Konoha: You're letting me build up my bonds, but you're offending the entire ninja world.

"Itachi-kun, please take care of me from now on."

After Orochimaru finished speaking, he licked his lips and left the base with his teammate Sasori.

In the empty room, only Pipa Juzo and Uchiha Itachi remained as teammates.

"Hey, new guy."

Pipa Juzo walked over, glanced at the doorway, and whispered, "Orochimaru is a very dangerous guy. He seems to have taken an interest in you. Be careful."

"I don't want to find a new teammate right after I've found one."

Uchiha Itachi nodded silently, "I will be careful."

The reminder from Pipa Juzo surprised him somewhat.

In an organization full of dangerous rogue ninjas, are there still honest people like this?

Donning the Akatsuki's iconic cloud-patterned robes, Itachi Uchiha slowly walked up the long steps, pondering the Akatsuki's intelligence.

Orochimaru, Juzo Biwa, and Orochimaru's partner, the one hiding under the strange puppet, are most likely Sasori of the Red Sand from Sunagakure.

Leader Payne, Angel Konan.

These are all powerful ninjas, some of whom have reached the ninja level.

What was the purpose of this group of people gathering together, and what tasks did their leader require them to do? Itachi Uchiha wanted to figure all of this out.

As for whether or not to tell Konoha, it depends on the situation.

He just wanted to keep a low profile for a few years and wait until Sasuke had grown up before making any decisions.

Just as Itachi Uchiha was distracted, a venomous snake as thick as an arm suddenly emerged from behind him and bound him tightly.

"I originally thought the Sharingan was just an ordinary thing, after all, there are at least eighty or a hundred Uchiha clan members who have awakened the Sharingan."

Orochimaru stood behind Itachi Uchiha, a playful smile on his face. "But your appearance has surprised me. In today's ninja world, the Sharingan has become a rare commodity."

"You, who slaughtered your entire clan, must have awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, right?"

Orochimaru, what are you trying to say?

Despite being completely bound, Itachi Uchiha showed no panic, but calmly asked...

"I need your help."

Orochimaru chuckled softly, "It would be a waste for you to continue using this perfect body and perfect eyes. Why not give them to me? I will treat them well, and perhaps... even make them stronger."

Itachi Uchiha's eyes turned crimson, and his ocular power surged forth.

Orochimaru felt a sharp pain in his mind and immediately realized something was wrong.

The world before him changed dramatically. Uchiha Itachi looked down at him from his elevated position, his body still firmly pinned to the spot by several thick nails.

It turns out that everything that just happened was just a genjutsu effect by Itachi Uchiha.

Orochimaru was not surprised but delighted.

"That's amazing... to be able to trap me in an illusion without me even noticing, such powerful eye power."

Just as Orochimaru was about to raise his hand to form hand seals, Itachi Uchiha had already severed one of his arms.

"Okay, so fast!"

Orochimaru clutched his severed arm in pain, staring at Itachi Uchiha in disbelief. He couldn't believe that the genjutsu had such a profound effect on him.

"Orochimaru, all your ninjutsu are useless against my eyes."

Itachi Uchiha easily defeated one of the Legendary Sannin, as if it were a trivial matter, his expression completely unmoved.

"However... you did me a favor."

Uchiha Itachi's lips curled up slightly. "Losing to Shimura Gengetsu made me doubt my own strength."

"Now it seems that the problem is not me, but Shimura Gengetsu. People like you are the norm in this ninja world."

Itachi Uchiha did not intend to kill him, but instead headed towards the base.

He was going to find Pain and tell him what Orochimaru had just done.

It might seem childish, like a child tattling, but Itachi Uchiha actually wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about Pain, and it would be even better if he could see him take action.

The genjutsu's effects hadn't worn off yet. Orochimaru stared intently at Itachi Uchiha's back, his eyes a mixture of greed, fear, and killing intent.

This defeat made him realize his weakness—illusion.

It wasn't that he lacked resistance to genjutsu, but rather that Itachi Uchiha's genjutsu was too strong.

Is this the true power of the Sharingan?

For a time, Orochimaru's desire for the Sharingan reached an obsessive level.

As soon as the immobilization effect wore off, he immediately fled the Akatsuki base with his severed arm.

