novelraw Chapter 489 Itachi and Kakashi
Chapter 489 Itachi and Kakashi
Chapter 489 Itachi and Kakashi
The streets of Konohagakure are growing darker with the approaching night.
When Sarutobi Asuma saw Uchiha Itachi, his pupils suddenly contracted, and all the muscles in his body tensed to their limit in an instant!
Without any room for thought, his instincts honed over years of combat led him to react with lightning speed!
He pushed off with his feet, taking half a step forward to shield Xi Ri behind him, standing between Hong and that figure!
"Uchiha Itachi!" Asuma's roar shattered the silence of the street.
"You dare come back to Konoha?! Are you looking for death?!"
Faced with this terrifying being who slaughtered half of the Uchiha clan, whose hands are stained with the blood of his own comrades, and who is listed as an S-rank rogue ninja, any hesitation could mean death!
Asuma's hands quickly formed a mudra in front of his chest!
So fast that it left only a blur!
He took a deep breath, his chest bulging, and chakra frantically gathered in his throat and lungs!
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"
call-!!!
A large cloud of thick, dark gray tobacco ash, emitting a pungent sulfurous smell, spewed out of Asma's mouth!
The cigarette ash didn't shoot straight, but spread in a fan shape, instantly enveloping and swallowing the area under the streetlights in front, along with the figure in the black robe with red clouds!
Cigarette ash has a strong adhesive and masking effect, which can not only interfere with vision, but its high temperature is enough to burn the respiratory tract and skin!
After unleashing his ninjutsu, Asuma dared not relax for a moment, for his opponent was none other than Uchiha Itachi!
That monster who could make countless Jonin die with just illusions and shuriken!
He clenched his teeth fiercely, sending out tiny but deadly sparks!
"burst!"
boom-!!!
The area shrouded in cigarette ash was instantly detonated, turning into a raging sea of fire!
Orange flames shot into the sky, illuminating the entire street as if it were daytime!
The high-temperature air currents swept outwards, instantly scorching the roadside vegetation, and causing the glass covers of the streetlights to creak under the strain!
Flames raged through everything inside, crackling and popping!
Succeeded?
Have they held them back?
The thought flashed through Asma's mind.
No, we must not be careless!
We must call for help immediately!
An attack of this magnitude could never defeat Uchiha Itachi!
"Red! Go and call the Anbu! Issue the highest alert! Hurry!" Asuma shouted without turning his head.
His gaze was fixed on the churning sea of fire ahead, his chakra gathering as he prepared to deal with any attack that might burst forth from the flames.
However, there was silence behind him.
There was no response from Hong, nor the sound of footsteps leaving.
A chill instantly shot up from Asma's tailbone and straight to the top of his head!
He turned his head stiffly to look behind him.
No one is empty.
"Red?" Asuma exclaimed, his heart pounding in his chest.
Just then, the raging flames in front of them suddenly disappeared.
The streetlights still cast a dim, yellowish glow, and the streets remained damp and quiet.
There was no thick smoke, no scorching heat, and no signs of burning.
The figure in the black robe with red clouds remained standing there quietly, without even a trace of scorch marks on the hem of the robe.
Itachi Uchiha slowly walked towards Asuma, his steps steady.
His face was expressionless, and his scarlet Mangekyou Sharingan calmly stared at Asuma.
"H-How is this possible—" Asuma's pupils trembled, and he subconsciously took half a step back, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.
and many more!
Illusion?!
A thought that sent shivers down his spine struck his mind like lightning.
He suddenly looked at the unharmed Uchiha Itachi in front of him, his gaze falling on Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan.
"When—" Asuma's voice was extremely dry.
When was he under the illusion?
They didn't even notice?
Even the hand seals, the release of ninjutsu, the detonation of flames—this series of seemingly realistic "battles"—were all just taking place in the illusionary world constructed by the opponent?!
Uchiha Itachi slowly approached and stopped about five steps away from Asuma.
"From the very beginning."
The moment Itachi Uchiha finished speaking, the world before Asuma's eyes collapsed like a shattered mirror!
The familiar streets of Konoha, the dim streetlights, and even the night sky all suddenly vanished, distorted, and transformed into a boundless, desolate wasteland.
