The girl in the painting looked too much like himself—nearly identical. Even her expression was extremely similar to his own from back then. If the two stood side by side...
At this moment, Anya finally understood why Genzo had been so serious.
Anya, who had originally been calm, now felt turbulence stirring inside his heart. His voice even became shaky as he asked, "What is her name?"
Genzo replied, "According to what Lady Tsunade called her, her name should be Hakuto."
"I see. Now I understand."
At the instant he heard this name, Anya no longer harbored any doubt—Mount Hakuto was the place they'd last met before being separated.
"Genzo, thank you," Anya sincerely expressed his gratitude. Otherwise, who knows how long this secret would've remained hidden. Tsunade, you really are something.
Right now, Anya's heart was incredibly complex—joy, fear, confusion, and even dread mingled together. After wandering on the brink of life and death for so many years, Anya had thought his mental state had already reached a very high level. But in this single moment, everything had been shattered.
Seeing the shifting expression on Anya's face, Genzo tactfully pulled out a map and pointed at a small town marked upon it, saying, "This was the last place they appeared."
Anya gritted his teeth, muttering just one word: "Go."
Outside the nearest town to Konoha, Kakashi slumped onto the ground, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the two people before him. Gasping heavily, he managed to say, "Itachi, you truly deserve your reputation as someone who became an Anbu squad leader at thirteen. Are you here looking for Sasuke?"
Itachi calmly replied, "No, we're here for the legacy of the Fourth Hokage."
"Just as I suspected—it's Naruto. And I know you aren't the only ones taking action. The organization is called Akatsuki, right?"
As soon as these words were spoken, both Itachi and Kisame's expressions instantly changed.
Itachi made a decision. "Take him."
"Fine." Without hesitation, Kisame raised his large sword Samehada and charged forward.
[Leaf Whirlwind!]
Might Guy arrived just in time, successfully catching up with Kakashi. With one kick, he sent Kisame flying backward.
Itachi observed Might Guy, frowning slightly. Then he said to Kisame, "Let's go. There's no need to fight intensely here."
"Why? We finally managed to..." Kisame complained but still withdrew his weapon. Both disappeared simultaneously using Shunshin.
By then, Kakashi could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
Might Guy didn't chase after them either. Instead, he worriedly lifted Kakashi onto his back and quickly rushed toward Konoha Hospital.
"Itachi, sir, those were merely two jonins. Given your strength…"
Itachi reminded him, "That man wasn't an ordinary jonin. Also, don't forget about Dark Yào, whom I mentioned earlier. He's the student of the Legend of the White Fang, and Kakashi is the White Fang's only son. If you had truly killed Kakashi, he definitely would've stepped in."
"Is he really that strong?" Kisame still had doubts.
Itachi affirmed, "He can only be stronger than you imagine. Our target has already left Konoha; seems like one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, has taken him."
Kisame analyzed, "Jiraiya, huh? Even for you, he's no easy opponent. As for me, I'm not in the same league—he's on a whole different level."
"It's true," Itachi agreed. "If we fought him, we'd both end up dead—or at the very least, both severely injured and defeated."
As they spoke, the two walked into the small town.
At that moment, Anya and Genzo happened to walk out. The two groups passed each other without a word.
Anya paused briefly, his spirit momentarily leaving his body before he continued walking as if nothing had happened.
Inside Itachi's spiritual realm, foster father and son met again. However, their expressions remained cold, devoid of any past warmth.
Seeing Anya remain silent, Itachi finally spoke first, "Foster Father."
Anya replied with some melancholy, "I didn't expect you'd still acknowledge me. How does it feel being a rogue ninja?"
Itachi didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Foster Father, I have one question. Please answer truthfully."
"Go ahead."
"You are also a member of the Uchiha Clan, correct?" Itachi asked firmly.
Anya replied without changing expression, "Why would you think that?"
Itachi said slowly, "Since I was young, I've known how exclusive our clan is. Especially since I am the clan head's son—my father would never let me call an outsider my foster father. But when I checked the genealogy records myself, your name wasn't there. That made me start doubting my own judgment. Then just now, Kisame told me about a sword-wielding Uchiha boy who once visited the Hidden Mist village. I became certain—it was you."
After hearing this, Anya admitted, "Yes."
"Why then? Why have you never returned to the clan? Even the surname—you abandoned it completely. If it were you..." Itachi stopped himself, unable to continue, but deep sorrow filled the space between them.
"You didn't like this clan either, did you? You even buried it yourself."
Itachi's expression changed slightly. "It's different."
"Forget it. What's in the past has already happened. There's no point bringing it up again. Since we've met by chance, I want to ask about your future plans. Sarutobi, who knew your true identity, is already dead. As for the other person, Danzo, he's always coveted the power of the Uchiha Clan—he won't help you."
Anya's words struck Itachi like thunder.
"You know about that?"
"With such circumstances, was it really that hard to figure out?" Anya replied calmly. "To put it bluntly, it's all for Konoha's peace, preventing civil war while preserving the Uchiha name's honor, and ensuring Sasuke survives unscathed—all at once, right?"
Itachi took a deep breath. "You truly are my foster father. So go on—can you guess what I plan to do next?"
Anya sighed softly. "Planning to continue gathering intelligence on the Akatsuki Organization? Or perhaps you intend to make Sasuke stronger through hatred, pushing him to awaken the Mangekyō by sacrificing yourself—as Shisui once did?"
Itachi's eyes widened, shock clearly evident in his gaze. "You actually know the truth behind Shisui's death?"
"Shisui came to see me once too," Anya answered honestly. "He said exactly what you're saying now—pleading with me to save the clan. I refused. He had a real shot back then, but alas—he was too naive for his own good. That led to everything that followed."
"Itachi now understood—Ana had known everything from the beginning, yet...
In a voice devoid of all vitality, Itachi said, 'Compared to me, you can accomplish much more. If you did absolutely nothing, then why come to me now? Foster Father,' he continued, 'this will be the last time I use that title for you.'
'How do you know I did absolutely nothing?' Ana finally replied softly. 'Stay alive. There are still people who love you left in this world. Don't let despair consume you. As for the Akatsuki, I will resolve it in the future.'
Itachi's eyes flickered as he suddenly thought of a possibility—then immediately dismissed it as impossible. He had done it himself, right? Every detail of that moment was vivid in his mind. How could it possibly be otherwise?
Yet... if it was something Foster Father had truly done, perhaps it wasn't impossible after all.
At that thought, Itachi asked seriously, 'What should I do?'
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