Seeing that Sasuke didn't respond, Naruto stepped forward and reached out to him, only to have his hand impatiently swatted away.
"..." Naruto was not only surprised by Sasuke's continuous abnormal behavior, but also furrowed his lips and turned to look at the expressionless man. As the flickering electricity faded, and they were bathed once again in the faint moonlight, the man seemed even more mysterious and aloof in his black cloak with red clouds.
'There was definitely something wrong here. Who exactly was this man?' Naruto's expression became unusually serious.
Sasuke, having instinctively swatted Naruto's hand away, exhaled deeply after realizing it. He glanced up at Naruto and said, "Don't bother me, dead last."
"Tch." Naruto clicked his tongue, then moved to stand directly in Itachi's path, "Hey, Sasuke, doesn't this guy look a bit like you?"
Naruto had started to catch on to something. Although he might seem thick-headed, his battle instincts were not lacking. Sasuke, hearing this question, fell silent for a moment. His earlier irrationality from channeling all his energy into the Chidori had now been mostly dispelled by exhaustion.
"His name is Uchiha Itachi, and he is my older brother…"
Naruto's heart tightened, as the revelation was a lot to take in.
Sasuke clenched his fist and once again fixed his gaze on the figure not far away, "And also my enemy."
'Enemy...' Naruto recalled the time he had met Sasuke by chance on the roadside when they were children, and also during their introductions as Team 7 was first formed… He seemed to grasp something, and his face turned slightly pale.
"This man is a Missing-nin who committed crimes that shocked the entire Ninja World. Naruto, you need to be careful." Jiraiya's voice came from behind. Feeling the reassuring presence, Naruto calmed down a bit.
Jiraiya arrived by the side of the two Genin, casting a glance at Sasuke, who seemed much calmer now, 'Thankfully, Uchiha Itachi hadn't counterattacked with deadly force earlier, otherwise, even at such close range, it would have been difficult for me to intervene.'
Jiraiya signaled to Sasuke not to act rashly again, then turned to Itachi.
'He's neither attacking nor retreating.' Thinking of the opponent's clear purpose of stalling, Jiraiya's voice turned deep, "Uchiha Itachi, a wanted criminal like you dares to appear near Konoha… Are you here to cover Hattori's retreat? Is he so important to your Akatsuki organization?"
The 'original mission' Kisame said before flashed in his mind, and Jiraiya's presence grew heavier, "Or do you have some other scheme?"
Itachi quietly endured the pressure of the Sannin, calculating Logan's distance in his mind while keeping his expression calm and detached.
"No comment."
These simple two words made it clear he had no interest in further communication. Jiraiya frowned in thought, 'The Akatsuki's core members were few and scattered throughout various places. How could they coincidentally appear at the Konoha's border? Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha… Would he have informed the Akatsuki? Impossible, Orochimaru had left the Akatsuki and become their enemy long ago.
Though Jiraiya wandered and enjoyed a free-spirited life, he secretly gathered intelligence for the village. The Akatsuki was an organization he had kept a close eye on. His vague premonitions about this anomaly made him feel inexplicably uneasy, so much so that he almost considered the task of pursuing Logan as secondary.
"Hattori... He's been part of Akatsuki for a long time, hasn't he? You both were in the ANBU together back then, weren't you? Seems like you go way back. Now you're helping him defect. Heh, there's a lot of information hidden in this."
Jiraiya spoke, a look of disdain for traitors on his face. People unconsciously reveal information when they speak, even if they're unaware of it themselves. And Jiraiya was trying to probe for any clues.
"No way, is it true that Hattori-sensei has known this guy for a long time?!"
Unfortunately, there are times when you have a teammate who's a total liability. Before anyone else could react, Naruto was the first to shout in surprise.
The tense atmosphere was shattered, and Itachi swallowed back the words he had been about to say.
"..."
Jiraiya massaged his forehead in frustration, 'Seriously, couldn't you read the room for once? Did you think you'd die if you held back...'
