The wonderful days Sasuke had spent with his brother were coming to an end all too soon. Itachi was leaving again.
"Big Brother, can't Shisui just escort him alone?" Sasuke mumbled, fidgeting. "I still want to train with you."
Itachi smiled at his younger brother and gently poked his forehead with two fingers. "Sorry, Sasuke. Next time."
"I have another mission, so I can't train with you for now."
Sasuke rubbed his forehead, his cheeks puffed out in disappointment.
Itachi ruffled his hair. "While I'm gone, you need to work hard on your taijutsu. You're not allowed to use Chidori until you've mastered it. I'll be checking when I get back, you know."
"Don't worry, Big Brother! I'll be sure to surprise you!" Sasuke declared confidently, patting the Kusanagi Sword at his waist.
"Alright now." Kawasaki placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder from behind. "Your brother won't be gone for long this time. Let him have a moment with Izumi. You go play for a bit."
Sasuke glanced at Itachi, then at Izumi standing nearby. A small smile appeared on his face, and he quickly ran off to the side.
Years had passed, and Izumi had blossomed into a graceful young woman. Her long, glossy black hair cascaded down her back, and the tear mole at the corner of her eye added a touch of delicate beauty. She wore a purple top with a skirt, her wrists no longer wrapped in protectors. The aura of a warrior around her had faded; it seemed Itachi had protected her well over the years.
Izumi tugged on Itachi's sleeve, looking just like the little girl he had saved during the Nine-Tails' attack.
Itachi's gaze softened as he looked at her. "Kawasaki-senpai is in the clan now, so you should stay here and wait for me."
Izumi tilted her head, her voice a soft whisper. "I want to go with you."
Itachi shook his head, gently refusing. "This mission won't take long. I'll be back soon, and I'll be staying in the clan from now on..."
While Itachi and Izumi were talking, Kawasaki handed a booklet to Shisui. "Shisui, read this on the way. It contains the mission details and all the intel we have. I've also written down some countermeasures. Remember, if you run into Obito, use a reverse summon to call me. He's likely stronger now, so don't try to take him on by yourself."
Shisui took the booklet, intending to review it with Itachi on the road. "I understand..." he started, then hesitated before correcting himself. "Kawasaki-senpai."
Kawasaki nodded in satisfaction. Shisui had always been respectful of the rules. It had taken a few corrections before he finally dropped the overly formal address. "Alright, you should get going. Send me a message when you arrive." With the Summoning Jutsu, communication was now much faster.
Turning, Kawasaki saw Itachi was still chatting with Izumi and walked over.
"...As for Aunt Hazuki, I'll go see her after I get back."
Izumi covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. "That's not why Mom is mad at you."
Itachi blinked. "It's not?"
A faint blush colored Izumi's cheeks as she recalled something. "No. Mom was the one who told me to go with you back then."
"Then why is Auntie..."
"Ahem." Kawasaki couldn't listen anymore. So even Itachi could be clueless sometimes. "Alright, Itachi..."
No wonder Itachi was either training Sasuke or hanging around the food stalls whenever he was back. He was trying to win over his future mother-in-law. Izumi's mother, Uchiha Hazuki, had lost her husband in the war years ago. She had since retired as a ninja and now ran a small food stall. After becoming Clan Head, Kawasaki had noticed that a prime spot in the food district was owned by none other than Hazuki. He hadn't made the connection at first, but seeing Itachi and Izumi there so often, he finally realized who she was.
So Fugaku had started paving the way for his son's marriage long ago. You spirit away a girl for years, Kawasaki thought, and you don't even bring a gift when you return. And you have the nerve to ask why her mother is angry? You're lucky she hasn't skinned you alive.
Kawasaki gestured for Itachi to come over. "Itachi, stand here."
Itachi did as he was told, a look of confusion on his face.
Kawasaki leaned in and whispered to Izumi, "When Itachi gets back this time, I'll have Fugaku pay your family a visit."
Izumi lowered her head, her cheeks burning red. "Clan Head, what are you saying?"
"You're not willing?" Kawasaki asked bluntly. Itachi was sixteen now. Even if they didn't marry immediately, it was time to settle things.
Izumi stole a glance at Itachi and stammered, "N-No..."
Kawasaki held up a hand. "Itachi is clueless when it comes to these things. After all, you're the only one he's ever liked, so he lacks experience. I'll teach him what to do."
Seeing Izumi's bashfulness, Kawasaki didn't press further. "Then it's settled."
Izumi bit her lip, her voice barely a whisper. "Thank you, Clan Head."
Kawasaki put on a stern face. "Itachi calls me Senpai. You should do the same."
Suppressing her shyness, Izumi looked at Itachi, a wave of happiness washing over her. "Thank you, Senpai," she said, her voice much clearer this time.
Kawasaki nodded, satisfied. "The intel for this mission is thorough. It's not dangerous, so don't you worry. Now, Itachi has to leave. You should head home."
