I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

Chapter 79: The Hidden Chess!

Rain Village, the tall tower.

Itachi stood atop the tower, rain streaming down his black hair. He wore his own black robe, not yet in his Akatsuki uniform.

Obito stood behind him, his Sharingan through the holes in his mask staring at him for a moment before turning and disappearing into the rain.

"Come with me." Xiao Nan came up the stairs, holding a paper umbrella.

The weasel followed her down the tower, across the wet stone path, and into the underground cave.

The pale light of the luminous pearl shone on the rock wall, reflecting a dark green glow. At the end of the cave was a high platform where Pain stood, his Rinnegan shimmering with purple ripples in the dim light.

"Uchiha Itachi." Pain's voice was calm. "Why did you leave Konoha?"

"Someone wants to take my eyes."

Payne didn't ask who it was. He didn't need to.

"Your eyes are good enough to join Akatsuki." He stepped down from the platform and handed over a ring engraved with the character "Zhu". Konan took out a long robe with a black background and red clouds from the side.

Itachi took the ring and put it on the ring finger of his right hand. He then took the robe and draped it over his shoulders.

"From today onwards, you are a member of Akatsuki. Your codename is Suzaku. Your partner is Juzo Biwa, who is waiting for you at the southern base."

Itachi nodded, then turned and left.

Abandoned stronghold in the southern part of the Land of Rain.

Juzo Biwa leaned against the wall, holding the guillotine in his hand, the tip of which was stuck in the ground. When he saw Itachi walk in, he looked him up and down.

"Is this the brat?"

Itachi did not answer.

Itachi Uchiha's appearance is very deceptive, but he was a member recognized by Pain, and his strength is beyond doubt.

"Let's go, we have a mission." Pipa Juzo slung the Executioner's Blade over his shoulder.

Deep within Akatsuki's stronghold, Obito sat in the darkness.

White Zetsu emerged from the rock wall. "That brat, Uchiha Itachi. What a genius!"

Obito remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

Bai Jue tilted his head and sank into the rock wall.

Obito sat alone in the darkness, thinking of Itachi's Sharingan.

The thing in those eyes wasn't fear, nor anger, but calmness.

It was as calm as a stagnant pool.

This kind of person is either nothing at all, or...

A few days later, news of Itachi's defection spread throughout Konoha.

The news first spread within the Uchiha clan.

Someone spotted traces of Itachi and Sakugo's battle near the training ground—sword marks on the ground, bloodstains on the targets, and scattered kunai.

Some people swore they saw Itachi leave the training ground clutching his wound, his face pale.

The news exploded like water droplets falling into a frying pan.

The clansmen whispered among themselves after meals. Some said Itachi was jealous of Sakugo, some said Sakugo had gone too far, and some said Fugaku was caught in the middle and in a difficult position.

Fugaku did not come forward to explain, but only said at the clan meeting, "Don't mention Itachi's matter again."

The tone wasn't harsh, but every word was as cold as ice.

The tribespeople dared not discuss it further, but their eyes continued to exchange glances.

The news quickly spread beyond the Uchiha compound. The Anbu members knew, the Jonin knew, and even the street vendors knew.

Some shook their heads and sighed, some remained expressionless, and some, after drinking two glasses of wine in the tavern, shouted, "The Uchiha clan, not a single one of them is any good."

Someone next to him pulled him back, but he shook them off and continued, "That weasel, just because he's the clan leader's son, he always thinks he's above everyone else. And look what happened? He got beaten up and chased away."

No one agreed, and no one refuted.

The Hokage's office.

Minato sat behind the table, with Itachi's wanted poster spread out in front of him.

The portrait of Itachi is expressionless, his eyes are looking straight ahead, and there is a scratch on his headband—the mark of a rogue ninja.

He signed the wanted poster and affixed the Hokage's seal. Rank: B. Not too high, not too low, enough to let the outside world know that "Konoha is indeed hunting Itachi," but not enough to actually force the Anbu to expend significant effort to capture him.

"The wanted posters will be sent to all the major ninja villages." Minato handed the wanted posters to the Anbu. "The Akatsuki will see them."

The secret agent took it and left the office.

Sakumo Hatake leaned against the window, his eyes closed. "How's it going with Fugaku?"

"He can still keep things under control," Minato said calmly. "But the Uchiha clan will not be at peace."

Uchiha compound, Shisui's room.

Shisui sat at the table with a blank scroll laid out in front of him and a pen resting beside the inkstone.

The candlelight flickered, and his shadow swayed on the wall.

He stared at the scroll for a long time, but in the end, he didn't write anything.

He put down his pen, blew out the candle, and sat in the darkness.

Itachi's mission was to lie in wait, not to communicate. The less information transmitted, the safer he would be. He didn't need to know where Itachi was; he only needed to know that Itachi was alive.