Beneath our feet lay cracked, black soil, and the air was thick with the stench of rust and blood.
Even the starry night sky turned dark red.
He himself was firmly pinned to the spot by two thick, black iron nails that suddenly pierced out from the ground!
One rod pierced his right shoulder, and another rod went through his left thigh!
The intense, phantom pain, as if tearing his soul apart, instantly overwhelmed his nerves like a tidal wave!
"Ugh!!!" Asuma couldn't help but let out a painful groan, large beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.
He struggled, trying to break free, but the nails seemed to have grown into his flesh and blood; the more he struggled, the more intense the pain became.
He knew it was an illusion, a mental attack, but the realism of the pain almost made him believe that his body had really been pierced through!
Uchiha Itachi's figure, like a death god who rules this blood-red world, slowly walked from the other end of this desolate land.
A ninja sword gleaming with black light had appeared in his hand without him noticing.
He walked up to Asuma, stopped, and looked down at Asuma, whose face was contorted with pain. His voice remained eerily calm: "In this Tsukuyomi space that I control, time, space, mass—all the rules are determined by me."
"Seventy-two hours have passed here, but only one second has passed in the outside world."
"You have plenty of time—to think about my question carefully."
"Pah!" Asuma gritted his teeth, blood seeping from his gums. He raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Itachi, and hissed, "Uchiha Itachi! You beast who slaughtered your clan and betrayed the village! Don't even think about getting any information about Konoha from me! If you have the guts, kill me!"
He thought Itachi infiltrated Konoha to obtain secrets about the power transition after the Third Hokage's death, or other strategic intelligence.
However, Itachi Uchiha did not react to his curses.
He merely tilted his head slightly, his Mangekyou Sharingan calmly fixed on Asuma, and asked a question that instantly stunned Asuma: "Sasuke—why did you defect?"
"What?" Asuma was too shocked by the intense pain and his tense thoughts to react for a moment.
Sasuke defected?
Uchiha Itachi—the man who personally slaughtered countless members of his clan, pushed his younger brother into the abyss of hatred, and betrayed the village, is now risking everything to infiltrate Konoha, just to ask his brother why he defected.
After a brief moment of shock, a mixture of absurdity and anger surged through Asuma's heart. He forced a cold, sarcastic laugh through gritted teeth, his voice filled with mockery: "Ha! How laughable! Uchiha Itachi! You, the executioner who murdered your father and mother, slaughtered half your clan, now you come to ask me why your poor little brother betrayed you?"
"Why don't you ask yourself what you did to him?! Do you even deserve to ask that question?!"
Asuma's words were like a poisoned kunai, piercing the softest and most painful spot in Itachi Uchiha's heart.
But Itachi's face remained completely expressionless.
He did not answer Asma's question, nor did he offer any explanation.
He simply raised the ninja sword in his hand slowly, the tip of the blade aimed at Asuma's chest.
Then, under Asuma's horrified and furious gaze, the cold blade slowly pierced Asuma's chest.
"Well--!!!"
The pain of the blade piercing flesh, cutting through fascia, touching bones, and finally slowly sinking into internal organs was clearly felt by Asma!
This pain directly affected Asma's mind, and was amplified countless times, causing him to break down!
Asma's agonizing screams echoed through the blood-red space. His muscles convulsed, his eyes bulged from extreme pain, and sweat poured from every pore of his body like a stream.
Uchiha Itachi gripped the hilt of his sword like a sculptor carving his own work of art, slowly sliding the ninja sword across Asuma's body, clearly conveying every bit of pain.
Answer my question.
"Sasuke, why did you defect?"
In the real world, on that deserted street in Konoha.
Under the streetlights, time seemed to stand still.
Sarutobi Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi stood motionless in place, just like two lifelike sculptures, maintaining the same posture they had when they first saw Itachi.
Asuma's face still bore the shock and anger that preceded his roar, while Kurenai's eyes still held a trace of astonishment.
Their eyes were still open, but their pupils were completely unfocused, staring blankly into the void ahead.
Uchiha Itachi stood quietly a few steps in front of them, equally motionless, but his scarlet Mangekyou Sharingan emitted an eerie light under the dim light, firmly locking onto Asuma's eyes.
