Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master

Page 185

In less than half a minute, Itachi had stealthily made his way to the wall of Sarutobi's residence.

The next moment, he lowered his body, leaped up, gracefully flipped over the courtyard wall, and landed steadily on the grass in the courtyard.

Chapter 169 Danzo, I am no longer the Hokage!

The Sarutobi clan's residence.

A dark shadow silently swept over the wall and landed in the courtyard with a soft whoosh.

Uchiha Itachi knelt on one knee, cautiously looking around.

The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and grass, and the yard was quiet except for the distant chirping of birds.

There was no one in the courtyard at the moment, but the sound of arguing could be heard coming from deep inside the house.

He held his breath and leaned closer to the eaves, from which came muffled voices from the open window: "I absolutely disagree!"

Itachi felt a chill run down his spine: That voice... Danzo?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's weary voice came from inside the room: "It's no use telling me this now, Danzo. I'm no longer the Hokage!"

Before he could finish speaking, a loud "bang!" was heard.

They followed the footsteps toward the door.

Itachi quickly concealed himself, only to see the door suddenly pulled open from the inside. An old man with one eye wrapped in bandages angrily stepped out of the doorway, slammed his cane on the wooden floor, snorted coldly, and swept away.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood inside the door, watching Danzo's departing figure, and sighed helplessly.

"That Tsunade is always causing me trouble..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, the pipe in his mouth still unlit, clearly disturbed by the argument.

He was wearing a loose-fitting kimono, and looked like an elderly man from an ordinary village.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to step outside for a stroll, he suddenly stopped and his gaze swept sharply across the courtyard.

someone! ?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted slightly, alarm bells ringing in his mind: How could someone have managed to sneak into my house undetected by so many guards outside?

What are those secret agents on guard duty doing?!

His right hand swiftly reached into the ninja tool pouch at his waist, his fingertips already touching the cold touch of several shuriken. A cold glint flashed in his cloudy old eyes: "May I ask who you are? What are your intentions in daring to break into the Sarutobi clan's residence without a sound?!"

Upon hearing this, the weasel emerged from behind the tree.

Hiruzen Sarutobi then saw clearly that the other party was an ordinary middle-aged man, wearing an inconspicuous gray-brown robe, with an unfamiliar and indifferent face.

However—the person who could evade the secret agents and infiltrate here could not possibly be an "ordinary person".

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already gripped the shuriken in his hand, ready to unleash it without mercy at the slightest sign of movement from his opponent.

Without hesitation, Itachi removed his disguise, revealing a pale and handsome young face.

His long, jet-black hair shimmered slightly in the morning light, and his deep, dark eyes were filled with solemnity and urgency.

He knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Third Hokage! It is I."

He lowered his head slightly, his voice earnest and firm, "I have important matters to report, and I apologize for my intrusion!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled when he heard the familiar voice.

He stared intently and carefully examined the person, confirming their identity.

Uchiha Itachi?

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was very surprised to see Itachi appear in Konoha.

The situation in the village remains extremely sensitive.

Although the turmoil surrounding the Chunin Exams has subsided and Konoha has gradually returned to calm after the war, undercurrents have never ceased.

Especially since the Akatsuki leader, who claimed to be Pain in the "dream," has not yet appeared in reality, the entire village is on high alert, ready to guard against a possible attack by the Akatsuki.

At this critical juncture, Itachi, who has been lurking in the Akatsuki organization for many years, suddenly appears in Konoha... What exactly is his purpose?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind raced, countless possibilities flashing through his head: Could Itachi have received intelligence that Akatsuki was preparing to attack Konoha, and thus rushed back to warn them?

Or perhaps he had already betrayed the village and had other plans for sneaking back into Konoha?

After all, Itachi had never sent back any truly valuable information in the past few years. On the contrary, he had recently sneaked into the village and tried to kill Naruto!

The thought of this ignited a surge of anger in Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest, and his face immediately darkened.

"You still have the nerve to come back?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered. "I thought you had completely become a Konoha rogue ninja and would never show your face again!"

His gaze was sharp as a knife as he stared at the young man kneeling in the courtyard.

Past disappointments, anger, and confusion intertwined at this moment, causing the old man's voice to tremble slightly.

Itachi remained kneeling on one knee, but upon hearing this, he raised his head without hesitation to meet Sarutobi's gaze.

His expression was solemn, calm yet resolute: "Third Hokage, I have never forgotten that I am a Konoha ninja, and I have never betrayed my loyalty to the village!"

Bathed in sunlight, his pale face showed weariness, yet he showed no sign of flinching or backing down.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was momentarily stunned by the unwavering determination in Itachi's eyes.