He stood up and walked to the window. Moonlight shone into the courtyard, casting dappled shadows of the trees. In the distance, people were drinking and playing drinking games, their voices drifting intermittently over.

He watched for a while, then closed the window.

The Land of Rain, the Base of Dawn.

Itachi sat in the corner, twirling a kunai in his hand.

Pipa Juzo leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.

Neither of them spoke. The only sound in the cave was the dripping of rain, one drop after another. Itachi had received no news from Konoha, nor did he expect it.

The mission to infiltrate the Akatsuki organization has only just begun.

The Land of Water, Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village). The rain fell heavily, shrouding the entire village in a hazy, gray mist.

Itachi Uchiha and Juzo Biwa infiltrate the land they once fled to carry out the mission assigned by Pain.

Through the rain, Juzo's straw hat was pulled low, and his guillotine was wrapped tightly in cloth and slung over his back, completely obscuring the gleam of the blade. The two walked silently, one in front of the other.

"Itachi," Juzo's voice was soft. "Ahead."

Itachi stopped in his tracks. The mist appeared as blue chakra ripples in his Sharingan, and the three tomoe slowly rotated. He saw the outlines of three human figures approaching him.

"Patrol team, three people," Itachi whispered. "Go around them."

Juzo followed Itachi and changed direction, passing through the other side of the alley. The buildings in Kirigakure were low and densely packed, and the stone slabs were shiny from the rain, with only a faint sound of water underfoot.

The target is a detached house on the east side of the village, surrounded by a barrier.

Juzo squatted on the rooftop, his guillotine across his lap, rain streaming down its blade. He untied the cloth, revealing the dark, hard blade.

"I can break the barrier," Juzo said in a low voice. "But you have to be quick."

Itachi nodded. Juzo leaped off the roof, his Executioner's Blade slashing horizontally, cleaving a node in the barrier. Blue light flickered in the rain as Itachi's figure burst through the crack in the barrier, heading straight for his target.

The battle ended quickly. The target died in his sleep, and Itachi left no trace. He left the courtyard, where Mikizo was waiting outside, his guillotine already wrapped in cloth again.

"Walk."

The two returned the way they came, passed through the alley, and climbed over the wall.

Itachi suddenly stopped, his three tomoe rapidly spinning in his eye sockets. In front of him was an extremely large and intense mass of chakra, pressing down on them like a moving mountain.

"Shizang, retreat."

Juzo sensed it too. His hand rested on the hilt of the Executioner's Blade.

The fog was torn apart, and a figure stood in front.

He was short in stature, with a baby face and a scar running across his nose. He held a coral staff in his hand. The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. His eyes were calm, as calm as if he were looking at two corpses.

"The Executioner's Blade." Yagura's gaze fell on the sword behind Juzo. "A sword from Kirigakure shouldn't be left to wander in an outside village."

Juzo gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

"You're from Akatsuki." Yagura's voice was flat. "Now that you're here, don't leave."

He moved. The coral staff swept across, so fast that Itachi's Sharingan only saw a blur.

Juzo parried with his guillotine, the sound of metal clashing echoing in the rain. Juzo was knocked back three steps, his hand split open, blood sliding down the hilt of his sword.

"Itachi, let's go!" Juzo roared.

Itachi didn't leave. His kunai slid out of his sleeve and stabbed at Yagura from the side.

Yagura didn't even turn his head; he flicked his coral staff, sending Itachi's kunai flying.

Then he stretched out a hand—a coral palm.

Blue chakra surged from his palm, transforming into coral-like crystals that covered Itachi's right arm. Itachi's body froze; his right hand, from his fingers to his shoulder, was sealed shut by the coral, rendering him unable to move.

"Kid, so this is the Sharingan?" Yagura looked at him. "Nothing special."

Itachi gritted his teeth, formed a hand seal with his left hand, and unleashed Fire Release: Great Fireball.

A fireball shot from his mouth, hurtling towards Yagura. Yagura didn't dodge; instead, he raised his coral staff and deflected the fireball. Flames scattered in the rain, steam billowing everywhere.

Juzo charged from the side, his guillotine slashing downwards. Yagura dodged, and his coral staff struck Juzo in the chest. Juzo flew through the air, crashing into a wall, blood gushing from his mouth.

"Juzo!" Itachi shouted.

Yagura ignored Juzo. He looked at Itachi, and a flicker of emotion finally appeared in his eyes—not anger, but curiosity. He walked towards Itachi.

Juzo stood up. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, gripped the Executioner's Blade with both hands, and stood in front of Itachi.

"Kid, you owe me a life."

Yagura's body began to transform. The Three-Tails' chakra surged from within him, the Tailed Beast Cloak covered his entire body, and his three tails swung behind him.

The Tailed Beast Ball condensed in front of Yagura, a black sphere containing chakra compressed to its limit.

"Die." Yagura's voice was low and menacing.