A gentle night breeze blew between them, stirring up a few fallen leaves.
Everything was eerily quiet.
On the edge of the roof of a nearby house, Ringo Amori squatted down, resting her chin on her hands, watching the scene below with great interest.
She was already familiar with Itachi Uchiha's genjutsu abilities and knew how overpowered his genjutsu was. Even elite Jonin of the same level would be pulled into the genjutsu world he controlled the moment they made eye contact with him if they were not careful, and their minds would suffer unimaginable damage or even collapse.
What may be a fleeting moment in the outside world could be endless torment inside.
She leaped from the rooftop, landing steadily beside Itachi. Curious, she approached, scrutinizing Asuma and Kurenai, who stood like statues, clicking her tongue in amazement: "Wait, is this the one mentioned in the organization's intelligence—"
'
"Sarutobi Asuma? The Third Hokage's son, and formerly one of the 'Twelve Guardian Ninja'?"
She poked Asuma's stiff cheek with her fingertip, then pulled out a small notebook that looked like a bounty booklet from her ninja tool bag and quickly flipped through it a few times.
"Hmm—found him, Sarutobi Asuma, an elite Jonin of Konoha, bounty—35 million ryo! Not bad, quite valuable."
"Is that beautiful woman next to him his girlfriend?"
Hunting down rogue ninja or important figures with high bounties from various countries and exchanging their corpses for huge sums of money at underground gold exchange shops is one of the important sources of revenue for maintaining the Akatsuki organization.
Ringo Amuri was naturally quite sensitive to these "walking money bags".
However, their leader, Pain, strictly ordered them to keep a low profile unless absolutely necessary and to avoid provoking the Jonin of the Five Great Nations, so as not to expose the Akatsuki organization too early and attract attention.
She looked at Kurenai again and nodded: "Yes, she is indeed beautiful."
Uchiha Itachi ignored the incessant chatter of his companion beside him, as if she didn't exist.
His entire attention was focused on the mental interrogation of Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi within the "Tsukuyomi" space.
However, Asuma is indeed quite stubborn.
Just as Itachi was pondering whether to try a different approach, or risk "visiting" other Konoha high-ranking officials who might know the truth,
Tap, tap, tap —
A series of slightly dragging, leisurely footsteps broke the eerie silence from around the street corner not far away.
Ringo Ameyuri turned her head almost instantly, her nonchalant expression replaced by sharp vigilance, her right hand already on the hilt of the sword at her lower back.
Her gaze was fixed on the figure that slowly emerged from the shadows.
He was a white-haired young man who looked somewhat lazy.
He was wearing a standard green vest typical of Konoha Jonin, and a black mask covering most of his face, revealing only his right eye, which looked as if he hadn't woken up yet.
He was carrying a shopping bag with the Konoha 24-hour convenience store logo in each hand. From the opening of the bags, you could see that there were several boxes of instant noodles and a copy of "Make-Out Paradise".
He looks like an ordinary office worker who just bought groceries on his way home after get off work.
However, when the other person saw this strange scene under the streetlight, he did not stop walking at all, and even his exposed right eye did not show much surprise.
He merely raised his eyelids slightly, his gaze sweeping over Asuma and Kurenai, who stood like statues, before looking at Itachi Uchiha standing opposite them, and Ringo Ameyuri, whose hand rested on the hilt of her sword.
Then, as if meeting an acquaintance, he greeted her lazily, "Oh, good evening."
This unusual attitude caused Ringo Amuri's muscles to tense up instantly!
She slowly drew two ninja swords, replicas of the Raito Kiba, that were crossed at her waist. Her sharp eyes locked onto the white-haired youth, revealing her fangs. Her voice was low and solemn: "Hatake—Kakashi."
During the Third Shinobi World War more than a decade ago, although Kakashi Hatake of Konoha was only twelve years old, he left behind a chilling legend on the battlefield.
Ringo Ameyuri had clashed with Kakashi several times in the past and was deeply impressed by this white-haired genius who was proficient in swordsmanship and whose tactics were unpredictable and ever-changing.
Even after so many years, that sense of oppression remains vivid.
