Drip, drip, drip.
The light rain outside the mountain gradually turned into a heavy downpour.
"Itachi-san, it's pouring out there. Going out now probably isn't good for your health."
Standing inside a mountain cave, Kisame, seeing Itachi walk outside to stand alone in the rain, offered a kind reminder.
Towards this ruthless man who had exterminated his own clan, Kisame, who had also killed his own comrades, felt a mixture of empathy, respect, and curiosity. He wondered if Itachi had cried after killing his own kin. But surely, someone as cold as Itachi-san probably wouldn't experience something like tears.
"Instead of that, shouldn't we prioritize investigating the Nine-Tails' whereabouts as soon as possible?"
Standing in the rain, looking up at the gloomy sky, Itachi slightly tightened his grip on a piece of paper in his hand.
Flutter, flutter...
The crow, drenched just like him, flapped its wings and landed on his shoulder. The letter from the Third Hokage had truly surprised him. But after all this, was it even possible for him, a criminal who had killed his entire clan, to return to the village?
He had already determined his fate. Once his younger brother, Sasuke, had grown strong enough, he would peacefully die by his brother's hand, allowing him to become a hero of Konoha and restore the Uchiha clan's honor in the village.
As for returning to the village now and rejoining the ANBU?
Itachi thought Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind must have taken leave of his senses. But Sasuke was still in the village, and there was also that unexpectedly surviving member of his clan...
These were things he needed to consider, and—
It had been so many years since he had been back to Konoha, and Itachi did want to see it again.
"In such a hurry? It seems Itachi-san still harbors some attachment to his homeland."
The leader had indeed assigned them the task of gathering information on the Nine-Tails. But a task like this, which was optional, didn't require such urgency. Could Itachi have other plans?
As a double agent for the Akatsuki, Kisame's duties included not only regular missions but also monitoring Itachi.
"No, not at all."
Whoosh.
With a few caws from the crows, Itachi's figure in the rain transformed into a flock of crows and disappeared from the spot.
"Alright, alright, I understand."
Seeing that his teammate had already left, Kisame couldn't continue to waste words. He could only hoist his large sword, Samehada, and follow.
"Itachi-san seems particularly motivated today."
——
——
"What do we do, boss? Why did two Konoha ninjas suddenly appear out of nowhere?"
As a group of rogue ninjas operating on the border of the Land of Fire, they usually just robbed merchant caravans and occasionally attacked villagers. This was the first time they had encountered Konoha's "regular army." Although the newcomers were only two kids, they couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. If they were targeted by Konoha, their group would likely become the subject of some insignificant B-rank mission for the village. Of course, it might be insignificant to Konoha, but to them, it was a matter of life and death.
"Don't panic, let's see if these are the only Konoha ninjas here!"
The leader of the rogue ninjas was also a bit nervous, but remembering that they hadn't "started doing bad things" yet, he quickly regained his composure.
"It seems to be just these two brats."
The bandits had all been "driven off," and after so much time, no one else had appeared, nor were there any signs of an ambush nearby. Now it was just their group facing these two Konoha genin, along with the groaning and wounded members of the merchant caravan.
"Then let's finish this job! Kill them all, and then we'll go to the Land of Whirlpools to lay low!"
They were just two Konoha kids, and they had the numbers. And if they could find any ninjutsu or ninja tools on these two kids, they would be set. They had become rogue ninjas in the first place by discovering ninjutsu and the method to refine chakra from a ninja corpse.
Thinking of this, the rogue ninjas, their hearts burning with greed, immediately decided to kill everyone here and make a fortune.
"Yes, boss!"
In fact, there was no need for the boss to say anything. These ninjas, who had already killed many caravan members in the chaos, were already bloodthirsty. And these two Konoha ninjas had also injured many of their bandit comrades. So what if they were Konoha ninjas? This was the border of the Land of Fire. They could easily escape, and who could stop them then?
"Attack!"
Following the leader's command, aside from the few rogue ninjas surrounding Hinata and Shino, the bandits who had "fled" earlier came pouring down from the hillside, making a great show of force.
——
"Hinata, be careful! They seem to be enemies too!"
