I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 73 Intelligence on Both Sides

After the Inuzuka mother and daughter left.

Fugaku, pulling along a short, young ANBU member, approached Uchiha Hikaru:

"Grandma, this child is the dog-son Itachi I mentioned to you. He is also the most talented junior in the clan. He is only 12 years old now, but he has already awakened the three-tomoe star and works in the Anbu... Last time you came to the clan, he was out on a mission and was unable to see you. It was a real pity."

"Um?"

Uchiha Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

You could tell there was a hint of smugness in Fugaku's tone.

This is a normal psychological state for a father.

Although Itachi had already developed a withdrawn and taciturn personality at this time, rarely revealing his true thoughts to his clansmen or even family members, he was still able to communicate normally with Shisui, Sasuke, and others. Fugaku and Mikoto probably never imagined that their eldest son would commit the act of wiping out his entire clan two years later in another timeline.

—To be honest, the root of the problem actually lies with Fugaku himself.

Who told him to take four- or five-year-old Itachi to the battlefield? Even an ordinary child could easily develop war PTSD from witnessing such bloodshed, let alone someone from the Uchiha clan whose members' paths are generally different from ordinary people. It would be strange if Itachi's thinking were normal.

now.

Uchiha Hikaru's mind stirred, and a thought suddenly popped into his head—

"Is Itachi's appearance here a coincidence?"

In the original storyline, Itachi Uchiha and Obito had actually met a long time ago. When Itachi was 8 years old, he encountered Obito while on a mission outside the village as a genin and had his comrade killed by Obito, which is how he first awakened his Sharingan.

Two years later, these two traitors, working together from the inside and outside, completed the extermination of the entire clan.

Now that Uchiha Hikaru has destroyed Root, Danzo is still alive, but he no longer has the ability to take Shisui's Sharingan. And if Shisui doesn't die, Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan cannot be awakened... Even if Obito is optimistic about Itachi's future, it is unlikely that he would invite him to join Akatsuki at this time.

but……

"Judging from our encounter just now, it seems that Obito already knew I had the 'Tsukuyomi' eye technique."

"He hid in the thick fog from the beginning, observing my movements. After detonating the two Kaguya clan members at the right moment, he immediately closed his eyes to avoid eye contact with me... The main flaw of 'Tsukuyomi' is that it requires eye contact to activate. Without prior intelligence, it would be impossible to take such a targeted preventative measure."

Thinking about it carefully, Uchiha Hikaru did indeed use "Tsukuyomi" several times during this period, targeting Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, and members of Root...

On the day Root was destroyed, Itachi and Shisui were both present and witnessed the entire process of Danzo being sent away.

of course……

This cannot be taken as evidence that Itachi was colluding with foreign enemies.

Because there were about a dozen Anbu ninjas present that day, plus Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, two advisors, and doctors from Konoha Hospital... all of them could have leaked this information.

There is one more person—

Black Zetsu!

This filial son of the ninja world is an old schemer who has lived for over a thousand years and pays special attention to the Uchiha clan. It's unlikely that he would be completely unaware of information about her, this "human weapon." Black Zetsu might even know that she possesses "Amaterasu," but he simply doesn't understand the principle behind "Eight Thousand Spears."

(To be on the safe side, let's wait until the Eight Thousand Spears' abilities are more refined before trying to check Itachi's memories...)

(It would be best if he had no contact with Obito, otherwise... I'm afraid I'll have to do something about him.)

the other side.

Fugaku Uchiha tentatively spoke up, "Grandma, if you have time later, could you... perhaps give my son some guidance in his training? With his talent, he might one day awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan like Shisui and become a pillar of the Uchiha clan."

"……Can."

Uchiha Hikaru glanced at Itachi, then at Fugaku, and nodded with a subtle look in his eyes: "Let's wait a few days. When that time comes, let's also bring that brat named Shisui. I'll personally check their level."

"it is good."

After exchanging a few more words, Uchiha Hikaru said goodbye to Fugaku and left Nakagawa River alone.

……

at the same time.

In a forest outside Konoha Village.

A vortex suddenly appeared.

Obito, wearing an orange mask, fell from mid-air and staggered to the ground. His upper body was almost completely naked, and his black robe with red clouds was burned to pieces, revealing half normal and half eerily white skin.

Gumbling--

The soil not far away silently parted to both sides.

A strange figure, resembling a pitcher plant, poked its head out.

"How is it?"

"……monster."

Obito's hoarse voice came from behind the mask: "Those few Jonin from Kirigakure were just toys in front of her. It wasn't until she saw me that she showed some of her true abilities... To activate Susanoo to that extent in an instant and unleash such a powerful Amaterasu, she's simply a monster. If I had delayed for even a few more seconds, I might not have made it back."

As he spoke, Obito removed his mask, revealing a weathered face that seemed out of place for his age.

At this moment, the left eye on that face had lost its luster.

—Izanagi.

Because the number of black flames that were swept into the Kamui dimension with him at the last moment was too large, Obito had to use Izanagi once to ensure that his left eye was not damaged, thus granting him immunity to all damage.

Although he still had some spare Sharingan he inherited from Madara, losing one so easily still made Obito feel a little pained.

"But it's alright."

"Using such a powerful 'Amaterasu' must have taken a heavy toll on her body, and perhaps even caused a decline in her eyesight... It would be best if she could go blind."

"..."

Absolute silence.

He had only recently learned of Uchiha Hikari's existence and had linked her to a Uchiha clan member from the early Sengoku period whom he believed to be dead. If it really was that person… things might become a bit tricky.

"It seems that the plan to annihilate the Uchiha clan may need to be slightly altered. We cannot act rashly before eliminating these two threats, her and Uchiha Shisui."

half an hour.

Obito slowly stood up: "Let's go."

"The Hidden Mist ninja we brought this time have all been wiped out. I don't know how much intelligence Konoha can get from them. We need to go back as soon as possible and make further plans... We originally wanted to slaughter all those bloodline clans, but now it seems there are more suitable ways for them to die."

As he spoke, Obito's figure vanished in a vortex.

Jue didn't even sink into the mud, and quickly followed.

A gentle breeze blew by, and everything returned to quiet.

(End of this chapter)