Izumi ran over to Itachi, whispered something to him, and then fled before he could even reply.
Kawasaki approached Itachi, who asked, puzzled, "Senpai, what did you and Izumi talk about?"
Kawasaki didn't answer, instead asking, "What did she just say to you?"
Itachi looked lost. "Nothing, really. Just that she'll wait for me to come back."
Kawasaki stroked his chin. It seemed Itachi truly was dense in this department. He'd deal with it when he returned. "Alright, it's nothing. You should get going."
Itachi nodded. "I'll leave Sasuke in your care."
Nearby, Shisui finished his own farewells with Sasuke. "Shisui, it's time to go."
Shisui walked over. "Senpai, we're leaving."
Kawasaki nodded. After a few more goodbyes to the other clan members, the group departed from the Uchiha compound, their skilled movements allowing them to vanish quickly into the dense forest.
...
Itachi and Shisui's group was long gone, but Sasuke continued to stare in the direction they had left, lost in thought.
Kawasaki chuckled to himself. Your dear brother won't be just yours for much longer. "Snap out of it, Sasuke." He grabbed a handful of Sasuke's hair and playfully messed it up.
"Master... let go..." Sasuke squirmed but couldn't escape Kawasaki's grasp. He puffed his cheeks in mock anger, and Kawasaki's laughter helped ease the boy's sadness over Itachi's departure.
Kawasaki patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Come on, Sasuke. I only got you excused for the morning. You still have to go to the Academy today."
Sasuke's mood soured again. "Master, I've already learned everything they teach at the Academy. Why do I still have to go?"
Kawasaki tapped his shoulder lightly. "You're a quick learner, and every time you pick something up, you're eager to show it off. If you were a full-fledged ninja with that attitude, you'd have died countless times by now. A ninja must never expose their emotions or intentions. If you can't even keep a cool head at the Academy, the outside world will eat you alive."
Sasuke seemed to understand, yet he still looked a little confused. But since both his master and his brother said his temperament was a problem, he decided to listen. He'd go back to school. Besides, he could grab a bite to eat with Naruto today.
"I'm heading to the Academy then, Master."
As Sasuke turned to leave, Kawasaki stopped him. "Are you taking your Kusanagi Sword to school?"
Sasuke protectively held the sword. "Master, I've been taking it for a while now. We use real weapons for training at the Academy these days."
"Alright. Just be careful not to hurt anyone."
"Okay!" Sasuke said before turning and hurrying away.
Watching him go, Kawasaki felt a pang of nostalgia. The Ninja Academy was already using real weapons. Just a few years ago, they were still practicing with wooden shuriken and kunai. The use of real weapons meant graduation was just around the corner.
He was deliberately holding Naruto back from graduating early to avoid upsetting the Third Hokage. After all, Naruto was under constant surveillance at the Academy, always within Konoha's sight. His visits to the Uchiha clan were just for meals; at night, he had to return to his apartment, which was swarming with watchers. It was only because Tsunade herself lived in the Uchiha district that Hiruzen had slightly relaxed his grip on Naruto. Konoha was the legacy of Hashirama Senju, a place Tsunade's lover, Dan Kato, and her brother, Nawaki, had died protecting. Hiruzen trusted that her deep love for the village would always guide her.
If Naruto didn't graduate, Sasuke had to stay by his side. Sasuke's rapid progress was entirely due to his constant losses against Naruto. If he could easily defeat Naruto, he would lose his motivation to grow stronger. But as things stood, surpassing Naruto was a near-impossible task for him.
Naruto could already consciously control his Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak, albeit only up to two tails. Considering his age, his power was manifesting far earlier than it should have. Kawasaki felt the Nine-Tails was being rather cooperative, perhaps out of fear of being captured a few years down the line.
Originally, Sasuke would have used the Curse Mark of Heaven to contend with Naruto at this stage. But with Kawasaki's interference, that ten-percent-survival-rate-but-actually-one-hundred-percent curse mark was gone.
Kawasaki was now considering how to further strengthen Sasuke. The best method was to enhance his eyes, but he worried Sasuke's young body wouldn't be able to handle it yet. For now, he would have to guide him in other areas.
It didn't matter if he couldn't match Naruto right now. Once Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo... then again, that might not be enough either. Kawasaki recalled an analysis from his past life that calculated how long it took for Sasuke to go blind. From awakening his Mangekyo to losing his sight, it was only fifteen days. In terms of actual usage, he was done in less than half an hour. If not for Itachi's spare eyes, Sasuke's story would have ended there. Of course, there was always the chance Hagoromo Otsutsuki would just hand him a deluxe gift package. After all, Indra had skipped straight to an Eternal Mangekyo.
He decided not to dwell on it. They were already progressing quickly. He would deal with the future when it came.
Kawasaki glanced into the distance before turning to leave. Hidden in a nearby tree, a few Anbu members finished gathering their intelligence. One of them immediately departed to report to the Hokage's office.
...
