It was exactly as Itachi suspected. Shinichi didn't like him.
It wasn't about hatred or bad blood...those emotions were too cheap. It was a complete clash of ideals.
In Shinichi's eyes, the path Itachi chose was one where everyone, including himself, was treated as a disposable chess piece. His path of self-indulgent sacrifice wasn't just passive and pessimistic. It was downright foolish.
Slaughtering his entire clan for the sake of the village—or rather, for Sasuke—bearing a reputation of infamy, pushing his younger brother into an abyss of hatred, only to rely on Kotoamatsukami as a fallback plan...
Shinichi despised his methods. Forget murdering the parents who raised him; Shinichi wouldn't even raise a blade against the Third Hokage, Lord Hiruzen, because of their bond.
Unless, of course, Hiruzen harbored ill intentions first.
Ideals aside, Shinichi carefully studied the man standing across from him. The Uchiha was in surprisingly good shape. He hadn't been dragged to death's door by his terminal illness yet, nor had years of crushing psychological pressure broken his mind. For all intents and purposes, this was a "healthy" Itachi.
And a healthy Itachi was a presence akin to a god.
Shinichi was incredibly curious. Did this version of Uchiha Itachi truly live up to the title?
"I see," Itachi said, his voice completely calm.
'Indeed... the sins I've committed, the blood on my hands... I can't even forgive myself, he thought. It's only natural for others to hate me.'
He paused, slowly raising one hand to form a half-seal in front of his chest.
"In that case..." The corner of Itachi's mouth twitched up into a faint smile. "...As you wish."
The moment the words left his mouth, he prepared to strike. But before either of them could make a move, two blurred figures sped toward them from the distance.
"Yo! It's pretty lively here!"
A hearty voice rang out, instantly shattering the heavy killing intent between the two shinobi. Itachi's hand seal froze. Shinichi raised an eyebrow, turning toward the interruption.
A man with long white hair stood nearby. He wore a red haori and a horned headband carved with the kanji for 'Oil.' A cynical smirk was plastered across his face.
Jiraiya.
Not far behind him, a shorter figure burst from the treeline, shouting as he ran. "Pervy Sage! Wait for me! You're way too fast! Eh? Why is... Shinichi here?! And who's that guy in the black cloak?"
Naruto skidded to a halt, panting heavily. He looked back and forth between the calm, imposing Shinichi and the stranger in the black-and-red cloud cloak. He was completely lost.
The sudden arrival of the Toad Sage and the loudmouth Genin flipped the battlefield's atmosphere on its head. The air went dead silent.
Hidden in the shadows of the distant trees, Black Zetsu frowned. 'Jiraiya... one of the Sannin. His strength is the real deal. Plus that Shinichi... tsk.'
Black Zetsu cursed inwardly. The situation had spiraled completely out of control. Judging by Shinichi's performance today, he was already strong enough to suppress Itachi alone. Now, with Jiraiya in the mix, reclaiming Kisame's severed head was impossible. The chance of success was absolute zero.
Sticking around to watch was pointless and carried a massive risk of exposure. It was over.
'Is the plan... going to be exposed just like this?!' Though unwilling to accept it, Black Zetsu knew better than to hesitate. His body melted into the tree trunk, vanishing from the edge of the battlefield without a single sound.
Meanwhile, Itachi silently evaluated the new arrivals. His mind raced. Reclaiming the head was no longer an option, and continuing the fight was meaningless. As a spy inside the Akatsuki, his primary job was to stay alive and pass on intel, not die over a pointless sacrifice.
This sudden turn of events gave him the perfect excuse. He could retreat and simply claim the mission failed.
It was time to withdraw.
With his mind made up, Itachi slowly lowered his hands, breaking his half-seal.
"It seems this is as far as we go today," he said. His dark eyes lingered on Shinichi's face for a second, his tone pointed. "However... I think we will meet again very soon."
Chakra flared beneath Itachi's feet. With a few swift leaps, he blurred into motion, retreating rapidly until he vanished into the dense forest.
"Hey! Wait!"
Seeing him run, Naruto instinctively charged forward. But he barely made it two steps before his collar tightened. Jiraiya had hoisted him up by the scruff of his neck with one hand.
"Pervy Sage! Why are you stopping me? That guy is a Rogue Ninja, right? I saw the scratch on his headband!" Naruto thrashed against Jiraiya's iron grip, glaring at the treeline where Itachi had disappeared.
Jiraiya ignored the yelling boy. Instead, he locked his sharp gaze onto Shinichi.
"Was their target Naruto?!"
Having traveled the ninja world for decades and gathered plenty of intel on the Akatsuki, Jiraiya already knew the answer. It sounded like a question, but it was really a confirmation.
Shinichi stared at the empty forest, a flash of regret in his eyes. He had originally wanted to beat the arrogance out of the Uchiha today. But, considering Itachi's parting words, he decided to let it go.
He pulled his gaze away, meeting Jiraiya's eyes.
"Perhaps so," Shinichi replied smoothly.
"Eh?!"
Hearing this, Naruto instantly stopped struggling. He looked back and forth between the two older ninja in utter bewilderment.
"Pervy Sage? Shinichi? What are you guys talking about?" Naruto pointed toward the forest, then pointed at himself. "Their target is me? Who are 'they'? And why do they want me?!"
Jiraiya looked from Naruto's clueless expression to Shinichi's perfectly calm demeanor. The contrast was staggering. Rubbing his temples, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.
"Are you an idiot?!" Jiraiya snapped. "Didn't you see his eyes just now?! That was Uchiha Itachi! Sasuke's older brother! The S-rank Rogue Ninja who wiped out the entire Uchiha clan!"
Naruto blinked, dazed by the sudden barrage of yelling. But then, a memory clicked into place—Team 7's very first meeting and Sasuke's grim self-introduction.
"Oh!" Naruto cried out in realization. "So he's that guy! The man Sasuke is always talking about killing!"
Jiraiya sighed heavily, tuning out the boy's rambling. Only then did he finally turn his full attention to the object Shinichi was casually holding in his hand.
His breath hitched.
Taking a few slow steps closer, Jiraiya's eyes locked onto the severed head. He stared at its distinct, shark-like facial features, his pupils shrinking in shock.
"The S-rank Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure... Kisame Hoshigaki?!" Jiraiya gasped. "You actually killed him?!"
Shinichi nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah. He managed to pique my interest for a little bit."
Jiraiya swallowed hard.
"...Unbelievable," the Toad Sage muttered. He just shook his head, completely unable to find any other words to say.
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