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Although Itachi harbored some resentment toward Midorima in his heart, the truth was that Midorima had indeed given him a crucial lead—the Akatsuki organization.
This clue was not only connected to Sasuke but also tied to the "Nine-Tails Incident" from several years ago. So far, the only way to prove the Uchiha clan's innocence was to find the person who had controlled the Mizukage.
However, luck was fickle like that. Even with all the preparations in place, the outcome wasn't always what one desired.
Over the past year, Itachi had come to understand many things, but he still couldn't help feeling a little resentful toward Midorima.
Zabuza's injuries were severe, especially the wounds inflicted by Hidan on his wrist and thigh, leaving him unable to attack or escape. When he saw Itachi, he had no idea what the latter's stance was and could only brace for the worst.
"If you hold a grudge against that man, then kill me here. If you meet him again, I hope you'll give him a chance. All I ask is that you spare this child. He's still young and doesn't deserve this kind of treatment," Zabuza said.
Haku cried, clinging tightly to Zabuza.
"You're that close to that rogue ninja?" Itachi asked, surprised.
"Not at all. I don't even know who you're talking about, but he's definitely a ninja from Kirigakure. And if he escaped at this time, he must have grievances against the Mizukage. In my current state, running away is impossible. Since I'm going to die anyway, I might as well try to gain something before the end. If that rogue ninja kills the Mizukage someday, in a way, it'll be revenge for me," Zabuza sighed.
If possible, he would have preferred to kill the Mizukage himself. But in his current condition, even walking was a struggle, let alone fighting.
"Revenge is always more meaningful when you take it yourself, right?" Itachi said.
Zabuza's mind was in chaos, unable to grasp the meaning behind Itachi's words.
"Can you two move now?"
"You're letting us go?" Haku quickly asked.
Itachi turned away and sighed. "That Kirigakure rogue ninja's suggestion wasn't entirely effective, but I think the general idea wasn't wrong—just unlucky. But luck is part of life, nothing more. However, if we meet again, you won't be so fortunate."
Without hesitation, Haku hoisted Zabuza onto his back, grabbed the Kubikiribōchō, and dashed desperately into the nearby forest.
Only when their figures had completely disappeared did Itachi chuckle and say, "Sorry for interrupting your 'business.'"
"It's fine. To be honest, they weren't our target anyway," Kakuzu replied, shaking his head.
Itachi tensed up immediately, focusing his attention to guard against a potential sneak attack from Kakuzu and Hidan.
"Besides, they might not even make it out alive," Kakuzu added.
"Why's that?"
"We called for backup to deal with you. He should be arriving soon," Kakuzu said, raising his head. "If he runs into those two, they're as good as dead."
"Oh?" Itachi sensed that things were more complicated than they seemed.
"Don't look at us like that. We know you're not an easy opponent. And if you really wanted to run, there's not much we could do about it," Hidan shrugged.
"So you're planning to kill me?" Itachi asked.
"I'd love to kill you—it'd be a real achievement. But…" Hidan sighed in frustration. "Seems like the others don't share the same sentiment."
"What do you mean?"
"To put it simply, we want you to join us," Kakuzu answered.
Itachi's nose tingled slightly. He had waited an entire year for this moment.
Had it been easy?
Of course not.
But he understood the importance of playing his role convincingly.
After spending a year opposing Kakuzu and Hidan, if he agreed to join without hesitation now, it would make him seem cheap.
Moreover, it might arouse their suspicion.
"You think I'll just join because you said so?" Itachi retorted.
Hidan tilted his head, glancing at Kakuzu. "See? This is why we had the foresight to call for backup. It was the boss's idea—he insisted on capturing you alive. Otherwise, the two of us would've gone all out from the start."
Kakuzu shot Hidan an annoyed glare.
If Itachi were that easy to kill, he would've done it long ago. Why wait until now?
Still, before their backup arrived, he and Hidan had to stay alert to prevent Itachi from escaping.
Itachi, meanwhile, stared helplessly at Kakuzu and Hidan, pondering how to let himself be captured without raising suspicion—and without getting hurt in the process.
He wondered if his acting skills were up to par.
---
Recently, Sasori had been exhausted—both mentally and physically.
That black-masked guy had mocked him twice, leaving him utterly disgusted. He had sworn to hunt the bastard down and turn his corpse into a puppet.
But later, he realized he might have been overestimating himself.
Even when facing Sasori's attacks head-on, the masked man remained unfazed. On the contrary, Sasori ended up losing two puppets in the process.
If he hadn't escaped quickly, Hiruko might have ended up stuck in the swamp again.
As their encounters increased, Sasori even began to feel a strange sense of mutual respect—like warriors acknowledging each other's strength.
It was around this time that Kakuzu reached out to him for help.
"We can't find Orochimaru, and the others are too far away. Hurry over. We've located Itachi—he might be our new member."
"New member?"
I've got a strong guy right here!
Sasori grumbled internally but ultimately decided to rendezvous with Kakuzu.
He would help capture Itachi, and in return, Kakuzu would assist him in tracking down Orochimaru.
That was his plan for now.
And so, Sasori changed course, heading toward Kakuzu and Hidan's location. But then, something even more frustrating happened—on the second day after altering his route, he suddenly sensed that the masked man was following him.
"Get lost!"
"You go your way, I'll go mine. No interference, alright? Besides, the road's wide enough—who said only one person can walk it?"
"You're going to die, you know that?" Sasori snarled.
"Tch. That's the 186th time you've mentioned 'death' in front of me."
"You've been keeping count?" Sasori asked, surprised.
"Nah, just threw out a random number. You actually believed it? Hey, don't run away—"
Ever poked a hornet's nest?
That's exactly how Sasori felt right now.
At first, he had been the one chasing the masked man. Now, the tables had turned—the masked man was tailing him relentlessly, like an inescapable shadow.
Pure torment…
Sasori's head throbbed, but there was nothing he could do.
Either fight the guy for real or endure his endless harassment.
Just as Sasori was nearing his destination, he suddenly noticed two figures running toward him—a child carrying an adult on his back.
Sasori stared at them, briefly considering whether to kill them.
The deliberation lasted all of two seconds before he simply brushed past them without a second thought.
Who cares? Not my problem.
Besides, with that masked nuisance still on his tail, he had no time to stop.
Grumbling internally, Sasori sped toward the mountaintop.
*****
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