Chapter 137

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Ding ding ding~~

The clear sound of wind chimes swayed gently in the breeze.

Samehada suddenly appeared and lashed out, swiftly absorbing the chakra from the unsuspecting ninja before retracting.

Just as Kisame was about to turn and leave, he noticed something. Reaching out, he retrieved a freshly updated bounty list from the corpse of the dead ninja.

"Itachi, look what I've found," Kisame said, flipping through the list quickly. His eyes lit up as he smiled at Itachi, who was sitting on a large rock nearby.

"Uchiha Sasuke, a Konoha S-rank rogue ninja, accused of leaving the village without authorization; invading the Fire Temple; invading the Tsuchigumo Clan. Haha, it seems that your brother has been quite busy, Itachi."

Uchiha Itachi, who had been resting with his eyes closed on the rock, slowly opened them. The black three-tomoe Sharingan in his blood-red pupils slightly rotated.

"Wait, there's more," Kisame continued, finding another bounty note on the dead ninja. His voice carried a hint of surprise.

"Your brother's bounty in the black market has already reached 30 million. Tsk tsk, that's quite a sum. You better watch out for Kakuzu. He definitely won't miss out on this opportunity to make money."

Sasuke's bounty on the black market was on par with Chiriku's. Although his strength wasn't as formidable as the latter, being the sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan from Konoha, combined with the power of the Sharingan, had greatly increased Sasuke's value, putting him on the same level as Chiriku.

However, he hadn't yet reached the 35 million standard set by Sarutobi Asuma, mainly due to Asuma's status as the son of the Third Hokage.

Itachi didn't respond to Kisame's words, his gaze merely becoming more distant.

Suddenly, a new, playful voice interrupted the conversation, "Kakuzu is currently busy working as a mercenary, fighting for a small country. He won't be able to focus on Itachi's brother for a while. Besides, even if he wanted to claim that 30 million, he'd have to find Sasuke first."

As the voice faded, Zetsu, with his half-black, half-white body wrapped around a tree, emerged from the ground.

Kisame, unfazed by Zetsu's sudden appearance, asked, "Even you don't have any information on Itachi's brother?"

"Not even the Sage of Six Paths is omnipotent, let alone us," came the deep voice of Black Zetsu, different from the earlier playful tone.

He wasn't lying. The shinobi world was vast. Even with 100,000 White Zetsus spread out, it was impossible to gather all the information. Moreover, only a few White Zetsus were currently active.

Sasuke was with Gensou, making it challenging to track their movements.

"Did the leader send you with a new mission?" Itachi finally spoke, but not about his brother. Instead, he inquired about the reason for Zetsu's arrival.

White Zetsu turned to Itachi, his playful voice returning, "It's not a mission. The leader just wants to ask you, Itachi, if there is anyone besides you in the Uchiha clan who has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"Mangekyō Sharingan?" Itachi's expression shifted slightly as he asked calmly, "Why ask such a question?"

"Oh~~ You don't know?" White Zetsu feigned surprise, spreading his hands wide in exaggerated shock.

Black Zetsu, uninterested in the act, explained directly, "A man with the Mangekyō Sharingan has appeared by Sasuke's side. The leader is curious about him."

Although Sasuke's whereabouts hadn't been pinpointed, White Zetsu had gathered information on the recent battles at the Fire Temple and Mount Katsuragi.

Pain had issued orders to contact and invite the new Mangekyō Sharingan wielder to join their ranks, considering the Sharingan's effectiveness in capturing the tailed beasts.

As for the potential conflict between this individual and Itachi, Pain believed he could suppress any issues.

After understanding the situation, Itachi remained expressionless, shaking his head calmly, "I know nothing about this person."

"Just as I thought," White Zetsu, who hadn't been hopeful, shrugged, joking about their leader, "Pain should have realized that if there were another Mangekyō Sharingan in the Uchiha clan, Itachi, you wouldn't have had such an easy time wiping them out."

Black Zetsu gave Itachi a deep look before vanishing back into the ground as quickly as he had appeared.

"Itachi, you'd better be careful. Since this man with the Mangekyō Sharingan is with your brother, it's clear what his attitude toward you might be," Kisame warned Itachi with concern.

Itachi responded with a simple "Mm," indicating his understanding.

In truth, he had already pieced together the situation. Unlike the clueless people of Konoha, Itachi had nearly uncovered the truth.

As someone who had witnessed it firsthand, Itachi knew everything about Shisui. When Zetsu mentioned a new Mangekyō Sharingan wielder, Itachi immediately thought of Shisui's eyes.

He was currently in possession of one of them, while the other had been taken by Danzo.

Now that Danzo was dead and the Foundation was completely destroyed, it was highly likely that Gensou had taken Shisui's other Mangekyō Sharingan.

Given that Sasuke had joined Gensou, it made sense for him to be with another Mangekyō Sharingan wielder.

As for who this person might be, Itachi didn't know.

It could be Gensou himself, or perhaps one of the survivors from that group who had evaded capture years ago.

The Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't like the Byakugan; not just anyone could wield it proficiently.

Even a genius like Kakashi had to completely change his fighting style, with his chakra reserves becoming a standard unit of measurement.

"Hagoromo Gensou... What exactly are you planning?" Itachi wondered, a trace of concern flashing in his eyes as he realized that Sasuke was drifting further and further away from Konoha.

Itachi had always harbored doubts about Sasuke following Gensou instead of Orochimaru.

He knew Orochimaru inside out, but Gensou was like a thick fog, always beyond his understanding.

Now, it seemed his worries might have been justified.

"Perhaps I should see it for myself. If Sasuke strays too far, I might have no choice..." Itachi's gaze hardened as he thought of the technique stored in his Mangekyō Sharingan. He adjusted his hat and, as the wind chimes rang softly, began walking toward the distance.

Kisame watched him, surprised, "It's supposed to be a break, not a mission. Weren't we going to stay here for a few days? Where are you heading, Itachi?"

"Just taking care of some matters."

Kisame grinned, "The leader has ordered that Akatsuki members shouldn't act alone, and we should always be in pairs. If you've got something to do, I'll give up my break and join you."

"Suit yourself," Itachi replied without looking back.

(End of Chapter)