Back in the Uchiha compound, Kawasaki received a message from Orochimaru. The Third Hokage had confiscated all of Root's experimental equipment and moved it to Orochimaru's lab. He was clearly determined to keep Orochimaru in the village. However, Orochimaru was maintaining a proud and aloof demeanor, focusing on his experiments and showing little warmth towards Hiruzen.
Hiruzen was surely still suspicious, but an overly enthusiastic Orochimaru would be out of character. Besides, Hiruzen wouldn't fully trust him until after he had "stabbed the Uchiha in the back."
Separately, Minato needed a custom batch of specialized kunai. Kawasaki placed a large order for a thousand of them from the cat merchants. He had always felt Minato was too frugal. If he just threw a few more kunai around, who would know where he was going to teleport? Besides, Minato's "Blade of the God of Love" would have other uses in the future.
Remembering Izumi, Kawasaki headed to Fugaku's house. Although Fugaku's injuries had healed, his eyesight was gone. Believing that self-nurtured eyes were the best, he insisted on not transplanting others. However, Itachi's physical development was progressing well. When he returned from this mission, they could perhaps consider fusing their eyes to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo.
When Kawasaki entered, Fugaku was sipping tea while Mikoto chatted with him.
"Great Elder, you're living quite the comfortable life," Kawasaki said with a grin.
Fugaku looked up at the sound of his voice and returned the jest. "Clan Head, you're not doing so bad yourself."
Mikoto gently tapped Fugaku's hand and huffed. "What are you two plotting now?"
Kawasaki and Fugaku both laughed. Ever since stepping down as Clan Head, a huge weight had been lifted from Fugaku's shoulders. Kawasaki's first act upon taking office was to delegate authority. Even the sixty-year-old Elder Yohei was busy every day, not to mention the younger members Kawasaki had promoted. While Kawasaki still had to sign documents occasionally, his workload was a fraction of what Fugaku's had been.
Seeing Kawasaki, Mikoto stood up to make him tea.
"Sister Mikoto, no need for tea," Kawasaki said, stopping her. "I'm here to talk about Itachi's marriage."
Mikoto immediately put down what she was holding, a pleased expression on her face. "Itachi's marriage? Isn't it a bit early?"
"Fugaku, you didn't tell her about Izumi?"
Fugaku shook his head. "It was too soon back then. Who knew what would happen?"
Mikoto looked curious. "What are you two talking about? What about that girl, Izumi?"
"The clan was in a bad spot at the time, so Itachi staged the whole thing about leaving home. Izumi didn't know the real reason, but she still..." Kawasaki proceeded to tell Mikoto the entire story of how Izumi had followed Itachi without a second thought.
Mikoto clucked her tongue reproachfully. "Oh, that boy. He has no manners." To spirit away someone's daughter for years and not know what to do upon returning. She lightly punched Fugaku. "You should have told me about this sooner."
Fugaku patted her hand gently. "I didn't know how Itachi was faring out there, and things were dangerous at home, so I kept it to myself."
Kawasaki found their affectionate display almost sickeningly sweet. "Well, you two discuss it," he said quickly. "I think we should settle it once Itachi returns. I have to go..." He hurried out, pretending not to hear Mikoto calling after him.
"Hey... Kawasaki..."
...
The Land of Hot Water. This was the same place where Kawasaki had beaten Hidan to a pulp years ago.
Konan hovered in the air, her paper wings beating gently. Below, Kakuzu surveyed the area. Judging by the height of the grass, no one had been here for at least a year.
"Are you sure this is the place? I hope he hasn't rotted away completely."
Konan shook her head. "He's not that easy to kill. The entrance to the cave should be around here. It might have been moved."
Kakuzu sighed and released his Earth Grudge Fear threads, which burrowed into the ground. A moment later, he sensed something was off.
"Found it!"
With a stomp, more black threads shot out from under his feet. The earth churned, and after a few violent tugs, the threads pulled a tattered, headless corpse from the ground. Kakuzu tossed it aside and stepped forward to examine it, his eyes widening in surprise.
"It hasn't decayed."
Kakuzu was no stranger to corpses. He could tell how long a body had been buried just by the state of its clothes. The clothes were ruined, but the body itself was remarkably preserved. It also seemed to be in a strange state at the time of death—emaciated, with almost no flesh left on its bones.
He used his threads to probe the body. It was just a corpse, with no heartbeat. Yet, there was no stench of rot. What power could have preserved it like this?
"His head should be nearby," Konan reminded him. "Let's find it."
Now that they had a location, Kakuzu stomped again, and more threads spread through the earth like worms. Soon, they dragged a head to the surface. Its eyes were closed, and only a thin layer of skin was stretched taut over the skull, as if it had been air-dried.
Konan frowned as she studied Hidan's head. "Try reattaching it to the body."
Kakuzu was curious as well. Threads shot out, swiftly connecting the head to the torso. They weaved back and forth, and soon, Hidan's neck was reattached...