Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 204

On the walls of Konoha, two men dressed in black cloaks adorned with red clouds and wearing conical hats with wind chimes were gazing down at the ravaged village below.

"Though it avoided complete annihilation, it seems the losses were severe."

"That once-thriving village... how pitiful."

"That's not like you. Are you feeling nostalgic for your homeland?"

"No. Not at all." Although Itachi said these words, his heart was already beginning to worry about Sasuke's safety. After all, his brother was not some grand figure; his survival in this war could only be confirmed with his own eyes.

Sasuke, are you still safe?

Walking down the streets of Konoha, the layout of the streets hadn't changed much, but many shop signs and their purposes were now different.

Unknowingly, it's already been five years since I left here.

He silently sighed in his heart, though his face remained expressionless. He couldn't let his companion, Kisame, detect any lingering attachment to his homeland.

Passing by a dango shop, Itachi stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?"

"Many Konoha ninjas gather at dango shops. We might overhear some intel here."

"Having a local guide sure makes intelligence work much easier."

The two entered the dango shop and took a seat. A server quickly came over but became visibly apprehensive upon noticing their strange attire.

"W-what would you like, sirs?"

"Two cups of green tea. And a serving of tri-color dango."

Despite his usual demeanor, Itachi couldn't resist the sweet allure of tri-color dango, leading him to do something quite out of character—order a serving.

Before long, the server returned with the tea and dango. Each serving of tri-color dango consisted of three skewers.

Sipping his green tea lightly, he fixed his gaze on the dango.

At that moment, Itachi very much wanted to pick up the dango and start eating, but Kisame's round, fish-like eyes were locked onto him.

To make eating the dango less conspicuous, Itachi adopted a different approach.

"Not eating it would seem suspicious."

Picking up one skewer, he bit off a piece. The soft, sticky texture and sweet flavor instantly brought back memories of his time living in Konoha.

Within moments, he had devoured the entire skewer, placing the stick back onto the plate before asking, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Heh, sharks don't eat sweets."

"Oh? Sharks have such taboos?"

"No, I am special."

Just then, the shop's curtain lifted, and two customers entered the dango shop.

The new arrivals were wearing chunin vests—clearly Konoha ninjas—and immediately caught the attention of Itachi and Kisame, who had come specifically to gather intelligence.

When the two figures took their seats, Itachi's sharp eyes immediately recognized one of them.

The older of the two, a young chunin, was none other than Kagami, his former classmate from their genin days.

After all these years, he was still a low-profile chunin.

Itachi felt a twinge of emotion. He remembered that Kagami had been a prodigious talent back in the day, graduating early from the Ninja Academy alongside himself. Not only that, but Kagami had once saved their entire class during their first encounter with Madara.

For someone with such talent, he had expected Kagami to have made significant progress over the years, even if not on par with his own achievements.

Yet after all this time, he was still merely a chunin. 

Although the joint Chunin Exams between villages were notoriously harsh, most villages conducted their own internal exams, and as long as a ninja met the criteria, they could typically advance to chunin by the age of sixteen.

It seemed that this once-promising genius had faded into mediocrity.

Despite recognizing his "old friend," he chose not to approach him and continued to quietly observe.

On the other side of the room, Kisame, who had noticed Itachi's focus, shifted his fish-like gaze slightly toward the back of the room.

"Just as we entered, I thought I caught a faint smell of fish. Did you notice it, Kagami-nii?" the younger of the two chunin suddenly remarked.

Kagami glanced ahead briefly before shaking his head. "No, I didn't notice anything. It's probably your imagination."

"But I'm sure I smelled it. My nose isn't usually wrong."

"What kind of nose do you even have? Just eat your food."

"Still, it's strange... there was definitely a fishy smell," the young ninja muttered, shaking his head in confusion.

Meanwhile, sitting near the entrance, Kisame was on the verge of exploding with anger.

Though he usually took decent care of his personal hygiene, the fishy smell was an unavoidable trait of his unique physiology—a mark of loyalty to his master. 

