Chapter 105: The Village Hidden in the Rain! Sasuke and Itachi's Encounter!

Chapter 105: The Village Hidden in the Rain! Sasuke and Itachi's Encounter!

Jiraiya remained silent for a long time before shifting the topic, "Right... Was Naruto captured by Akatsuki?"

"Most likely. After all, Naruto is also a jinchuriki," Kakashi replied.

"Akatsuki might be in Amegakure," Jiraiya added after a brief pause.

"Amegakure? Are you sure?" Kakashi asked.

"Of course. I had planned to come and see you and Naruto one last time before heading to Amegakure to investigate. Now, I'll leave it to the Empire's people. If they still care about appearances, they should at least rescue Naruto," Jiraiya said and took his leave.

He returned to Konoha but did not reveal himself. Instead, he disguised himself as an ordinary person and asked Tsunade to keep it a secret. He started investigating and tracking the Empire's people within the village, determined to uncover their true identities.

The former Uchiha clan's compound, which was also Sarutobi's compound until recently.

At that moment, Sasuke of the Ninja World, Itachi of the Empire, Obito, and Shisui were gathered together. After listening to Itachi's account of the battle with Akatsuki, Shisui angrily exclaimed:

"Those little rats from Akatsuki dared to lay their hands on our Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan! They're digging their own graves!"

"I've already killed two of them, but unfortunately, Obito wasn't there at the time. Otherwise, none of them would have gotten away alive," Sasuke of the Ninja World said.

"My existence in this world is truly pathetic... I gave one Sharingan eye to Kakashi, and now the other has been taken by someone else," the Empire's Obito sighed.

"Where is Akatsuki? How do you plan to track them down? I can't wait to wipe those little rats out," Sasuke of the Ninja World asked.

"The Green State has dispatched a swarm of drones for a large-scale aerial reconnaissance. I believe we'll find their traces in a few days," the Empire's Itachi replied.

"Drones?"

"You can think of it as tens of thousands, or even hundreds of millions of flying spiritual beasts patrolling the sky," Itachi explained.

"As expected of the Empire, they have a vast number of spiritual beasts at their disposal," Sasuke of the Ninja World nodded in relief.

Just then, the four of them turned their heads simultaneously towards the entrance as they heard footsteps:

"A member of the Anbu? What brings you here?" Sasuke asked.

"Leaders, Tsunade-sama asked me to inform you that there's news about Akatsuki's base. It's in Amegakure," the Anbu member reported.

"Amegakure? The Water Capital?" Itachi of the Empire muttered.

"Thank you for the information from Lady Tsunade. Rest assured, Akatsuki won't continue to exist for long," Shisui said, and the Anbu member left.

The Uchiha four stood up from their seats.

"Let's go. We'll wipe out Akatsuki and rescue Naruto, and try to make it back in time for dinner," Shisui said.

"Alright! Let's go then!" Sasuke replied.

The pitter-patter of raindrops...

A light rain fell continuously from the cloud-filled sky.

Itachi of the Ninja World, clad in a black Akatsuki robe with red clouds, leaned against the gate of a tall tower, gazing at the raindrops. His thoughts, however, seemed to be elsewhere:

"It's been several days... Ever since Pain assigned me to guard this tower, I've been wondering about the state of the great ninja villages, especially Konoha...

Does Pain see right through me? Should I continue staying in Akatsuki or return and report to him?"

As he thought about this, he couldn't help but glance back once more, only to see several Amegakure ninjas standing behind him, staring intently.

"What a nuisance..."

Suddenly, he lifted his head sharply and looked up at the sky.

A pale blue Susanoo, at least seventy meters tall, broke through the clouds and came into view.

Then, three ninjas descended from the sky.

As the three ninjas drew closer to the ground, Itachi of the Ninja World finally recognized them and exclaimed in surprise:

"Sasuke... and this is... me? Elder Shisui? How is this possible?!"

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The light footsteps of the three landing on the ground echoed softly.

Sasuke of the Ninja World, Itachi of the Empire, and Shisui of the Empire fixed their gazes on Itachi of the Ninja World.

Their eyes did not hold much anger, but instead, a mixture of pity and mockery.

"We finally meet, Itachi... For these past three years, I've thought about you countless times. But I never imagined that you joined Akatsuki to be their watchdog?" Sasuke of the Ninja World said mockingly.

Having learned the truth and just finished wiping out the Konoha F4 clan, Sasuke of the Ninja World was surprisingly calm.

"After all, you were a dog for this world's Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi. It's only natural that you'd change masters and continue being a dog," Shisui of the Empire said coldly.

"Your existence is a mistake, and now we shall correct that mistake. How pitiful," Itachi of the Empire said, closing his eyes.

The Uchiha trio's words stabbed at Itachi of the Ninja World's heart, and he couldn't help but think, "A dog for the Third Hokage and Danzo... Could Sasuke know something?"

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"It means exactly what I said. I know about the foolish things you've done," Sasuke of the Ninja World replied.

"So, you know..." Itachi of the Ninja World's expression grew complex.

"However, I cannot agree with you, you foolish man." Ninja World Sasuke spat.

"..." Ninja World Itachi remained silent.

