Chapter 58: Itachi, do you still intend to keep acting?
In an old inn on Tanzaku Street, Uzumaki Narutosat cross-legged on the tatami mat, looking at the ceiling in boredom.
That guy Jiraiya had his soul snatched away by a pretty girl passing by the moment he put down his luggage, calling it 'gathering intelligence.'
The hallway was quiet, with only the occasional creak of the old wooden floorboards.
A strange pressure suddenly came from outside the door, making one feel very uncomfortable.
Knock, knock.
The door was gently knocked twice, and then, with extreme politeness, it was pushed open directly.
Naruto saw two figures wearing black cloaks with red clouds.
They took off their conical hats; one revealed a shark-like face full of sharp teeth, while the other was a relatively handsome face, but with deep nasolabial folds. His pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan were rotating, emitting a suffocating aura.
Kisame Hoshigaki. Uchiha Itachi.
The Akatsuki Organization had finally arrived.
"To think you found the Nine-Tailed brat so quickly..." Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, reaching for the Samehada greatsword on his back, his eyes full of killing intent. "Although he looks dull-witted, the scent of this Chakra is quite fragrant."
Uchiha Itachi just looked at Naruto quietly, his eyes calm and without ripples: "Come with us, Uzumaki Naruto."
At this moment, Naruto was sitting cross-legged, one hand supporting his chin, with a dull expression on his face as if he had been scared silly.
But deep in his mind, that soul had already excitedly crossed his legs and whistled loudly in the spiritual world.
[Yo, isn't this our great best actor, Uchiha Itachi? And that shark chili pepper who looks like he has hyperthyroidism.]
Naruto's inner voice immediately exploded on the ninja world sky screen that covered the Goddess Alliance.
[Is this the legendary Akatsuki Organization? Tsk tsk, the taste of this black robe... Although it's to create a sense of mystery, isn't it afraid of getting heat rash wearing something so thick in the middle of summer?]
Naruto's gaze fearlessly passed over the murderous Kisame Hoshigaki and fixed directly on the man known as the Clan-Exterminating Itachi.
[Look at this cold and aloof appearance of Itachi, eyes melancholy, with 'I am a bad guy' written all over his face. With this acting, it would be a huge loss for the Ninja World if the Oscars didn't give him a Lifetime Achievement Award.]
[Clearly a peerless brother-con who slaughtered his own parents and bore eternal infamy just to protect that stupid younger brother and the Village... yet he has to pretend here that he wants to capture the Nine-Tailed to destroy the world.]
[This is too exhausting, right? Brother Itachi. With your body right now, wouldn't you cough up blood if you walked a bit too fast? Your lungs are practically rotting, yet you have to rely on medicine to force yourself to hold on, just to wait for that idiot Sasuke to come and kill you?]
Boom—! This inner voice shocked all the female Ninjas who saw the heavenly curtain.
Tsunade, who was napping on the table, woke up with a start, almost shattering the table.
"What?! The truth about the Uchiha clan extermination... was to protect the Village? What on earth did the old man Third and Danzo do?!"
Meanwhile, on another rooftop near the inn, Kurenai Yuhi, who had been secretly following and protecting him, was staring intently into the room through sensory Ninjutsu. Hearing Naruto's indifferent yet earth-shattering inner voice, her hand holding the Kunai trembled violently.
[Itachi... he actually bears such darkness? For Sasuke? For the Village?]
Kurenai's breathing became rapid. She looked at the cold figure forcing Naruto into a corner; the fear in her heart disappeared, and instead, an inexplicable sense of confidence emerged.
[This brat... he even knows this kind of S-Rank top-secret intelligence? In his eyes, the so-called powerful Rogue Ninja is just a pitiful person putting on a brave front?]
At this moment, inside the room, Kisame Hoshigakihad become impatient: "Itachi-san, since this kid won't move, I'll just slice off his legs and take him away."
Samehada swung down violently! Just at this critical moment.
"Stop!!" A burst of pink smoke suddenly exploded outside the door, and then countless petals turned into sharp blades and rolled into the room, forcefully blocking Kisame Hoshigaki's greatsword.
Kurenai Yuhi's figure appeared from the petals. She was wearing her signature red and white battle dress, her figure graceful. Although she was only an illusion-type Jonin, facing two S-Rank Rogue Ninjas at this moment, her aura was surprisingly tough.