But to hear someone mention the smell with such disdain? That was too much for Kisame. Grinding his teeth in silent fury, he glared at Kagami and the younger chunin, itching to cut them down on the spot.

Itachi, however, was intrigued. He distinctly remembered that Kagami didn't have a younger brother; he had an older sibling instead. How, then, had a younger brother suddenly appeared over the years?

The thought of siblings naturally reminded him of his own brother.

This sparked a bold idea in his mind: to extract information about his brother, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and Konoha from Kagami.

After all, Kagami was a former comrade and likely knew a great deal. Furthermore, as a chunin, he would be easier to deal with. Kagami, knowing that Sasuke was Itachi's brother, might have kept an eye on Sasuke's well-being and thus might be aware of his recent activities.

It wouldn't even require voluntary cooperation. Using genjutsu, Itachi could easily extract the information he needed.

With his plan decided, Itachi and Kisame waited until Kagami and his companion, Haku, finished their meal and left before paying their own bill and following them.

---

Walking along the desolate embankment, Kagami sighed inwardly.

All he and Shiro had wanted was a quiet snack of tri-color dango. How had it turned into this?

The moment they had lifted the curtain to enter the dango shop, Kagami had spotted the two figures in the iconic red cloud and black cloaks seated near the door.

While most Konoha ninjas were still unaware of Akatsuki, dismissing such outfits as eccentric costumes, Kagami knew exactly who they were.

It took him only a moment to confirm that the two were none other than Itachi, the brother-obsessed Uchiha, and Kisame, the shark-obsessed Hoshigaki.

His first instinct had been to avoid them altogether—finish eating and leave as quickly as possible. Yet, as fate would have it, the two Akatsuki members had fixated on him.

It seemed there was no other choice now. What had been intended as a peaceful return to the land of morning mists was now destined to become a confrontation under its shroud.

"You there, the two following behind! Stop lurking and show yourselves!"

From behind them, two figures slowly emerged.

One was tall and the other short. The taller one carried a bandage-wrapped staff-like object on his back.

Seeing these two sudden arrivals, Haku was surprised. As a chunin, he hadn't noticed these two following them at all.

"Aren't these the people from the dango shop earlier?"

The distinctive attire of Itachi and Kisame had left some impression on Haku. However, their identities were far more significant than he had anticipated.

"Haku, you should head back. I need to talk to these two," Kagami said.

"What? Kagami-nii, do you know these people?" Haku asked.

"Yes, you could say that."

"But—"

Haku cautiously examined the two figures, a sense of unease growing within him.

He hadn't sensed it in the dango shop earlier, but now, standing before them, he could tell these two were anything but friendly.

"No buts. Just go back."

"This is Konoha. I'll be fine."

Seeing the determination in Kagami's eyes, he could only trust that his brother could handle the situation. Moreover, based on the level of stealth these two had exhibited—enough to evade his own perception—Haku knew he lacked the strength to help.

It was better to fetch reinforcements.

So, he turned and ran.

As Haku sprinted away, clearly intending to summon help, Kisame immediately reached for the Samehada strapped to his back, ready to pursue.

"You there, don't move."

Kagami hadn't budged an inch, yet the low timbre of his voice stopped Kisame in his tracks. His hand, halfway to grasping the Samehada, froze in midair.

Why am I listening to his command?

Kisame was baffled, yet his body instinctively complied, remaining motionless.

Itachi cast a brief glance at his companion, whose expression was tinged with an odd discomfort. Even he was taken aback by how Kagami's words alone had put such pressure on Kisame.

Reflecting on how Kagami had also seen through their tracking technique, Itachi couldn't help but reevaluate him. When he had left Konoha, he was an ANBU captain, a jonin-level ninja, while Kagami was only a chunin.

Over the years, the missions he undertook in Akatsuki, with their difficulty and frequency, far exceeded those of Konoha's ninjas. He should have grown far stronger than Kagami.

Yet Kagami had easily seen through their stealth. This meant he must have been concealing his true strength all this time!

After all, someone who had once thwarted the Madara with a peculiar fire jutsu couldn't possibly have remained at the level of a mere chunin.

