special. In terms of research talent, he might not be inferior to the Second Hokage at all, just focused on a different direction.
Senju Tobirama's talent lay in developing all kinds of strange ninjutsu. If there's any bizarre yet hugely impactful technique in the ninja world, you don't even need to think about it. He invented it.
Just like how, whenever something bad happens in the ninja world and no one knows who did it, it's always Danzo.
Orochimaru is even more impressive. As one of the top scientists in the ninja world, his abilities are absurdly comprehensive. Using a mortal body, he actually developed a budget version of Kaguya's Cursed Seal. It can't compare to the original Otsutsuki version, but it's still ridiculous.
Snake Lady is known as the most unkillable legend in history, directly tied to the Cursed Seal's ability to allow constant reincarnation.
Unfortunately, in the end he just made a wedding dress for Sasuke. Coveted Sasuke's body, only to be killed by Sasuke instead. Tsk.]
"Orochimaru…"
Jiraiya let out a long sigh.
He knew his old friend's talent all too well. Compared to himself, Orochimaru was a genius without limits. From childhood, he had always been the old man's treasured disciple.
Jiraiya understood clearly that the Third Hokage's affection for Orochimaru had actually surpassed what he had for Tsunade and himself.
Yet after earning the title of the Three Sannin together, Orochimaru had strayed onto a dark path.
He wanted immortality.
When had it begun?
Probably that summer when Nawaki died.
That vibrant boy, who had been brimming with life and had every chance of becoming Hokage one day, died to a meaningless Explosive Tag trap.
His death completely changed the Three Sannin.
From that point on, Orochimaru drifted further and further away, walking a path of darkness. Tsunade's hemophobia and her departure from Konoha were also deeply tied to that event.
After that, Orochimaru defected. Tsunade left Konoha. And Jiraiya himself, in pursuit of Orochimaru and intelligence gathering, also left the village.
Jiraiya had always thought Orochimaru's pursuit of immortality was nothing but delusion.
After all, no such person had ever existed in the ninja world.
Throughout history, powerful ninja had risen and fallen, leaving their names behind.
But who had ever lived forever?
A mortal lifespan had limits. That was an unchangeable truth.
Yet now, it seemed Orochimaru had truly found a path toward immortality.
Constant reincarnation?
He did not know the exact method, but from the descriptions, it appeared to involve continuously finding new bodies and reincarnating through some kind of ninjutsu.
Was it that thing called the Cursed Seal?
Through that seal, it seemed possible to revive oneself in different bodies.
So was that why Orochimaru had said during the Chunin Exams video that Uchiha Sasuke would come looking for him?
Because of this?
He really had not changed at all.
Still as vile as ever.
Using power, desire, revenge, and hope to lure the young into serving him.