Chapter 474: Kisame—Mr. Itachi, Do You Want to Kill Me?
"Mr. Itachi…"
Kisame was stunned, the words of concern stuck in his throat.
Ah, so when Konoha's ninja said someone might die, they meant me, Kisame Hoshigaki—not the so-called hero, Uchiha Itachi.
He was nearly torn to shreds by the Spiteful Infant's clones, while Itachi strolled ahead as if returning home—not even breaking a sweat.
When he'd warned Itachi about the danger, the man didn't even blink before charging in.
So it wasn't that Itachi wasn't afraid to die—it was that he knew he wouldn't die.
Kisame knew Itachi didn't do it on purpose.
But still, a trace of indignation stirred in his heart.
"Kisame, I'll help you!"
Seeing Kisame's predicament, Itachi quickly activated his dark curses and charged toward him.
The clone of the Spiteful Infant that had been calmly drifting beside Itachi suddenly turned and lunged at Kisame the moment he approached.
Riiiip...
The sneak attack tore through Kisame's abdomen—it was clean through, letting light pass.
"Mr. Itachi, please… stay back a little."
Blood dripping from his lips, Kisame quickly distanced himself.
Even though Itachi wasn't being attacked, the intense malice around him attracted clones. Getting too close meant Kisame had to endure double the threat.
Realizing this, Itachi switched to long-range enhanced curses.
Black flames surged from Kisame's shoulders, forming a dark-robed phantom.
As Kisame swung his blade,
The phantom atop his shoulder hurled dark energy waves in every direction.
Zzzzzt...
But when they struck the resentment clones, instead of dealing damage, they rejuvenated them—like sweet rain.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The once ghostly resentment clones solidified on contact, dense dark curse energy forming their bodies.
Two of them pounced—almost biting through Samehada.
"Mr. Itachi, please don't help anymore!"
Kisame snarled, dodging constantly, not daring to stop even for a second—lest he be ambushed again.
He feared any more of Itachi's help might literally kill him.
Just like how Itachi had once claimed to uphold the Uchiha's honor—then turned around and slaughtered the entire clan without mercy.
Oddly,
Kisame felt a strange kinship with the murdered Uchiha. A smoldering rage grew in his heart.
By the time they exited the wall's attack range,
Kisame was barely clinging to life.
When Itachi reached out to support him, Kisame raised a hand to block him. He just couldn't risk any more "accidents."
"Let's go."
Yamato looked at the unscathed Itachi with thinly veiled contempt. He had hoped to punish the man who killed Lord Aizen.
Unfortunately, fate had allowed Itachi to slip through.
Itachi said nothing more. The only one who could clear his name now was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Following Yamato, they moved through Konoha's alleyways.
"Captain Yamato!"
A little girl they passed held out a bouquet of flowers for him.
Itachi's eyes flickered with surprise.
He had once been part of the Anbu. The Shadow Organization and the Anbu served the same purpose—handling Konoha's most sensitive tasks.
But now, the Shadow Organization could walk the streets openly, without masks or fear.
And the civilians showed no fear—only warmth.
"Please give these to Lord Aizen. I just graduated from the ninja academy. Soon I'll be strong enough to fight beside him!"
She said it with wide, hopeful eyes.
Yamato accepted the bouquet, his nose stinging. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that Aizen had died. He just nodded silently.
This girl… wasn't she from the orphanage Lord Aizen helped?
What was her name again?
He couldn't remember. A wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Only someone like Lord Aizen, a true heir to the Will of Fire, would remember every nobody's name.
That such a perfect man had been murdered by Uchiha Itachi…
"Uchiha Itachi, no matter what… I will kill you."
Yamato turned, his gaze ice-cold as he stared into Itachi's eyes.
Itachi said nothing.
He wasn't afraid of threats from elite players like Yamato. What concerned him was Aizen's terrifying reach—he'd even won over the hearts of the villagers.
Even if Hiruzen cleared his name—would he still be accepted?
Just like the Uchiha clan during the war. Despite all their sacrifices for Konoha, they were still cast aside…
No.
That wasn't it.
The Uchiha weren't shunned—they alienated themselves. They refused to integrate. Always shouting about "clan honor."
That's what led to their destruction.
Itachi's body trembled, a cold sweat forming on his back.
How could I think that way?
No—Konoha didn't isolate the Uchiha. It was the Uchiha's arrogance that isolated them!
His lips moved silently, repeating the words until his emotions calmed.
But that was easy to say when you weren't the one being punished.
Back then, the Uchiha bore immense pressure—Fugaku and the elders especially.
From the Second Hokage onward, policies had systematically marginalized them—starting with moving their homes to Konoha's outskirts.
Then came propaganda—turning their police force into public villains.
Fugaku had always been a dove.
He tried again and again to reconcile with Konoha. He led the Uchiha in battle during the war, hoping to win trust with merit.
But it didn't work.
He compromised over and over, until the clan had nothing left.
Only then did the hawks rise and plan a coup.
Younger members like Itachi had only seen the tension. They didn't understand the suffocating pressure the clan was under.
So Itachi wielded the blade of justice—
And killed them all.
He believed he had done the right thing.
The Uchiha deserved to die.
But now,
With similar pressure closing in on him, he began to falter.
I protected Konoha. I sacrificed so much. Aizen was the real villain.
So why is everyone treating me like this?
If it got out that he had killed Aizen, the tidal wave of rage from the people would crush him. He might have to take his own life just to stop it.
But why?
Aizen was the evil one!
Itachi took a deep breath.
He didn't want to admit it. He couldn't admit it.
That his situation now was eerily similar to what the Uchiha had once faced.
Back then, the Uchiha were the villains. Now, he was innocent.
If the truth came out, everything would be fine.
"Missing-nin from the Mist—Kisame Hoshigaki, halt. You're not authorized to enter the Hokage's office."
Yamato produced a chain and bound Kisame's hands. "This is a magic-sealing chain. Most of your powers will be suppressed until Mr. Itachi finishes speaking with the Hokage."
It was a reasonable safety measure.
Kisame didn't resist, allowing the Shadow Organization to bind him. As soon as the chains snapped shut, he felt his stats plummet.
In this state, even two or three elite players could kill him.
But seeing Itachi's calm expression, he trusted that things would be fine.
He just needed to wait.
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