Malphegor
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HTP: Ch. 13
🕑 Added 2025-05-26 00:20:48 +0000 UTC"Konoha really is bustling. Even you must feel some attachment to your hometown, right?"
"No, I don’t feel anything at all."
Itachi and Kisame quietly appeared at the edge of the village, their black cloaks with red clouds fluttering softly in the wind. Upon hearing news that the village was under attack, Itachi immediately used the excuse of "checking on the mission target and confirming their status" to return.
Looks like Orochimaru failed… The village was indeed thriving, even more buildings have sprung up since he left.
Through the wind chime straw hat that concealed his face, he gazed nostalgically at his hometown.
His relationship with Kisame was built on deep trust, but completely one-sided. Even until the very end, Kisame likely never realized that Itachi was a double agent, working against the organization from within.
"You haven’t been back in a long time, have you… Before we go after the Nine-Tails, how about some dango?"
They passed a dango shop. Kisame suggested it, even though he didn't like dango.
"Sure." Itachi nodded. It really had been a long time since he had dango.
Just then, his ring started glowing, like being called into a meeting right when you were about to have afternoon tea.
Duty calls.
---
In the desolate ruins, the Akatsuki members gathered in phantom form. Each member’s image was projected onto the central statue using the Magic Lantern Body Technique, hazy and unreal, yet each exuded a distinct aura of pressure.
Pain’s phantom stood at the top, his Rinnegan scanning the group coldly. “The tailed beast capture plan will begin ahead of schedule. Let’s begin assigning the missions.”
Kisame nodded, “Perfect. We are already in Konoha. Let’s start with the Nine-Tails.”
“No. The tailed beasts must be sealed in order from One to Nine. Based on compatibility, Sasori and Deidara will handle the One-Tail… Itachi and Kisame will go after the Four-Tails…”
After assigning the missions, he paused a moment before continuing, “Also, your combat intel has been exposed. Be careful, don’t die carelessly.”
“How did our intel get leaked?! Don’t tell me there’s a mole?!” Deidara’s phantom shouted.
“It doesn’t matter. Eternal art won’t be weakened by intel leaks.”
“Probably sold for a lot of money… what a waste.”
“I’ll offer the traitor to Jashin-sama!”
Suddenly, Deidara pointed at Itachi and threw, “It’s him, isn’t it! Only his intel is oddly vague! And the source is Konoha!”
Totally baseless, he just couldn't stand Itachi. He was way too aloof, and the two had clashed when joining the organization.
Pain didn’t stop him, he simply watched in silence.
“No, it’s just that less of my intel has been leaked.” Itachi calmly explained.
Kisame nodded. “True. He doesn’t fight often, so the chances of leaks are much lower.”
Facing the suspicious stares of the rest of the group, true wolf Itachi calmly analyzed, “Also, I don’t know your intel. So if we’re talking about who in this room would even have access to such detailed internal information…”
He looked up at the high platform toward Pain, “Only you.”
He suddenly turned, Sharingan spinning furiously as he locked eyes with Zetsu. “And you.”
Kisame turned too, his brows furrowing like a cop narrowing in on a suspect. “Yeah, Zetsu. You’re way too suspicious. It can’t Pain, so it has to be you. You need to explain yourself.”
If this weren’t an illusion space, Samehada would already be pressed against Zetsu’s neck.
Zetsu, now the suspect, was stunned.
“Huh? Me? There’s no way it’s me. I’ve always worked hard and have zero ties to Konoha… I have no reason to do such a thing.”
Then a thought hit him, Pain and Konan were both Jiraiya’s former students from Konoha! If it was not Pain… could it be Konan?
“Come to think of it, your technique is kind of similar to the legendary Wood Release,” Deidara said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “And you’re not even a missing-nin. Could you actually be a Konoha spy?”
As the other members began to stare at him, Black and White Zetsu grew anxious. “No, no! My technique is nothing like Wood Release! I don’t even belong to any village, so how could I be a missing-nin?”
“But your origins are so mysterious, you might as well be considered ‘unknown background,’” Deidara continued, now in full detective mode.
“Look, I’m from Iwa, Pain is from Ame, Sasori’s from Suna… and—”
“Not only villages produce powerful people, okay! I joined the organization way before you!”
Zetsu cursed internally, Why does he talk so damn much? Sooner or later, Obito’s going to take him out…
As the situation grew more chaotic and the tension rose to near breaking point, Pain finally stepped in to stop the farce. “That’s enough. I’ll look into it. Now, begin your missions.”
---
Meanwhile, in his office, Hiruzen had just finished paperwork related to Suna. His consciousness was currently in a subspace, diligently posting on forums.
[Why the Third Hokage wasn’t the bad guy]
Image 1: Naruto says the Third Hokage always protected him.
Image 2: Minato's chakra form explaining to the Third Hokage why Naruto’s identity had to be kept secret.
Image 3: [Image upload failed, thread locked by forum moderators due to explicit content spam.]
He crushed the soda can in his hand. Just as he was about to vent his frustration by playing the ninja mobile game, he heard a tapping sound, crows knocking on the window.
It was Itachi’s crow clone.
“You’re back, Itachi.”
“Hokage-sama… Akatsuki is about to make a major move. The tailed beast hunt has begun.”
Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe and nodded. “Return to the village. Tsunade might be able to treat your condition. Dying in a foreign land shouldn’t be your fate.”
The crow shook its head. “The village isn’t the same anymore. Danzo has been imprisoned. You could return to the ANBU, or even teach the new generation at the Academy. Danzo will take full responsibility for what happened back then.”
Still, the crow shook its head, firmly refusing. Itachi expressed that as long as the village and Sasuke were safe, any sacrifice was worth it. The village was doing well now, and if Sasuke could continue living a peaceful school life, then he didn’t care what happened to himself.
What a selfless, arrogant man… And he clearly had a dangerously strong self-destructive streak. Maybe he should be tossed into another world. Hiruzen silently considered this.
Ever since that chat with Ace, there’d been no follow-up. At this point in Ace's current timeline, there was no good way to deal with the Admirals…
He couldn’t just wait until Naruto and Sasuke became stronger. But if it were Itachi, with his abilities… maybe he could change Ace’s fate. That would at least be a kind gesture from one fellow forum user to another.
“Ahem. Itachi, there’s no need for this. You’re a top elite with the Will of Fire. Once you complete this mission, I’ll have a new task for you.”
The crow spoke, “My body probably won’t last much longer.”
It coughed a few times after saying that.
“Wait for Tsunade to return. Once she’s back, you’ll come straight home. This mission is critical, at this moment, you might be the only one who can do it.”
The crow nodded, and with its chakra depleted, vanished into thin air.
Hiruzen tapped his pipe, flicking the ashes onto the floor. He was a little troubled, Itachi clearly wasn’t taking a Hokage’s orders to heart. It was obvious he intended to die at Sasuke’s hands as a form of redemption.
If Danzō was the king of rogue operators, then Itachi had to be the prince of lone wolves. And the reason for both? "For the sake of Konoha."
“I never even gave those orders in the first place…”
Back then, his orders weren’t taken seriously by anyone. If you didn’t say what people wanted to hear, you were accused of issuing “chaotic commands.” They claimed the Hokage was surrounded by traitorous advisors.
The Sannin didn’t listen, Danzo didn’t listen, Itachi didn’t listen, even the Hyūga didn’t listen! Every hot-blooded character with plot relevance just refused to follow orders!
Damn you, Kishimoto!
He picked up the pen on his desk and began drafting new lesson plans for the new Ninja Academy, he might actually prefer teaching over being Hokage.
