The next day.
Early morning.
The team gathered at the entrance of Konoha Village.
Uchiha Itachi, worried that his brother would make a fuss about their separation, left home early and was even the first to arrive at the meeting point.
"Which route are we taking to the Land of Earth?"
After Akihara Kagura inquired, she suggested proactively, "Why not go through the Land of Rain? I heard there's a civil war there. On our way, we might even kill some people who are looking for trouble..."
"We'll take the Land of Grass!"
Kakashi Hatake quickly made a decision.
Even if Kakashi initially considered the route through the Land of Rain, after hearing Akihara Kagura's suggestion, he immediately changed it to pass through the peaceful Land of Grass.
In the past, Kakashi Hatake might have felt a bit sad when passing by Shinobi Bridge in the Land of Grass because it was the burial site of Uchiha Obito;
Now, with Uchiha Obito still alive, Kakashi Hatake didn't have any lingering sadness and was even more motivated to bring Uchiha Obito back to Konoha!
"Actually, going through the Land of Rain would also work..."
To everyone's surprise, Uchiha Itachi agreed with Akihara Kagura's suggestion.
Perhaps because he received an order from Shimura Danzo to monitor Akihara Kagura the day before, Uchiha Itachi felt a bit guilty about his teammate, and his actions when looking at Akihara Kagura appeared somewhat cautious.
This was a novice in espionage.
He even felt a bit ashamed and guilty while monitoring.
"Why are you agreeing with Kagura's suggestion?"
Kakashi Hatake glanced at Uchiha Itachi in surprise: "Itachi, with your training, you should know that the Land of Grass is the most suitable route for us..."
"I..."
Uchiha Itachi pondered how to respond.
"Heh..."
Akihara Kagura scoffed, helping Uchiha Itachi out: "Perhaps he feels guilty for taking away my life? Did Danzo-san promise to hand over the Root to you in the future?"
"..."
Uchiha Itachi's expression immediately turned strange.
What a mess!
Shimura Danzo had no such intentions; he only asked me to be a spy!
"No... not at all..."
Uchiha Itachi shook his head helplessly and continued, "I just asked Danzo-san yesterday, and he didn't show any intention of letting you return to the Root..."
"No need to hide it from me."
Akihara Kagura scoffed, speaking mockingly: "If you feel guilty towards me, just hand over the position of Root Leader to me when you take over Danzo-san's role in the future..."
"Behave yourself!"
Kakashi Hatake knocked on the back of Akihara Kagura's head, turned to Uchiha Itachi, and said, "Don't listen to this guy's nonsense. When you become the leader of the Root, just allow Yakushi Nonou and Yao Shidou to leave the Root..."
"Ah..."
Uchiha Itachi widened his eyes in surprise.
Those two names, he had just heard yesterday, were the two Intelligence Department members he needed to contact at The Hidden Rock Village during this mission!
Last night, Shimura Danzo gave him three scrolls, two of which were to be delivered to Yakushi Nonou and Yao Shidou, the two Intelligence members. What was their connection to Akihara Kagura?
"Who are they..."
Uchiha Itachi was curious about the relationship between these two and Akihara Kagura.
Kakashi Hatake took a look at Akihara Kagura, who was silently standing by, and seeing that he didn't object, he continued, "One is the director of the orphanage that raised Akihara Kagura, and the other was Akihara Kagura's friend at the orphanage."
"I'm not friends with Yao Shidou!"
"That's pretty much what I meant..."
Kakashi Hatake shrugged indifferently, somewhat satisfied that Akihara Kagura didn't mention killing Yao Shidou anymore, and continued, "So when you take over Danzo's position, you can let them leave the Root..."
"Ah... no..."
Uchiha Itachi hurriedly waved his hand to clarify, "Danzo-san never had any intention of handing over the position of Root Leader to me; he just tasked me with contacting the Intelligence members..."
There's nothing unspeakable about this.
Because Kakashi Hatake and Akihara Kagura both knew that Shimura Danzo had certainly instructed Uchiha Itachi on how to contact the Intelligence members, as this was an order given by Sarutobi Hiruzen directly.
However, the secret assessment he accepted couldn't be disclosed.
Uchiha Itachi recalled the assessment content he saw on the last scroll from the night before, which was to kill a person who would appear at a certain time and place in the Land of Earth, speculating that the target might be an enemy affecting the Intelligence members' infiltration.
"It's only a matter of time..."
Akihara Kagura shrugged indifferently and earnestly advised, "I really don't understand what Danzo-san sees in you; you're not even stronger than me. You'd better wise up and leave the Root sooner, and stay as far away from Danzo-san as possible..."
"I'll do my best."
Uchiha Itachi declined his advice.
This teammate would never understand what kind of situation he was facing.
Uchiha Itachi would never leave the Root, as he sought a way to maintain peace between the Uchiha and Konoha.
"Alright, it's time for us to set off."
Kakashi Hatake felt that Akihara Kagura's words sounded a bit sarcastic.
However, Kakashi Hatake also believed that Uchiha Itachi should indeed consider keeping his distance from Shimura Danzo, but unfortunately, such a matter was beyond what a mere Anbu Sub-Commander could decide.
Along the way, the Land of Fire appeared exceptionally peaceful.