As the footsteps sounded, Itachi Uchiha slowly turned his head.
His crimson Mangekyou Sharingan met Kakashi's calm black eye.
Facing his former ANBU senior, a renowned elite Jonin of Konoha, Itachi's face remained expressionless. He simply addressed him respectfully, saying, "Kakashi-senpai, it's been a long time."
His tone suggested that he had simply bumped into a long-lost friend on the street, rather than being caught in the heart of Konoha interrogating his colleague using genjutsu.
Kakashi Hatake, carrying shopping bags, slowly walked to a spot about twenty paces away from them and stopped.
He first glanced at Itachi and Ringo Ameyuri's striking black robes with red clouds with his dead fish eyes, then looked at Asuma and Kurenai who were still immersed in the genjutsu and completely unaware of the outside world, before turning his gaze back to Itachi and saying in a lazy and casual tone, "If you're here to see Sasuke—he's been gone from Konoha for two days."
His words were soft, yet they struck like a thunderclap in Itachi's heart.
Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan scrutinized Kakashi.
In a fleeting moment, countless thoughts flashed through Itachi's mind.
But in the end, he came to a conclusion: there was no point in fighting Kakashi here; it would only alert the other ninjas of Konoha.
Since Kakashi dared to appear so openly and say these words, he must have been prepared.
Furthermore, Sasuke has already left Konoha, so his original plan to cause a ruckus and then calmly leave, demonstrating his strength and warning Konoha not to act rashly against Sasuke, is now meaningless.
'
Itachi Uchiha silently stared at Kakashi for two seconds.
Then, he nodded slightly to Kakashi, his voice still calm: "Sorry to bother you."
After saying that, he vanished from his spot in a flash.
"Wait! Itachi!" Ringo Ameyuri was stunned for a moment, completely confused.
Why did Itachi leave without asking Kakashi a single question as soon as he saw him?
This isn't like him at all!
But seeing that Itachi had already left, she didn't want to face an opponent of Kakashi's caliber alone. She glared at Kakashi resentfully, then glanced at Asuma and Kurenai, who were still under the control of genjutsu, and muttered to herself that the tens of millions of ryo of bounty had vanished.
Then Ringo Ameyuri's figure also turned into a blur, chasing after the direction Itachi disappeared in, and quickly vanished into the darkness at the end of the street.
The streets returned to silence, with only the dim streetlights and three people standing there.
Kakashi saw the two off until their presence completely disappeared from the neighborhood.
A fleeting, unreadable emotion crossed his right eye—a mixture of reminiscence, a sigh, and a sense of relief.
He carried his shopping bags and slowly walked up to Asuma and Red, who were still standing like statues.
A short while later.
"Holy crap!!!"
"Ha ha----"
Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi both let out a heart-wrenching gasp, followed by violent gasps as if they were coughing up their lungs!
Both of them lost all strength at the same time, like puppets with broken strings. Their knees buckled, and with two "thumps," they knelt heavily on the cold ground!
Asma braced himself on the ground, panting heavily. Sweat poured down his forehead and neck like a downpour, dripping onto the ground and quickly forming a small puddle.
His face was ashen, his eyes unfocused, and his pupils trembled violently, as if he had just crawled out of the abyss of hell, his soul torn apart.
Kurenai Yuhi collapsed to the ground, curled up, trembling uncontrollably, her consciousness fading.
It took Asma quite a while to regain a sliver of consciousness from the phantom pain and weakness that had brought him to the brink of collapse.
He slowly and laboriously raised his head, his bloodshot eyes gazing vaguely ahead.
What came into his view was Kakashi, who was carrying two shopping bags and standing quietly in front of them, looking down at them.
"Kakashi—" Asuma's voice was hoarse like a broken bellows, and every word trembled.
"Just now—Uchiha Itachi—he—"
Before he could finish speaking, Asuma fainted.
"It seems Itachi showed mercy after all." Kakashi looked at the two unconscious men and estimated that they would be lying in the Konoha hospital for a month or two.
Otherwise, given Itachi's ability to kill two elite Root ninjas with a single glance when he defected, Asuma and Kurenai, even if they hadn't died, would probably have been missing limbs.