Orochimaru knew that Pain would never tolerate anyone openly attacking his comrades, so escaping as soon as possible was the wise thing to do.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and Shimura Gengetsu left the Land of Snow with a heavy heart amidst the wind, flowers, and snow.

He flew back to the mainland directly using the Light and Heavy Rock Technique, taking only two days.

At this time, the turmoil in the village gradually subsided.

The world will continue to function normally even without anyone. Apart from Uchiha Sasuke, who has been discharged from the hospital and started school, no one cares about the night of the massacre anymore.

Other ninja clans couldn't produce a genius like Uchiha Itachi.

Upon returning to Konoha, Gengetsu Shimura first toured the Anbu headquarters, signing some documents that required his signature, before heading to the Root base.

"Old man, hasn't Hiruzen Sarutobi caused you any trouble?"

Shimura Gengetsu asked curiously.

The two sides have completely broken off relations in the Hokage's office. He is now just like the Uchiha clan back then, an uncontrollable and unstable factor.

But after Hiruzen Sarutobi backed down, he fell silent, definitely not holding back any good news.

Danzo, however, showed no concern after hearing this.

"You don't understand Hiruzen. He never rushes into things."

Danzo picked up the hot tea on the table, took a sip, and slowly put it down. His one eye revealed a look of nostalgia: "Back then, the Second Hokage covered the retreat and chose Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage."

"But did you know that Hiruzen served as Hokage for three years after the Second Hokage's death?"

"At that time, the ninja village was newly established, and the major ninja clans still held enormous power. The orders of the clan leaders and elders were more effective than those of the village itself."

"It took us three years. He openly divided, suppressed, and promoted the junior ninja clans, while I secretly assassinated, eavesdropped, and collected evidence favorable to Hiruzen. Only then could I rightfully become Hokage."

Danzo snorted, "He's been like this ever since then. He does things openly and honestly, leaving all the shady stuff to me. Decades have passed, and he can't change it."

"You don't need to worry about Hiruzen. With our current strength and methods, he wouldn't dare to resort to underhanded tactics."

"Fine, you guys know each other well, so you get to decide."

Gengetsu Shimura nodded and took out a large jar of Sharingan from the sealing scroll.

"I've been so busy that I forgot to give it to you."

A fiery glint flashed in Shimura Danzo's eyes as he carefully took the Sharingan and casually counted them; there were more than thirty Sharingan eyes inside.

"Madara took the rest?"

Danzo was furious at the thought of someone trying to steal his spoils.

"He took all the guards' equipment, and the quality of the equipment was even higher than these."

Gengetsu Shimura nodded casually, "Anyway, you're just using it to save your life, so don't be so picky."

Danzo didn't speak, but sent his Sharingan into a hidden compartment behind him.

Seeing that Shimura Gengetsu still showed no sign of leaving, he paused for a moment, then asked, "Is there anything else?"

Normally, Shimura Gengetsu would never visit the Root organization without a reason, and would leave immediately after finishing his business, as if the air in the Root organization was foul. Today, however, he was sitting there leisurely drinking tea, which aroused Danzo's curiosity.

"No, I just wanted to ask you where the historical records about the Warring States period in the village are kept?"

Danzo narrowed his eyes. "What are you looking for?"

Shimura Gengetsu frankly stated, "I have discovered some secrets from the Warring States period, which I need to verify."

"Ideally, it would be the clan records of the Sarutobi and Senju clans, the more detailed the better."

As for what secret it was, Shimura Gengetsu didn't say, and Danzo didn't intend to ask.

“These things are usually kept in the collection rooms of each family. The Senju clan is a special case, so they are all kept in the village’s forbidden book area. Do you need me to get them for you?”

"No need, it'll only attract the attention of the three generations of old Deng. I'll just go get it myself."

Danzo nodded. "Then be careful not to reveal your whereabouts."

Gengetsu Shimura has disappeared.

As night fell, he slipped into the shadows and entered the forbidden book area without alerting any of the guarding ninjas.

Many of the scrolls here are equipped with warning arrays; picking them up casually will trigger an alarm and alert the Dark Guard.

Orochimaru was captured once, but Gengetsu Shimura had his own method. He used his Takamagahara ability to suck things into space the moment they touched them. With a space between them, even the most powerful traps would be useless.

After storing all the grades, logs, and biographies of important members of the Senju clan in his space, Shimura Gengetsu began searching for the information he wanted.