Chapter 45: Who Is the Prey?
Uchiha Itachi finished preparing his gear. Taking one last glance at his still-energetic younger brother, he finally turned and disappeared into the night.
This was his first mission as a Chūnin, and he took it very seriously. His enthusiasm was at an all-time high.
His new teammates might not be thrilled about it, but he wanted to finish the mission as quickly as possible.
"That way, I can come back and spend more time with Sasuke..."
Itachi moved swiftly, soon leaving the Uchiha district behind.
To be honest, the current Uchiha Clan didn't sit well with him.
All he ever heard was talk of "the clan" and "the family." It felt completely different from what he had learned from the Hokage…
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Itachi halted. He had sensed something.
"Who's there? Show yourself."
As he spoke, his Sharingan spun into existence, scanning the surroundings.
Being stalked within Konoha was unusual. But he quickly considered the possibility—
After all, he had seen firsthand how certain individuals hunted their own fellow Konoha shinobi.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The only response was a barrage of kunai, slicing through the air toward him!
"Is this Root?"
Itachi's mind raced as he swiftly pulled out a kunai, deflecting the incoming projectiles while dodging.
But then—
"!"
As one kunai barely grazed past him, his Sharingan caught sight of something—a strange seal inscribed on it!
In that instant, he realized—
A masked figure had already appeared right beside him…
---
Meanwhile…
"What's going on?"
Haruta frowned as he looked in the direction of the shadowy figure, confusion filling his mind.
He had simply chosen to take a stroll home, hoping to clear his thoughts instead of using the Flying Thunder God to teleport back—
And yet, he had stumbled upon this situation.
Normally, he should go check it out.
But right now, a strange Flying Thunder God seal had suddenly appeared, making him hesitate.
He knew very well that unless he was mistaken, such a moving seal could only belong to one person—Uchiha Obito.
Flying Thunder God marks weren't easy to remove. And Obito, that lunatic, had once infiltrated Konoha, hoping that the Fourth Hokage would recognize him and "save" him.
But the real problem was…
Much like Uchiha Fugaku, Obito had never once considered that the problem might be him.
He had deliberately hidden his face behind a mask, changed his voice to avoid recognition, planted explosive tags on baby Naruto, and then forcibly unleashed the Nine-Tails from Kushina.
Did he really expect the Fourth Hokage to recognize him after trying to murder his wife and child?
Even the most mild-tempered person would have been furious.
And Obito was furious.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have sarcastically mocked the Fourth Hokage years later for not recognizing him that night.
"What kind of insane logic is that?"
Haruta smacked his lips in disbelief.
There was no way he could empathize with this level of delusion.
And honestly, he fully agreed with the "evil old Senju"—Tobirama's assessment of the Sharingan.
The more an Uchiha awakened their eyes, the more unstable their mind became.
Once they unlocked the Mangekyō? They were certified lunatics.
With that in mind, Haruta acted as if he had seen nothing and turned back toward his home.
"Huh? He's just walking away?"
Hiding in the shadows, the pitcher-plant-like creature—White Zetsu—asked in confusion.
Even Black Zetsu was speechless.
This guy really didn't follow normal shinobi logic.
If you encountered an unknown presence inside Konoha, shouldn't you—whether you were from Root or Anbu—at least check it out?
He was a Konoha ninja, after all!
Technically, their plan didn't require Haruta to intervene. And truthfully, Black Zetsu despised Obito's so-called plan.
But for now, as the "will of Uchiha Madara," he had no choice but to assist Obito. And if they were going to do it, they might as well do it perfectly.
"Inform the one watching Obito. See if the fight over there is finished."
Black Zetsu gave his orders.
"That kid could teleport home with Flying Thunder God at any moment. Tell Obito to move quickly—and bring Uchiha Itachi."
"Got it, got it."
White Zetsu nodded. It wasn't his problem. He just followed orders.
---
A short distance away, Haruta finally turned back for a quick glance.
"What the hell is happening?"
A mysterious shadow.
Obito's Flying Thunder God seal.
All these scattered pieces made the situation feel increasingly strange.
Then, suddenly—an idea struck him.
"Wait… could this be because I'm Shisui's teammate? Is Obito trying to use that against me?"
Haruta couldn't make sense of it all just yet. But if he was right, then things were about to get very complicated.
"Huh?"
As he walked, Haruta suddenly sensed a surge of powerful energy.
At the same time, the Flying Thunder God mark felt closer than ever.
But then—
The sensation vanished. As if nothing had ever happened.
Haruta's brows furrowed. He hesitated, then cautiously peeked around a nearby alleyway—
And in that instant, his pupils dilated.
There, lying unconscious on the ground, was Uchiha Itachi—bruised and bloodied.
For a brief moment, Haruta understood exactly what that bastard Obito was trying to do.
"Damn it. It really is because of Shisui. That bastard set me up?!"
Haruta realized there was no point in running—leaving now would only make things worse.
Obito had Kamui. If he played it right, with his masked appearance and teleportation, he could easily imitate Flying Thunder God.
And Itachi wasn't dead. If he woke up, his last memory could very well be of being "defeated by Shigen Haruta."
"Crap… I even badmouthed Danzo to mess with him."
Haruta pursed his lips. Whether Obito had overheard him or not, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu had definitely investigated his background.
Which meant…
"There's no way I can talk my way out of this."
Haruta was from Root. And everyone knew that Danzo hated the Uchiha.
Itachi had even fought against Root shinobi in the past.
So if one of Danzo's subordinates had attacked Itachi?
It wouldn't be surprising at all.
During the Chūnin Exams, Haruta had humiliated Itachi in front of everyone without being allowed to kill him.
Wouldn't it make sense for him to finish the job in secret?
And once Itachi was near death, Shisui would inevitably start questioning Konoha's actions.
At that point, who knew what he would decide?
"…Sigh."
Haruta exhaled deeply. Then, with a soft flick of his wrist, he drew a kunai.
"Looks like I have no choice. But let's see…"
"Who is the real prey here?"
...
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