"Is there a truth I want to see?"
Uchiha Itachi frowned deeply, his face filled with confusion. He really didn't understand what Genya meant by saying that.
In his mind, he couldn't help but wonder what Genya was planning.
The Chunin Exam in Konoha had always followed a strict procedure. Although ninjas from other villages participated, everything was under Konoha's control. How could anything go wrong?
Tsunade also looked shocked, watching the exchange between Uchiha Genya and Uchiha Itachi. There seemed to be hidden meanings in their words, but she couldn't make sense of them.
What were these two trying to do? Everything they said was so confusing.
"You'll know when the time comes!" Genya said, looking at Itachi's puzzled expression. He then turned to Hinata. "Hinata, we should go!"
After that, Genya ignored Itachi and the others and walked straight ahead, leaving everyone else standing there, dumbfounded.
Tsunade and Shizune exchanged glances, their eyes full of surprise and confusion.
Tsunade furrowed her brows slightly, wondering to herself if something unexpected might really happen during the Chunin Exam.
Itachi, however, kept his brows tightly knit, his eyes showing deep concern.
He knew that the "truth" Genya spoke of could completely shatter the calm facade of Konoha.
Over the years, he had secretly learned some of Konoha's hidden secrets. Yet even so, he still didn't know what Uchiha Genya was planning.
He truly didn't want to get too involved with Genya. Genya was too cunning, and from the moment they first met, Itachi had never fully understood him.
Especially recently, Genya, along with the Uchiha Merchant Association, had nearly spread throughout the entire ninja world.
The Uchiha clan's influence was expanding rapidly, and the Uchiha Merchant Association had become the largest merchant organization in the ninja world.
"Itachi, is that Uchiha brat really strong?" Tsunade asked, watching Genya and the others disappear into the distance.
She was curious about Genya. The one rumored to be a "waste" of the Uchiha clan—just how strong was he?
Itachi nodded solemnly, giving a firm answer. "Very strong. He's the strongest Uchiha I've ever seen."
In Itachi's heart, Genya's strength and talent had surpassed all other Uchiha members, even including Uchiha Madara.
He even remembered the moments he had faced Genya in battle, and they still made his heart race with unease.
"The strongest Uchiha?" Tsunade's face showed surprise. She hadn't expected Itachi to speak so highly of Genya. She couldn't help asking again, "He's that strong? Isn't that an exaggeration?"
In her mind, Genya still seemed somewhat immature. She couldn't connect him with being the strongest of the Uchiha clan.
"There are some things I can't explain," Itachi said, looking at Tsunade and speaking deliberately.
"But since Genya mentioned that the Chunin Exams might have some movement, then there will be something! You might understand him better when that time comes."
He couldn't fully explain the situation regarding Genya Uchiha. There were things he even felt hesitant to mention, so he could only hint at them.
He understood clearly that if Genya said this, he must have critical information. The Chunin Exams were probably going to stir up a storm.
"Don't say so much. I just want to know that kid's strength!" Tsunade said seriously, looking at Itachi. "Could he beat you?"
She simply wanted to know if Genya was really as strong as Itachi claimed, asking plainly and directly.
As for the affairs of Konoha, she didn't care. Even if she returned this time, it was only to retrieve the necklace her grandfather had left behind. At the very least, she wanted to see Genya hand it over to someone trustworthy.
"Beat me?" Itachi let out a bitter smile, showing helplessness and sorrow, then turned his gaze back to Tsunade.
"He was already beyond my level when I carried out the clan annihilation mission. Not to mention now…"
As he spoke, Itachi seemed reluctant to recall the night of the massacre. His expression darkened.
That was a pain he could never let go of in his life.
"That Uchiha kid is really that strong?" Tsunade couldn't believe it. She had heard that Genya was a failure of the Uchiha clan. The stark contrast left her momentarily speechless.
Her mind filled with doubt. What had Genya experienced to bring about such a drastic transformation?
"Now that it's come to this, whether you believe it or not is up to you!" Itachi said, finishing, and started coughing again, harder this time. His body trembled slightly.
His body had long been weakened by illness and the overuse of his dojutsu. His earlier emotional reaction had made him even weaker.
"Don't speak for now. Let me treat you first!" Tsunade stepped forward, letting chakra flow into Itachi. Her chakra could temporarily restore his physical functions, but for Itachi, whose body was already near its limit, it was only a small relief.
At this moment, Itachi was like an old man at the end of his life, barely sustained by special measures.
Tsunade looked at Itachi in his weakened state, feeling a twinge of emotion. This Uchiha prodigy, once feared and revered across the ninja world, had fallen to such a state.
"Thank you!" Itachi said to Tsunade, his voice hoarse.
Yet his eyes never left the direction where Genya Uchiha had departed, filled with determination: The Chunin Exams in Konoha? I will go.
He had been away from Konoha for a long time. It was time to return and see for himself. He even wanted to uncover the truth Genya had mentioned.
Seizing this moment, Tsunade glanced toward the direction Genya had gone, her eyes reflecting deep curiosity. Genya Uchiha, what an interesting little rascal.
Before the upcoming Chunin Exams, she would return to Konoha herself. She was intrigued by Genya and resolved to investigate him thoroughly once back in the village.
Genya and his companions paid no attention to the gazes behind them. They continued forward, walking with light, confident steps, as if the future itself welcomed them.
"Genya, you've actually fought Itachi before?" Kurenai approached Genya, her eyes filled with doubt.
When they had brushed past Itachi earlier, she had clearly seen the shock—and even fear—in his eyes when he looked at Genya.
She couldn't imagine just how strong Genya must be to make someone like Itachi display such an expression.
"Yes, we have," Genya said with a casual smile, unfazed. "Back then, he was ordered to wipe out the Uchiha clan. I stopped him. Later, if it hadn't been for Obi… Tobi taking him away, I might not have been able to hold back from killing him!"
As he recounted the incident, Genya's expression remained calm, as if he were merely telling a trivial story.
Kurenai's heart shuddered. Kill Itachi?
When Itachi had betrayed the clan, Genya had been only seven years old.
Yet Uchiha Itachi had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and was a kage-level ninja. And he still wasn't a match for Genya at that time!
Her shock was no less than the first time Genya had revealed his strength.
"There's one more thing I want to ask you!" Despite her astonishment, Kurenai had been holding back a lingering question, but she could no longer contain it.
Hesitating for a moment, she finally voiced it.
"Uh? What is it?" Genya looked slightly surprised. He couldn't tell what Kurenai was trying to ask, why she seemed so hesitant all of a sudden. Something was off. She wasn't usually like this.
"I want to ask… Atsukara·Phantom Tiger should also be a member of the Uchiha clan, right?" Kurenai stared at Genya, her gaze fixed, hoping to read a clue from his expression.
She had had some connection with Phantom Tiger in the past.
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