Naruto's outburst made Sasuke realize something too. His expression shifted, as his focus had been so consumed by his hatred for Itachi that he had forgotten what Logan being his teammate implied...
"Hattori-sensei..." Sasuke muttered, recalling their first encounter in the mourning hall when he was a child, and the visits for guidance, 'Hattori-sensei should have known about the crimes committed by that man…'
As many things began to connect, it seemed that there might be hidden truths he was even more reluctant to face.
"What's going on?" For the first time, Sasuke's gaze shifted past Itachi, towards the depths of the dark forest.
"Damn it!" Naruto punched the rough tree bark, frustrated that no one was responding to his questions. He shook his hand, trying to dispel his irritation, "No matter what, we have to go after him first! Every second we waste gives Hattori-sensei a greater chance to escape!"
'Finally, they were back to the main point.' Jiraiya nodded. Long-term concerns could be set aside, but the immediate threat needed addressing. The mission was urgent, and at the moment, there was nothing else to be done, "Without our initial momentum, it's going to be difficult to charge through in one go."
Naruto, unable to stand pessimism, glanced at Jiraiya with exasperation, "So, who was the one who changed tactics midway?"
"... Circumstances always change."
Time was running out, and none of them wanted the mission to fail. Sasuke took a deep breath and firmly declared, "I'll stay this time."
Refocusing on the mission, Sasuke found that the chance to avenge his grievances was intertwined with his personal vendetta. His obsession with Itachi, which fueled his relentless training day and night, left him unwilling to simply watch Itachi leave. Even if the odds were against him, Sasuke had reasons he couldn't abandon to confront Itachi.
"No way, are you stupid? How can I let you, a mere Genin, fight against such an opponent?" Jiraiya immediately objected, "Your situation... In short, now is definitely not the time to act on impulse." Jiraiya paused but remained firmly opposed.
"My strength is no longer that of a Genin."
"Says who?"
"Hmph, the proctor for the finals of the Chunin Exams."
"... That doesn't matter. Didn't you feel it from the fight just now?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth. His Chidori had been easily deflected, and despite his anger, he couldn't refute the facts.
Jiraiya looked at Naruto and Sasuke, and then said in a tone that left no room for doubt, "That's it. Both members of Akatsuki are covering Hattori's retreat, meaning he's in poor condition. You two still have a chance if you pursue him… But if I let you stay behind, even with Naruto's help, against someone like Itachi, it would be suicide. Don't think just because you've been through the Chunin Exams, you're suddenly strong. Right now, you're still far from it."
"Hey, Pervy Sage..."
"So, as for Uchiha Itachi right in front of us me." Jiraiya cut off Naruto's complaints and didn't give Sasuke a chance to stubbornly insist. He dashed forward, stating, "I'll take care of him."
'I'll also extract some information along the way.' Jiraiya added internally.
Boom!
With the close distance between them, the two figures clashed almost immediately upon engaging. The shockwave from their fight swept over Sasuke's face, filled with hesitation.
"Let's go, Sasuke." Seeing Jiraiya take action, Naruto wasted no time and leapt over a tree, calling back, "Pervy Sage is really strong, so he'll definitely help you capture your enemy. Let's go first. We should go find Hattori-sensei and get to the bottom of this!"
"..."
'There was indeed a significant gap in strength, but…' Sasuke begrudgingly watched as the man he had longed to kill countless times clashed with Jiraiya, their kunai meeting repeatedly.
Jiraiya's questions to Itachi echoed in his mind. The two most important threads of his life were facing severe challenges. Finally, it was the heavy questions on the other side that led Sasuke to make his decision.
'For now... Next time, I'll definitely...'
From the corner of his eye, Itachi noticed the two figures swiftly passing by. As he withstood Jiraiya's relentless attacks, his main objective, which is to stall Jiraiya here, had already been achieved, so he let them leave.
Sasuke had restrained the hatred that drove him here, influenced by a newly emerging force that was slowly altering him.
Beneath Itachi's calm expression, he wasn't sure if he should feel concern or relief about such a change.