Juzo didn't back down. He raised his Executioner's Blade and charged towards Yagura. The Tailed Beast Ball shot out. Juzo's blade met it head-on, the blade clashing with the Tailed Beast Ball—

Explosion. Smoke and dust filled the air, and debris flew everywhere.

Itachi's Sharingan pierced through the smoke and dust, revealing Juzo. He stood at the center of the explosion, his Executioner's Blade broken in two, one half of the blade embedded in his abdomen, blood gushing from the wound, staining the ground red.

"Juzo!" Itachi's voice changed.

Juzo knelt down and sat against a broken wall. He looked at Itachi, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but there was no fear in his eyes.

"Go—" he said softly. "Go—"

Itachi's right hand was still sealed by Sango, so he used his left hand to form a hand seal—Amaterasu.

Black flames erupted from his eyes, not towards Yagura, but towards the coral in his right hand. The black flames devoured the coral, which cracked and fell away.

Itachi's right hand was freed.

Yagura looked at him, but didn't move. He was waiting.

Itachi did not continue his attack. He turned around, hoisted Juzo onto his back, and rushed into the rain.

Behind him, Yagura watched their retreating figures, his Tailed Beast Cloak slowly retracting. He didn't chase after them.

"Next time, I won't let you leave again."

The Land of Rain, on the border.

Itachi carried Juzo on his back all night. Juzo's breathing grew weaker and weaker, and blood flowed from his abdomen, soaking Itachi's back. As dawn approached, Juzo's hand slipped off Itachi's shoulder.

Itachi stopped. He placed Juzo under a tree and checked his pulse—it was gone.

He knelt down and closed Juzo's open eyes. The rain was still falling, hitting Juzo's face and streaming down his cheeks. Itachi stood up, turned, and continued walking. He didn't look back.

Akatsuki's stronghold, Amegakure.

Itachi stood alone before Pain. Rain streamed down his black hair, and there were dried bloodstains on his clothes—not his.

"Juzo is dead."

Pain stared at Itachi, his Rinnegan devoid of emotion. "Who killed him?"

"The Fourth Mizukage".

Payne was silent for a moment. "What happened to your hand?"

Itachi looked down at his right hand. There were shallow scars on his arm from fallen coral, but the skin was dark.

"fine."

Payne did not ask any further questions.

Deep within the Akatsuki stronghold, in a dark corridor.

A pale hand reached out from the darkness, its slender fingers tapping on the rock wall.

Orochimaru emerged from the shadows, his golden eyes fixed on the direction Itachi had left. A faint smile played on his lips.

"Fourth Mizukage—Coral Palm—" His voice was soft, as soft as a snake's forked tongue. "Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan can even see through the chakra of a tailed beast?"

He turned around and walked towards his room. Kabuto Yakushi stood in the doorway, wearing round-framed glasses and holding a thick stack of documents.

"Lord Orochimaru, Akatsuki has just assigned us a new mission."

"Canceling it." Orochimaru walked past him. "I'm not going anywhere for the next few days."

Dou pushed up his glasses but didn't ask any further questions.

Orochimaru entered the room and closed the door. He took a scroll from the drawer and unrolled it.

The above is Itachi's combat data: Sharingan reaction speed, genjutsu activation time, and Fire Release power (C).

This is what he collected in secret, and it's still not enough.

He needs more.

More importantly—Orochimaru lowered his head and looked at his right hand.

It's not fear, it's a feeling of powerlessness.

The reincarnation technique has been used too much, and the soul has begun to dissipate. The body is barely holding on, but the spirit is irreversibly weakening.

He needs a new vessel. A stronger vessel.

The Rinnegan—he thought of Pain's purple eyes, then immediately dismissed the idea.

That person is too strong, so strong that he is currently unshakeable.

As a second choice, the Sharingan.

The Uchiha clan's bloodline limit inherently possesses powerful spiritual energy, perfectly compensating for his deficiency. And Itachi, young, a genius, with his Sharingan, was the most perfect vessel at the moment.

Orochimaru rolled up the scroll, stuffed it into the drawer, and leaned back in his chair.

He's waiting. Waiting for the right opportunity.

Akatsuki's base, in another corner.

Obito sat in the darkness, his Sharingan through the holes in his mask staring at the map of Amegakure hanging on the wall.

White Zetsu emerged from the rock wall, half of its body exposed.

"Orochimaru seems to be eyeing Itachi."

Obito did not answer.

"Juzo is dead, and Pain has paired Orochimaru with Itachi. When do you think Orochimaru will make his move?"

"Soon." Obito's voice was hoarse. "His obsession with the Sharingan won't keep him waiting long."

White Zetsu tilted his head. "Aren't you going to stop it?"

"Why stop him?" Obito's voice was calm. "If Orochimaru makes a move, Itachi will either die or live."

While alive, he proved his worth. Dead—

'

He paused. "His death only proves that Shuoge chose the wrong person. There's no need to regret it."

White Zetsu sank into the rock wall.