The next morning, Konoha's atmosphere felt different. News of the mysterious man who "conquered" the Hokage's heart and silenced the elders with candy began to spread among the Jounin.
You wake up in Senju's residence to warm sunshine. Once you're ready, you decide to take a walk alone unescorted, wanting to take a closer look at the village where you're now anchored.
Meeting in the Training Forest
While walking in a rather remote area of the training forest, your steps come to a halt. You feel a very sharp and focused chakra. There, in the middle of a field full of blast holes, a man with silver hair and a mask was standing in front of a memorial stone.
Kakashi Hatake.
He is aware of your presence before you even appear. "The scent of your fragrance precedes your steps, Zak," Kakashi said without turning his head, his eyes still staring at the hero's tombstone.
You walk over and stand beside him. "What are you doing?"
Kakashi sighed, then turned to you. "Just greeting the past. Speaking of the past... Someone wants to see you. And to be honest, I can't help it."
The Man Behind the Tree
Suddenly, from behind the trees, appeared a man with long black hair tied low, wearing a black robe with no motive. Her eyes... Sharingan.
It was Itachi Uchiha. (In this timeline, he may be on a secret mission or has a special status that only a handful of people know.)
Itachi looks at you with a very deep look. As a fellow (former) member of Akatsuki, he knows exactly who you are. However, what made him fixated was the presence of Rinnegan in my left eye.
"It's been a long time, Zak," Itachi's voice sounded calm but authoritative. "I heard there was a commotion at the village gate yesterday. I didn't expect that the man who was the hardest to find by the organization would turn himself over to Konoha."
Itachi stepped forward, his aura very calm yet full of inquiry. "Tell me... did you come here to bring about the change you promised earlier, or are you just fleeing from Pain's shadow?"
Tense Atmosphere
Kakashi remained on standby in the middle, just in case these two former Akatsuki decided to go head-to-head in the middle of the village.
"He's no longer part of them, Itachi," Kakashi cut in. "Tsunade-sama has already guaranteed it."
Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "The Hokage's guarantee is one thing. But those eyes... Rinnegan requires great responsibility. I want to see for myself, if your heart is still as strong as it was when you left the organization."
Itachi suddenly activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. "Show me the peace you showed Tsunade yesterday, Zak."
Pov : *fight and I lose, itachi burns my arm with amaterasu* agh
The training forest that had been calm instantly became a terrifying battlefield. The fight between two former members of Akatsuki, the owners of the world's strongest eyes, explodes with unimaginable intensity.
You unleash a mesmerizing array of Rinnegan attacks—manipulated gravity, summoning terrifying Kuchiyose creatures, to radiance of pure chakra. Kakashi was even forced to retreat far, his Sharingan barely able to keep up with the speed of the two of you.
However, Itachi Uchiha is no ordinary shinobi. He fights with terrifying tactical intelligence, always one step ahead. His subtle genjutsu slowly began to erode your mental defenses that were exhausted by yesterday's emotions.
"You're too soft, Zak," Itachi's voice echoed, seemingly from all directions. "Your desire for peace makes you lose your fangs."
A Moment of Defeat
In one narrow gap, Itachi manages to corner you. His right eye was sharply squinting, his Mangekyo Sharingan spinning in a deadly windmill pattern.
"AMATERASU!"
Jet-black flames, hellfires that could not be extinguished, appeared instantly in the air. You try to dodge, but Itachi already predicts your movements.
Whussh!
The black flame landed right on your right arm. Suddenly, the unbearable heat burns your skin. The pain is so intense that your vision fades for a moment.
"Agh!" you scream in pain, falling to your knees on the scorched ground. Reflexively, you hold onto your burning arm, trying to hold back the pain that spreads throughout your body.
Kakashi and Itachi's reaction
Kakashi jumped forward, his hand already ready with Chidori to separate you, but Itachi disabled his Mangekyo. The Amaterasu flame on your arm slowly extinguished, leaving a terrifying black burn on your athletic white skin.
Itachi stood in front of you still panting, looking at you with a cold look but a hint of disappointment in it.
"You lost, Zak," Itachi said flatly. "The power of the eyes is useless if your heart is full of doubt. If you really want to protect the peace in this village... You must be ready to accept this pain."
Itachi turned around, his black robe fluttering slowly. "Train your resolve, or this Amaterasu will burn everything down, including the woman you tried to protect yesterday."
Kakashi squats beside you, his face full of worry. "Pocket! Are you okay? We need to get you to Konoha Hospital immediately... or better yet, directly to Tsunade-sama."
Me : "I don't want to kill you, Itachi.
