The Secret Meeting with Itachi

After Tsunade's inauguration ceremony as Hokage ended, she treated Kakashi and Sasuke, who had been hit by Itachi's Tsukuyomi, then went to examine Rock Lee.

"Tsunade-nim, our Lee is going to be okay, right?"

Unlike the original story, Rock Lee's condition was fine, and the treatment wrapped up quickly. Ignoring the passionate tears between master and disciple, I stepped outside with Tsunade.

"I'm heading outside the village for a bit."

"Outside the village? Why?"

"I have someone I need to meet."

Tsunade stared at me in silence for a moment, then nodded, giving her permission.

The previous night... a single crow had pecked at my window with its beak. When I opened the door at the sound, the crow flew right up to me, its eyes bearing the Sharingan. As if caught in a genjutsu, Itachi appeared inside my inner mental space and told me to meet him outside the village at nine o'clock the next night. The moment I snapped out of the illusion, the crow had vanished.

Back in the present, I had no intention of fighting Itachi, but just in case he had set some kind of trap, I decided it was time to raise my ranks again.

When increasing my Stamina rank, the cost to go from S to SS had jumped tenfold compared to before. The plus sign still hadn't disappeared either. When I attempted the rank-up, the price multiplied by another ten, so I stopped at SS for now, evenly raised my other stats, and ended up pouring in nearly all of my remaining fortune.

"Seriously, I've burned through almost all my money now... With what's left, I'll raise some skill levels."

Super-Speed Regeneration [S+] (from Bleach), Mental Resistance [S+], Observation Haki [S+]. I used the remaining funds to prioritize only the immediately necessary ranked skills.

"Think I can use Bankai, Shinigami Mu Mujin, and Renewal No-Recoil now?"

"Then shall we go meet Itachi?"

I left the village, walked quite a distance, and arrived at the promised spot. After waiting a short while, Itachi appeared right on time.

"I didn't expect you to find me this quickly, Itachi."

"There are many things I'm curious about when it comes to you… How much do you know about our organization?"

To Itachi's question I simply shrugged. "I don't know the fine details. Just that the members are you, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, Pain, Konan, Kakuzu, Tobi, and Zetsu. That's about it."

Swish! Itachi suddenly hurled shuriken at me. Flawless Shinigami Dance: Vermilion Bird. The wind pressure alone from sweeping my palm downward sent every incoming shuriken scattering in every direction.

Watching my movements, Itachi rapidly formed hand seals. I raised both hands in the air.

Itachi, who had been forming seals, lowered his hands. He asked again.

"Who are you? How did you obtain information about our organization…?"

"I can't give you the details. But I can say with absolute certainty that I am not your enemy. So will you listen to what I have to say?"

Itachi gave a small nod. I sat down on a nearby rock and began.

"I know why you massacred your clan and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fled the village, and why you joined Akatsuki."

"You…"

"Just listen first. You followed Danzo's orders for the sake of the village's peace and your little brother. You trusted Hiruzen, but they never intended to honor any promise they made to you. Hiruzen is already dead, so that's irrelevant, but Danzo will seize any justification to kill Sasuke and steal his Sharingan. Just like he did with Shisui's eye."

"……"

He stared at me wordlessly. I continued.

"I'm planning to kill Danzo. His existence brings no benefit to the village. On top of that, because I met you, Sasuke has grown unstable. Orochimaru will approach him soon. Of course it will make Sasuke stronger by fueling his hatred for you, but in the end it will only bring him misery."

"Sasuke…"

"Yes. That's why I'm making you a proposal, Itachi— Dodge!!"

Boom!! Sensing three people closing in, I leaped aside with Itachi. The spot where we'd been standing erupted in an explosion as three figures arrived.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Itachi, is this betrayal?"

"I knew he was suspicious."

"Their hearts belong to me."

Kisame, Hidan, and Kakuzu—three Akatsuki members—stood before us.

"You've been monitoring me?" Itachi asked calmly. Kisame shrugged.

"Pain said you seemed suspicious and told us to keep watch."

I glanced over the three enemies, then looked at Itachi.

"You take one. I'll handle the rest."

"Hey! You arrogant little brat! This time I'll kill you for sure!"

"Ha~ That fish-faced bastard is getting on my nerves… Itachi, you handle Hidan…"

With that, I grinned at Kisame.

"I've beaten up some fishmen before, you know? And I've gotten a lot stronger since then, so try to keep up!"

Body Flicker. Boom!! The ground cratered like it had been bombed the instant I moved. I closed the distance and drove a fist into his chest.

Shinigami Dance: Black Tortoise Thunderbolt. Thud!!

"Urk!"

Using the same penetrating momentum, I twisted my arm and slammed a punch into his gut. Renewal: Halla. Crack!

"Keuk!"

I drove my foot straight into the face of the hunched-over Kisame. The impact snapped his head back and lifted his entire body off the ground.

Thud!!!

After glancing at the fallen Kisame, I turned to Kakuzu.

"Hey, old man! You're next."

"Insolent whelp!"

Furious, Kakuzu began forming seals, but I didn't wait. I released the Eight Gates, focused every ounce of power, and swung my leg.

Eight Gates Sixth Gate: View Gate + Renewal Taekwondo: No-Recoil Kick.

Swish! Bam!!

There was no sound, no shockwave—only a single point of impact. Kakuzu's body exploded, leaving nothing but his two legs behind.

