Inside the Hokage Office,

"Itachi Uchiha… I have a mission for you." ​​

Hiruzen takes out a scroll from the drawer and places it on the table.

Itachi nods his head.

"Yes… Hokage-sama…"

Hmm…

Hiruzen unfolds the scroll and explains the mission.

"Recently… we have encountered reports of various explosions at our borders. Some war insurgents of smaller nations are revolting at our borders.

Recently… they hired some rogue shinobi who are proficient in the bombing. From the intel… I can see some familiarities with the explosive corps of Iwagakure.

This is a political matter between two nations… so handle it with care. I don't want the hard-achieved peace to be disrupted in this fashion."

Hiruzen passes the scroll to Itachi.

"I have assigned another person to the same mission. Meet them near the village entrance."

Swoosh…

Itachi vanishes as his figure disperses in multiple crow summons.

"…"

Hiruzen silently stares at the crows.

"Looks like… I have grown too old to know about the new trend of Shinobi. Sigh… I will just continue my research."

Hiruzen takes out his crystal ball from the drawer.

-----------------

Swoosh… swoosh…

Itachi flickers inside the Uchiha clan estate as he enters his house.

"Nii-san… you are back."

Sasuke walks out of his room.

"Nii-san… train me in Ninjutsu. I have already mastered the ninjutsu Nii-san taught me earlier."

Tap…

Itachi taps Sasuke's forehead with his finger as he shakes his head.

"Sasuke… maybe some other day… for now… I have a mission to complete."

Aww…

Sasuke clutches his forehead and stares at Itachi.

"You are so mean, Itachi Nii-san… I will complain to Izuna Nii-san… when he visits next time."

Sasuke runs towards the Uchiha training ground.

"Ara!… Itachi dear… you shouldn't be so mean to your younger brother." Mikoto walks out of the kitchen with a ladle in her hand.

"If you say so, Mother…" Itachi sighs and walks towards the Uchiha training ground.

Bam… Bam…

Sasuke is kicking the trunk of a tree as he murmurs to himself.

"Itachi Nii-san is so mean. I will complain to Izuna Nii-san and ask him to prepare a Nightmare training regimen for Itachi Nii-san."

"…"

Gulp…

Cold sweat appears on Itachi's back as he hears these words.

'Izuna Nii-san's Hell mode training was already so… I can't even imagine about the Nightmare training regimen…'

"Sasuke… Sasuke… don't talk about it to Izuna Nii-san… I will see your training progress." Itachi tries to appease Sasuke.

"That's more like it… Now watch me." Sasuke smiles at Itachi.

'I fell for his trick again… sigh…'

Itachi drops his head as he stares at Sasuke.

"Sharingan"

Sasuke activates his Sharingan. He makes multiple hand signs and clutches his left hand.

"Chidori…"

Chirp… Chii…

Sasuke creates a small orb of lightning in his left hand. Some sparks fly out of the jutsu.

'Hmm…'

Itachi's eyes widen in surprise.

'Sasuke can already add Nature transformation to his chakra. Though the size of this jutsu is smaller compared to the Original… but it is still wonderful.'

Huff… Huff…

Sasuke breathes heavily for a while and plops on the ground.

"I did it Nii-san."

"Wonderful!… Sasuke… you learned it quite quickly. Though it will be awhile before you could master it… but still I am amazed by your progress." Itachi praises Sasuke.

Sasuke closes his eyes and falls asleep. Itachi carries him on his back.

'It is still too early for Sasuke to learn such a powerful technique… also the Sharingan takes a toll on his small body. But Izuna Nii-san insisted on it. I wonder what Nii-san is doing now?'

Itachi walks through the Uchiha compound with Sasuke on his back.

"Itachi!… Itachi…"

A sweet voice interrupts his train of thoughts. Itachi turns around and notices Izumi waving his hand at him.

"Oh!… it is you, Izumi. What's the matter?" Itachi stops in his tracks.

Izumi runs towards him and stands in front of him.

"Itachi!… why are you so late? You kept me waiting for almost two hours… and there was no sign of you anywhere. So… I have to inquire Hokage-sama about your whereabouts."

Izumi places her hands on her waist as she glares at him.

Shh…

Itachi points towards a sleeping Sasuke.

