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The incident involving Sarutobi Shinzo was not publicized, as it would only negatively impact the morale of the Leaf Village. However, it also worsened the relationship between the Leaf Village and the Cloud Ninja Village.
In the Land of Whirlpools.
"Let's go."
With the sea breeze blowing, a merchant ship sets sail. Uchiha Yoru, with a carefree smile, waves goodbye, accompanied by Uchiha Shisui and Hatake Kakashi.
"Take care, Big Brother Yoru."
On the ship, the youthful Uchiha Itachi follows his teacher, preparing to return to the village with him.
As the ship sails away, Uchiha Yoru sighs wistfully, watching the Land of Whirlpools shrink to a dot. Beside him, Uchiha Itachi looks on, puzzled.
"Teacher Yoru, are we returning this time?"
The perceptive Uchiha Itachi looks doubtful. Yoru glances at him, noting Itachi's youthful yet mature demeanor that seems natural and fitting.
Finally, Yoru lifts his head, enjoying a moment of tranquility, his thoughts unreadable.
"This is a mission to return to the village. Remember to burn this afterwards."
He hands a scroll to Itachi. The dark green scroll, already unsealed, contains an S-rank mission personally assigned by the Third Hokage.
An S-rank mission involves national secrets and critical issues. It may include tasks like participating in wars at the invitation of other countries, assassinating key figures, or transporting confidential documents. The reward exceeds one million ryō.
After reading the scroll quickly, Itachi's young eyes widened in shock. Then, he burns the scroll in the wind, leaving no trace.
The two remain silent. After a while, Yoru softly asks, "Itachi, do you have any questions about this mission?"
Despite his young age, Itachi, with a calm mind, voices his thoughts directly.
"Teacher Yoru, the radicals under the Fire Country's Daimyo are becoming stronger, especially the Fire Temple, one of the Daimyo's most relied upon forces outside of the Leaf Village. The rise of radical voices in the Fire Temple could affect the village's interests."
The mission is straightforward: to assassinate a monk named Deiku from the Fire Temple, who is expected to travel to the Daimyo's residence in half a month.
As Yoru listens to Itachi's understanding, he smiles and shakes his head. "Itachi, what do you think is the deeper meaning of this? Can you see it?"
Itachi, after a moment of silence, shares his speculation.
"Teacher Yoru, this is a trap set by the village for the Uchiha clan. If the Uchiha get involved, they will be feared by the Daimyo, and the village wants the Uchiha to be isolated."
Yoru nods at Itachi's analysis. "The village is ready to act, hence the plan to strengthen defenses and weaken the Uchiha clan. Once the Uchiha are involved, they will have no external support."
Within the Fire Country, the Uchiha clan is almost isolated in the village. Their only potential ally is the Daimyo of the Fire Country.
The Third Hokage's strategy is ruthless and fatal.
By eliminating Deiku, a radical elder of the Fire Temple, the Leaf Village sees it as a move against the radicals, but for the Daimyo, it's the loss of a loyal follower.
Especially the identity of the monk Deiku is not simple; he holds a high rank in the Fire Temple, equivalent to that of an elder.
Once Uchiha takes this action, the Daimyo will surely despise Uchiha.
The young Uchiha Itachi has experienced too many things and has seen through the darkness and corruption of the village. He is angered and disheartened by the fact that, even though the borders are not yet stable, the decayed higher-ups of the village have already started infighting.
"Straighten your clothes, from now on we two are rogue ninjas. The village's mission must be completed, but we cannot let Uchiha disgrace the Daimyo."
Uchiha Yoru, confident in his plan, reveals a confident smile, attracting Uchiha Itachi with his charisma.
Under the setting sun, the afterglow illuminating Uchiha Yoru gives him the appearance of wearing a robe of rosy light, a sight that leaves Uchiha Itachi in a daze.
In the Land of Whirlpools, Konoha, Hatake Kakashi serves as the frontline commander, with Uchiha Shisui as his deputy, giving face to the Uchiha clan.
As for Uchiha Yoru, he is ordered to return to the village to recuperate, which is quite a face-saving arrangement.
…
Under the snowstorm, the world returned to tranquility, except for a few small towns that still breathed an air of prosperity. The villagers of other villages all hid inside their houses, relying on stored food to get through the cold winter.
Short Book Street.
A bustling small town within the borders of the Fire Country, this place served as a transportation hub. It was frequented by merchants and travelers, and countless goods flowed through here.
Even under the snowstorm, the town thrived. The streets were busy with merchants' carriages coming and going.
"Itachi, your body limits your current chakra, but at your age, your chakra is already much stronger than your peers. When we return to the village, I will teach you a powerful ninjutsu. For now, continue practicing chakra control."
A tall and short figure walked on the street. Facing his teacher's earnest instruction, Uchiha Itachi respectfully nodded, "I understand, Teacher."
For Uchiha Itachi, being a genius of his clan, he bore the family's responsibility from birth. While he was praised, few truly cared for him.
His teacher's concern for his health brought a warm feeling to his heart.
Uchiha Itachi's talent was exceptional, easily grasp complex concepts, deserving the description of "grasping one and understanding three."
Uchiha Yoru, his teacher, couldn't help but marvel at Itachi's talent, worthy of joining the Anbu at eleven and unlocking the Mangekyo Sharingan at thirteen.
Teaching a genius was indeed a worry-free task.
"Teacher, according to the information, our target should pass by here at the end of the month, before the New Year."
As they walked on the snow, making crunching sounds, Uchiha Yoru nodded thoughtfully, "We don't need to worry about that, Itachi. Our task is to wait for the target here and then ambush. But if something happens to the target before that..."
Pausing, his teacher gave a meaningful smile under Itachi's gaze. The intelligent Itachi instantly understood something.
