"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—"
The Konoha reinforcement units finally arrived, fashionably late.
"What happened? Where's the enemy?" The leading Anbu asked in alarm as he looked at the devastated riverbank.
It couldn't be helped; the Konoha Crush had only just ended, and with Danzo's mysterious death, Konoha was currently in a state of high alert. Any slight disturbance would trigger a reactive response.
First, a massive water sphere a hundred meters in diameter appeared on the outskirts, followed by a violent explosion.
That mushroom cloud reminded some Ninjas of the Tailed Beast Ball from the Nine-Tails Incident; although it was much smaller in scale, it was still terrifying.
"The enemy has retreated. I will explain the situation clearly to the two Advisors," Kakashi stepped forward and explained to them directly.
The Anbu captain nodded upon hearing this and promptly led his subordinates away. Konoha was currently in a turbulent period, and they were busy beyond belief. Since the matter was settled, there was no need to look for more trouble.
At this time, more people arrived after hearing the commotion, including many Chunin and Genin, all staring at the scene before them in slack-jawed amazement.
A massive crater had been blasted into the river's surface, the water turbid and churning. Trees along the bank had been snapped in half by the shockwave, with rubble and broken wood scattered everywhere. The air was thick with the pungent smell of gunpowder and steam.
The lingering power of the previous battle remained; the entire beach was devastated. Anyone could see what a terrifying confrontation this had been.
"Hey, Kurenai, who on earth were you fighting?" Anko walked up to Kurenai's side and asked curiously.
That kind of battle scene wasn't something ordinary people could create. She reckoned she wouldn't have survived such an attack, and she even suspected that Orochimaru had returned.
Hearing her friend's inquiry, Kurenai did not hide it. "The enemies were Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki."
"It was actually him!"
A look of horror appeared on Anko's face. This was the ruthless man who had wiped out his entire clan. Looking at the scene, she began to understand how Itachi could have accomplished such a feat alone.
In the crowd, when Sasuke heard the name 'Uchiha Itachi', his pupils suddenly constricted. The color drained from his face instantly, replaced by a bone-chilling coldness and uncontrollable killing intent.
"Uchiha... Itachi!" Sasuke said through gritted teeth.
He had originally agreed to meet Kakashi at a dessert shop, but then Kakashi had suddenly disappeared, leaving him wondering what had happened.
Later, seeing the massive water sphere from afar, he had come over out of curiosity. He hadn't expected such an 'unexpected surprise'—to hear that man's name.
He couldn't wait any longer; he had to kill that man.
Sasuke suddenly rushed in front of Aoki Yoru, grabbing his shoulders tightly with both hands, his voice trembling with extreme rage.
"Where is Uchiha Itachi? Tell me, quickly!"
Looking at the frantic Sasuke, Aoki Yoru knew he couldn't stop him. He pointed in one direction. "They went that way, but they should have left the Village by now. You might not catch up even if you chase them."
But Sasuke didn't listen to a word he said. He sprinted off in the direction pointed out, his mind filled with images of Uchiha Itachi and the tragic deaths of his clansmen.
"You should have stopped him," Kakashi said from the side. The current Sasuke was no match for Itachi.
Aoki Yoru shrugged and said with a relaxed face, "Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei. You can't talk the current Sasuke out of it unless you tie him up with a rope. Besides, he might not even be able to find them."
Then, Aoki Yoru said meaningfully, "Even if Sasuke finds them, he won't necessarily die. After all, he's the last survivor of the Uchiha Clan, wouldn't you say?"
Hearing this, Kakashi froze for a moment, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
He wasn't some naive fool who knew nothing. He believed that Uchiha Itachi could have killed the entire clan; Itachi certainly had the ability.
But to do so without alerting the Konoha Anbu and the Police Force was simply impossible.
At that time, tensions between Konoha and the Uchiha were at a breaking point, and the entire Uchiha compound was under the surveillance of the Konoha Anbu.
To kill the entire clan silently, not even Uchiha Itachi—not even if his ancestor Uchiha Madara were resurrected—could have done it.
In that case, the fact that Sasuke was allowed to live was very intriguing. Was it related to the higher-ups? Or was there some kind of deal between the two parties?
Originally, he was simply dissatisfied with the higher-ups' methods. Ever since the matter with Danzo was exposed, he had begun to reconsider whether the Third Hokage was truly that noble and upright, and whether he was completely unaware of Danzo's actions.
"Still, Yoru, you should go after him and take a look. I'm afraid something might happen to him. I still have to report what happened here to the Advisors."
Kakashi was still worried about Sasuke. All of this was just speculation. Besides, with Sasuke's current strength, it was too early for him to wander the Ninja World alone.
"Alright!"
Aoki Yoru shrugged, but he didn't chase after him immediately. First, he walked to the ruins and dug out the petrified Samehada. This was a treasure and might be of great use.
Only then did he leisurely set off in the direction Sasuke had gone.
His Chakra consumption was currently very high, and he needed to recover first. Otherwise, if Obito suddenly attacked, wouldn't he be a sitting duck? As for Sasuke, what did that have to do with him?
If the original plot hadn't changed, he would have headed straight for Tanzaku Town. But now, Kisame's life or death was uncertain, and he didn't know where they were treating him, so he could only search slowly.
However, as the 'dear son' of the Sage of Six Paths, Sasuke shouldn't be that easy to kill. Even if he had bad luck and was killed by an expert...
He believed the Sage of Six Paths would create seven Dragon Balls and scatter them across the Ninja World. Then, the other 'dear son', Naruto, would go through countless hardships to find the seven Dragon Balls, summon the Divine Dragon, and resurrect Sasuke.
The bond between the two was stronger than gold.
The Ninja World belonged to their family; whether they lived or died was up to them.
Outside Konoha Village.
Uchiha Itachi sprinted through the dense forest with the unconscious Kisame on his back. He didn't know if Konoha would pursue them, so he didn't dare stop for even a short time.
At this moment, Itachi was clutching his eye tightly, cold sweat constantly pouring down his face.
Overdrawing the ocular power of the Mangekyo Sharingan had made his vision even blurrier, with overlapping shadows everywhere.
A sharp Pain radiated from deep within his eyeball. Every time he blinked, it felt as if countless fine needles were stabbing into his nerves.
As for Kisame, his injuries were simply too severe. Itachi could only briefly treat him on the road to stop the bleeding; whether he lived or died depended on himself.
In a cave fifty kilometers away from Konoha.
This was a temporary supply point Itachi had established back when he was in the Konoha Anbu, usually hidden by a rock blocking the entrance.
Inside were some basic medicines. Although they were several years old, they were still usable—at least enough to bandage the wound on Kisame's chest to prevent infection and worsening.
Looking at Kisame, whose aura was gradually weakening, Itachi knew he couldn't go on like this. He had to contact the leader to see if there was a way. If not, Kisame would have to fend for himself.
Immediately, Itachi infused Chakra into his ring and sent an emergency contact signal to the leader.
After a short while, the ring vibrated. Itachi infused his consciousness into it and subsequently appeared in a special genjutsu space.
This was Pain's unique Ninjutsu—the Magic Lantern Body Technique.
This was a remote communication secret technique exclusive to the Rinnegan. Using the Akatsuki Organization's exclusive rings as a medium, the astral bodies of the Akatsuki members scattered throughout the Ninja World were gathered and projected into this space, manifesting as semi-transparent, non-physical phantoms.
At this moment, Itachi's phantom appeared in the mental space, standing on the giant finger corresponding to the Vermilion Bird position.
Pain's figure appeared in the main seat, his hollow voice echoing, "Vermilion Bird, why have you activated the emergency contact?"