"What did you say!"
Itachi Uchiha turned his head sharply to look at Shishou.
For some reason, perhaps because of the way Mikoto had looked at him earlier, Itachi began to believe Shishou's words a little.
"I won't allow you to insult my mother!"
Itachi turned fully, his crimson eyes glaring at Shishou, the three tomoe in his Sharingan spinning rapidly, and a surge of killing intent emanating from him.
He would never allow anyone to insult his mother!
Even if he had killed Mikoto Uchiha with his own hands...
Feeling Itachi's killing intent, Shishou stroked his chin, thinking: If you knew how close I am to her, could you really kill me?
"You, who killed her with your own hands, what right do you have to say that to me?"
Shishou stared at Itachi, deliberately provoking him.
Sure enough, pain flickered across Itachi's eyes, and his face lost its usual cold demeanor, becoming more animated with emotion.
At the same time, Shishou, with his Mangekyou Sharingan activated, could clearly sense the increasing power in Itachi's eyes.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, the more pain and emotional upheaval, the stronger the power of the eyes. Damn this Sharingan ability!
"After you killed her, I secretly revived her. No one knows she exists."
"Now, to prevent you and Sasuke from killing each other, to kill you, the clan's murderer, she's been working very hard."
Shishou continued to provoke Itachi, sprinkling salt on his wounds.
However, Itachi had calmed down, looking coldly at Shishou. "What are you trying to achieve by telling me all this?"
"As the one who wiped out the Uchiha clan, I wouldn't mind killing them again."
"You'd have to be able to do that first," Shishou replied, giving Itachi a sidelong glance.
"Stop pretending. I know why you wiped out the clan and that you joined the Akatsuki to spy on that masked man."
"Itachi, you don't want Sasuke to grow up in pain, ending up alone and homeless, right?"
Itachi looked at Mikoto below, pressing his lips together.
After Shishou's prompt, the more he looked, the more he believed that was indeed his mother.
Thinking of his gentle and kind mother, who had now embarked on a dangerous and bloody path of revenge because of him, Itachi closed his eyes in pain.
He didn't know how Shishou knew these secrets.
But hearing Shishou's words, thinking about Sasuke's future, Itachi began to waver, doubting his past choices.
"How can I trust you?"
Itachi asked quietly, his lips barely moving.
"Because of this," Shishou said, tossing a photo of Tsunade in Konoha to Itachi.
Itachi was a firm believer in the Will of Fire.
What is the Will of Fire?
Simply put, it means Konoha above all!
As long as Shishou could show his intention to support Konoha, he could gain Itachi's trust.
And in the ninja world, without photo editing technology, the authenticity of a photograph was very high.
"Looks like you really are from Konoha."
"And you're familiar with Lady Tsunade..."
Itachi sighed, recognizing the angry yet clearly friendly expression Tsunade had in the photo, rather than one meant for an enemy.
He also noticed several Konoha shinobi in the background, confirming the photo's authenticity.
No wonder Shishou had saved Tsunade when she had a blood phobia attack.
Considering these points, Itachi temporarily believed Shishou.
Of course, the main reason was that Itachi felt he couldn't win against Shishou, who could use Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
"Thanks to Black and White Zetsu, Tsunade has overcome her blood phobia and returned to Konoha. With the Two Sannin and the Third Hokage, Konoha is well-guarded. You should feel relieved about Konoha."
"And don't worry about Sasuke's safety. With me here, no one can harm him."
Shishou caught the photo Itachi tossed back and continued speaking.
"Now tell me, what's your purpose in talking to me?" Itachi said, still looking at Mikoto below.
If possible, he didn't want Sasuke to carry his sins for the rest of his life.
Already a double agent for Konoha and the Akatsuki, Itachi didn't mind becoming a triple agent.
"I need you to cooperate with me on a few things." Seeing that he had persuaded Itachi, Shishou's mouth curled into a smile. "In return, I'll protect Sasuke and Konoha."
Itachi looked at Shishou for a while before finally nodding. If even someone as powerful as Shishou was protecting Sasuke, he had nothing to worry about.
Of course, Itachi could also interpret Shishou's words as a threat.
A few minutes later.
"Is that girl an Uchiha as well? Who is she?"
After hearing Shishou's requests, Itachi was preparing to leave but asked about the girl.
"She's just an Uchiha girl who awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan during the clan massacre and is determined to avenge her family." Shishou replied casually.
"I see."
With that, Itachi leaped off the high ground. After casting a deep look at Mikoto, he found Zabuza, half covered in blood, in the thick mist.
"Zabuza, we're leaving."
"That guy is strong. I'm no match for him."
Itachi said calmly as he reached the hiding Zabuza.
"Itachi, even you can't beat him?" Zabuza was shocked.
In his mind, Itachi's strength, while not quite equal to the Akatsuki leader, was close.
If even Itachi couldn't handle this guy named Shishou, how terrifying was Shishou's strength?
"Yes, we need to leave quickly." Itachi said, leaping out of the mist.
Without hesitation, Zabuza followed Itachi in retreat.
"Pant, pant."
Izumi Uchiha panted heavily, her eyes scanning the thick mist around her, alert for a surprise attack from Zabuza. She had identified his weaknesses and was confident she could defeat him if he showed himself again.
After Zabuza left, the mist quickly dissipated. Izumi was slightly stunned before Mikoto jumped down from the stone pillar and began treating Izumi's wounds.
Izumi had insisted on dueling Zabuza, so Mikoto had only kept an eye on the mist to prevent his escape.
"Let's go check out your ancestral shrine."
After Izumi's wounds were tended to, Shishou approached the two women, smiling.
"Mm."
Mikoto and Izumi nodded in unison and followed Shishou towards the shrine.
Shishou didn't mention the outcome of his confrontation with Itachi, and neither Mikoto nor Izumi asked.
Upon entering the shrine, Shishou and Mikoto began examining the murals on the walls, while Izumi stood guard at the entrance.
Itachi must have had a purpose for coming here.
However, he hadn't shared it with Shishou.
"This seems to be a record of significant events in the Uchiha clan's history from the Warring States Period..."
After a few minutes of examination, Shishou had a thoughtful expression.
"What is this?"
Suddenly, Mikoto exclaimed in surprise.
"What is it?"
Shishou moved to Mikoto's side to inquire.
Even Izumi at the entrance turned her head upon hearing Mikoto's exclamation.
"This appears to record the approximate location of the Uchiha clan's heirloom, the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror..."
Mikoto held a broken stone tablet, wiping the dust off it, her eyes sparkling with hope.
If she could obtain these two artifacts, she would have the confidence to end the Sasuke-Itachi conflict...
Itachi doesn't have these artifacts yet?
Shishou was stunned, then remembered Itachi using what seemed like an ordinary Susanoo sword in his battle against Orochimaru, not the Totsuka Blade.
Mikoto clutched the stone tablet to her chest and began searching the ground for other fragments.
"Izumi, come help quickly."
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 300 at patreon.com/Betek.