I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 197 Minami Nagato

The Sarutobi Shinnosuke incident was not publicized, as it would only affect Konoha's morale. However, it did worsen the relationship between Konoha and Kumogakure.

The Land of Whirlpools.

"I'm gone."

As the sea breeze blew, Uchiha Yoru waved with a carefree smile on a merchant ship, waving goodbye to Uchiha Shisui and Hatake Kakashi's group who had come to see them off.

"Brother Ye, take care."

On the merchant ship, Itachi Uchiha, with his youthful face, followed behind his teacher. This time, he would accompany his teacher back to the village.

As the merchant ship sailed on, until the Land of Whirlpools became a black dot in sight, Uchiha Yoru sighed with some melancholy, while Uchiha Itachi beside him looked on with a puzzled expression.

"Teacher Ye, are we going back this time?"

The meticulous Itachi Uchiha showed a suspicious look. Uchiha Yoru glanced at the calm Itachi, whose youthful face revealed a mature and calm expression, yet it gave people a sense of naturalness, as if the other person was born that way.

Finally, Uchiha Yoru raised his head and watched a cold wind blow by. He squinted his eyes, enjoying the temporary tranquility, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"This is a task for when you return to the village. Remember to burn it after you've read it."

He slowly took a scroll out of his pocket and handed it to Uchiha Itachi, who was standing to the side.

As the dark green scroll slowly unfurled, the seal on it was already broken. This was a mission personally issued by the Third Hokage, classified as S-rank.

S-class missions refer to tasks involving matters of national importance. The work may include participating in wars at the invitation of other countries, assassinating important figures, or moving classified documents. The reward is one million taels or more.

After quickly reading through the mission scroll, a look of shock appeared in Itachi Uchiha's youthful eyes. Then, the scroll in his hand burst into flames and burned to ashes in the wind.

The two remained silent for a long while before Uchiha Yoru said softly, "Itachi, do you have any questions about this mission?"

Although Itachi Uchiha was young, his calm mind was second to none, and he directly stated his thoughts in a low voice.

"Teacher Yoru, the radical faction under the Fire Country Daimyo is becoming increasingly powerful, especially the Fire Temple, which is one of the most relied-upon forces by the Daimyo outside of Konoha. The emergence of radical voices within the Fire Temple will affect the interests of the village."

This S-rank mission is simple: assassinate a monk named Jiku from the Fire Temple. Intelligence indicates he has been invited and is preparing to depart for the Daimyo's capital in two weeks.

Seeing Itachi's understanding, Uchiha Yoru smiled and shook his head, saying, "Itachi, what's the deeper meaning behind this? Can you see it?"

Uchiha Itachi remained silent for a moment, but he still spoke his conjecture in a deep voice.

"Teacher Yoru, this is a trap set by the village for the Uchiha clan. Once the Uchiha are involved, the Uchiha clan will be feared by the Daimyo. The village wants the Uchiha to be isolated and helpless."

Listening to Itachi Uchiha's analysis, Yoru Uchiha chuckled and nodded, "Not bad, your prediction is quite good."

"The village has freed up its resources, which is why there is a plan to strengthen defenses and even weaken the Uchiha clan. Once the Uchiha get involved in this matter, they will have no external support."

Within the Land of Fire, the Uchiha clan was almost completely isolated within their village. If they wanted to find outside help, the only option was the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Fire.

The Third Hokage's methods were undeniably ruthless, capable of killing with a single blow.

He, Uchiha, eliminated a radical elder of the Fire Temple, the monk Chiku. To Konoha, he was a radical, but to the Daimyo, he was a loyal follower.

In particular, the identity of the monk Jikong is not simple. He is of a very high seniority in the Fire Temple, and is at the level of an elder.

If the Uchiha clan does this, won't the Daimyo hate them to death?

The young Itachi Uchiha had experienced too much and had seen through the darkness and corruption of the village. The fact that the border was not yet stable and the village's corrupt leaders had already begun to fight among themselves filled him with anger and sorrow.

"Straighten your clothes. From now on, we are both wandering ninjas. We must complete the village's mission, but we can't let the Uchiha tarnish the Daimyo's reputation."

Uchiha Yoru, who was confident and had everything under control, wore a self-assured smile, which attracted Uchiha Itachi, who was standing next to him.

