Although Itachi was only 11 years old and a newcomer to the Anbu, Hiruzen already highly valued him.
Not just because he was young and powerful.
But because he was the son of Fugaku.
His identity was too special!
Itachi knew Kakashi; when they were not on missions, they usually stood guard for Hiruzen.
Because of this.
Itachi immediately addressed Kakashi as "Kakashi-senpai" upon arrival, genuinely puzzled as to why Kakashi was using Earth Release here.
Then.
Itachi noticed a tall figure beside Kakashi. Due to the figure's towering height, he initially thought they were two telephone poles stuck in the ground.
A closer look revealed it was a pair of legs.
Looking up, he realized it was a person.
This is...
Gasp!
It was the "giant" the Hokage had mentioned!
"Cough! Itachi, you're just in time." Kakashi, looking unfazed, walked over and patted Itachi on the shoulder: "There's something here that needs your help."
"Senpai, I'm wearing my Anbu mask..." Itachi said in a low voice, "Please don't call me by my name."
"Oh! Itachi, help me patch up the ground. I'll use Earth Release to fill it, and you use Fire Release to dry the mud." Kakashi acknowledged but immediately forgot Itachi's reminder.
Itachi: "..."
Taking a deep breath.
Itachi asked, "Kakashi-senpai, I came under the Hokage's orders to see what's happening here."
He looked at the devastation around him.
Then, at the giant.
His expression grew serious.
He asked in a low voice, "Did a battle take place here? Kakashi-senpai, did you fight that giant?"
"Don't talk nonsense, it wasn't me, it was the Root."
Kakashi once again quickly distanced himself.
"Root?" Itachi was stunned: "I didn't see any Root members?"
"There they are!" Kakashi pointed to the sewer, his dead fish eyes showing no emotion: "Go in and look, you might find their flesh or pieces of their masks."
Itachi: "!!!"
Although Kakashi was somewhat subtle, Itachi wasn't stupid. He instantly realized that all the Root ninjas were dead!
Killed by the giant!
Instantly.
His hand moved towards his ninja sword, but Kakashi quickly restrained him. Under Itachi's puzzled gaze, Kakashi said, "The Root acted independently without the Hokage's orders, and their attack almost affected Naruto."
"But he killed Konoha ninjas!" Itachi couldn't understand why Kakashi-senpai watched the Root ninjas die.
Kakashi's dead fish eyes remained calm.
Yet he kept restraining Itachi's hand.
Kakashi said to Itachi, "Without the Hokage's orders, do not engage Whitebeard. Itachi, you are part of the Anbu. The Root ninjas' deaths are not your concern."
"They acted without the Hokage's orders and died because of it. Their deaths are not Konoha's concern either. You're still a newcomer, so I'm giving you a heads-up."
If it were any other time.
Kakashi wouldn't bother explaining so much; what Itachi wanted to do wasn't his business.
But.
Tonight was different!
Itachi was an Anbu member like him. If Itachi attacked Whitebeard, Kakashi couldn't just stand by and might have to help Itachi against Whitebeard.
Although he hadn't fought Whitebeard.
But after witnessing Whitebeard in action a few times.
Kakashi thought...
It was best not to provoke this man.
He wasn't a Konoha rogue ninja. It wasn't wartime; there were no Hokage's orders, and there was no deep-seated grudge.
How much is a month's salary?
Is it worth risking your life?
"Gu la la la!" Whitebeard looked at Itachi with great interest: "You two kids, your whispers are a bit loud! Another masked kid? Are you here to take my life too?"
"No, he's just here to see what's happening."
Kakashi pulled Itachi aside.
He explained to Whitebeard: "We don't belong to the same department as those people before."
Itachi remained silent.
He could see that Kakashi-senpai was very wary of this giant, which he found puzzling. Itachi thought he understood Kakashi-senpai well enough.
For someone to make Kakashi-senpai wary.
They had to be very dangerous!
So.
Being forcibly restrained by Kakashi, Itachi could only help Kakashi clean up the area.
Then, he didn't stay long.
And went straight back to the Hokage building.
...
Itachi didn't take the usual route; he entered through the Hokage's office window.
He saw the Third Hokage smoking a pipe.
The office was filled with smoke.
"Itachi, why are you back so late?" Hiruzen frowned: "You've been gone for almost half an hour. Konoha isn't that big, a round trip shouldn't take this long, right? Did you encounter any trouble? Is Naruto okay?"
"Lord Hokage." Faced with Hiruzen's barrage of questions, Itachi reported truthfully: "The Jinchuriki is fine, but something unexpected did happen."
He recounted all the information from Kakashi, including, but not limited to, the Root's assassination attempt on Whitebeard and how Whitebeard dealt with the Root ninjas.
Hiruzen's frown deepened as he listened.
A fist with white light, killing a dozen Root ninjas in one strike? It sounded like Onoki's Dust Release. But on closer thought, it didn't seem like Dust Release.
Was it a special ninjutsu without hand signs?
Similar to the Rasengan?!
Whitebeard's powerful ability made Hiruzen see him as even more formidable.
He felt more and more troubled.
Moreover...
"...Danzo!" Hiruzen was extremely frustrated: "He actually bypassed me and directly ordered the Root to attack Whitebeard. Does he not see me as the Hokage?"
The key point was.
Danzo was too arrogant, thinking this was Konoha's home ground and that sending an assassination squad could deal with an outsider.
The assassination squad was annihilated.
And it caused a huge commotion.
Hiruzen was a bit angry. He didn't like the feeling of things being out of his control, even if the other person was also a high-ranking Konoha official. Moreover, Danzo's men almost injured Naruto. What if they released the Nine-Tails?
Who would clean up the mess?
"Danzo is getting more and more unruly." Hiruzen knew his old friend's ambition: "It seems some of the Root's authority needs to be restricted and reduced."
In this high-level political maneuvering, Itachi pretended not to hear.
But unexpectedly.
Hiruzen suddenly asked him: "Itachi, what do you think of the recent unusual behavior of the Uchiha clan?"
Itachi was slightly startled.
He lowered his head: "The Uchiha clan..."
Before he could finish, Hiruzen interrupted: "I won't make things difficult for you. If things can be resolved through negotiation, there's no need for drastic measures."
He spoke earnestly: "Itachi, the future of the Uchiha rests in the hands of young people like you and Shisui."
"Don't be influenced by those shadows."
Hiruzen's words were pointed.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
...
...