"The Shinobi World... from the future?"
"An invasion by the Otsutsuki Clan? You're saying the whole world is screwed?"
After listening to Makoto's bombshell explanation, Itachi and Kisame fell into a heavy silence, trying to process the insanity of what they'd just heard.
Makoto claimed he was from the future.
Unlike the big meeting where he used logic, this time he didn't bother trying to prove it with evidence.
He just dropped the fact on the table and let it sit there.
Then came the details: The Otsutsuki invasion.
The shift in Akatsuki's goal from collectiong Tailed Beasts to recruiting heavy hitters. The plan to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki.
"Is this really the state of the world?" Kisame broke the silence, sounding a mix of amused and skeptical. "Though, if you went and told the Five Great Nations that aliens are coming to kill us all, they wouldn't believe a damn word of it, would they?"
"Exactly," Makoto nodded. "That's why the Five Great Nations are still our enemies for now. We have to operate in the shadows."
"If we weaken their military strength now, then when we face the Otsutsuki later..." Itachi trailed off, his eyes scanning Makoto's face for a reaction.
"Itachi, let me ask you something else," Makoto interrupted, ignoring the strategic rambling. "For the future of the Shinobi World, are you capable of making some sacrifices? Can you compromise?"
"..."
Itachi frowned.
He opened his mouth to agree, but stopped himself.
'Wait. I'm supposed to be a villain.'
Realizing a quick "yes" would break his character, he swallowed the words and stayed silent.
"Strategist, quit speaking in riddles," Kisame interjected, stepping in. "Why don't you just tell Itachi-san exactly what you need him to do? Once he knows the cost, he can decide if it's worth it."
"Fair enough." Makoto walked ahead, hands in his pockets, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips.
"Itachi, you still have a little brother back in the Leaf, right? What are your thoughts on him?"
Itachi stopped dead in his tracks.
He slowly turned his head. "...He is my spare set of eyes. My new light."
"Yeah, about that," Makoto stopped and turned to face him. "I'm sorry, Itachi, but for the sake of the future, I can't let you do that."
Makoto's acting was mysterious.
The expression, the posture, the tone—if this were the Boruto era, the guy would be an international movie star.
"What do you mean?" Itachi narrowed his eyes.
"Remember the core principle of the Akatsuki's new plan? We need combatants," Makoto explained.
"As one of the strongest fighters twenty years from now. His power and character are legendary. He's known as the 'Supporting Shadow' of the Hidden Leaf. Even though he and the Hokage eventually take a beating from the Otsutsuki—a bad one, I might add—Sasuke is an asset we cannot afford to lose."
Now it was Itachi's turn to put on a show.
"What is a... Supporting Shadow?" Itachi asked, forcing his face into a mask of disgust and confusion.
Inside, however, his heart was doing backflips.
'Supporting Shadow? Protecting the village?'
The relief was overwhelming.
Not only was he hearing about Sasuke's future success, but if Makoto was telling the truth, the Akatsuki's new goal had just shifted from "evil organization I'm spying on" to "accidental allies."
Especially regarding Sasuke.
"In the future, Sasuke leaves the village to travel the world, hunting down intel on the Otsutsuki," Makoto said, painting the picture. "He protects the Leaf from the shadows, like a second Hokage. Hence, the Supporting Shadow. But really, he's protecting the world. The Otsutsuki don't care about villages; they want to destroy the planet."
As he spoke, Makoto reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a scroll.
Poof.
A deck of cards appeared in his hand.
He shuffled through them, picked one out, and flicked it toward Itachi.
"In the peaceful era of the future, a company makes these 'Fierce Ninja Cards.' This one is a super rare collectible."
Itachi caught the card. It showed the profile of a middle-aged man with black hair covering one eye.
The other cards all featured full-frontal images of the characters, seemingly posed intentionally.
Only this one of Sasuke was just a side profile.
If not for the familiarity between brothers, even people in the Hidden Leaf Village who had seen Sasuke now might not be able to recognize him.
But Itachi saw it.
Even with the hair covering half the face, his Sharingan caught the detail in the visible eye.
'Is that... a Rinnegan?'
The existence of this ridiculous merchandise actually made Itachi believe Makoto more.
"A Rinnegan?" Kisame leaned over, staring at the card. "Itachi-san little brother is going to have the same eyes as the Leader?"
"That's right," Makoto confirmed. "As for how he gets it... you'll find out during this mission. Don't get impatient."
Makoto's words, the unspoken meaning was that he wouldn't tell them now.
"I can... let go of my intent to kill Sasuke," Itachi said slowly, putting the card away.
He looked like a man who had just wrestled with a massive internal demon.
"If the world is destroyed, I die too. It's logical. In that case, Strategist... what is the organization's plan for him?"
"Plan? There is no big master plan," Makoto shrugged. "We just help him avoid some detours and make sure he gets stronger, faster."
"Understood."
...
After a full day and night of travel, the trio had crossed the Land of Fire. They moved from the northwest border to the east, finally nearing their destination.
They found a quiet inn to crash for the night.
While the others rested, Itachi was still awake, staring at the ceiling, dissecting everything Makoto had said.
First, the credibility.
The Otsutsuki story, the future origin—it all fit too well. It was highly likely to be true.
The only nagging doubt left in Itachi's mind was personal: 'Does Makoto know I'm a spy? Does he know I love Sasuke?'
After turning it over in his head for an hour, Itachi gave up.
It didn't matter.
Whether Makoto knew or not, as long as he didn't interfere, the outcome was the same. Even if Makoto was playing him like a fiddle, catering to his desires to keep him compliant... so what? If the direction was correct, Itachi had nothing to complain about.
Meanwhile, in the other bed, Makoto was sleeping like a baby.
Sometimes, intelligence is the most terrifying weapon.
Because Makoto understood the specific psychology and trauma of every Akatsuki member, he could play them like pieces on a shogi board.
Take Itachi, for instance.
Makoto had to tell him the world was ending. He had to paint a picture of total destruction.
Why?
Because people like Itachi, Minato, or Naruto are stubborn idealists.
If you told them you were from the future, their first instinct would be to protect the timeline. They would resist changing history, fearing the butterfly effect.
Unless it was an apocalypse.
Unless the world was absolutely, undeniably doomed.
Only then would they agree to change the past.
Only then would they accept that sacrifices—even their own beliefs—were necessary to save the future.