Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Uchiha Itachi’s Warning
Chapter 172: Uchiha Itachi’s Warning
Hiashi Hyuga, with the idea of pushing Hinata and Akira into solidifying their relationship, was something Uchiha Akira, of course, was completely unaware of.
Otherwise, Akira would likely find himself in quite a predicament, caught between whether to accept such a wild scheme or to reject it. After all, the Hyuga clan was renowned across the ninja world for their Gentle Fist technique. If things were going to go as far as forcing such an outcome, it would surely involve a close-quarters confrontation, wouldn't it?
Sigh, while Akira's own taijutsu skills were decent, he was still no match for the Hyuga clan, who excelled at it.
So...
If there was no way to fight back, well, it couldn't be helped. He'd just have to accept his fate and say that at least he tried, right?
Of course, these were thoughts Akira would have only if he knew about Hiashi's plans.
In reality, he was blissfully unaware.
After a restful night, Akira opened his eyes the next morning and, as usual, started his daily routine of running a life simulation.
With Kakuzu providing a steady stream of income, Akira found himself rather enjoying the luxury of running daily life simulations.
After another round of life simulation, Akira's chakra reserves had increased once again.
His chakra had now reached around 60,000 units in his base state!
Compared to when he returned from Ryuchi Cave with just 40,000 units of chakra, the jump to 60,000 in less than a month was quite an astonishing rate of growth!
In terms of sheer chakra, he probably had twice the amount of someone like Kakashi. After reaping the rewards of his simulation, Akira made his way to the Hokage's office. The news of the upcoming Jonin Exam had now spread throughout the ninja world.
In addition to the four great villages, smaller villages like Grass, Waterfall, and even Star Village had received invitations from Konoha.
All the invited villages had accepted the invitation, and their ninja were gradually making their way to Konoha.
After meeting with Fugaku and getting an update on the situation, Akira realized that the Anbu would need to assist with organizing the Jonin Exam.
For the next few days, Akira devoted all his time to preparing for the exam.
One evening, after having finally wrapped up most of the preparations, Akira found time to take a walk with Hinata by his side.
"Akira-kun, you've been working so hard lately," Hinata said softly, looking down at Akira with concern.
They were at the peaceful lakeside once again, watching the sunset. Hinata sat on the grass, while Akira lay down, resting his head on her lap.
"Yeah, it's been a bit exhausting. I wouldn't mind a little reward," Akira said with a teasing smile.
Hinata blushed at his words.
She glanced around, checking to see if anyone was nearby, then gathered her courage and leaned down to gently kiss Akira on the forehead.
Her cheeks burning red, Hinata placed her hands on either side of his head, softly massaging his temples.
Closing his eyes, Akira let out a few contented hums, shifting slightly to get more comfortable.
"Have you found your teammates for the Jonin Exam?" Akira asked, eyes still closed, as he enjoyed the moment.
"Yes, the team has been decided."
"The Jonin Exam requires teams of three, and Lady Tsunade assigned the groups herself."
"My teammates are Uchiha Sasuke and Rock Lee," Hinata replied.
"You three, huh? That's probably the strongest lineup Konoha could offer," Akira said with a nod of approval.
All three were part of the original group of Konoha's finest, though Akira hadn't expected even Rock Lee to have reached the level of a Chunin by now.
"Hmm?" Just as Akira lay there, enjoying his conversation with Hinata, a slight shift in his awareness made him open his eyes.
"What is it, Akira-kun?" Hinata asked, noticing his sudden change in demeanor.
"You should head home now. I just remembered something I need to take care of. I won't be able to walk you back tonight," Akira said, rising to his feet.
"Alright, Akira-kun. Take care of yourself," Hinata replied with a sweet smile, before turning and making her way back home.
Once Hinata had gone far enough away, Akira finally spoke aloud: "Alright, you can come out now. We haven't seen each other in a while-how about we catch up?"
In a blur of movement, a figure appeared beside Akira, as though they had teleported there.
The figure wore a wide-brimmed hat and a black cloak decorated with red clouds-the uniform of the Akatsuki.