The collapsed Kisame staggered back to his feet, eyes wide with shock. He rapidly formed seals and completed his jutsu.

Water Release: Great Waterfall Collision Wave.

An enormous volume of water gushed from his mouth. But to me, with the sixth gate already open, the attack was painfully slow. I gathered chakra in my hand.

Fire Rasengan.

Shiiiing! Roar!

A violently spinning storm of flames formed in my palm. I poured in even more mana, enlarging it until it was nearly the size of my own body. Holding the massive Rasengan, I dodged Kisame's water attack with Body Flicker, hurled it at his face, and the spiraling inferno struck dead ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠center.

Boom!!!! Roar! Thump!

The direct hit blew Kisame's head clean off. His body crumpled like an empty sack.

"Haa~ Haa~ That did put some strain on my body. Combining the Eight Gates with No-Recoil Kick might have been pushing it."

I caught my breath for a moment and glanced at Itachi. Hidan was already mentally broken from Tsukuyomi, and Itachi finished him off with Amaterasu. The immortal burned away completely, leaving only ashes. His title suddenly felt meaningless.

"To think you were this strong… You've become far more powerful than the last time I saw you."

"So, to finish what I was saying earlier, I have a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠proposal."

"What is it?"

"Help me kill Danzo. In return, I'll tell the current Hokage, Tsunade, the truth and recommend your return to the village."

"Regardless, I still killed my family and my entire clan. That sin will never vanish."

"Even so, returning to the village, revealing the truth, and paying for your crimes is better. I know your body's condition isn't good. But if you die like this and Sasuke eventually learns the truth, he'll wage war against the Leaf Village for revenge. Both the village and Sasuke will end up miserable."

Itachi pondered for a long time before asking me.

"How exactly would I help?"

"Lure Danzo out. If it's you, he'll definitely take the bait."

"Very well. Contact me once the detailed plan is ready."

"Understood. Stay hidden until then, and don't get tangled up with Akatsuki anymore."

With that, I turned to head back to the village.

"Wait…"

"Yes? Is there something else?"

"Take this."

He handed me a small wooden box.

"What is it?"

"Uchiha Shisui's eye."

"Why give it to me?"

"I originally planned to use it for something else, but I decided giving it to you was the better choice."

I opened the box Itachi had given me.

"Can I really use this?"

"Yes. Since I've already given it to you, how you use it is entirely up to you."

"The other eye is probably with Danzo. I'll be taking that one as well."

"I have one question."

"Yes?"

"Are you certain you are not my enemy? Are you certain you are not the Leaf Village's enemy?"

"Yes! I am neither your enemy nor the enemy of the Leaf Village. I only want to stop Madara's plan and protect peace. After that, I plan to live a cozy life with beautiful women."

Itachi let out a small chuckle at my last remark, told me to take good care of Sasuke, and disappeared.

I placed Shisui's Sharingan inside the Gwangmyeong Seungcheondo to begin its reinforcement, then returned to the village. After reporting back to Tsunade, I went to find Sasuke.

"Sasuke… I heard you fought Naruto earlier today?"

"Did you come to mock me? Me, who lost to Naruto too??"

"Let's talk for a minute. I have something to tell you."

"Get lost. I'm not in the mood to chat with you."

"This is your older brother speaking… It's about Itachi."

Crash! Sasuke shot to his feet and glared at me. I shrugged and looked out the window. When Sasuke followed my gaze, he saw Sound Village ninjas gathered on the tree outside his house.

"Who's that guy? He's with Sasuke?!"

"Kill all witnesses."

I sat on the windowsill, smiled at them, and said,

Chidori. Leaf Strong Whirlwind. Rasengan.

Boom boom boom!!!

Before coming here I had stopped by Tsunade to request backup. Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Guy attacked the intruders and captured them all.

"No. Until I take down Danzo, I don't want to fight in front of people."

While the Sound ninjas were being subdued and dragged away, I told Sasuke everything about Itachi and Danzo.

"Th-that's a lie, right?"

"No. It's the truth. Even though you hate him, deep down you must have sensed it—that your brother was crying that day…"

Sasuke fell into confusion, then exploded with rage toward the village. I told the agitated boy to calm down and explained the plan.

"Let me join too!! I'll help you and my brother kill that Danzo bastard!"

"To do that, you need to become stronger. But hatred isn't the fuel you should use. Grow stronger with the desire to protect your brother. Grow stronger with the desire to protect your comrades from the darkness inside the village. If you do that, I'll help you too."

"Hic… hic…"

Overwhelmed by emotion, Sasuke shed tears. After some time he calmed down considerably. I spoke to the now-stable boy.

"Talk with Itachi yourself later. Once Danzo is dealt with, he should be able to return to the village."

"Really?!"

Since he was still a child who hadn't fallen to darkness yet, he recovered quickly. I smiled at him.

"Make sure you apologize to Naruto and Kakashi too… They're your comrades, after all."

"Uh… got it."

"Good. See you later then!"

"Thank you… Jin."

"I'll listen to that after everything's finished."

Today I had prevented Sasuke's defection and ruined Orochimaru's plans. I'd forced Itachi to leave Akatsuki and killed off several key members, completely shattering the future storyline. Once Danzo was dead, the village would grow far stronger and faster than in the original. I felt genuine hope that the direction things were heading would create a better future than the canon ever could.