Seeing the bandits rushing back like a tidal wave and the six strange ninjas gradually surrounding them, Shino's expression grew increasingly serious. However, he knew that besides him and Hinata, they also had Uchiha Ying and the jonin, Kurenai Yuhi, in the shadows, so there was no need to panic too much.
"Okay!"
Hinata also knew that Uchiha Ying and Kurenai Yuhi were behind them, but she was worried—
So many enemies, what if they couldn't hold them off?
Would they die?
No, they couldn't... If Ying-kun died, he wouldn't be able to revive the Uchiha clan. I, I absolutely can't lose to these bandits!
"Impressive, even though they're just kids who haven't even matured yet..."
Seeing his subordinates being easily knocked away by the young girl in front of him, the rogue ninja leader's excitement cooled considerably. And that kid's bugs were also quite troublesome.
However—
"Kids are still kids. It seems they haven't even seen blood."
Seeing that these two Konoha ninjas had knocked away or subdued his men but hadn't killed any of them, the rogue ninja leader laughed wildly again.
Pfft!
He casually grabbed a terrified caravan member trembling on the ground and brutally twisted his neck with his bare hands. Then, with a forceful snap, he threw the head and hot blood as projectiles towards the valiant Hinata and Shino, who were fighting off their attackers.
"Ah!"
Startled by the blood that splashed onto her face and seeing the head falling from the sky, Hinata instinctively screamed. Even the relatively calm Shino was thrown off balance by the head, his hands trembling slightly.
These ninjas were too cruel...
"Hmph, just some inexperienced kids after all. Scared by such a small scene."
Seeing that both Konoha ninjas were frightened by the gore he had created, the rogue ninja leader's face showed a disdainful smile. At the same time, taking advantage of their momentary shock, he used his most prized ninjutsu.
Fire Style: Flame Bullet!
After a brief sequence of hand seals, small fireballs shot out from his mouth like arrows towards Hinata and Shino.
"Oh no..."
Hinata, coming back to her senses, realized she had no way to dodge.
She could only try to protect her body with her arms.
"Damn it, the bugs can't keep up either."
Shino, beside her, didn't have time to react. In the previous fight, he had already used up most of his chakra.
"Sensei, go save Shino."
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
Just then, Uchiha Ying dashed in front of Hinata.
With a single Great Fireball Technique, he engulfed the incoming Flame Bullets.
"I told you not to give orders to your teacher!"
On the other side, Kurenai Yuhi grabbed Shino's shoulder and pulled him out of the fray.
"There are more of them..."
Seeing the two newly arrived Konoha ninjas, the rogue ninjas immediately sensed something was wrong.
But there was no turning back now.
"Fire, fire the arrows! Shoot them down!"
The only way ordinary people could threaten ninjas was with ranged bow attacks. The rogue ninja leader decided to gamble on their superior numbers. The bandits on the hillside all drew their bows and aimed at the Konoha ninjas below.
"Ying-kun..."
Oh no, so many arrows. If only I knew the clan's secret technique, Eight Trigrams Palms. But I haven't even mastered the Eight Trigrams Palms yet... How can I help Ying-kun block so many arrows?
Hinata, seeing the young man standing in front of her, felt a mix of gratitude, worry, and self-reproach for her own inadequacy.
"The reason ninjas are called ninjas is because of the vast difference in power between them and ordinary people."
Looking at the incoming arrows, Uchiha Ying was calm.
In Tobirama Senju's era, this kind of scene would have been considered child's play.
Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!
Boom!
The flames erupting from Uchiha Ying's mouth instantly formed a sea of fire.
In an instant, even the sky was illuminated by the firelight.
And the incoming arrows were swallowed by the wave of flames while still in the air, along with their owners, turning them into charred remains.
"What, what did you do!?"
It was just a fire ninjutsu, but the entire hillside, the flowers, the trees, and the men who had fired the arrows, were all gone in an instant.
Only the remaining fires continued to burn. This scene terrified the surviving rogue ninjas into near silence. The fire ninjutsu they knew was like a speck of dust compared to this young ninja's.
"I've seen many people like you. I thought that with the development of ninja villages, you would eventually be eradicated one day, but I didn't expect..."
This ninja world had never changed. The strong were endlessly greedy, and the weak struggled to survive. This dog-eat-dog world had never changed. In that case, I will—
I, the one destined to be evil, will rule this world!