"For me, it's been seven years. For you, not so long, right?" the figure said, lifting the brim of his hat to reveal a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan.
A member of the Akatsuki with Sharingan-there could only be one person. Uchiha Itachi. "Indeed, it hasn't been that long for me," Akira responded calmly, nodding.
"And you? Aren't you worried about being spotted, sneaking into Konoha like this?" Akira asked, glancing at Itachi.
"This is the perfect time to slip into the village," Itachi replied.
Akira nodded in agreement.
It was true. With the Jonin Exam approaching, Konoha was bustling with activity. Many ninja from outside the village had arrived, making it the ideal time for someone like Itachi to slip in
unnoticed.
"But even so, you wouldn't be here without a reaso would you?" Akira asked.
"You're right. I came to deliver some important information," Itachi replied.
"The Third Tsuchikage has contacted the Akatsuki. He's hired us to attack Konoha during the Jonin Exam. His main goal is to eliminate you."
"Pain has accepted the mission."
"Sasori, Deidara, Kisame, and I will join him, making a total of five Akatsuki members who plan to strike during the exam."
Itachi calmly laid out the information.
"The Tsuchikage, huh? I guess even after seven years, he's still obsessed with killing me, to the point of hiring the Akatsuki," Akira muttered, shaking his head in mild exasperation.
In the original timeline, the Tsuchikage had frequently hired the Akatsuki for various tasks, and it seemed now that he had turned to them once again-this time to take out Akira. "By now, the Akatsuki should have finished gathering wealth and moved on to capturing the tailed beasts, right? Why would they take on a job from the Tsuchikage?" Akira asked,
puzzled.
"The Akatsuki was already planning to target you. The Tsuchikage's request just lined up with their existing plans," Itachi explained.
"I see," Akira nodded.
Was Konoha cursed?
In the original story, the Chunin Exam had been disrupted by the Konoha Crush.
Now, thanks to the butterfly effect caused by his presence, the Chunin Exam hadn't taken
place. Instead, they were holding a Jonin Exam-but it seemed like the village was still going
to be attacked.
It really made you wonder-were ninja exams just doomed to be attacked?
Of course, Akira had no time to dwell on these thoughts. Now that he knew the attack was coming, he needed to start preparing.
Five members of the Akatsuki were coming, including Pain himself?
They were certainly taking this seriously.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Most importantly, if Pain was coming, Nagato couldn't be far behind.
And if Nagato was nearby, that meant Pain's entire Six Paths could be deployed at any
moment.
"By the way, Akira, have you already used Kotoamatsukami?" Itachi asked, interrupting Akira's train of thought.
"How do you know about that?" Akira asked, his curiosity piqued.
Only Akira and Kakuzu should have known that Kotoamatsukami had already been used.
"I'm not the only one who knows. Pain and the others are aware as well," Itachi replied. "What about Kakuzu? Is he alright?" Akira asked, growing concerned.
Had Kakuzu been exposed? Did that mean his use of Kotoamatsukami had only netted him
one million ryo?
Akira suddenly felt like he'd been cheated.
"Kakuzu? You used Kotoamatsukami on Kakuzu!?" Itachi stared at Akira, completely stunned.
"Yes, who did you think I used it on?" Akira asked, suddenly realizing there had been some
sort of misunderstanding.
"Pain believed you'd used it on Orochimaru!" Itachi explained, going over Pain's reasoning.
"Well, their theory makes sense, but unfortunately, they were wrong," Akira replied with a
chuckle.
"Actually, I'm more curious if you didn't use Kotoamatsukami on Orochimaru, why has he been so loyal to Konoha?" Itachi asked, still puzzled. "Simple-because it's in his best interest. Staying in Konoha aligns with Orochimaru's
goals," Akira explained.
Yes, if Orochimaru really wanted to take over an Uchiha body, Konoha was the best place for
him to be.
If he wanted to avoid being hunted by the Akatsuki, staying in Konoha was also the safest
option.
And if he wanted to research Ryuchi Cave's Senjutsu and the process of becoming a dragon, Konoha was where he needed to be.
With so many advantages, why would Orochimaru ever leave?
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 218 at /Emiko1.