The battle erupted without any surprises.
Itachi and Kisame fought against Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai.
The outcome goes without saying; the future Sixth Hokage experienced one of the few frustrating battles in his life.
A misjudgment led to his three-tomoe Sharingan being completely overwhelmed by the Mangekyo Sharingan.
If not for Guy's timely arrival, Kakashi would have been taken away by Itachi and Kisame.
The sounds of the battle attracted the attention of the Konoha Anbu, and a large number of them quickly arrived.
Itachi and Kisame immediately retreated.
Outside Konoha.
"I didn't expect the Jonin of Konoha to be somewhat capable. The Blue Beast? I'll remember that kick. One day, I'll return it to you."
Kisame looked at Konoha, which was gradually disappearing behind him, and touched his left cheek that had just been kicked.
That kick really hurt.
And that kick also made Kisame remember one person.
Might Guy, Konoha's Blue Beast.
"That person is strong. It's best not to provoke him if you can avoid it."
Itachi said with an indifferent expression.
"Hehe..."
Kisame chuckled dryly, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Itachi didn't say anything more about it.
He had a bigger question in his mind now.
"Strange, I've been back for half a day, but I haven't seen any Root members. Where did they all go?"
Itachi was once an Anbu member and had dealt with Danzo many times, so he was very familiar with the behavior patterns of Root members.
But this time, he hadn't seen any trace of them at all.
This was very strange.
You know, the main target of Itachi's intimidation this time was Danzo, but he hadn't even seen any Root members.
This made Itachi a little worried about the effectiveness of his intimidation.
But he had already severely injured Kakashi, and Danzo would know about it sooner or later.
At that time, he would also understand his intentions.
Itachi had been scheming here for a long time, but he didn't know that Danzo was already dead.
Although Danzo had a bad reputation, he was also a deterrent to other villages.
If other villages knew that not only the Third Hokage had died in the Konoha Crush plan, but also the leader of Konoha's Root, there would be even more trouble.
The current Konoha preferred to avoid trouble if possible.
So, the news of Danzo's death had been sealed off by Konoha.
Outsiders wouldn't be able to know for a while.
Of course, you can't wrap fire in paper.
But by then, the Fifth Hokage would have taken office, and the situation would be much better than now.
As Itachi and Kisame were quickly leaving, a person suddenly appeared in front of them.
This person was Kimimaro!
"Uchiha Itachi, Kisame Hoshigaki, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
"Who are you?"
The two stopped, and Kisame looked at the white-haired boy in front of him, gripping his Samehada tightly.
"From Otogakure, Kimimaro Kaguya."
"The Kaguya clan?"
Kisame was a bit surprised.
Coming from Kirigakure, he naturally knew about the Kaguya clan.
He was also familiar with the name Kimimaro.
He didn't expect that the genius of the Kaguya clan from back then was still alive.
Interesting.
Itachi looked at Kimimaro, his crimson eyes filled with scrutiny and contemplation.
Kisame's attention was on the word "Kaguya," but he caught the word "Otogakure."
"Are you a subordinate of Orochimaru?"
Others might not know the details of Otogakure, but Itachi did.
Or rather, the Akatsuki did.
Zetsu's methods of gathering information were truly exceptional.
"Sort of."
Kimimaro didn't deny it.
"You're stopping us here, what do you want? Did Orochimaru send you?"
Itachi asked directly.
"Stopping you is true, but Orochimaru didn't send me. I'm here to say hello to you two. And I'd like to ask you two for a favor."
"Interesting kid, why do you think we would do anything for you?"
Kisame revealed his shark teeth, showing great interest in Kimimaro.
"I'm not sure about Mr. Kisame, but Mr. Itachi, I can make a deal with you. And for the sake of being from the same village, I think Mr. Kisame wouldn't make things difficult for me after Mr. Itachi agrees."
Kisame looked at Itachi, clearly waiting for his response.
Although Kisame was older than Itachi, Itachi's powerful strength made Kisame willingly address him as Mr. Itachi and follow his instructions.
A flicker of emotion passed through Itachi's eyes, and he said, "What kind of deal do you want to make with me?"
"It's very simple. In the near future, I will probably betray Orochimaru. At that time, I will inevitably be hunted down by him. I want to join the Akatsuki and seek its protection."
Kimimaro directly stated his purpose.
Joining the Akatsuki in the near future.
Of course, betraying Orochimaru was just an excuse.
The Akatsuki was in need of people, and as long as one had strong power and attracted the organization's attention, it was easy to be absorbed into it.
After all, none of the Akatsuki members were truly loyal.
Pain and Obito only cared about the members' strength.
And Kimimaro's purpose for wanting to join the Akatsuki was also very simple.
He needed to come into contact with these people.
The photo rewards were one aspect, but he was also very interested in the abilities of Hidan, Kakuzu, and Sasori.
The abilities of these three people were all more or less related to the path of immortality that he was pursuing.
From them, Kimimaro might be able to gain new insights.
Using Itachi and Kisame as a channel to contact the Akatsuki was also convenient.
Kimimaro's words surprised both Itachi and Kisame.
"Mr. Itachi, it seems this kid knows quite a bit. Should we get rid of him?"
Kisame was a bit eager to act.
The Akatsuki's affairs were confidential, and since Kimimaro knew about them, Kisame had enough reason to take action.
"Wait. Let's see what his conditions are."
Itachi wasn't in a hurry to act.
Since the other party appeared in front of them so fearlessly and said such things, they naturally had enough bargaining chips.
"The conditions are also very simple. My medical ninjutsu is quite good. From Mr. Itachi, I can see the presence of an illness. If this illness is left untreated, Mr. Itachi's lifespan will only be about four years.
But if I intervene, although I can't guarantee a cure, I can definitely help Mr. Itachi live for two more years."
Itachi's heart skipped a beat.
His illness had just started to manifest, and no one except him and Kisame knew about it.
He didn't expect the other party to see through it at a glance?
Such medical ninjutsu was truly terrifying.
"What an interesting thing. The Kaguya clan, who only know how to fight, actually has someone who knows medical ninjutsu?"
Kisame couldn't help but start mocking, clearly not believing it.
The next moment, blue chakra appeared on Kimimaro's hands.
Kisame could only immediately swallow the mockery he had just spoken.
Mystical Palm Technique!
There weren't many medical ninjas in the entire ninja world who could freely use such high-level medical ninjutsu.
This ninjutsu alone was enough to prove Kimimaro's medical skills.
"Why do you want to betray Orochimaru?"
Itachi asked his question.
Although he didn't like Orochimaru, he also knew that Orochimaru's subordinates rarely rebelled.
"I don't want to become a vessel."
(End of this chapter)