Should I go?
Itachi Uchiha didn't say a word. He didn't even turn his head, only giving a barely perceptible nod.
Konoha?
Yes, of course, he would go.
However…
Standing in the cave, he looked up at the pouring rain. The large raindrops fell in a continuous line, one after another. In the gloomy sky, a lightning bolt would flash from time to time, illuminating Itachi Uchiha's calm face and highlighting his scarlet Sharingan. The clouds in the sky rolled, just like the surging thoughts in Itachi's heart at that moment.
Just now at the Akatsuki meeting, the leader had issued a new mission: to check on the status of the jinchuriki in the various villages. This was a last resort for the leader to deal with the unexpected situation after Obito Uchiha had forcefully taken the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails jinchuriki.
Everyone in the Akatsuki was more or less aware of the leader's plan. Therefore, checking on the specific situation of each jinchuriki had become a matter of urgency. Itachi and Kisame, by virtue of being in the Land of Fire, took on the task of going to Konoha to check on the Nine-Tails jinchuriki.
Itachi had actually volunteered for this task. He had two main objectives.
Lately, Konoha had been experiencing one major event after another. First, there was the "Konoha Crush Plan," which shocked the ninja world, and then the defection of the long-time elder, Danzo Shimura. Each was a major event that shook the entire ninja world. It just so happened that every one of them took place in Konoha. Why does Konoha seem more dangerous than the rest of the ninja world lately?
Although Danzo, who had threatened his younger brother, had now defected, and Sasuke seemed to be out of danger, Itachi still felt that he would only feel at ease if he went to see for himself. This was the first reason.
The second was to pass on information.
The Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, was a very famous person. The Ninja World Daily would bombard people with news about him every three days, making them pay attention to him. Beating the First and Second Hokage? The new "God of Shinobi"? His specific strength was unknown, but he must be very strong. He was definitely the future of Konoha. This future, however, was now being targeted by two forces and two powerful individuals.
The situation was urgent; he had to go to Konoha to pass on the information! Although Naruto Uzumaki's accomplishments and titles made him sound very strong, Itachi felt that the trustworthiness of things like newspapers should be lowered by a third. What's more, Obito Uchiha, with his Mangekyo Sharingan, was the natural enemy of any jinchuriki!
Moreover, that guy's strength was also terrifying. He single-handedly caused the Nine-Tails' rampage and killed the Fourth Hokage. He entered Kirigakure alone and controlled the Fourth Mizukage. He even fought the entire Hidden Cloud Village and killed the Fourth Raikage. Itachi also heard rumors that the Fourth Kazekage of the Land of Wind was also killed by Obito Uchiha.
This guy…Why does he have a grudge against the Fourth Kages of every village?
Itachi counted them all; he was close to collecting all the kages of the five great nations. At least there isn't a Fourth Tsuchikage in the Land of Earth yet.
But then again, no matter what, Itachi felt that Naruto Uzumaki had no chance of fighting back against such a natural enemy. As for the other side, the leader of his Akatsuki organization, with his Rinnegan… Itachi felt that even he wouldn't stand a chance. Not to mention a jinchuriki who was countered by the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Therefore, this information had to be passed on! It would also be a good opportunity to make his presence known.
Itachi thought a lot, but only a moment had passed. Kisame saw the slight nod. He stared at the figure in front of him, and as if he had thought of something, a smile appeared on his lips.
"Mr. Itachi, I never thought you had another clansman." Speaking of which, Kisame was also very confused. Just now, at the Akatsuki meeting, a new member had joined. This new member, named Uchiha Hongzhong, replaced Hidan, who had disappeared, and became Kakuzu's new teammate. Uchiha… Hongzhong. He had never heard that name before, but he was sure the person was from the Uchiha clan.
Kisame was a little confused. Didn't Itachi wipe out the entire Uchiha clan? How did another Uchiha just pop up out of nowhere?
Could it be…
With that question in mind, Kisame asked calmly, "Mr. Itachi, do you know this Uchiha Hongzhong?"
"I've never heard that name before!" Itachi's voice was cold. With his back to Kisame, Kisame couldn't see Itachi's expression. But given Itachi's character, he probably wouldn't lie about this.
"Is that so?" Kisame unconsciously grinned, revealing a mouth full of shiny, sharp teeth. He didn't look like a good person at all. "Then we have to be careful. The Uchiha clansmen of Mr. Itachi are not easy to deal with!" Kisame said.
Itachi listened but didn't say a word. He was also curious about the origins of Uchiha Hongzhong. In the ninja world, the origins of every Uchiha were very clear. Although the appearance of Madara Uchiha had startled him before, he had known about him since he was a child, so he wasn't surprised. He hadn't expected that the person wasn't Madara Uchiha but Obito Uchiha impersonating him.
As for the suddenly appearing Obito Uchiha, Itachi also had memories of him. In his memories, this person was a clansman who had died in the Third Great Ninja War. He was still young then, but he still remembered when some clansmen came to his father to discuss a matter, and someone mentioned they wanted to retrieve the lost Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. The object to be retrieved was Kakashi-senpai. At the time, Itachi clearly remembered that the one who gave that Sharingan to Kakashi was Obito Uchiha.
Just as the newspapers reported, everyone at the time believed that Obito Uchiha had died in the war. Who would have thought that Obito Uchiha was still alive and well, and even impersonating Madara Uchiha, hiding in the shadows and plotting some great scheme? Itachi still didn't know what Obito Uchiha was plotting. But he did know the origin of those Sharingan, those Mangekyo Sharingan, that Uchiha had.
Then… what about this Uchiha Hongzhong? Itachi had no impression of this person at all. Not in the clan! And certainly not in Konoha! This person seemed to have suddenly appeared from some obscure corner!
If he had the chance, Itachi decided he would ask him directly!
But for now? He would go to Konoha first.
With this thought, Itachi took a step into the rain. The torrent of rain instantly soaked him. His loose red-cloud Akatsuki cloak clung tightly to his body.
"This isn't good for your health." Seeing this, Kisame advised him kindly.
When Itachi didn't move, and even tilted his head up to look at the sky, Kisame couldn't quite guess what Itachi was thinking. They were indeed about to go to Konoha, Itachi's hometown. Thinking about the things Itachi had done before… killing his parents, wiping out his clan. Although he wasn't clear why Itachi did it, Kisame felt that his feelings must be very, very complicated right now.
But… Judging by Itachi's past actions, Kisame found himself unable to grasp Itachi's thoughts at the moment. He just saw the rain hitting Itachi's face, streaming down from his forehead. Kisame's heart stirred, and he spoke, "I don't know what you, a cold person, are thinking right now, but from my perspective, it looks like you're crying."
"Let's go." Itachi said coldly, then continued walking into the rain.