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"Don't, don't come any closer!"
The terrified rogue ninjas were too scared to even run.
Uchiha Ying merely glared at them, and they all lost their ability to fight.
Genjutsu: Temple of Nirvana Technique!
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"
No need for the Sharingan. Against these low-level rogue ninjas, even the most basic genjutsu could make them instantly collapse. Seeing the rogue ninjas writhing on the ground, screaming in terror from the horrors they were witnessing in the genjutsu, Uchiha Ying coldly drew his kunai.
"Wait."
Just as Uchiha Ying was about to finish off these ninjas, Kurenai Yuhi suddenly reached out and grabbed Uchiha Ying's wrist.
"Sensei?"
"I'm not saying we should let these villains go. Just, let me interrogate them with genjutsu first."
This kid's killing intent was so strong. Although it was good for a ninja to have this level of killing intent, but...
Kurenai Yuhi still thought it would be better if her student was a bit more adorable.
"But I'm really surprised. You even know a B-rank ninjutsu, such a high-level technique."
And he used it so well.
Looking at the now barren hillside, Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help but take a deep breath. And the genjutsu she had taught him not long ago, he had mastered it so quickly.
Was this what it meant to be a genius?
Although she wanted to see Uchiha Ying go all out, seeing this student's strength and performance far exceed her expectations... it also made her a little uneasy as his teacher. If this kept up and he grew too quickly, what if she, as his teacher, couldn't defeat her own student? And what did he mean when he said he had seen many... before? Wasn't he always in the village?
"It's just a very ordinary ninjutsu. As long as you have enough chakra, you can use it."
Compared to Madara Uchiha, Uchiha Ying felt that his Great Fire Annihilation was just a small fireball. But recently, after absorbing many fragments from Naruto and Sasuke, his chakra had indeed increased a lot.
And, given the current situation, the strength he had revealed was just right, making him a 'normal genius.' Hopefully, this would prevent him from being easily used as cannon fodder in the ANBU in the future.
"So... so strong. As expected of Ying-kun."
All of Hinata's previous worries now turned into astonishment at Uchiha Ying's strength and a deep admiration for him. Indeed, back in the ninja academy, Ying-kun must have been going easy on me when he lost.
"Indeed, with this kind of gap, I don't even feel like fighting you anymore."
Shino was also shocked by the Great Fire Annihilation. Of course, he was even more surprised by the other's lack of hesitation when it came to killing. Was it because of the Uchiha clan's blood feud? They had all graduated from the same academy, but he hadn't expected the gap to be so large.
"Don't say that. Your bugs are still quite useful. We'll rely on you to keep watch tonight."
The sky was gradually darkening, and the setting sun left only a sliver of light on the horizon.
It would be dark soon.
Uchiha Ying looked at the merchant caravan, now devoid of any survivors due to the earlier bandit attack, and then at the rogue ninjas who had been interrogated and subsequently executed by Kurenai Yuhi.
For some reason, he had an odd premonition. This seemingly easy C-rank treasure hunting mission might turn out to be as dangerous as Kakashi's mission in the Land of Waves.
——
——
"Itachi-san, that fire just now?"
"Yes, it seems there were powerful ninjas fighting over there."
Itachi impassively glanced at the distant hillside where the fire had appeared, using his Sharingan.
"Should we go take a look? They might be Konoha ninjas. We should be within the Land of Fire's territory by now, right?"
"No need to complicate things. If we alert them, it will be harder for us to infiltrate Konoha."
Faced with Kisame's ill-intentioned suggestion, Itachi naturally refused outright.
"Is that so? I hope it's not because Itachi-san is worried about running into acquaintances and doesn't want to take action."
Kisame seemed bored, so he was just making conversation and testing the other at the same time.
"Do you think I still have any 'acquaintances' in Konoha?"
Itachi replied coldly.
"Sorry, I spoke out of turn."
Seeing that Itachi seemed a bit angry, Kisame immediately shut his mouth. But after a while, he couldn't help but speak again.
"However, I heard... there's something interesting happening at the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools nearby. Something about a Shinigami and treasure."
"Don't do anything unnecessary, Kisame."
"Yes, yes, we'll just go to Konoha. Nowhere else."