Chapter 32: 0–22 The Opponent's Delight
A week had passed since Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were summoned.
Konohagakure.
Hokage Tower.
"Don't worry. Denki's a student at the Ninja Academy and also my son's classmate. I'll definitely bring him back safely."
After making this promise to Denki's father and sending him off, Naruto sighed and looked back at Shikamaru.
With a larger team, more matters required attention.
"Even though I've already arranged for an Anbu member to stay by Denki's father's side, we still haven't figured out what S.H.I.E.L.D. is actually trying to do."
"It's as if all they want is money."
Shikamaru felt a headache coming on.
Given his personality—always averse to trouble—he normally wouldn't have taken up the role of Hokage's assistant. So why did he? Was it out of love? Responsibility? No, neither.
It was because his father had died in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Shikamaru didn't want to see his loved ones get caught in another war. That's why he became the Hokage's assistant—hoping to use his intellect to safeguard the hard-won peace of the ninja world.
"Where's Sasuke now?"
If Naruto didn't see Sasuke for a while, he'd start to feel uneasy. Maybe it was a lingering trauma from when Sasuke defected from the village back then.
Since returning from Kirigakure, Sasuke had stayed in the village.
Naruto was even happier than Sakura and Sarada about that.
But in truth, Sasuke stayed because he wanted to meet S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Flaming Cloud Evil God and confirm a few things. Even after all this time, doubts and curiosity about Flaming Cloud Evil God still lingered in Sasuke's heart.
Uchiha Itachi.
To Naruto, he was the man Sasuke could never forget—a man burdened with sin.
Sasuke had never truly known how to face this man. Itachi had indeed loved him. But it was precisely because of that love—wanting to protect him from harm—that he killed their parents, killed their entire clan.
"Shunhi… Uncle…"
Right now, Sasuke was at Shunhi's shop, absentmindedly staring at a steaming bowl of ramen in front of him.
"What's wrong?"
Shunhi was busy preparing another bowl.
"...Do you know Uchiha Itachi?"
Sasuke asked expressionlessly. It seemed like, apart from Shunhi and Obito, every member of the Uchiha clan was permanently expressionless.
"Uchiha Itachi? Of course I know. Heard he was incredibly strong—a genius of the Uchiha clan. But I never met him in person."
"But if Uchiha Itachi had lived, I'm sure he would have become a truly great shinobi."
"Sasuke, I've lived long enough to know a bit about what really happened that night the Uchiha clan was wiped out. I don't think you need to hold a grudge against your brother. Nor should you shoulder the burden of those who died. There's only a few of us Uchihas left now. Personally, I don't resent what Itachi did that night."
Since Itachi now worked under him, Shunhi figured it was worth trying to improve the relationship between the brothers—as a way to prepare for his own eventual redemption.
Besides, Shunhi had long seen through it: Sasuke and Itachi were essentially the same. Both were constantly thinking of their dead clansmen.
Out of fear of letting down those slain by Itachi, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to forgive his brother, even though he understood his reasons.
Itachi was the same. Though he never said it aloud, Itachi had long stopped considering himself a true Uchiha. After killing his own clan, he felt unworthy of that pride.
"I understand. Thank you, Uncle Shunhi."
Sasuke finished the ramen, wiped his mouth, and left money on the counter.
"Sasuke-sama, the Hokage wants to see you."
A figure from the Anbu suddenly appeared, said this, then vanished just as quickly.
Konoha hadn't made Sasuke's presence public, nor had they tried to hide the contributions he made during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Anyone who really wanted to find out could learn what he had done for the world.
Still, Sasuke had once been a missing-nin from Konoha, a difficult position to reconcile. Even though he and Naruto had saved the world in the end, that status left the village wary of him.
If Naruto hadn't become Hokage, Sasuke might have ended up like Orochimaru—monitored by the village for life.
"If Naruto's looking for you, you'd better get going," said Shunhi.
Sasuke just nodded, and on his way out, happened to cross paths with Uchiha Itachi, who was returning from school.
Nothing unnecessary was said. Itachi simply greeted him, and Sasuke gave a curt nod in response as they passed by each other.
"You're back. How's school?"
On the surface, it was a casual question. But in reality, Shunhi was busy coordinating their next mission through the chatroom.
[Grandma Knock Chatroom]
Husky: It's about time to collect the rest of the ransom. This time, the mission will be carried out by the Avengers' Flaming Cloud Evil God and the Justice League's SpongeBob and Patrick Star. Flaming Cloud Evil God will be team leader.
Patrick Star: Why is Flaming Cloud Evil God the leader and not SpongeBob?
Husky: ...SpongeBob and Patrick, get ready. I'll bring Flaming Cloud Evil God to meet you shortly.
The team leader role had been carefully chosen by Shunhi.
First, Kushina was out of the question. No need to even consider her. She had been raised in the village ever since graduating from the academy and had hardly experienced any real combat before becoming a housewife. She was totally unfit for a leadership role.
Minato, on the other hand, had Kage-level chakra and was powerful in actual combat. He even gave flashy names to jutsu to lure enemies. But he was too soft-hearted, especially when it came to fellow villagers.
As for Uchiha Itachi—he had both strength and combat experience. If it wasn't Sasuke, he'd kill just about anyone without hesitation.
A three-man squad like this could easily wipe out the current Hidden Mist Village.
Though this mission was only to collect ransom, using such a powerful team might seem like overkill—but Shunhi couldn't afford to be careless.
After all, when money's involved, nothing is a small matter. It always demands the utmost caution.
This time, Shunhi wouldn't participate directly. He'd monitor everything via the text feed of the [Clone Tool Management Log].
But before the operation started, he had to bring Itachi, Minato, and Kushina together for a meeting.
"Flaming Cloud Evil God."
The grown-up Uchiha Itachi.
"SpongeBob."
Minato Namikaze turned into a sponge.
"Patrick Star."
Kushina Uzumaki turned into a starfish.
Taking Itachi with him, Shunhi used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear outside a cave. Minato and Kushina were already waiting, with Denki—tied up with rope—standing beside them.
After a week, both Minato and Kushina had completely reacquainted themselves with the jutsu they knew in life, thanks to their memories.
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