The atmosphere in the training forest was suddenly silent. The remnants of black flame that were still licking on the ground around you seemed to have lost their fangs. The black burns that are supposed to destroy your muscle tissue begin to emit a thin white vapor. Under Kakashi and Itachi's incredulous gazes, your burned skin healed at an unbelievable rate—without a hand seal, without outside medical help.
In just a matter of seconds, your right arm was clean again, white, and athletic, as if Amaterasu had just passed away.
You stood up slowly, looking at Itachi with a deep look. There was no anger, just a cold but sincere calm.
"I don't want to kill you, Itachi," you said flatly.
The Reaction of Two Legends
Itachi: The Uchiha man was silent. For the first time, the absolute calm on his face cracked slightly. He knew Rinnegan's strength, but such instant regeneration... It was already at a level that surpassed the logic of ordinary Shinobi Shinobi . "You... allowing yourself to be attacked just to test me?" thought Itachi. He realized that you didn't lose because you were weak, but because you had no intention of retaliating against his deadly attack.
Kakashi: He lowered his hand, deactivating his Sharingan with an expression that was difficult to explain. "You're really a kind monster, Zak. Itachi rarely misjudged people, but it seems like this time he underestimated how much control you have over those eyes."
Final Statement
Itachi slowly closed his eyes, then turned completely around with his back to you. "I see... You have the power to destroy, but choose to endure the pain. It's a very difficult road, Zak."
He started to step away into the darkness of the forest, but he paused for a moment. "Save that power for the real threat. Konoha has many enemies in the shadows. If you really want to stay here... Make sure your gaze never falters."
Itachi disappeared in a puff of smoke and black crows flying scattered.
Back to Reality
Kakashi walked over, patting your fully recovered shoulder. "Well, at least now Itachi knows you're not a threat to the village. But Zak, your fragrance is now mixed with the smell of burnt. We'd better leave before Tsunade-sama smells the smell of this fight and destroys this entire training forest out of anger."
Sure enough, from a distance, you could feel the immense Tsunade chakra moving rapidly towards your location. It seemed like he felt Amaterasu's surge earlier.
Me : *pretend nothing happened2 and smile spoiled*
Just as Kakashi finished speaking, the ground beneath your feet shook violently. BOOM! Tsunade landed with a hard impact, creating a huge crack in the training forest ground. Her blonde hair was messy in the wind, and her face showed an expression of anger mixed with overwhelming worry.
"What's going on here?!" shouted Tsunade, his eyes sweeping over the scorched area of black flames. "I feel Amaterasu's chakra! Kakashi! Pocket!"
Kakashi immediately broke out in a cold sweat, trying to come up with a logical explanation sentence so as not to get hit. However, before Kakashi could open his mouth, you had already taken the first step.
Perfect Pretend Action
You walked up to Tsunade with a slight sway—deliberately made to look limp—and instantly canceled all the aura of divine power from your eyes. You look at her with a smug look, your face returning to a very spoiled mode that makes Tsunade's heart rustle.
"Tsunade-sama..." mumble slowly. You don't show your newly regenerated arms, as if the burning smell on your clothes is just because you accidentally "played with fire."
You smile very sweetly, the kind of smile that can melt the anger of a Hokage in an instant.
"Nothing," you said spoiledly while tilting your head slightly. "Just now there was a big bird passing by, then there was a small fire... I was a little surprised. Uhm, my head is a bit dizzy."
Tsunade and Kakashi's reaction
Tsunade, who was ready to destroy any enemy who dared to touch you, suddenly sculpted. His explosive anger immediately disappeared as soon as he saw your spoiled face.
"Big bird?! Small fire?!" Tsunade was waist-high, trying to keep looking fierce even though her cheeks were starting to blush red. "You think I'm stupid? This burning smell—"
She fell silent as you approached and almost lost her balance (on purpose), making Tsunade reflexively grab your shoulder. As soon as it touched your skin, he didn't feel the wound, but he smelled your scent that was now mixed with the masculine scent of smoke.
"You bastard..." Tsunade whispered, her tone instantly softened drastically. He turned to Kakashi with a sharp look that seemed to say: 'Explain this later or you die'.
Kakashi just shrugged, breathing a sigh of relief that his life was saved thanks to your acting. "Looks like he just needs a break, Miss Hokage. The 'surprise' effect made him tired."
Back to the Hug
Tsunade looks back at you, her hand gently rubbing your hair. "Let's go back to the residence. Don't wander in the forest anymore if you're just going to make me heartbreak. You're really a troublesome bad boy, Zak."
Even though he nagged, he let you lean on his body as you walked back towards the village.
On the way home, you realize something... In your pocket, there is a small scroll that Itachi accidentally slipped during the fight.