"Do you really think Konoha won't notice if we act directly?"
"What do you mean?!"
Zabuza inwardly shook his head.
Unlike these fools, he knew more—thanks to the Akatsuki.
The White Zetsu had reported to him the real reasons behind the war between Kumo and Konoha.
Konoha wouldn't make the same mistakes again.
A precise plan was necessary.
"Follow the exam normally, wait for an opportunity... Infiltrate..."
In truth, Zabuza had another mission—a secret one.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, had passed it directly to the Akatsuki:
Kidnap Uchiha Fugaku's daughter, a certain Uchiha Sako.
The document theft was just a distraction.
"How greedy..."
Zabuza smiled inwardly.
During the Third War, Kiri had already stolen a Byakugan from the Hyuga.
Now they wanted a Sharingan too?
Of course, such a young girl likely hadn't awakened her dōjutsu yet.
But that didn't matter.
Orders were orders.
"Is it for human experiments... or even bloodline breeding?"
As for why they targeted her and not just any Uchiha...
It was simple: Uchiha Fugaku was currently the most powerful of all the Uchiha shinobi.
Blood theory, DNA heredity, the transmission of talent... Fugaku's daughter was the best genetic material possible.
And when people whispered the name "Fugaku of the Bloody Eyes", enemy ninjas trembled.
Under his leadership, the Uchiha had never lost a single Sharingan.
No nation had managed to obtain one.
That's why Mizukage Yagura had turned to an extraordinary group... the Akatsuki.
Only the Akatsuki could accomplish a mission of such an impossible level.
But at the thought of kidnapping his daughter...
Zabuza felt a chill.
Excitement.
A rush of adrenaline he hadn't felt in a long time.
Since joining the Akatsuki, how long had it been since he faced a real challenge?
"Either way, I'll handle it..."
Zabuza pulled from his wide robe a strange, broken sword, resembling an abnormally long blade.
At the sight of it, the six other Kiri ninjas first showed greed, quickly replaced by fear.
Kubikiribōchō, the Demon Sword, had the ability to regenerate.
He just had to slice a person or two, absorb their blood, and it would return to its full 2.1-meter length...
---
At the same moment.
Uchiha District.
To prepare for the Chunin Exams, Itachi had been training late.
He planned to keep this pace until the exam began in three days.
Seeing how late it had gotten, he decided to head home and rest.
"Itachi..."
A familiar voice made him stop in his tracks.
Shisui emerged from the bushes, covered in dust, clearly just back from the front.
"Shisui..."
Seeing his friend, Itachi instantly felt relieved.
He had so many questions for him.
"How are things on the front?"
They talked as they walked.
"It could be worse..."
Itachi noticed a shadow in Shisui's eyes.
"The Hokage recalled your father, and now it's my turn..."
It was obvious: Konoha's higher-ups feared the Uchiha were becoming too powerful.
Hence these political games.
"Does the Hokage know about all this?" Itachi asked after a pause.
"No."
Shisui shook his head, suspecting Danzo was behind it all.
The Hokage was innocent; it was the corrupt ones like Danzo who pulled the strings...
"In any case, I'll try to convince the Hokage to send your father and me back to the front..."
He ruffled Itachi's hair, who immediately pulled back.
"I'm not a child anymore..."
"I know."
Shisui smiled, with a rare warmth in his voice.
"I heard about your teammate... My condolences..."
"It's nothing."
Itachi shook his head.
"So..." Shisui hesitated. "Did you awaken your Sharingan?"
"Yes."
Itachi nodded.
Shisui understood his pain... but Itachi wasn't grieving his friend—he was grieving his own weakness.
"From today on, you're a true Uchiha."
Shisui smiled, proud.
The awakening of the Sharingan marked the true beginning of an Uchiha's path.
"Shisui, in three days I'll take the Chunin Exam..."
"Really?!"
Shisui looked surprised.
"Your sensei doesn't know you have the Sharingan?"
"No. I haven't told anyone... except you."
Shisui scratched his head, puzzled.
"My father said it was Danzo who recommended me for the exam..."
At those words, Shisui froze.
"What's wrong?"
"..."
After a long silence, Shisui spoke with a serious tone.
"Itachi, be careful with that man... He is the village's shadow. If you want to become Hokage, you don't need to walk in the dark."
"I understand."
Itachi's response was brief.
"Shisui, there's something else I wanted to ask you... about Uzumaki Naruto..."
"Naruto?"
The image of the wild boy in the forest came to Shisui's mind.
He had made an impression.
"What did he do?"
"My sister... she hangs out with him a lot. They've become friends, apparently..."
Shisui detected anxiety in Itachi's voice.
He didn't have a sister himself, but he imagined it was like...
"Watching the cabbage you grew get eaten by a pig?"
"Hah..."
Shisui chuckled despite himself.
"Don't you already have a girlfriend?"
He was referring to Uchiha Izumi, a girl from their clan.
"Your sister deserves to find happiness too..."
Well, okay—Sako was still a kid.
But Itachi and Izumi weren't much older. They had already exchanged fond glances back at the academy.