He knew, of course, that Itachi had been incredibly loyal to Konoha in his youth, and it was precisely because of this that the Konoha leadership entrusted him with that extremely cruel mission...

But ever since Itachi faked the massacre of his clan and left the village bearing the name of a rogue ninja, he has been missing for seven long years, and his actions have become unpredictable.

Hearing Itachi so firmly declare that he was still loyal to Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a slight sense of relief.

But remembering Itachi's actions when he infiltrated the village, he suppressed his hesitation and questioned him with a stern face: "Hmph! Since you keep saying you haven't forgotten you're a Konoha ninja, then why did you infiltrate Konoha and attack the Jinchuriki? Isn't the Akatsuki's goal the Tailed Beasts? And how do you explain your killing spree on Naruto that time?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's question was like a stone thrown into water, stirring up ripples in Itachi's heart.

He lowered his head, a hint of guilt on his face: "It was my oversight."

“That time I was worried about Sasuke’s safety, so I secretly sneaked back to Konoha to catch a glimpse of him from afar. Unfortunately, Sasuke discovered my presence, and he kept pestering me, so I had no choice but to fight back, otherwise my identity would be exposed… Under those circumstances, I had to make it look like I was really there to capture Naruto in order to ensure that my identity wouldn’t be exposed.”

“But I had no intention of harming Naruto. I know that with Jiraiya present, Naruto’s life is not in danger. But in any case, it was my fault, and I am willing to be punished.”

Itachi spoke with utmost sincerity in every word.

It's hard to imagine that Itachi Uchiha, who is usually calm and collected in front of everyone, would show such a submissive side when facing Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly without responding immediately, but his brows remained furrowed.

He stared intently at Uchiha Itachi before him, as if trying to see through that calm face to the depths of his heart.

However, the Uchiha Itachi before him neither bowed his head and ran away, nor did he argue or say anything more.

His expression was calm and composed.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed almost imperceptibly, his tense doubts easing slightly.

The image of Uchiha Itachi before my eyes slowly overlapped with the image of the boy in my memory who was willing to bear the infamy to protect the village.

He recalled Itachi's performance when he served in the Anbu, and then he remembered that night when they parted in tears amidst the blood mist. His heart was filled with complex emotions.

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's last bit of doubt gradually dissipated.

“Alright…” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s expression softened slightly, and he spoke calmly, “Get up and talk, Itachi.”

He waved his hand, signaling Itachi Uchiha to stand up.

As Itachi stood up, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently into his eyes and asked, seemingly casually, "Speak, what important information do you have to report about your sudden return to Konoha? Is Akatsuki preparing a major attack on Konoha?"

"what?"

Itachi was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Hiruzen Sarutobi to suddenly say such a thing.

A hint of confusion flashed across his face: "I haven't heard anything about the Akatsuki planning an attack on Konoha anytime soon..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took in Itachi's reaction in that instant and nodded slightly.

It seems that Itachi didn't return for that reason—

Otherwise, he wouldn't have made that expression.

His concerns eased somewhat, and his expression softened: "Since it wasn't about that, then what intelligence did you rush back to the village for?"

Upon hearing this, Itachi's expression turned solemn again.

"Third Hokage, it's about the Akatsuki organization... and that 'man with the mask'."

After confirming that Itachi's return was not hostile and that he had brought back information about the masked man, they found out.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's first thought was to call Kakashi over.

After all, the masked man was Obito, and Kakashi knew the information from that dream the most.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment: "Wait a minute. We'll talk about the details later... I'll call someone over first."

Uchiha Itachi was slightly taken aback, somewhat confused, but then he saw that Sarutobi Hiruzen had already turned and walked out of the courtyard.

He quickly stopped talking and stood still.

Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at the porch and gently clapped his hands.

Almost instantly, a dark figure appeared beside him like a phantom; it was a Konoha ANBU member who was guarding the vicinity.

The secret agent knelt on one knee, respectfully awaiting orders.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned down and whispered a few instructions to the ANBU member.

The secret agents nodded repeatedly, accepting the order: "Yes!"

Before he finished speaking, he vanished into the darkness with a teleportation technique.

A short while later, Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to his side. "Come with me."

After saying that, he took the lead and walked into the house.

Itachi nodded and silently followed.

The two walked through the corridor one after the other and soon entered a small study.

The room was simply furnished, with an old-fashioned wooden desk in the center and several low cabinets placed against the walls around it. The cabinet doors were half-open, revealing stacks of scrolls and documents inside.

A dim oil lamp sat on the table, casting flickering light and shadows in the room, adding to the tranquility.

"Have a seat." Hiruzen Sarutobi walked behind his desk, sat down slowly, and casually took out his usual pipe from the drawer.