Swoosh… swoosh…

Itachi flickers towards his house. Izumi stares at his back and murmurs.

"… Itachi is a bro-con. Izuna nii-san used to call him that."

------------------------

Whoosh… whoosh…

Itachi and Izumi flicker through the forest as Izumi starts a conversation.

"Itachi… I never expected… you would be my partner for this mission."

Izumi smiles as she holds Itachi's hand.

"I will protect you, Izumi." Itachi stares into her eyes as he speaks to her.

Blush…

"It is not like I need your protection." Izumi turns away to hide her blush.

Humph…

"I have also grown strong, you know… you aren't the only one who did the hellish training of Izuna Nii-san… Itachi!"

Izumi snorts and increases her pace.

"Wait… Izumi…" Itachi follows her.

Whoosh… whoosh…

Both of them increase their pace as they approach the border of the Land of Fire.

Hmm…

Itachi takes out the scroll from his pocket as he looks at the marked place on the map.

"The Sakanagakure is a small island village in Mist Sea. It is in the Land of Fish and acts as a major source of fish products for the rest of the world. The village signed a pact with Konoha during the Third Shinobi war for protection. Recently… the village was bombed by a group of unknown shinobis… they have requested help from Konoha."

Both Itachi and Izumi reach the shore. The Mist sea is covered by a very thick mist which blocks their vision.

"The Mist sea got its name because of the constant mist shrouding the water body. According to some old legends, the Sage of Six Path fought a legendary battle here, which resulted in the creation of this sea."

Itachi remarks as he stares at the thick mist.

"Our Sharingans are useless in this mist. Let's look for someone for directions."

They spot an old sailor near the coast.

"Let's ask him for the directions."

They approach the sailor and ask him for directions. The sailor signals them and both of them board his boat.

---------------------

In a small cave near Sakanagakure,

A group of shinobis is gathered around a rock table as they stare at a map placed on the center of the table.

One of them marks a circle around Sakanagakure Village.

"During the Third Shinobi war… Sakanagakure allied with a large nation to protect itself from the flames of the war. They betrayed our village and joined hands with those Konoha scums."

Bam…

He slams his hands on the table.

"Unforgivable… it's unforgivable… Sakanagakure village survived, but our Onikugakure village was burned in the flames of the war." Another shinobi clutches his fists tightly.

"Yes… Sakanagakure will pay for their betrayal of the alliance." The Leader of the group folds the map and clutches it tightly.

"But… How?… we have attacked the village multiple times… but all of our attempts failed." Another shinobi questions the leader.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. I hired someone for this task. He is quite a powerful person… I am sure he will annihilate the Sakanagakure village."

The Leader grins as he stares at the entrance of the cave.

"Please come in… Deidara-san."

A person with blue slanted eyes and long golden blond hair enters. His hairs are tied into a ponytail. One bang covers his left eye.

Humph…

The group frowns as they stare at Deidara.

"A kid… what could a kid like him do in such a situation?"

"Wait… he is…"

One of the shinobi walks in front of Deidara and pats his shoulder.

"Kid… you better go back to your mama and beg her for more milk. This place ain't for you."

"Katsu"

Boom…

Deidra blows away the hand of the shinobi in a minor explosion.

Aah…

The shinobi yells in pain as he clutches his hand.

"… he is the person I hired for the job." The Leader finishes his sentence as he stares at his man.

"It's too late…"

Sigh…

He sighs and signals another person to attend to the fellow.

"Payment first… job later." Deidara walks in front of the Leader.

"Here…"

The Leader passes a large bag of Ryo to Deidara.

"It is 50 percent of the agreed price." Deidara frowns as he counts the bills.

"I would pay the rest after the job is done." The Leader smiles at Deidara.

Humph…

Deidara snorts and snatches the map from Leader's hand.

"Just sit back and wait for the news. Also… don't even think about running away with my money."

Crunch… Crunch…

Deidara walks out of the cave as he crushes gravels and stones under his feet.

"This bastard…"

The now-one handed shinobi yells after Deidara left the cave.

"Hold it right there! I paid a hefty price to hire him. Don't ruin our chance for revenge because of your foul mouth."

The Leader chides him.

Humph…

The shinobi snorts and grabs his bandaged arm.