"As a member of the Uchiha clan, you actually befriended that old fool Sarutobi and acted as his spy, reporting everything about the Uchiha to him," Ninja World Sasuke continued, his voice filled with contempt. "You... are not worthy of being called an Uchiha."

"If the Uchiha clan rebelled, Konoha would be plunged into a crisis of destruction..." Ninja World Itachi finally interjected, trying to explain.

"And whose fault is that? My Uchiha clan has been pushed from the center of Konoha to the outskirts. Do you not know the reason for that?" Ninja World Sasuke asked, his voice rising.

"The Third Hokage was also helpless... the Uchiha's hawk faction was too extreme..." Ninja World Itachi said in a low voice.

"And whose fault is that? It's because of those old dogs—the Third, Danzo, and the rest!" Ninja World Sasuke argued.

"That... was because of the Sharingan during the Nine-Tails' rampage. If it hadn't been for that Sharingan, everything would have been different... In the end, the Uchiha brought it upon themselves," Ninja World Itachi said, his tone turning bitter.

"Ridiculous! You were involved in the destruction of the Uchiha clan, and you still don't know if anyone can control the Nine-Tails? If the Sharingan at that time had been in the hands of our clan, how could it have been so easily watched by the ninja that Danzo sent? You let them exterminate us! It was just the foolish act of an outsider taking the Sharingan, and you actually shift the blame onto our Uchiha clan? You fool! You may have the body of an Uchiha, but you don't have an ounce of the Uchiha spirit!" Ninja World Sasuke's words grew sharper with each sentence.

Ninja World Sasuke's expression turned cold as he continued, "Most importantly, you had a better way to handle the situation back then, but you cowardly chose to side with the powerful Konoha. You deceived yourself and thought you were protecting the Uchiha? How laughable!"

"..A better way to handle it? What do you mean?" Ninja World Itachi asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Back then, you already had the Mangekyo Sharingan, didn't you? Because of Brother Shisui's death," Ninja World Sasuke said, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes..." Ninja World Itachi replied, his voice soft.

"Since you already had the Mangekyo Sharingan, why didn't you reveal it? If you had, many of the Uchiha would have been convinced by you," Ninja World Sasuke said, his voice intense.

"..." Ninja World Itachi fell silent.

"Once you gained the trust of the other Uchiha, you could have joined forces with Father, the clan leader, to suppress the hawk faction. Then, you could have led the Uchiha clan out of Konoha! If Konoha couldn't accept us, couldn't the rest of the ninja world? Or have you become so used to being a dog that you can't leave your master?" Ninja World Sasuke's words were like sharp knives, cutting through the air.

Ninja World Itachi's hand flew to his chest, as if to ease an unseen pain. "Konoha would not have easily let the Uchiha clan go... In their eyes, the Uchiha were too dangerous..."

"So we made concessions, and they still refused to let us leave? Then we should have fought them! If they were willing to sacrifice the lives of their ninja, then so be it! We Uchiha have survived several Great Ninja Wars! We have never been cowards! We would rather shatter than yield! The Uchiha clan is not so easily bullied!" Ninja World Sasuke shouted, his eyes blazing with determination.

"Your thinking is too extreme, Sasuke," Ninja World Itachi said, his voice strained.

"No! It's you who are too cowardly! Because of your cowardice, you killed Father and Mother. You killed all the innocent Uchiha! You thought you were noble, shouldering everything and leaving me alive? Do you think I would thank you for that?" Ninja World Sasuke's voice was filled with scorn.

"I never thought that," Ninja World Itachi said, his voice hollow.

"Hmph... It doesn't matter now. I came here to kill you, you foolish Uchiha Itachi. You don't deserve the Uchiha's forgiveness, and I am not qualified to forgive you on their behalf. Go to hell and reunite with Danzo and the others. You can continue being their dog there," Ninja World Sasuke said, his voice dripping with contempt.

"What do you mean by that?" Ninja World Itachi asked, his eyes widening in shock.

"Isn't it obvious? Sasuke has already wiped out Danzo, Torune, and Fuushin, along with Sarutobi's four clan members," Empire Sasake said, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"What?! You killed them all?!" Ninja World Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What's it to you? Does it hurt to see your master die, you watchdog?!" Empire Sasuke sneered.

"And as for Konoha, the village you hold so dear, it will also cease to exist. I, along with my companions, will ensure its destruction. No one can stop us!" Ninja World Sasuke's smile turned malicious as he launched a deadly attack.

Ninja World Itachi's hand flew to his chest as he staggered, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. His frail body couldn't handle the shock of this news. In the original story, he had implanted Shisui's eye, recording the instruction to protect Konoha, intending to use it on Sasuke if he ever learned the truth and lost control. This showed how much Konoha, and by extension Sasuke and the rest of the village, meant to him. Hearing that Konoha would be destroyed was like hearing of his brother's death all over again, something he couldn't bear.

"You... you intend to lay a hand on Konoha?" Ninja World Itachi asked, his heart heavy.

"Of course! Konoha, the village that destroyed the Uchiha clan, does not deserve to exist in this world!" Ninja World Sasuke replied, his tone indifferent as he appeared beside Itachi in a flash and swung his sword.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end