Realizing this, he decided against using force immediately. He chose to speak first. Besides, apart from the Interim Hokage, no other jonin in Konoha could stop him and Kisame.

"It's been a long time, Kagami," Itachi said.

"Indeed, Itachi."

The two former classmates greeted each other without formality or pretense.

"To think that an S-rank missing-nin like you would dare return to the village so openly. Aren't you afraid of being captured?"

"And you even brought along a former Kiri ninja, now a wanted fugitive in the Land of Water, Kisame. You're certainly making a scene."

Kagami's words caught Kisame off guard. He hadn't introduced himself, yet this person already knew who he was.

"You know me?" Kisame asked.

"Of course. After the Fourth Mizukage's death, Konoha sent ninjas to investigate the Land of Water. I happened to be one of them."

With this explanation, Kisame understood. His defection from Kiri had occurred shortly after the Fourth Mizukage's death.

At the time, following orders from Mangetsu, Kisame had assassinated one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Fuguki. The incident caused a huge stir in the Land of Water. Combined with his highly recognizable appearance, it wasn't surprising that someone would recognize him now.

"So, what brings you two to Konoha at this time?" Kagami asked, feigning ignorance.

"..."

"Not going to answer? Although we were once allies, as a Konoha ninja, I can't just let you leave."

With those words, his hands, which had been hanging loosely at his sides, shot up abruptly. Two kunai flew straight toward the heads of Itachi and Kisame.

Both tilted their heads slightly, effortlessly dodging the kunai. But in the next instant, Kagami had used the Body Flicker to appear directly in front of them.

What?! Such speed!

Even Itachi couldn't help but be inwardly impressed by Kagami's swiftness.

But before either of them could fully process their thoughts, Kagami was already attacking.

First, he struck at Kisame's right cheek. Unable to react in time, Kisame's shark-like face took a solid punch, the force sending him flying off the embankment and onto the water below. He skidded across the surface several times before finally stopping.

Using the momentum of his strike, Kagami rotated counterclockwise, delivering a spinning kick aimed at Itachi's head.

Itachi quickly raised his arms in a cross-guard to block the attack. While he managed to defend himself, the impact forced him to slide several meters across the ground.

The sound of his ninja boots scraping against the concrete and Kisame rolling across the water ceased almost simultaneously.

Both men appeared somewhat disheveled.

For a moment, they were both surprised. This chunin-vested Konoha ninja had shown extraordinary strength, managing to suppress both of them in an instant.

"Not bad for someone acquainted with Itachi," Kisame commented, lightly brushing off a scratch on his cheek. On anyone else, that punch would've left a significant bruise, but his shark-like skin was thick and durable.

Kagami's initial burst of speed had given him the upper hand, but that didn't mean the duo's true strength had been revealed.

Initially, neither Itachi nor Kisame had intended to cause a large commotion and attract attention, but now they realized they might not have a choice.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Itachi formed hand signs and exhaled a massive fireball.

Kagami instinctively dodged to the side. However, in the direction he moved, several kunai had already been precisely placed to intercept him.

The instant Itachi began his fireball jutsu, he had used his Sharingan to observe Kagami's toes.

When someone moves left or right, the foot that shifts its toes gives away the direction they will go. The ninja boots and the Sharingan allowed Itachi to make a perfect prediction of Kagami's next move.

In mid-air, it's nearly impossible to change trajectory, and Kagami was on a direct collision course with the kunai. But with a thought, the kunai began to freeze.

From the instant frost formed on the hilts to the kunai being fully encased in ice, only 0.23 seconds had passed. Encased in solid ice, the kunai lost all momentum and dropped harmlessly to the ground near his feet.

As the fireball dissipated, Itachi expected to see Kagami injured but still standing. Instead, Kagami was completely unharmed, standing exactly where he had been.

Looking down, Itachi saw that his kunai were all lying on the ground, encased in small spheres of ice.

How did he freeze the kunai so quickly?

Kagami smirked and taunted, "Is that all you've got, Itachi? Sasuke would be disappointed to see you like this."

At these words, Itachi's eyes widened sharply.