When Uchiha Itachi and Maruyoshi Kosuke returned to the village, it was already the morning of the fifth day after the attack—two days after Namikaze Minato and the others received the information.
Upon their return to Konoha, Uchiha Itachi and Kosuke Maruhoshi immediately headed to the Hokage's office to report on their mission. As Uchiha Itachi pushed open the door, he saw a familiar figure lying on the office sofa, fast asleep.
The movement of Uchiha Itachi and Kosuke Maruhoshi caught the attention of the person on the sofa. The young man slowly sat up, waved at Itachi, and greeted him:
"Yo, my dear disciple, long time no see!"
Unlike his usual demeanor, Uzumaki Raiden greeted Uchiha Itachi enthusiastically. Though his voice was hoarse and unfamiliar, and his hairstyle had changed slightly, Itachi recognized him at a glance. He took a few quick steps forward and threw himself into the young man's arms.
"Master Raiden!"
"I knew you'd be back!"
Uchiha Itachi embraced Uzumaki Raiden tightly, his voice choked with emotion. Raiden hadn't expected the normally reserved Itachi to act so openly. He was momentarily stunned before gently returning the embrace, speaking softly:
"It seems you've been through a lot, but everything will be fine. Your master will help you."
"I will never forgive anyone who dares to bully my disciple!"
Uzumaki Raiden understood why the normally restrained Itachi was suddenly so emotional. The sensible child must have been deeply hurt this time.
Hearing Raiden's words, Itachi could no longer hold back his emotions. Clutching Raiden's waist tightly, he cried out, "Master, they're dead! My two companions are dead!"
Itachi's soft cry echoed in the Hokage's office as his sorrow overflowed at the sight of his long-missing master.
Kosuke Maruhoshi watched Itachi sobbing in Raiden's arms and let out a sigh of relief. Throughout their journey, the boy had barely spoken, keeping all his grief bottled up inside. At one point, Kosuke had been deeply worried, fearing Itachi would suppress everything and never allow himself to grieve.
But seeing him finally break down, the seasoned battlefield veteran felt a weight lifted from his heart.
"Kosuke, you're back," Minato said.
"The daimyo has already sent a report based on your earlier account."
"But I only have a general idea of the events. Tell me the specifics—who was the enemy?"
Namikaze Minato, seeing Itachi still overwhelmed with emotion, turned to Kosuke for the report.
Unexpectedly, before Kosuke could respond, Itachi broke free from Raiden's embrace, wiped his tears away, and quickly stepped forward.
"I'll report!" he declared.
Minato, surprised by Itachi's quick recovery, glanced at him before nodding, signaling him to proceed. Uzumaki Raiden, seated on the sofa, also leaned forward slightly, listening intently.
"The attacker was a masked ninja dressed in black," Itachi began.
"He wielded a long blade and was highly skilled in Fire Release ninjutsu. Most importantly, he possessed a three-tomoe Sharingan."
"The enemy suddenly appeared in the middle of our formation, killing the enchanter and porter in an instant before engaging Kosuke Maruhoshi."
"During the battle, he displayed exceptional insight and taijutsu skills. In the midst of the fight, he managed to sneak up and kill Tianma and Xinzi."
"I ultimately killed him using an explosive tag."
Itachi's report was concise, but he clearly highlighted the key details. Throughout his explanation, Uzumaki Raiden and Namikaze Minato listened intently, not interrupting. When he finished, Minato stroked his chin thoughtfully before turning to Raiden.
Raiden, meanwhile, looked at Itachi in slight surprise and asked, "Itachi, you said you killed the enemy using a chain explosion of explosive tags? You mastered that technique?"
"Yes, Master. I completed my training a year ago and fully mastered the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tag technique," Itachi confirmed with a nod.
Hearing Itachi's confident reply, Uzumaki Raiden couldn't help but rub his forehead. His disciple was almost too talented—mastering such a terrifying forbidden technique at such a young age. Even Raiden himself had never fully perfected it.
With a silent sigh, Raiden continued his inquiry:
"You mentioned that the enemy had a Sharingan and that you killed him using explosive tags."
"When you triggered the explosion, did you use a shadow clone?"
"After the battle, did you find any remains of the enemy?"
Raiden asked this to determine whether the enemy was truly dead. If any remains were found, then the death could be confirmed. However, if nothing was left behind, then Itachi's claim of killing the enemy might need to be questioned.
"The explosion was extremely powerful. The battlefield was left with only a massive crater—nothing else remained," Itachi responded.
"Even the meteor iron we were escorting vanished. The bodies of the two fallen ninjas were completely destroyed as well."
Beside him, Kosuke Maruhoshi added, "I didn't want Itachi to have to relive everything, so I examined the site myself. There were no remains."
"I see. In that case, whether the enemy is truly dead remains uncertain," Raiden murmured.
"The enemy appeared suddenly in the middle of your formation, correct?"
"In that case, he was likely proficient in space-time ninjutsu."
"A Sharingan user with mastery over space-time techniques… this is troublesome."
Raiden stroked his chin and muttered to himself.
His words caused Itachi's expression to shift. He suddenly recalled something—before his shadow clone perished, he had looked into the enemy's eyes. There had been something unusual about that Sharingan…
"Master..." Itachi began to speak, but Raiden raised a hand to stop him.
"Enough! Leave this matter to me."
"Itachi, go home and get some rest. Come to my place tomorrow morning—I have something to discuss with you."
"I have urgent matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
Uzumaki Raiden lightly patted Itachi on the back and exited the office.
From Itachi's report, Raiden had confirmed that the enemy possessed a three-tomoe Sharingan. Normally, only members of the Uchiha clan could use the Sharingan proficiently, which meant that the attacker was likely an Uchiha.
If it wasn't Uchiha Madara himself, then the enemy must have been a puppet raised by him.
To confirm the enemy's identity, he only needed to investigate any missing Uchiha clan members.
Once he identified their name and age, he could formulate the next course of action.
(End of Chapter)