"Oh? A Jonin of Konoha?" Kisame Hoshigakisneered, "Itachi-san, it seems we have to kill a few more people."
Naruto blinked, looking at Teacher Kurenaiblocking in front of him.
[Wow, Teacher Kurenai actually followed?]
Although Naruto was surprised, his instincts caused his focus to instantly go astray.
[This silhouette... although she is fighting for her life, that red skirt hem and the half-exposed thigh inside... tsk tsk, is this the responsibility of a mature woman? Knowing she can't win but still rushing up to protect her student, this scene is so moving.]
[If we can survive, I must have Teacher Kurenaigive me a first-class lap pillow with these beautiful legs as compensation for the shock!]
Hearing the words "lap pillow," Kurenai Yuhi, who was bracing for battle, almost slipped.
[Ding!][Kurenai Yuhi (female): Learned through the heavenly curtain that you possess top-secret intelligence capable of shaking the enemy's foundation, and even in extreme danger, you are still thinking about her beautiful legs. This perverted calmness granted her the courage to ignore the Sharingan genjutsu.]
[Reward obtained: S-Rank Status · Gaze of Truth (Possesses absolute ability to see through genjutsu, Sharingan resistance Max).]
Kurenai took a deep breath, her red eyes suddenly becoming extremely deep. She did not retreat; instead, she turned her head, staring intently at Uchiha Itachi, a cold smile with hidden meaning curling at the corners of her mouth.
"Uchiha Itachi... do you still intend to keep acting?"
Kurenai's voice was not loud, but it carried a piercing quality.
"Your body is already reaching its limit, yet you are still fighting so hard... If that person you care about most knew of your current miserable state, I wonder if they would cry and run out of Konoha?"
Itachi's usually calm eyes contracted sharply when he heard the words "person you care about most."
This was a secret that only he, the Third, and Danzo knew! How could this illusion-using female Ninja... know this? And know the condition of his body?
Beside him, Kisame Hoshigaki scratched his head in confusion: "Itachi-san? The person you care about most? Do you have a sweetheart in the Village?"
Itachi's heart sank. If Kisame Hoshigaki knew the truth... if Obito knew the truth... his infiltration of the Akatsuki Organization would be completely ruined! Sasuke would also be in danger!
"..." Itachi took a deep look at Naruto, who was still sitting cross-legged with an expression of "I'm just watching and won't speak," and then looked at Kurenai Yuhi, whose eyes were resolute.
He realized that something was wrong here. Very wrong. Since when had Konoha's intelligence network become this terrifying? Able to leak even this kind of secret to a team-leading Jonin?
He couldn't get entangled any longer. More words lead to more mistakes.
"Kisame Hoshigaki." Itachi suddenly spoke, his voice still cold, but carrying an unquestionable urgency, "Retreat."
"Huh? Retreat?" Kisame Hoshigaki held up his greatsword in disbelief, "Itachi-san, just because of this woman? That old pervert Sannin isn't even here..."
"Do not underestimate the speed of Konoha's reinforcements. Besides..." Itachi covered his mouth, seemingly suppressing some discomfort, "My ocular power is over-consumed."
Without even giving Kisame Hoshigaki a chance to retort, Itachi's figure instantly turned into countless crows; that was an extremely high-level Body Flicker Technique.
"Tsk, how boring." Kisame Hoshigaki glared fiercely at Kurenai and Naruto, "Consider yourselves lucky!" After saying this, he also carried Samehada, smashed through the window, and chased after Itachi, disappearing into the night.
The room returned to dead silence. Only the wind blowing in from the broken window stirred Kurenai Yuhi's hair.
Not until Kurenai confirmed that the two people's Chakra had completely disappeared did her legs go weak, and she had to lean against the wall to keep from falling. She turned around, her chest heaving violently, and the sweat of surviving the ordeal only made her appear more charming.
Naruto looked at her, blinking innocently: "Um... Teacher Kurenai, were they scared away by your beauty?"
Kurenai looked at this brat who was playing dumb, feeling both angry and amused.
However, thinking of the phrase "first-class lap pillow" in his inner voice just now... a faint blush appeared on Kurenai's cheeks.
To reward this little hero who saved the crisis, it wouldn't be impossible... to consider it.