As the sun set, the afterglow shone on Uchiha Yoru, as if he were draped in a cloak of rosy light, a sight that left Uchiha Itachi stunned.

Kakashi Hatake, from Konoha in the Land of Whirlpools, served as the frontline commander, with Shisui Uchiha as his deputy. This was a face-saving gesture for the Uchiha clan.

As for Uchiha Yoru, he was ordered to return to the village to recuperate, and was given ample face in return.

……

Under the snow, the world returned to tranquility. Only some small towns still exuded a sense of prosperity, while the villagers in the rest of the villages huddled indoors, relying on their stored food to get through the winter.

Short Book Street.

It is a bustling town within the Land of Fire, located at a transportation hub. Merchants and travelers frequently come and go, and countless goods flow and are transported through here.

This location also contributed to the prosperity of the town. Even under the snow, the town exudes a bustling atmosphere, with merchants' carriages frequently traveling back and forth on the streets.

"Itachi, your body limits your chakra now, but at this age your chakra is already far stronger than your peers. When we return to the village, I will teach you a powerful ninjutsu, but for now, you should continue to practice your chakra control."

Two figures, one tall and one short, walked down the street. Facing his teacher's earnest teachings, Uchiha Itachi respectfully nodded and said, "I understand, teacher."

For Itachi Uchiha, he was the clan's genius. He shouldered the clan's responsibilities from birth. Some people praised him, but few cared about him.

His teacher's concern for his physical well-being warmed his heart.

Itachi Uchiha truly deserves to be called a genius. His ability to grasp things instantly goes beyond mere description; he should be described as being able to apply what he's learned to other situations.

Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but marvel at Itachi's talent, truly deserving of the title of genius who joined the Anbu at the age of eleven and awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan at the age of thirteen.

Teaching geniuses is indeed the easiest thing to do.

"Teacher, according to the intelligence, the target should pass through here at the end of the month, that is, before the end of the year."

The two of them crunched on the snow as they walked. Uchiha Yoru, after hearing this, squinted and nodded, saying, "Itachi, you don't need to worry about this. What we're doing now is waiting for our target here and then intercepting him. But what if something happens to the target before that?"

As he said this, under Itachi's gaze, his teacher gave him a meaningful smile, and the intelligent boy instantly realized something.

Uchiha Yoru, however, smiled and nodded, saying, "That has nothing to do with us; it's a problem with the village's intelligence."

"Let's go. Now we're both ninjas planted by the Anbu, and we're ninjas who have mastered medical ninjutsu. Before our target arrives, we should continue to do what this identity requires."

The two figures, one tall and one short, arrived in front of a hotel and then stepped inside.

"Mr. Ye, you've arrived."

Inside an ordinary room, Uchiha Yoru and Itachi entered. A person walked towards them and spoke softly, clearly indicating that this was not their first time there.

She has short, light blue-purple hair styled in a bun, with a pale blue paper flower on the right side of her head. Her eyes are light orange-yellow, and she has delicate features with light purple eyeshadow. She also has a lip piercing at the bottom of her lips.

A tall, aloof young woman, standing at least 1.7 meters, walked slowly over and spoke to the two of them.

Although it wasn't the first time they had met, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It was truly a wonderful coincidence that he hadn't encountered the fat sheep Tsunade in Tanabata Street, but had instead run into this person.

"Xiao Nan, you're too kind. It's just a fair transaction to receive payment for treating the injured."

Faced with the girl before him, Uchiha Yoru remained unmoved, instead calmly and silently feigning the nature of a seasoned rogue ninja.

Indeed, the so-called girl in front of us is none other than Konan, the White Tiger Angel from the Akatsuki group. No one expected to meet her here.

Just then, a coughing sound came from inside the room. Upon hearing it, Uchiha Yoru calmly instructed his follower Itachi, "Itachi, you stay outside and keep watch."

"Yes, teacher."

Uchiha Itachi calmly observed the house. Although it wasn't his first time there, he was still as cautious as ever. Only after confirming that there were no traps did he go out and hide in a secluded spot to be on guard.

This scene did not escape Xiao Nan's eyes, but all of this was normal caution for her. After all, the careless Lang Ren would have already been lying on the cold ground.

"Mr. Ye, my elder brother has recovered quite a bit thanks to your treatment recently."

