Once it became clear that the recent disturbances were caused by the effects of vibranium, Kakashi and the others finally relaxed their guard.
After all, the world of shinobi already possessed highly advanced medical techniques. Added to that was Senju Haruto's healing magic and the power of the Six Paths' Yang chakra. As long as someone wasn't killed instantly, they could usually be saved. Even missing limbs weren't a hopeless case—there were plenty of ways to regenerate them.
Naruto and Sasuke after the Fourth Shinobi World War were perfect examples.
After settling an agreement between Jiraiya and Tsunade, Haruto dismissed everyone and sent them back to the village.
Only Uchiha Itachi unexpectedly volunteered to remain, saying he wanted to collect intelligence about this world. That caught Haruto off guard.
But thinking it over, it wasn't so surprising.
Itachi was, at his core, an exceptional shinobi.
Even though Haruto couldn't approve of some of the choices Itachi had made in the original timeline, there was no denying his intelligence and overwhelming strength. Had he not willingly sacrificed himself for Sasuke's sake, his achievements might have rivaled Uchiha Madara's.
Though he had lived in the shadows, his heart had always been with Konoha. He not only solved the crisis the Uchiha clan posed for the village leadership, but also reached an agreement with Obito that kept him from striking at Konoha again.
Now, while the shinobi world had been completely unified, the world outside was far larger. There could very well be enemies lurking. Even if things seemed peaceful now, once outsiders discovered and turned their gaze toward the Land of Fire, it was inevitable that they would start harboring dangerous thoughts.
"That's probably what Itachi is thinking," Haruto murmured to himself, guessing at his motives.
But whatever the truth was, one thing Haruto knew for certain: Uchiha Itachi would never betray the Land of Fire. He would never betray Konoha. That alone was enough.
"Of course."
Meeting Itachi's gaze, Haruto stayed silent for a moment before agreeing firmly.
He then gave Itachi a brief introduction, explaining the basics of the Marvel Universe so he could grasp a general idea of the world outside.
When Itachi heard just how vast it all was, his expression shifted to open astonishment.
After all… for the Itachi of old, the world had only ever meant the shinobi continent—five great nations, and a few smaller ones clinging to their power. At most, a dozen or so countries.
But on Marvel's Earth alone, there were over a hundred nations. Seven continents, four great oceans.
And that was barely the tip of the iceberg.
Beyond Earth lay the solar system, the Milky Way… and then even more staggering concepts—
The universe itself.
And the one they were in now was merely the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There were countless others beyond it. Then came the infinite multiverse, the omniverse…
Compared to all that, Earth was as insignificant as a single drop of water falling into the endless sea.
Itachi fell silent, shaken to his core.
What Haruto spoke of was something he couldn't even begin to picture.
It was like when people imagined a million—they could think of it as fitting inside a chest, could roughly picture its value and use.
But ten billion, a hundred billion, a trillion? No one could imagine how many chests that would fill, or what it truly meant.
Even Itachi, one of the greatest geniuses in the shinobi world, could not fathom the reality of the universe.
And it was even harder to believe that Earth alone had several billion people. That a single city's population could reach tens of millions—many times, even dozens of times, the population of the entire Land of Fire.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Five Great Villages and the Land of Iron had barely managed to muster eighty thousand shinobi. Meanwhile, some nations on Earth casually commanded armies in the millions.
In terms of raw combat strength and destructive power, Earth's technology was by no means inferior to that of the shinobi. After all, there were only a handful of beings at the Six Paths level. Yet a single nuclear warhead could annihilate the Land of Fire in one strike.
And beyond that, there were beings like the Ancient One, or Odin of Asgard—gods among men.
If it truly came to war, even the Sage of Six Paths might not stand against them.
The only reason the Land of Fire could develop in peace now was because it had undeniable strength to defend itself.
Still, Haruto believed Itachi traveling the world was not a bad thing. With his intelligence and abilities, protecting himself wouldn't be difficult.
Even against someone like the Hulk, Haruto trusted that Itachi could still escape unharmed.
"…I understand."
Itachi finally spoke after a long silence. He gave a small nod, then drew in a deep breath. For the first time, he felt a strong desire to know more about this planet—and the universe beyond it.
But then…
"Itachi, do you want to take Izumi with you?" Haruto asked on a sudden whim.
After all, Itachi wasn't going to fight anyone—this was more about broadening horizons. "Collecting intelligence" was just a formality, since Haruto already knew the Marvel Universe inside and out.
Since it was really more like traveling, having a companion wasn't a bad thing.
"Izumi?"
Itachi repeated the name quietly. She had been his classmate at the Academy, and had always seemed fond of him. When they were children, she'd even once held baby Sasuke in her arms—though Sasuke had cried his lungs out at the time.
Itachi had never disliked Izumi. On the contrary, whenever he was with her, there was always a faint, unexplainable feeling.
"…But what's the reason?" he asked, true to his nature—he wouldn't agree so easily.
"Reason?"
Haruto tilted his head, as though it was obvious that no reason was needed.
"Izumi is also of the Uchiha clan. In the previous battle, she awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. That alone makes her an extraordinary talent among your people, doesn't it?" Haruto countered.
In truth, even awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan at her age was an incredible feat. To awaken the Mangekyō was something reserved only for names remembered in history.
"In terms of mastery over the Sharingan, no one in the Uchiha clan compares to you. Not even your father, Fugaku. So I can't think of a better person for Izumi to travel with.
"And besides—wouldn't traveling alone get a bit boring?"
Haruto smiled, and before Itachi could even respond, he opened a portal and summoned Uchiha Izumi from Konoha.
When she suddenly appeared, seeing both Itachi and Haruto before her, Izumi was utterly bewildered. But once Haruto explained the reason she had been brought here, her cheeks immediately flushed red.
After all, this was a rare chance to be alone with Uchiha Itachi.
To travel together… it was something she had never even dared dream of.
"…Then I'll be in your care," Itachi said softly, his gaze resting on Izumi.
"Mm… please take care of me too, Itachi-kun," Izumi replied, her voice trembling with both shyness and excitement.