Chapter 473: Uchiha Itachi—No Way to Prove My Innocence
"All of this… was Aizen's conspiracy. He wanted to destroy Konoha."
Uchiha Itachi's voice was completely drowned out beneath the waves of fury and condemnation—utterly devoid of effect.
Just looking at the rage and grief on the faces of the Shadow Organization members,
It was obvious that, in only a few months, Aizen had become the moral benchmark in the hearts of both villagers and ninja.
What a cunning man.
Itachi felt a chill down his spine. Thankfully, he had saved the use of Izanagi and managed to kill Aizen.
If someone like that had continued manipulating the village from within, Itachi couldn't imagine what terrifying disaster might have unfolded.
"I'll avenge Lord Aizen!"
A figure leaped high into the air, wielding a finely forged greatsword, aiming to strike Itachi down.
Itachi looked up, his Sharingan spinning.
The man collapsed midair, the blades slipping from his hands. The momentum carried the weapon across Itachi's face, restrained as he was by Wood Release vines—
Leaving only a faint cut on his cheek.
Just then,
A powerful explosion rang out from not far away.
Blazing orange flames were swallowed by a surging wave of seawater. Standing atop the torrent, Kisame gripped Samehada, face twisted in fury.
"Bastards! I only came to Konoha because of Mr. Itachi—and you dare search my memories?!"
Especially because the Shadow Organization's memory extraction methods were brutal.
Like something done to death-row prisoners—capable of causing serious brain damage. Naturally, Kisame refused.
So he fought back.
Looking around and seeing Itachi surrounded by members of the Shadow Organization, Kisame flickered a few times and landed at his side.
Crack!
He shattered the Wood Release vines binding Itachi with a single slash, baring his teeth. "Mr. Itachi, these flimsy tricks—were you just playing along to tease them?"
"They attacked first. I assume we can fight back now?"
As he spoke,
Samehada, now evolved into a Zanpakutō, unleashed an aura of the deep sea.
Infused with countless reward points and resources, Samehada had transformed from an ordinary ninja blade into a true Bankai Zanpakutō.
Its true name: Demon Sea Emperor.
When released, it could summon oceanic waves filled with vengeful sea spirits—capable of devouring anything they touched.
There were dozens of Shadow Organization members here. Even though they were elite players, if he and Itachi joined forces, they could easily kill half and escape unscathed.
"Stand down, Kisame!"
Itachi took a deep breath. He had no intention of fighting back. "I must speak with the Hokage."
At this point, there was no explanation that would convince the crowd.
But the Hokage would believe him.
"Lord Hiruzen, I know you won't abandon me!"
Itachi thought to himself.
He turned to the fuming Kisame and said, "Don't act rashly. This is all Aizen's plot. If we attack now, we lose."
"These are just elite players. We can endure it—then go to see the Hokage."
Kisame clenched his jaw,
But finally retracted Samehada.
"…Fine. You want to see the Hokage? Then I'll make sure you die with clarity!"
Yamato gritted his teeth in sorrow—but remembered Aizen's words.
Itachi was once a hero who protected Konoha. They couldn't act on their own. Judgment had to come from the Hokage.
Silence fell.
The members of the Shadow Organization were consumed with grief over Aizen's death. They wished nothing more than to tear Itachi to shreds.
But ninja follow orders.
Even if they hated him, they couldn't kill him without permission from the Hokage.
Still—
There was no harm in letting him suffer a little first. The Hokage wouldn't mind.
Yamato lifted his eyes. The other Konoha ninja immediately understood.
Defense walls: activated.
They hadn't yet entered Konoha proper—they were in the buffer zone between the wilds and the Konoha clan territories.
Still within range of the wall's defenses.
"You two—keep up. Fall behind, and you'll die."
Yamato left that line and turned, leading the others forward without looking back.
Itachi and Kisame moved to follow—
Boom!
A wave of cursed resentment from the wall surged out like a ripple, enveloping them both.
Buzz...
Kisame felt a splitting headache. He quickly unsheathed Samehada. A vicious black water ghost rose from the blade, roared, and shattered the ripple.
"Mr. Itachi… do we really have to go in?"
Kisame's shark-like face showed hesitation. He was second-guessing.
The way Konoha was treating Itachi clearly didn't match what Itachi had described. Instead of welcome, they were rejecting him completely due to Aizen's death.
From Kisame's view, if Konoha didn't want them, they should just leave.
With two gold-tier players, they'd be VIPs anywhere.
"Konoha is my home."
Itachi said the words calmly—and stepped forward.
The subtext was clear: Konoha was his to return to. If Kisame didn't want to follow, he could leave.
"…Fine. Mr. Itachi, I'll take this risk with you."
Kisame gritted his teeth. In the end, he didn't walk away.
As a Dark Curses Sorcerer, most of Itachi's soul power was bound to his companion. The two enhanced one another.
If Kisame left, Itachi's power would drop drastically.
Kisame didn't think of himself as a good person—but he had no intention of ever abandoning or betraying a comrade again.
Boom.
Like a stone tossed into still water, the resentment ripples spread wide.
Kisame kept swinging Samehada, but couldn't completely disperse the cursed energy.
In the air,
Ghostly heads born of hatred gnawed at his flesh.
Embedded in Konoha's wall were several [Wall Pearls], crafted from pollutant crystals and rare dark-boss materials.
They functioned like automated turrets—once powered, they launched continuous attacks.
These ripples were the work of the Dark-Gold Wall Pearl of the Spiteful Infant, a drop from a boss Tsunade's squad had defeated.
[Spiteful Infant's Wall Pearl (Dark-Gold)]: Every 2 seconds, releases a [Resentment Shockwave]. Once resentment in the area reaches critical mass, a [Resentment Fog] forms. All life within the fog suffers random bites from the infant's wraith.
"Mr. Itachi, are you alright?"
Kisame struggled to fend off the ghostly heads that materialized from the mist.
He turned to check on Itachi—
And saw that he was completely unscathed.
Despite being engulfed in the fog, Itachi hadn't been touched. Even the ripples passed through him without effect.
"Damn it. He's a Dark Curses Sorcerer?!"
Yamato, now inside the gates, saw Itachi's status and his face darkened.
The Spiteful Infant was originally created by a Dark Curses Sorcerer—thus marked to never attack one of its own.
Even the pearl inherited that logic.
They had meant to rough Itachi up a bit—but hadn't expected him to be immune.
Yamato turned and asked, "Can we activate another wall pearl?"
A nearby ninja shook his head. "No. As squad captain, you only have clearance to activate one pearl. For more… we'd need Captain Aizen."
At the mention of that name, their eyes turned red again.
They wanted nothing more than to kill Uchiha Itachi on the spot.
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