Outside Konoha Village, on a certain hilltop, two strange figures appeared.
One was tall while the other short, both wearing straw hats and black cloaks that concealed their appearances.
"Back home so soon... wait, has it really only been a few months?"
Hoshigaki Kisame grinned, revealing sharp teeth lining his shark-like face—an eerie sight indeed.
Itachi Uchiha ignored him, one hand adjusting his hat as he silently gazed in Konoha's direction.
"Itachi, shall we proceed together?" Hoshigaki Kisame asked again.
"Separate actions." Itachi replied flatly.
"Fine."
Slipping through gaps in Konoha's barrier, they entered the village and walked in opposite directions.
"Surprisingly easy," Kisame mused.
But Itachi didn't share his companion's ease.
No new barriers were set up—that could be overlooked. According to Zetsu, the Hyuga were currently in favor. So Konoha's defense units should include Hyuga members who, with their Byakugan vision, wouldn't miss intruders like them.
Moreover, Konoha wasn't lacking in Sensor Ninjas.
Was this on purpose?
Dressed so obviously as foreigners, along the way Itachi received only curious glances but no questioning from any ninja. This made him even more convinced of his suspicion. He murmured to himself, "What exactly is Fifth Hokage planning?"
Itachi headed straight toward the Uchiha clan compound.
As he passed by a familiar dumpling shop, the sweet aroma caught his nose. Itachi turned his head and stopped walking.
As he was about to say something, a somewhat familiar voice reached his ears.
"Boss, two servings of Three Coloured Dumplings please."
Itachi looked up in the direction of the voice.
Hiroki Hyuga stood before the store, accompanied by an unfamiliar tall female member of the Clan.
Their gazes met. Hiroki gave a faint smile, but Itachi turned his gaze away almost immediately.
Had they noticed him? Considering this, Itachi didn't linger longer and swiftly passed by the pair.
"Oh..."
After receiving two skewers of Three Coloured Dumplings from the shopkeeper, Hiroki took one and held it before Kaguya.
Kaguya turned her face aside, then reached out to take the bamboo skewer from his hand, muttering, "Childish."
"Come on, come on, let's go see the commotion."
Hiroki dragged Kaguya and followed behind Itachi Uchiha.
A moment later, unable to help himself, Itachi Uchiha glanced back at them.
Fortunately, when they arrived at the Hyuga clan compound, the pair immediately turned inside, no longer trailing him.
In the heart of the Uchiha clan compound, Itachi Uchiha stepped lightly as he entered.
In his memory, this place had once been stained with blood, but now it was extremely clean.
The place where his family once lived had all its windows tightly shut, and the door was sealed shut as well. Only the courtyard still showed barren vegetation.
After standing for a moment at the edge of light and darkness, Itachi glanced up at the sky and murmured, "Sasuke should be getting out of school soon..."
Hearing hurried footsteps approaching, his heart lifted with joy—until his expression abruptly darkened, his demeanor growing even colder, the [Sharingan] in his eyes already activated and ready.
He turned his head, but saw only a fleeing back figure disappearing in haste.
The person wore an oversized robe that concealed their entire form. Itachi felt a flicker of familiarity, yet this figure seemed taller than Sasuke.
Itachi quickly followed. The figure, however, started running faster.
At the very center of the Uchiha compound, the figure finally stopped.
By now, Itachi's sense of familiarity had grown increasingly strong, a certain name rising unbidden in his mind.
Then, the person turned around.
"Izumi?" He froze completely, his facial expression instantly stiffening.
It was someone familiar—but not the one he most wanted to see right now.
"Itachi… are you looking for Sasuke?"
Paying no attention to Izumi's question, Itachi calmly said, "Izumi, you should have been dead."
If Sasuke wasn't the last surviving Uchiha, would Konoha still protect him? Would he still be the most important?
So, even though he was surprised, Itachi felt no joy at Izumi's unexpected return.
Upon hearing this, Izumi Uchiha felt her heart pierced with pain, a wry expression appearing on her face.
She had once hoped for something from Itachi, but now he had crushed her with a single sentence.
"So… are you going to kill me again?" After a pause, she smiled bitterly. Her voice was hoarse, and her breathing came in ragged gasps, heavy with sorrow.
Itachi's eyes flickered.
He was both considering how to deal with Izumi, and pondering how she had managed to survive.
He carefully recalled every detail of what happened on the Uchiha Massacre Night.
Could it have been White Zetsu who saved her? But why?
Had the masked man ordered White Zetsu to rescue her?
And now, why had she reappeared?
A short distance away, hiding in a quiet corner of the Uchiha compound, Kaguya and Hiroki watched the confrontation between Itachi and Izumi in silence.
Kaguya roughly understood the emotional entanglement between these two.
But she failed to comprehend Izumi's current state.
Why would she feel so devastated over the appearance of one man and a few words—her whole being radiating self-destruction and despair?
Was it really worth it?
Didn't she have anything else in this world worth cherishing? Anything she desired to possess?
"Is love really that important?" Kaguya suddenly asked coldly.
"Well, I guess some people think it is," Hiroki scratched his head and replied.
Kaguya looked at him, thinking about something. Suddenly, her expression grew serious.
Her tone became grave as she warned, "Remember this: never defy my will because of a woman or lover. This is the only limit to the freedom I grant you."
At first taken aback by her words, Hiroki then smirked slightly. He leaned his body slightly toward Kaguya and said, "In that case, Kaguya, then you can pick a woman for me. I trust your taste. Whoever you choose will be fine."
He clearly knew that Kaguya had no romantic feelings for him whatsoever.
She'd probably never even think along those lines.
But possessiveness and a desire to control—she definitely had those.
She had such tendencies toward Tsunade, Hinata, and among others. How could he be any different? It would only be worse.
So with him, she needed to push harder.
Without a little provocation, she barely even reacted.
Sure enough, hearing those words made Kaguya feel extremely annoyed. She glared at him coldly, her hands instinctively grabbing his clothes until the fabric was stretched tight, close to tearing with just a little more force.
"A woman is a necessity?" Kaguya asked frostily.
Hiroki could even hear her grinding her teeth. He grinned and replied, "Yeah."
That just made her feel even worse. After letting her anger swell briefly, she released his clothes with a scoff.
"Starting tomorrow," she said icily, "you'll stay on the Moon. You're not allowed back on Earth until your eyes have evolved."
Hiroki shrugged indifferently and nodded.
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