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Itachi had never anticipated that matters would unfold so smoothly.
After the initial detonation of the Steam Imp Threat, it had not only thrown the Hidden Leaf shinobi's carefully laid plans into utter disarray but had simultaneously sown chaos within the Akatsuki's own ranks. Even Deidara, still airborne, after his ecstatic, fervent declaration of "This is what true art looks like!", had been immediately engulfed by the raging sandstorm. Ultimately, he was forced to retreat far from the Second Mizukage just to escape the violent, turbulent shockwaves generated by the explosion. Even then, his entire body was left caked in a thick layer of fine, yellow sand.
By the time the second detonation thundered across the battlefield, the Akatsuki's members had already put a distance of at least four hundred meters between themselves and the Second Mizukage. Each of them had scattered in a different direction, and in doing so, they had each drawn a varying number of Hidden Leaf shinobi away in pursuit. Itachi had been among the swiftest to break away.
He had absolutely no desire to engage the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf in direct combat. The relationship between the Uchiha clan and the Hidden Leaf Village was exceedingly delicate, teetering on a razor's edge. Particularly after the Akatsuki's devastating assault on the Hidden Leaf, the Uchiha clan had fractured into two opposing factions. One side remained steadfastly loyal to the village, while the other leaned heavily towards outright rebellion.
To speak candidly, Itachi had no real wish to raise his hand against the Leaf directly. His departure from the village had not been motivated by a desire for revenge against it. His true objective was to unmask the man hiding behind the identity of "Uchiha Madara" and to determine whether there existed a deeper, more sinister layer to the alliance between this "Madara" and the Akatsuki.
After all, utilizing the power of the Ten-Tails to bring an end to all warfare was solely Pain's vision and goal. Throughout this entire process, "Madara" appeared to be gaining absolutely nothing for himself. Itachi had once spent a considerable, painstaking amount of time analyzing this "Madara." Without any solid leads, attempting to divine his true motives had proven to be an immensely difficult task.
Hypothetically, even if this "Madara" were the genuine article, the original Madara Uchiha was fundamentally untrustworthy, as he had once defected from the Hidden Leaf Village. If he were now willing to support and assist Pain, then there would have been no logical reason for him to have refused to assist the First Hokage. While Pain was undoubtedly a formidable figure, when compared to the First Hokage, he fell short in every conceivable metric.
Could a man who held no true allegiance to the First Hokage genuinely swear loyalty to Pain? And if he did not truly believe in Pain, why was he going to such lengths to help him? If, on the other hand, this "Madara" was nothing more than an impostor, then the situation became even more intriguing. Would a man who dared not even reveal his true face truly be acting out of selfless goodwill?
Itachi had pondered this enigma for a very long time, and a specific suspicion had gradually crystallized within his mind. Namely, that "Madara" was aiding Pain because, due to some deeply hidden, unknown set of circumstances, his ultimate objective happened to temporarily align with Pain's. At the very least, their goals converged on the necessity of obtaining the power of the Ten-Tails. Could it be that "Madara's" target was also the Ten-Tails? The fact that "Madara" had separated from the Akatsuki's main force immediately upon arriving at the Hidden Mist Village only served to reinforce this suspicion in Itachi's mind.
The individual currently accompanying "Madara" was Kabuto, and Kabuto was firmly under "Madara's" absolute control. From this perspective, even if "Madara" were to engage in underhanded, covert machinations, no one else would be the wiser...
Wait. That wasn't entirely true!
Itachi's thoughts suddenly flashed to Zetsu. Given Zetsu's unique and far-reaching surveillance capabilities, it should have been virtually impossible for "Madara's" movements to escape his notice. The fact that Zetsu had maintained such deliberate, conspicuous silence on the matter... could it be that "Madara" truly was up to something deeply clandestine? At this chilling realization, Itachi's heart began to pound with a sudden, sharp sense of urgency.
However, the cataclysmic explosion of the Steam Imp Threat had thrown the primary battlefield into utter chaos, causing the remaining members of the Akatsuki to scatter in all directions like leaves in a storm. Itachi had seized this precise, fleeting opportunity to slip away from the Akatsuki entirely, his mind set on tracking down "Madara's" current location and activities. Since the Allied Shinobi Forces had already arrived in full strength, there was no longer any need for him to remain entangled with the Akatsuki's affairs. Exposing "Madara's" true identity had now become the absolute, paramount priority.
Among the scattered Akatsuki members, Itachi's situation was the most uniquely precarious. He did everything in his power to avoid direct confrontations with the Hidden Leaf shinobi, accelerating his pace the very instant he fled the beach.
