Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

"A crow?"

The moment Kakashi reached the depths of the small forest, the crow flew toward him.

"That eye...!"

His gaze immediately locked onto the strangely patterned Mangekyō Sharingan.

Yet he did not close his eyes.

Instead, he quietly watched as the crow landed before him.

Moments later, dozens of black crows descended from all directions.

They gathered together in front of Kakashi, gradually forming the figure of Uchiha Itachi.

"As expected of Kakashi-san."

"A Shadow Clone?"

"Crow Clone Technique."

"So it really is you... Uchiha Itachi."

A complicated expression appeared on Kakashi's face.

However, Itachi's very first question caught him completely off guard.

"Kakashi-san, have you met that person?"

That person?

For a moment, Kakashi failed to understand who Itachi meant.

But his hesitation was enough.

Itachi already had his answer.

So Kakashi-san hasn't met the Fourth Hokage.

Why?

Has he still not earned the Fourth-sama's trust?

Or is it because he remains too close to the Third Hokage?

After a brief moment of thought, Itachi's voice became calm and emotionless.

"The leader of Akatsuki calls himself Six Paths Pain."

"He possesses the Rinnegan."

"Although he wears an Amegakure forehead protector, neither his abilities nor origins have been confirmed."

"...!?"

"The Rinnegan?"

Kakashi froze.

The name belonged to legends and myths.

Yet compared to the eye itself, Itachi's next words drew even more of his attention.

"The leader claims that Akatsuki's objective is to capture all Tailed Beasts and use them to force the Five Great Nations into peace."

"All Tailed Beasts?"

"Including the Nine-Tails?"

Kakashi already knew part of this from the Fourth Mizukage.

His question was meant to verify the information.

And determine whether Itachi was withholding anything.

"Yes."

"But the exact method remains unknown."

"The Tailed Beast collection plan belongs to a later phase."

"At present, Akatsuki is still recruiting members and accumulating strength."

Naruto is one of Akatsuki's targets.

Yet during our encounters, their members showed no special interest in him.

Do they simply not know he's the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?

Itachi does know Naruto's identity.

If he truly intended to serve Akatsuki, he could easily have exposed that information.

Kakashi wasn't naturally suspicious.

But in the shinobi world, spies were always at risk of becoming double agents.

Caution was necessary.

"Who are Akatsuki's members?"

"Starting with Jūzō Biwa, whom you captured."

"From Kirigakure, there is also Kisame Hoshigaki."

"The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi."

"!?"

"Who?"

Kakashi's eyes widened instantly.

The Fourth Mizukage is an Akatsuki member?

Isn't he the Three-Tails Jinchūriki?

His thoughts immediately returned to Yagura's earlier testimony.

The Mizukage had claimed that after being captured, Akatsuki had been unable to extract the Three-Tails from him.

That was supposedly why Shisui had eventually rescued him.

But Itachi's statement was completely different.

He wasn't saying Yagura had been captured.

He was saying Yagura was a member.

The difference was enormous.

Either Itachi's intelligence was wrong.

Or Yagura had lied.

And if Yagura lied...

Then what role had Shisui played?

A massive web seemed to be stretching out before Kakashi's eyes.

One large enough to swallow both Kirigakure and Konoha.

Recalling Mei's comments about Yagura's increasingly extreme behavior after returning to the village, a troubling possibility began to form in Kakashi's mind.

Before he could explore it further, Itachi continued.

"From Konoha..."

"Orochimaru was once a member, though he has since defected."

"Uchiha Shisui."

"And one person who can barely be considered a member—"

"Uchiha Obito."

Itachi continued speaking.

But Kakashi stopped hearing him.

"!!!!?"

"Who?"

Another name.

Another impossible name.

One that shook him even more than Yagura.

Uchiha Obito?

Obito!?

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined hearing that name here.

At this time.

From this person.

His first instinct was denial.

A lie.

This had to be a lie.

Either Itachi wasn't a spy.

Or every piece of his intelligence was fabricated.

The mere mention of Obito completely disrupted Kakashi's thoughts.

To the point where he barely registered the names that followed.

Deidara.

Kakuzu.

The others.

All passed through his ears without leaving much impression.

"...During Akatsuki's most recent gathering, it was stated that your operations had interfered with their plans."

"The organization has temporarily ordered all members to go into hiding—"

Itachi abruptly stopped.

Frowning slightly.

Kakashi had clearly not been listening.

"Where is Akatsuki's headquarters?"

Kakashi suddenly demanded.

"I don't know the true headquarters."

"The base I've seen is merely a decoy."

"It contains traps."

"Going there serves no purpose."

"It would only alert them and expose our movements."

Itachi remained calm.

But inwardly, he was beginning to understand why the Fourth Hokage had not chosen Kakashi.

That realization made him hesitate.

Should he really entrust Kotoamatsukami to this man?

After all, it was one of the trump cards prepared specifically for dealing with Obito.

Suddenly—

Kakashi raised a hand and slapped himself across the face.

Poof.

The Shadow Clone disappeared.

Itachi blinked.

He genuinely had no idea what had just happened.

Then he heard rustling from a distant bush.

Kakashi emerged with a dark expression.

"How is that possible..."

"How could it be Obito...?"

"He was clearly..."

"Your real body?"

Itachi asked.

Kakashi took a deep breath.

"No."

"Still a Shadow Clone."

"I briefly wondered if you somehow had a method to control my clones."

"So I tested it."

"Tch."

"But how could it possibly be Obito...?"

Though he explained himself, he looked no less shaken.

"Regardless, I've finished delivering my information."

Itachi's gaze shifted slightly.

After a brief silence, he spoke again.

"There's something I want to ask."

"How could it be..."

"Ah, right. Go ahead."

"How is Sasuke?"

The moment he heard that question, Kakashi finally began recovering from his dazed state.

Looking at Itachi's calm expression, he suddenly realized something.

Then—

Smack!

He slapped himself again.

Poof.

The Shadow Clone vanished.

"..."

This time, even Itachi was speechless.

"Sorry."

"My mistake."

Another Kakashi emerged from the ground nearby, looking genuinely embarrassed.

He's shaken far more than I expected.

Though... when I learned Shisui was still alive, perhaps I wasn't much better.

"Your real body?"

Itachi asked again.

"Still a Shadow Clone."

"...Remarkable caution."

"As expected of Kakashi-san."

"Learned it from a certain someone."

Kakashi shook his head.

Then he finally answered.

"You asked about Sasuke."

"Let me think."

"He eats his meals regularly."

"He trains seriously."

"Sometimes he pushes himself too hard."

"But he's become surprisingly honest about his feelings."

"He's extremely competitive."

"Yet he can recognize his own flaws."

"As for his teammates..."

Quietly, Itachi listened.

Daily life.

Training.

Missions.

Kakashi described everything.

Piece by piece.

Gradually, Itachi reconstructed an image of the younger brother he hadn't seen in years.

Finally, Kakashi concluded:

"...They're currently in the Land of Wind."

"And from my perspective—"

"Other than his hatred toward you—"

"He's an excellent comrade."

"And an outstanding shinobi of Konoha."

Silence followed.

Itachi closed his eyes.

After a long moment, he opened them again.

For perhaps the first time in years, the faintest smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

Small.

Almost imperceptible.

Yet undeniably real.

"Thank you."

The next instant, his body dissolved into dozens of crows and scattered into the sky.

Only a single crow remained.

The crow carrying Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.

The crow containing Kotoamatsukami.

It perched quietly upon Kakashi's hand.

Watching him.

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