The corner of Itachi's lips twitched ever so slightly—almost self-mockingly.
What was he, exactly?
The most loyal traitor?
Or the most incompetent protector?
Across the shinobi world, after a brief moment of shock, an even louder, more dramatic wave of discussion erupted almost simultaneously.
"What the hell?! Uchiha Itachi?! It's him?! Why is he there?!"
"He broke the barrier and saved Hiruzen Sarutobi? This plot twist is making my head spin!"
"Hahaha! I'm dying here! I was just wondering how the Third Hokage was going to survive Orochimaru—some hidden trump card? Reinforcements? And the backup turns out to be Konoha's S-rank missing-nin, Uchiha Itachi?! Who could've guessed that?!"
"Konoha's most 'loyal' child—truly lives up to his name!"
"He slaughtered his own clan for the village, bore the name of traitor as an undercover agent, and now he even rushes back to save a Hokage the village itself has practically abandoned…"
"This level of 'loyalty' is downright moving!"
"Seriously, I'm in tears!"
"Right? I wish I had a subordinate that loyal! Goes wherever you point, kills whoever you name, takes the blame perfectly, and even rescues you at critical moments. Absolute perfection!"
Mockery and sarcasm like this echoed throughout the shinobi world.
The extreme contradiction in Uchiha Itachi's actions—"loyal" enough to massacre his clan and defect, yet also "loyal" enough to return and aid an isolated Hokage in the village's moment of crisis—became the subject of exaggerated, teasing, even malicious "admiration."
But that so-called admiration was soon met with sharper, more grounded rebuttals.
"Itachi, huh? So great! I'd love to have a subordinate that loyal!"
A voice full of envy rang out.
Before it had fully faded, a burly shinobi nearby slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet.
"Have you all lost your minds?! Is that how you see it?!"
He pointed at Itachi's figure in the sky projection, then swept a furious glare over the grinning crowd.
"Then allow me to offer my heartfelt congratulations! Congratulations on having someone like Uchiha Itachi in your family—your clan—your relatives… your very own little treasure!"
He deliberately stressed the words "congratulations" and "little treasure," the biting sarcasm in his tone sending a chill through the room.
"Oh, and one more thing," the scar-faced shinobi added coldly, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Just make sure he's not your brother or sister."
"Because when the time comes for 'righteous slaughter' or 'testing one's capacity'… the one being slaughtered—the one being tested—will be you. Or someone you love."
"Well? Still want an 'Itachi'? Still feeling happy?"
"Surprised? Or not?"
The bounty station fell into instant silence.
The laughter from moments before froze on everyone's faces like ducks caught by the throat.
Only then did they realize how absurd their jokes had been.
Uchiha Itachi's "loyalty" came at the cost of the innocent lives of the entire Uchiha Clan—and at the cost of his younger brother's lifelong hatred and suffering.
For any normal family, for anyone with loved ones, that kind of "loyalty" was a nightmare.
And even if offered—would anyone truly dare accept it?
After that brief stillness came a surge of anger and hostility.
"You bastard! What the hell are you implying?!"
"Cursing our families?! You wanna die?!"
"Get him!"
The very man who had sarcastically offered "congratulations" became the target of everyone's fury.
Several hot-tempered shinobi rushed him at once, fists and kicks raining down like a storm.
Though he was no weakling, he was no match for so many at once. Soon battered and bruised, he fled in agony, only to be hurled out of the bounty station and left groaning in the alley—half crippled.
This small conflict became a mirror, reflecting the true complexity of the shinobi world's feelings toward Uchiha Itachi.
Beneath the jokes and mockery lay deep fear, caution, and a sober understanding of such an extreme personality.
No one truly wanted an "Itachi" by their side.
Because that meant an unbearable price—and an unpredictable terror.
Within the sky projection—
Uchiha Itachi, wearing the Akatsuki straw hat, his scarlet Sharingan glinting beneath the veil, fixed his cold gaze on Orochimaru. He did not even spare a glance for the injured and conflicted Hiruzen Sarutobi beside him.
His voice was calm and steady.
"Orochimaru. You betrayed the Akatsuki. I have been ordered to eliminate you."
"Hahaha…" Orochimaru responded not with panic, but with a low, mocking laugh.
"Uchiha Itachi… you truly are as unfathomable as ever."
There was a hint of amused condescension in his tone, as if Itachi's "mission of execution" were merely a flimsy excuse—or a farce.
Itachi did not reply. Nor was he angered.
He simply drew a seemingly ordinary kunai from his sleeve, its edge faintly gleaming.
Orochimaru's gaze drifted away from their standoff. With knowing mockery, he scanned the chaotic yet strangely "orderly" battlefield of Konoha below.
His eyes brushed briefly over Hiruzen's ashen face before returning to Itachi, his voice growing more meaningful.
"Uchiha Itachi… haven't you noticed?"
"Since the battle began, aside from those few troublesome ANBU—" he gestured toward the operatives outside the barrier who dared not approach, "has anyone from Konoha come to support your 'Third HokageLord'?"
His words were like an icy needle, piercing through a carefully maintained façade.
"The Hyūga Clan head took his prodigy from the Branch House to 'protect civilians.'"
"Kakashi dragged Might Guy off to 'clean up minor enemies.'"
"The Jōnin of the other major clans are either 'fighting separately' or 'guarding their own compounds.'"
With each sentence, Hiruzen's expression darkened further—like a wound being ripped open before an audience, exposing humiliation and shame.
"Did you ever consider… why that is?" Orochimaru's lips curved into a razor-sharp smile, his golden eyes gleaming as if they could see through hearts. "Do you truly believe it's coincidence? A misjudgment?"
"Or do they simply believe… that the 'Strongest Hokage' doesn't need any help at all?"
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