Yet, even after successfully shaking off both the Akatsuki and the pursuing Leaf shinobi, locating this elusive "Madara" still proved to be no simple task. The island upon which the Hidden Mist Village was situated was neither excessively large nor particularly small. As for where "Madara" might have gone, Itachi truly had no clear idea. Just as he stood frozen in a moment of agonized indecision, he suddenly sensed a distinctive chakra signature closing in on him from behind.
A jolt of alarm shot through him. He whirled around instantly, and spotting a figure furtively shadowing his movements, he immediately turned and hurled a burst of pitch-black, inextinguishable flames. A massive tree, roughly fifty meters away, which had been serving as cover for the stalker, was instantly engulfed in the raging, black inferno. The person hiding behind it was forced to abandon their concealment and leap into the open. Itachi stared at the individual who had been tailing him. Though his face remained a perfectly composed, emotionless mask, a ripple of shock stirred deep within his heart.
"Zetsu? You were following me?" Itachi demanded.
"Heh heh. I was merely curious, that's all. I assure you, I harbor absolutely no ill will towards you," Zetsu replied with a sly, unctuous grin.
"Curious about what, exactly?" Itachi pressed.
"Why, about 'what you intend to do,' of course. The other members of the Akatsuki are currently locked in desperate, life-or-death combat against the Hidden Leaf shinobi. For the Akatsuki, this battle is, without a shred of doubt, a fight for its very survival. And yet, at such a critically pivotal moment, you chose to slip away and flee. I must say, your actions are exceedingly suspicious," Zetsu remarked.
"And what of you? You, too, have chosen not to engage the Leaf shinobi in a desperate struggle. Instead, you opted to follow and surveil me," Itachi countered pointedly.
"My combat abilities are simply not suited for a direct confrontation of this magnitude. However, I am more than capable of performing reconnaissance and gathering intelligence on the enemy's movements. I certainly never anticipated that I would instead discover you skulking about, engaging in your own clandestine maneuvers," Zetsu stated.
"Speaking of clandestine maneuvers... a rather pertinent question has just occurred to me. Where exactly is 'Madara' right now?" Itachi asked.
A subtle, fleeting flicker of unease crossed Zetsu's face. He forced a strained, artificial smile. "You wish to know his whereabouts?"
"I do. And let us not forget, he is still a member of the Akatsuki. The Allied Shinobi Forces have now successfully made landfall. He, too, should be here, standing alongside the Akatsuki to weather this critical storm together."
"He is lying in wait for Asachi Midorima to finally reveal himself," Zetsu offered as an explanation.
"What a remarkable coincidence. I, too, was preparing to lie in wait for Midorima's appearance. Madara's past combat record in direct confrontations with Midorima has been, shall we say, less than stellar. I believe it is my duty to lend him a helping hand. So, how about it? Why don't you lead me to him?" Itachi proposed.
"Why do you want to find him?" Zetsu asked hurriedly, a defensive edge creeping into his voice.
"He has been relentlessly targeting the Uchiha clan, and Sasuke in particular. I wish to find him and demand an explanation for his actions. Surely, that is not an unreasonable request, is it? Furthermore, I find myself intensely curious about his true identity... He is not the genuine 'Madara,' is he?" Itachi pressed, his voice sharp and unyielding.
"What utter nonsense are you spouting?! Madara is Madara! How could he possibly be anyone else?" Zetsu's smile had become visibly rigid and forced.
"I'm afraid I don't share that conviction. There is no one else around. If I wished to kill you right here and now, there is no one who could possibly stop me. However, I consider 'Madara' to be the far more important objective. I have therefore decided that you will guide me to him," Itachi declared with cold, absolute finality.
"And why would I ever obediently follow your commands? The most you can do is kill me. If you think I will willingly lead the way for you, you are sorely mistaken."
"That is no longer a choice you get to make. Are you familiar with a technique called Kotoamatsukami?" Itachi inquired.
"Kotoamatsukami?" Zetsu repeated the name of the jutsu to himself, and a sudden, profound feeling of dread began to coil in the pit of his stomach. "That is the most powerful, ultimate genjutsu. If you refuse to lead the way, I will have no choice but to employ Kotoamatsukami against you."
Using Kotoamatsukami on Zetsu would be a colossal, wasteful expenditure. Itachi had invoked the technique's name with the sole intention of leveraging its fearsome, legendary reputation as a threat to cow Zetsu into submission. Just as Itachi had anticipated, upon hearing the name Kotoamatsukami, even though Zetsu outwardly struggled to maintain his composure, his retorts began to sound distinctly hollow and uncertain.
"How could someone like you possibly be able to use Kotoamatsukami?"
"That, I'm afraid, is my own private affair," Itachi replied, a faint, cold smile finally gracing his lips. "So, what is your decision? Make your choice."