"Was it really a kid like you who destroyed the Uchiha Clan, betrayed Konoha, and joined Akatsuki? I can't believe it."
A voice suddenly sounded.
Itachi stopped in his tracks, turning his gaze back slightly.
A handsome man with white hair had somehow appeared behind him, speaking those words.
The man looked very young, but his demeanor was anything but youthful, instead appearing worldly and old.
The speed of Instant Body was fast, but Itachi was unafraid. If it was only this speed, he could completely see through it with his Sharingan and react swiftly.
Although he was proficient in Ninja Techniques and Illusion Techniques, he had not neglected his Taijutsu training. In fact, he excelled more and more each day.
"Hey, don't bully newcomers the moment they arrive."
Kisame walked over, intercepting between the two, while explaining to Itachi: "This guy is like you, an S-rank fugitive from Konoha named Hiruko. Be careful, he really enjoys hunting Kekkeigenkai Ninjas. And he's mastered five types of Kekkeigenkai. If you're not careful, you might die."
Kisame had no reservations and directly exposed Hiruko's secrets.
Hiruko heard Kisame warning Itachi and revealing some of his abilities but didn't mind, just shrugged.
"Relax, Sharingan is no longer within my hunting range. Compared to Sharingan, Byakugan is really what I'm after."
Hiruko said so.
"Byakugan..."
"I'm just here to see for myself, what kind of kid could wipe out the Uchiha Clan... In general, please take care of me."
"Please take care of me."
Itachi simply replied.
It seemed that this 'senior' wasn't too difficult to get along with.
Moreover, from Konoha, Hiruko... Itachi remembered seeing this name in Anbu's files before.
A contemporary of the Sannin but due to lack of talent, he embarked on the evil path of developing Forbidden Techniques through human experiments, becoming a renegade ninja from Konoha.
Next, the three of them proceeded together to the innermost room.
Hiruko took the lead, opening the door to enter the room.
Itachi and Kisame followed him in.
Nagato stood by the window, looking at the rain outside.
Beside him was a young woman with blue hair. Itachi remembered that her name was Konan, one of the founding members of Akatsuki and she had a very close relationship with Leader Nagato, almost inseparable.
The other person made Itachi's expression change slightly.
He saw a familiar face.
"Ah, Itachi-kun, long time no see. I didn't expect you'd really come here after leaving Konoha. When the leader first mentioned it, I could hardly believe it."
A sinister laugh echoed, making one think of unpleasant things.
Purple eyeshadow, cold and bloodless snake-like eyes, a wide grin completely inhuman.
Or rather, the person wasn't even human anymore.
"Long time no see, Orochimaru-senpai."
Itachi nodded, greeting Orochimaru.
Disciple of Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, one of the legendary Sannin... The reason for his defection was quite similar to Hiruko, betraying the village in pursuit of evil Forbidden Techniques. A dangerous presence with no moral boundaries.
Someone like this being recruited into Akatsuki made Itachi increasingly aware of the organization's terrifying nature and threat.
For Konoha, such a sinister organization lurking in the shadows was not a good thing.
Especially since his agreement with Madara, it was unclear how long it could be maintained, for now, he could only take one step at a time.
He had no ability to restrain Akatsuki.
Any one of them was already a headache for him.
Not to mention, the leader Nagato could suppress all these dangerous renegades and remain at the top.
"Since you're here, it means you've been abandoned by Danzo, hasn't it? My earlier suspicion turned out to be correct."
Orochimaru laughed meaningfully.
He had realized long ago that Danzo was monitoring Itachi.
It was clear Danzo was scheming something with Itachi.
Now, with the Uchiha Clan's annihilation and Itachi's defection from the village, what role did Konoha's higher-ups play in this action? Orochimaru's smile grew more intriguing.
A pitiful puppet indeed. Orochimaru thought to himself, looking at Itachi's slightly young face.
To burden such a child with the mission of annihilating a clan, and to shift all the blame away... Orochimaru gently sighed.
Konoha is indeed no longer what it used to be.
The Hokage is no longer the Hokage of the past.
Everything has changed.
Itachi's experience only strengthened his belief that leaving Konoha was the right decision.
"Orochimaru-senpai, don't get things mixed up. No matter what, I'm the one who abandoned Danzo in order to gain greater power. That's the inevitable result. Konoha and the clan just aren't places that can measure my capacity, that's all."
Itachi calmly responded, speaking matter-of-factly.
Orochimaru smiled without saying a word.
Truly a boy full of lies and deceit.
In a certain sense, he was also quite naïve.
Perhaps because of this, Danzo regarded him as the 'blade' to eliminate the Uchiha.
A once glorious clan was already on the path of decline in Konoha.
Sasori, who teamed up with Orochimaru, merely gave Itachi a casual glance before turning his attention elsewhere.
He didn't have time to bicker with a kid.
Moreover, he seriously doubted the claim that the boy could destroy the entire Uchiha Clan alone.