Chapter 44: Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Itachi
Uchiha Itachi stared at Uchiha Izumi.
The feeling of familiarity in his heart grew stronger and stronger.
With Itachi's words, the whole scene fell silent once again.
"I never expected that today I'd not only see Uchiha Itachi,
but also two members of the Black-Robed Organization."
Might Guy turned his head and glanced at Izumi and Karin in the distance.
"To injure Kakashi to this extent…"
Guy looked over at Kakashi, who was slumped on the water's surface, desperately fighting to stay conscious.
His heart grew even more cautious.
"It looks like you two are finished here."
Uchiha Izumi lightly tapped the tip of her foot. In the next instant, she appeared on the riverbank.
She slowly removed her bamboo hat, revealing her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and looked straight at Uchiha Itachi.
"Itachi.
Long time no see."
"Izumi!?"
For once, Itachi was visibly shocked.
His eyes widened as he stared at the person who was both familiar and utterly strange.
His heart was filled with astonishment.
Uchiha Izumi.
One of his childhood friends.
At the same time, aside from Uchiha Shisui, she was the only other true friend he ever had.
He could sense it clearly—
the faint, hazy affection Izumi held toward him.
But.
He had never been interested in romance in the slightest.
In his heart,
the village and his little brother were the only things that mattered.
Yet what shocked him now was…
Izumi was someone who should have died long ago.
So why was she standing here, alive and well, right in front of him!?
And moreover…
her appearance and height were exactly the same as when she died!
...
The scene became deathly quiet for a moment.
Kakashi lifted his head and looked at the girl who had suddenly appeared with a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
His heart was shaken to the core.
"Another person who came back from the dead!
Just like Kushina-sama!
As expected…
As expected, Kushina-sama's resurrection has something to do with that organization.
But what exactly is their goal!?
And Izumi… she actually has the Mangekyō Sharingan too!"
...
Guy didn't dare to look up.
He could only listen to the voices.
So right now he was completely lost about what was happening.
"What's going on?
This new Black-Robed Organization member… she knows Itachi!?"
...
Asuma and Kurenai were the most confused of all.
Right now,
the two of them were still keeping their eyes tightly shut, enduring the anxiety gnawing at their hearts.
"Kakashi!
Guy!
What the heck is happening!?"
"What's going on!?"
...
"So it's the same eyes as Itachi's."
After just one glance at Izumi's eyes, Kisame immediately lowered his head.
He knew full well how terrifying Itachi was.
So he didn't dare look at Izumi either.
"Itachi~
Who is this?"
"Uchiha Izumi."
Itachi stared at Izumi with unprecedented gravity.
At this moment, his wariness toward the Black-Robed Organization reached an all-time high.
"What kind of organization is that, exactly?
Not only can they revive the dead, they can even make Izumi awaken her eyes…
I have no idea how many members they have.
What is the purpose of their existence?
Will they affect the village… or Sasuke?"
Thinking this,
he opened his mouth again and asked:
"What exactly does your organization want?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but activate his own Mangekyō Sharingan once more.
He didn't attack rashly.
After all,
right now he knew absolutely nothing about Izumi's abilities.
Charging in recklessly against someone with a Mangekyō Sharingan would put him at a severe disadvantage.
"Don't be so nervous."
Izumi swept a blank, emotionless glance over everyone present, then took out a small bottle of medicine and tossed it toward Itachi.
"Master asked me to deliver this bottle of medicine to you."
"Medicine!?"
Itachi stared at the bottle in his hand. A bold guess suddenly formed in his mind.
"Could it be…
Could that organization actually know about the condition of my body!?"
Itachi was deeply shocked.
The problem with his body was something only he himself knew about.
Moreover,
because it was a terminal illness, and because he didn't want to live anyway,
he had never sought treatment from anyone.
He simply wanted to raise Sasuke properly, then die at Sasuke's hands.
Getting a terminal illness was, in fact, a good thing for him.
After all,
when the time came for Sasuke to kill him, it would be easier that way.
He could act the part even more convincingly.
But!
What did it mean that the organization's Master suddenly sent him medicine!?
How in the world did they know about his physical condition!?
"That's right~"
Izumi seemed to see right through Itachi's thoughts.
"This is the medicine that will cure your terminal illness.
Take it.
Once you do, you'll be fine~"
"What!?"
Everyone present jolted at the same time.
None of them could have imagined—
Uchiha Itachi was already suffering from an incurable disease!
"How do you know about this?"
Itachi gripped the medicine bottle tightly.
"I never told a single person about this."
"We know everything.
We can do anything~"
Izumi looked calmly at Itachi and spoke slowly:
"Everything you've hidden… we know it all.
If you don't want us to spread it around,
you'd better behave and take the medicine."
"…"
Itachi fell completely silent.
He admitted it.
He had been threatened.
And he didn't dare resist.
If the secret that he was a spy for the village ever got out, everything he had done would be for nothing.
So he had no choice but to compromise.
"Itachi~
Why do I get the feeling that this lady's relationship with you is… kind of unusual?"
Kisame asked curiously from the side.
"Of course it's unusual."
Izumi heard this and immediately burst into a smile.
Her big eyes instantly curved into perfect crescents.
"This Uchiha Itachi-san killed my entire family.
We're enemies, you know~
But I don't want him to die.
I just want him to live and suffer!
The longer he lives, the longer he suffers!"
"Uh…"
Sweatdrops rolled down everyone's faces.
"Oh, right, Uchiha Itachi~
I want to ask you one question.
If you give me the answer,
I'll tell you a little secret you really want to know~"
"What question?"
Itachi asked immediately.
Right now he desperately wanted to know the Black-Robed Organization's true goal.
So he was ready to trade an answer for that information.
"No matter what she asks, I have to answer this time!"
Itachi silently made that decision in his heart.
Then he heard Izumi's question.
"Do you actually like Uchiha Shisui… or Uchiha Sasuke?"
Uchiha Itachi: "?"