Ignoring Rorin's complaints, Uchiha Itachi lowered his head slightly and asked in a soft voice,
"Rorin, are you sure they can capture Kisame alive?"
A faint smile appeared on Rorin's lips as he looked toward the Hidden Sand Village.
"There won't be any problems."
"After all, I specifically picked his opponent. And the area around the Hidden Sand Village is all desert terrain, which works against him. Plus, Kakashi and the others should be arriving soon. With timing, terrain, and manpower all in our favor, there's nothing to worry about."
Uchiha Itachi nodded slightly. Sooner or later, he would inevitably turn against the Akatsuki. If Kisame were still part of it by then, they might end up crossing blades.
Rather than facing that dilemma later, it would be better to have Kisame leave the organization first, even if passively.
Then Itachi shifted slightly and looked toward the Land of Fire.
"In that case, Rorin, let's head to the Hidden Leaf Village."
Rorin waved his hand. "No rush."
Itachi glanced at him in confusion, waiting for an explanation.
"We need to wreck this place first—make it look like a major battle happened. Otherwise, when reinforcements arrive, they'll get suspicious," Rorin explained.
Realization dawned on Itachi. He had been so preoccupied with Sasuke that he forgot about that detail.
After exchanging a look, the two unleashed their abilities, devastating everything within a two-li radius around the valley until the area was left in utter ruin.
Satisfied, they both nodded. Rorin placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder, and in an instant, the two vanished without a trace.
...
Hidden Leaf Village, inside the hospital.
Tsunade frowned slightly as she looked at Naruto lying on the bed.
"He really overdid it this time…"
Behind her, Yamato stepped forward. "Lady Tsunade, there's something I need to report regarding this mission."
Tsunade glanced at him, signaling him to continue.
"It's about the trail Naruto and I were following to find Uchiha Sasuke. Pakkun gave me some information that was… somewhat unexpected."
Tsunade's brow furrowed. "What information?"
"Sasuke's direction… seems to be toward our Hidden Leaf Village," Yamato said, his expression serious.
The Hidden Leaf Village? Why would he be coming here? Tsunade frowned deeply, puzzled.
At that moment, Naruto, lying on the bed, stirred slightly.
Tsunade shook her head, then turned to Yamato.
"Since we know his destination is the Hidden Leaf Village, we need to prepare—no matter what his intentions are."
"Yes!" Yamato responded before quietly leaving the room.
...
In a forest near the Hidden Leaf Village, Rorin and Uchiha Itachi appeared.
"I wonder where Sasuke is now," Itachi said calmly.
"He should be close," Rorin replied.
"Where is that person?" Itachi asked.
Rorin answered calmly, "Wait here for a moment." Then he used Flying Thunder God and disappeared.
Inside Rorin's secret cave, his clone was intently monitoring a screen, seemingly indifferent to his arrival.
Rorin paid it no mind and walked forward to the resting area. Reaching out, he dragged a Root ninja disguised in uniform off the bed.
The man was still unconscious—captured earlier and now a crucial piece in this operation.
Rorin brought the Root member back to Itachi.
"This is the one?" Itachi asked.
Rorin nodded. "I'll leave the rest to you."
Itachi stepped forward, woke the man, then activated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and placed him under hypnosis.
Before long, the Root ninja slowly stood up, bowed slightly to Rorin and Itachi, then used Body Flicker to leave.
The two exchanged a glance.
"I hope everything goes smoothly," Itachi said quietly.
...
Root headquarters.
Shimura Danzō frowned as he listened to his subordinate's report.
"You're saying Uchiha Sasuke is heading toward the Hidden Leaf Village, with unknown intentions?" Danzō tapped his cane, his expression dark.
"Yes, Lord Danzō. According to reliable intelligence, he is indeed coming this way," the kneeling Root ninja replied respectfully.
Danzō's brows knitted together. Earlier, he had learned that Tsunade had already dispatched teams to track Sasuke and Itachi. He had planned to insert his own people into those teams.
But when he approached Tsunade, he was told the teams had already left the village.
He had missed that opportunity—but now, Sasuke was coming to them instead.
Danzō's gaze turned cold. "Assemble squads. Search with full effort for Sasuke's exact location…"
After a brief pause, he continued, "Once found, intercept him and report to me immediately. I will personally deal with him."
He recalled his previous failed attempt to act against Rorin. This time, after careful consideration, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Uchiha Sasuke… I don't believe you possess a technique like Flying Thunder God," Danzō muttered.
...
Elsewhere, Rorin and Uchiha Itachi were searching the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village for Sasuke.
Rorin scanned the area using the Byakugan. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he communicated with the system.
'System, last time in the Land of Water, I could use the Byakugan to locate targets. Can I do the same with the Sharingan this time?'
[Replying to host: A normal Sharingan can indeed be used this way. However, since both Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke possess Mangekyō Sharingan, they are considered fundamentally different sets of eyes. Therefore, precise tracking is not possible.]
'I see… what a pity.'
Since he couldn't locate Sasuke through the system, they would have to search manually.
...
Meanwhile, Uchiha Sasuke continued forward, with Karin and Hōzuki Suigetsu following behind him.
"Sasuke, if we just head to the Hidden Leaf Village like this, will we really find Shimura Danzō?" Suigetsu asked.
Sasuke paused slightly, frowning. He admittedly had limited information on Danzō—but even so, he replied calmly:
"Once we get there, I have my own methods."
Because Root also had highly skilled sensory ninja, through a twist of fate, they located Sasuke before Rorin and the others did.
"Target found. Notify Lord Danzō immediately!"