"Lord Asura, Lord Danzo has requested you to visit him. He mentioned it would be inconvenient for him to come to you, as it might cause you some trouble."
As Itachi returned to the mansion, preparing to wash up and sleep, a maid left by Danzo knocked on his door and entered to deliver the message.
Itachi's expression turned a little odd. He couldn't quite understand why Danzo would summon him at this hour.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded slightly.
"Alright, I understand. You may leave now. Get some rest."
Itachi waved his hand, dismissing the maid, who had an alluring figure.
"Yes, Lord Asura. I will take my leave now…"
After watching the maid leave, Itachi put back on the clothes he had already started to remove. Without hesitation, he headed toward the door.
Danzo wouldn't summon him for trivial matters, especially not at this late hour.
The consequences of doing so were something Danzo was fully aware of.
Thus, this late-night summons must mean the matter was urgent.
"Lord Asura, you're here."
At the Root base, Itachi entered the room and closed the door behind him with a calm demeanor.
Danzo, who had been sitting upright with an air of authority, immediately transformed into a subservient figure, bowing and scraping.
Seeing Danzo's behavior, Itachi felt a wave of disgust rise in his chest.
"What's the matter? Why did you call me here so late?"
Suppressing his discomfort, Itachi spoke in an indifferent tone.
"Lord Asura, there's been a change in the situation. Initially, I fabricated impressive resumes for you and Aganzo, intending to ensure that you could smoothly join the ninja academy as teachers. However, I didn't expect Hiruzen Sarutobi to suddenly, for some unknown reason, check the ninja registry…"
Danzo looked at Itachi with apprehension, speaking softly.
His tone was filled with unease, clearly fearing that a single misstep could cost him his life.
This situation had escalated beyond what Danzo could handle discreetly. A wrong move could disrupt Itachi's plans, so he had no choice but to report it.
"And then? Keep going."
Noticing Danzo had stopped mid-sentence, Itachi's gaze shifted from the distance back to him, speaking in a slightly irritated tone.
What was this? Was his blade not sharp enough to keep Danzo speaking clearly?
"Lord Asura, Hiruzen Sarutobi has summoned both you and Aganzo to meet him tomorrow. After thinking it over all night, I suspect he's taken an interest in your fabricated civilian backgrounds and abilities. He might be planning to test you to assess your true capabilities… possibly to appoint you as official Jonin, publicly recognized in the ranks."
Seeing the displeasure in Itachi's face and eyes, Danzo dared not hesitate any longer and quickly shared his speculation.
Hearing Danzo's words, Itachi was momentarily stunned.
What kind of development was this? What a coincidence.
However, his mind quickly began working. If Danzo's assumption was correct, being recognized as a Jonin, despite the fabricated low-status background, would make them easier to manipulate. This could even lead to gaining credentials as a squad leader…
That would make many things much more convenient.
"Prepare a copy of the fabricated profiles for Aganzo and me. I want to study them."
After some thought, Itachi spoke softly.
His interest had recently been piqued by Naruto. If things unfolded this way, it might align with his intentions.
What was so great about being a teacher at the ninja academy, confined to the village?
Becoming a squad leader Jonin, leading the next generation of shinobi, could be quite interesting.
Especially for someone fascinated by the world of Naruto, this prospect filled him with a strange sense of anticipation.
What if he could influence the paths of the "Konoha 12"?
The thought made Itachi's mind wander in peculiar directions.
"Understood, Lord Asura…"
Seeing that Itachi didn't seem angry and even looked somewhat intrigued, Danzo let out a small sigh of relief.
He had already prepared a backup plan in case Itachi was displeased.
If necessary, these two fabricated identities could meet with a sudden and mysterious demise tomorrow…
Although the process would be more complicated, it wouldn't deviate much from the original intent.
Before long, Danzo handed over two profiles detailing the lives of "Asura" and "Aganzo."
While the documents had minor flaws, they were relatively comprehensive.
Anyone not digging too deeply wouldn't find any issues.
If someone did conduct a thorough investigation, Danzo had measures in place to cover things up.
"Asura" and "Aganzo" were, without a doubt, native Konoha citizens…
"Are these profiles really sufficient?"
Looking at his fabricated backstory, Itachi couldn't help but feel it was somewhat inadequate.
A life so grand and extraordinary, summarized in just a few hundred words—wasn't that absurd?
If he were Hokage, promoting someone to Jonin, he would leave no stone unturned in his investigation.
After all, Jonin represented the face of Konoha.
This was far from enough detail.
"Rest assured, Lord Asura. It's more than enough. Just in case you forget, I've added a note in the latest version stating that you suffered memory loss due to an accident during a past mission. If you're required to go through a review for promotion, my people will handle it and cover for you."
Hearing Itachi's doubts, Danzo quickly reassured him, showcasing his resourcefulness.
"I recall that most of Konoha's jōnin usually serve in the Anbu before their promotion. Could it be that you misunderstood Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentions?"
After hearing Danzo's words, Itachi felt utterly baffled.
At the same time, he voiced his doubts.
"You may not know this, sir, but many Anbu members are unsuited to working in the open. The missions they typically undertake are gruesome, leaving them emotionally numb. As a jōnin, however, one must uphold the image of Konoha's righteous ninja and practice restraint. The Anbu focuses more on assassination techniques. There are quite a few jōnin who advanced to chunin without ever serving in the Anbu. So your case isn't exactly an exception."
After listening to Itachi, Danzo explained softly.
The jōnin presented openly were merely for show—to mislead other villages.
In truth, how could a village have so few jōnin on the surface?
Countless secrets were hidden in the shadows.
"Alright, so my role is that of someone who has lost their memory. What about Aganzo? Does he also only have a single file?"
Hearing Danzo's words, Itachi said nothing more. He simply placed his file aside and began looking through Kakashi's file, or rather, Aganzo's.
What met his eyes was a dense array of tiny text.
Good grief… Itachi thought, inwardly astonished.
"This still isn't enough. Even with thousands of words documenting his life, there are bound to be omissions. What is he going to claim? That he has intermittent amnesia from a prior head injury during a fight?"
Itachi raised Aganzo's file and addressed Danzo.
"Lord Asura, no need to rush. This is just Aganzo's summary file. The detailed records are still being duplicated," Danzo explained calmly.
"Bring it in," Danzo suddenly called out to the people outside the door, interrupting Itachi's train of thought.
"Alright, you can leave now," Danzo said as soon as his subordinate placed a one-meter-tall stack of files on the table.
As the subordinate exited, Danzo hunched his back once again.
"Lord Itachi, these are the detailed records—all of Aganzo's deeds from age three to the present," Danzo said with a drawn-out tone.
Itachi had already been stunned when the subordinate entered. Now, after Danzo confirmed the situation, his emotions became even more complex.
Suddenly, losing his memory seemed incredibly appealing.
Looking at the towering pile of files, he couldn't help but think, Good grief, just… wow.
Silently, Itachi mourned for Kakashi for a brief moment. I wonder how someone like Kakashi, who loves to read and learn, will react to this?
To be fair, Danzo's efficiency left little room for criticism.