Uchiha Yoru continued, "If that happens, it's not our concern but a problem with the village's intelligence."
"Let's go. Our current identities are disguised as wandering ninjas with medical ninjutsu. Until our target arrives, we continue playing our roles."
Thus, the two figures, one tall and one short, approached an ordinary inn and stepped inside.
"Mr. Yoru, you're here."
In an ordinary room, as Uchiha Yoru and Itachi entered, someone greeted them softly. It was clear this wasn't their first visit.
A tall and cool young woman with light blue-violet short hair in a bun, wearing a light blue paper flower on the right side of her head, with light orange-yellow eyes, a refined face, light purple eyeshadow, and a lip piercing approached them.
Though not their first meeting, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but inwardly sigh at the uncanny fate. Instead of meeting the "big fish" Tsunade in Short Book Street, they encountered this person.
"Konan, you're too polite. It's just a fair trade of payment for treating the injured."
Facing the girl in front of him, Uchiha Yoru remained unmoved, instead calmly feigning the nature of a seasoned, wandering ninja.
Indeed, the so-called girl before him was Konan, the "Angel" of the Akatsuki. No one expected to encounter her here.
Just then, a cough sounded from inside the house. Uchiha Yoru calmly instructed his follower, Itachi: "Itachi, be on guard outside."
"Yes, teacher."
Uchiha Itachi calmly observed the house. Although it wasn't his first visit, he was still cautious. After ensuring there were no traps, he went out and hid in a concealed spot to keep watch.
This did not escape Konan's notice. But such caution was normal for a wandering ninja, as the careless ones would have long lain on the cold ground.
"Mr. Yoru, my brother has recovered a lot recently thanks to your care."
Konan, posing as a wounded ninja from a small country during an escort mission, expressed her gratitude. She was secretly relieved to have found a ninja with good medical skills after so many years, especially since Nagato's condition was improving.
Inside the house, a thin, red-haired Nagato slowly lifted his head. His hair obscured his eyes, making it difficult to see clearly, but upon seeing the visitor, a rare look of relief appeared on his usually cold and merciless face.
"Mr. Yoru."
Uchiha Yoru's identity was that of a wandering ninja skilled in medical ninjutsu, just as Konan and Nagato were also wandering ninjas, each hiding their true identities. One needed treatment, and the other just happened to be skilled in medical ninjutsu.
"Your body is better off not moving right now."
Uchiha Yoru quickly assumed his role, while Nagato and Konan exchanged glances silently, hiding their true intentions. The six paths of Pain were already hidden in various blind spots, undetectable by Uchiha Itachi at the moment.
"This is your payment for this time."
Upon meeting, Konan slowly took out a generous payment. Seeing this, Uchiha Yoru showed a relaxed expression, and even Konan's usually cold face revealed a rare smile.
In Konan's eyes, the other party had treated them many times without any ill intentions and was greedy, which had completely gained her trust, although only in terms of identity. The necessary precautions were still fully in place.
After receiving the payment, Uchiha Yoru sat at the bedside, his hands emitting a faint green medical chakra as he began to examine Nagato.
"The burns on your legs are quite severe, obviously caused by explosive tags, and it's been some time. Also, you must have been using jutsu with severe side effects for a long time, leading to your current condition."
Although they had heard this before, Nagato and Konan couldn't help but feel the weight of the situation each time Uchiha Yoru mentioned the cause of the injuries.
Uchiha Yoru, squinting, examined Nagato's body and then shook his head: "Your body is so weak, yet I can feel a strong life force within you. It's a pity. Had you not been injured, you would definitely have been a formidable ninja."
Nagato remained unmoved by Uchiha Yoru's sentiments, as the latter wouldn't know that he was already a renowned figure in the wandering ninja world.
Both were unaware of each other's true identities. They only knew each other as "Yoru."
"It's the same as usual. I will use medical ninjutsu to accelerate the repair of your cells, but only the active ones, your legs!"
Uchiha Yoru shook his head at this point, prompting Konan to ask, "Is there really no way?"
"Konan." Faced with the fate of his legs, Nagato had long accepted it, although Konan had never given up over the years.
Observing Nagato's eyes, there was a hint of desolation in Konan's eyes.
As this scene unfolded, Uchiha Yoru thought deeply. In the original story, Nagato's legs were useless, but it wasn't likely that they were neglected from the beginning. Treatment must have been attempted before it was abandoned.
Clearly, Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, had become a source of concern for Obito, who watched coldly from the shadows, causing Nagato to miss the best opportunity for treatment.
In the original story, it was mentioned that Nagato was ambushed by Hanzo during the Third Great Ninja War, which should place the timeline towards the end of that war.
Looking at Nagato and Konan, Uchiha Yoru showed a hint of hesitation, a scene that didn't escape the notice of the two. Konan couldn't help but ask directly, "Mr. Yoru, is there any difficulty with Nagato's legs?"
Gazing at Konan, in the prime of her youth, Uchiha Yoru shook his head, "It's not a difficulty, but rather that too much time has passed, leaving no chance for healing."
Although Uchiha Yoru said this, his hesitant look made the astute Konan think of something, her expression turning firm.
In her heart, as long as there was hope, she would not give up, especially since her only companion now was Nagato.
"Mr. Yoru, Nagato is my companion. As long as there's hope, I won't give up."
Konan looked earnestly at Uchiha Yoru, saying firmly, "I am willing to offer a substantial reward, one that will surely satisfy you."
With the conversation reaching this point, even Nagato, who had given up, showed a flicker of emotion in his eyes upon hearing Konan's promise.
After all, no one ever wishes to remain unable to stand, especially those who have lost this ability tend to cherish it even more after its loss.