Konan, disguised as a wounded ninja from a small country, was secretly grateful. She was also secretly relieved that after so many years she had finally found a ninja with decent medical skills. At least Nagato's health was starting to improve.

Upon entering the house, a gaunt man with red hair slowly raised his head. His red hair obscured his eyes, making them difficult to see clearly, but when he saw the person who had entered, a rare hint of relaxation appeared on his usually cold and ruthless face.

"Mr. Night."

Uchiha Yoru's identity is that of a rogue ninja who has mastered decent medical ninjutsu. Similarly, Konan and Nagato are also rogue ninja. Both of them are hiding their identities. It just so happens that one needs treatment and the other happens to know medical ninjutsu.

"It's best if you don't move your body right now."

Uchiha Yoru quickly got into character, while Nagato and Konan exchanged subtle glances, and the Six Paths of Pain were already hidden in various blind spots, undetected by Uchiha Itachi at the moment.

"This is the payment for this transaction."

Upon meeting, Konan slowly took out a generous reward. Seeing this, Uchiha Yoru relaxed, and a rare smile appeared on Konan's usually aloof face.

In Xiao Nan's eyes, the other party had never had any bad intentions after treating her so many times, and was greedy for money. They had completely gained her trust, but only in terms of their identity. They had not been lacking in any of the necessary precautions.

After receiving the payment, Uchiha Yoru sat directly on the edge of the bed, his hands glowing with pale green medical chakra as he began to examine Nagato.

"The burns on your legs are quite severe, clearly caused by the explosive tags, and it's been going on for quite some time. You must have used ninjutsu with extremely severe side effects for a long time, which has led to this situation."

Although it wasn't the first time they'd heard it, every time Uchiha Yoru mentioned the cause of his injuries, Nagato and Konan couldn't help but sigh, "He really has two knives."

Uchiha Yoru squinted as he examined Nagato's body, then shook his head and said, "Your body is so weak, yet I can sense that you still possess a strong life force within you. I must say, if you hadn't been injured, you would probably be a renowned and powerful ninja."

Nagato remained unmoved by Uchiha Yoru's sentiments, after all, Yoru wouldn't know that he was already a renowned Akatsuki figure who had made waves throughout the ninja world.

Neither of them knew the other's identity; they only knew that the other's name was Night.

"Same as always, I'll use medical ninjutsu to accelerate your cell repair, but only to activate the cells—your legs!"

At this point, Uchiha Yoru shook his head, prompting Konan to ask, "Is there really no other way?"

"Konan." Nagato had long since resigned himself to his fate regarding his legs, but Konan had never given up over the years.

Looking into Nagato's eyes, Konan felt a pang of sadness.

This scene made Uchiha Yoru ponder deeply. In the original story, although Nagato's legs were crippled, it was impossible that the other party had simply ignored them beforehand; they must have given up because the condition was incurable.

It was clear that Nagato's mastery of the Rinnegan had made Obito wary, so Obito remained indifferent, causing Nagato to miss the best opportunity for treatment.

The original work mentions that Nagato was ambushed by Hanzo during the Third Shinobi World War, which should be at the end of the war.

Looking at Nagato and Konan, Uchiha Yoru hesitated for a moment. This didn't escape their notice, and Konan couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Yoru, is there anything wrong with Nagato's legs?"

Looking at Konan, who is now in the prime of her life, Uchiha Yoru shook his head and said, "It's not that it's difficult, but that too much time has passed and there's simply no chance of a cure."

Although Uchiha Yoru said that, Konan, who was quite clever, immediately realized something from the hesitation in his eyes just now, and a determined look appeared on her face.

In her heart, as long as there is hope, she will not give up, after all, Nagato is now her only companion.

"Mr. Yoru, Nagato is my comrade. As long as there is hope, I will not give up."

Konan looked solemnly at Uchiha Yoru and said in a deep voice, "I am willing to pay a generous reward that will definitely satisfy you, sir."

With things having come to this point, Uchiha Yoru looked at Konan's promise, and even Nagato, who had long since given up on the bed, couldn't help but let a flicker of emotion cross his eyes.

After all, no one ever doesn't want to stand up again, especially those who have had it before; they cherish it even more after losing it.

Regular updates will resume starting today. Unless something major happens, there will be two updates daily.

(End of this chapter)