Chapitre 39: Unwelcome Visitors
The Uchiha clan's prodigy, one of the murderers who led the tragic downfall of his own lineage, marked as a treacherous S-class traitor of Konoha... but the hidden truth – he was simply a man affected by a mental illness called brother complex, driven to sacrifice everything to protect his younger brother, Itachi Uchiha: Since our love is forbidden, then hate me, my stupid odoudou!
Ahem. Let's not go in that strange direction. Just know Itachi was the unwelcome visitor in the village.
Shino had been tracking the movements of Itachi along with Kisame, Asuma and Kurenai for some time and finally locked onto their battlefield after determining their direction.
Truth be told, they were even easier to track than Orochimaru. Despite wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat to conceal their faces, their distinct Akatsuki attire clearly marked their presence amongst the other villagers.
A long, black cloak adorned with striking crimson clouds outlined in white, and a chin-high collar. It was hard to miss, and it was clear Itachi and Kisame didn't mean to hide. Otherwise, even Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai wouldn't find them, let alone Shino.
Disguising his clone with the image of Anbu, Shino prepared to observe the battle from a safe distance and at a high vantage point.
From his bug surveillance network, he had tracked the group moving through Konoha, finally coming to a stop by the river, their actions and movements indicating that they were about to engage in battle.
The two jonins were oblivious to the danger, but Shino could see that the Akatsuki duo had strategically chosen the most advantageous battlefield.
As he observed from a safe distance, Shino noticed both sides engaged in a conversation, but he couldn't hear anything due to his cautious approach of keeping his bugs at a far distance.
The river may have seemed like a great place to conceal his insect monitors, but Shino soon discovered that even they had limitations.
Despite their best efforts to blend into the water, the insects were unable to safely get close enough to eavesdrop on the conversation. The sound was muffled and distorted, making it impossible to hear anything clearly. And any closer would only increase the risk of discovery.
Although his bugs were resistant to certain illusions, he was aware of Itachi's powerful genjutsu and didn't want to take any chances.
Even if his bugs miraculously had immunity to to Itachi's illusions, there was a high chance that Itachi's Sharingan could discover his insects. It would be troublesome if Itachi mistook him for one of Root's personel and packaged him as a greeting gift to that bad old man.
Even with his physical body was not present at the scene, Shino couldn't shake the feeling that Itachi's Kaleidoscope Sharingan might still pose a threat to him.
He knew all too well the terrifying power of Tsukuyomi, and the mere thought of being trapped within it was enough to send shivers down his spine.
His bug clone being immune to genjutsu doesn't rule out the possibility that Itachi could directly target his consciousness and drag him into the depths of his Tsukuyomi world, and Shino had to stay vigilant to avoid falling victim to the Uchiha's genjutsu.
Although there wasn't a mention of a distance restriction on the eyes, Shino knew it was better to be safe than sorry. He can test Itachi all he wants, after the man loses to his brother…
Shino returned his attention to the confronting duos. The tension in the air was palpable as the impending battle drew nearer.
The elusive dance of conflict was set ablaze by none other than Itachi's companion, Kisame Hoshigaki.
Different from Itachi, Kisame donned his sentient sword, Samehada, on his back, carried along a brown sash, meticulously positioned across the front and back of his cloak.
Enveloped in layers of bandages, Samehada, a colossal sword stretching to the height of a grown warrior, exuded an undeniable air of mystery as it nestled comfortably upon Kisame's back.
However, the sizable sword didn't appear out of place because Kisame himself was a muscular figure even amongst shinobi, possessing an enigmatic allure with his commanding stature and a unique countenance reminiscent of a predatory shark; his pale blue-grey skin accentuating his otherworldly presence.
Small, piercing white eyes glistened with untamed intensity, framed by three elegant sets of curved markings etched beneath them.
Sharp triangular teeth graced his powerful jaws, a subtle reminder of his connection to the legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
Yet, it was his blue hair, meticulously styled into a resolute shark fin, that completed the portrait of this otherworldly warrior, epitomizing both grace and danger in equal measure.
And it was danger which was displayed as Kisame unleashed the full force of his primal aggression, making the first move with Samehada.
He lunged at Asuma with a ferocity that was almost impossible to comprehend, swinging his Samehada at Asuma.
Asuma managed to dodge the first attack, but Kisame was quick to follow up with a second strike. Shino watched in amazement as Asuma barely managed to block the blow with his chakra blades, his hands shaking from the force of the impact.
The first thing that struck Shino was the speed at which the battle was being fought. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. With seemingly no pause, the two strikes were completed within a mere second!
Asuma and Kisame's short confrontation happened so quickly that it would have been impossible for Shino to see if he had not upgraded his dynamic vision and reaction speed. Their attacks were sharp and precise, each one aimed with deadly intent, but the result was Asuma suffering a loss.
But it wasn't known if Asuma's injury was intentional, aiming to gain the sympathy of the Kurenai near him.
This Asuma - his calculations weren't bad at all. No wonder he could teach Shikamaru the genius.
Whatever the case may be, Shino knew that it had an effect because it hurried Kurenai's ambush.
Kurenai, on the other hand, was using her genjutsu to great effect. In the anime, Shino recalled that she wove illusions to make herself seemingly vanish.
In reality, Shino watched his teacher skillfully burrow into the ground, concealing herself from view. Within seconds since the start of the battle, she emerged from the earth in front of Itachi, ready to ambush him.
To Shino's disappointment, there were no flashy special effects accompanying her attack like in the anime.
This was reality - a place where genjutsu only affected the victim. Shino wasn't the victim, and Shino's bug clone also had immunity to his teacher's genjutsu. So, he could only view the battle's 'raw footage'.
Intriguingly enough, Shino noticed that Kurenai had positioned herself in front of Itachi during the ambush. But why?
He suspected that Itachi's potent counter-genjutsu may have already taken hold of her mind, leaving her vulnerable to his manipulations from the very beginning.
In the anime, Kurenai thought she had snuck up behind Itachi, but she had never succeeded in her ambush. Same with reality, Shino could only see the struggle on her face as she grappled with her own illusion that had taken hold of her mind.
Using genjutsu against Itachi was probably the brightest moment of Kurenai's career… Had this battle been a true fight to the death, Shino would be attending Kurenai sensei's funeral soon.
Shino speculated that Itachi's true speed would be no joke, but Shino could see that Itachi was intentionally holding back. It wasn't until Kurenai broke out of the genjutsu that that Itachi made a swift move with his kunai, aiming to cut her, only to perfectly 'miss'.
Honestly, if the Uchiha clan developed peacefully, perhaps some famous actors would have risen from their clan. Itachi would definitely be a top contender near the top of the list, but he unfortunately would not be the first because that award belongs to another Uchiha.
After 'missing' his attack, rather than relying on his superior taijutsu skills against a genjutsu user, Itachi calmly chose to kick Kurenai away to safety – away from the dangerous Kisame, who had easily broken free of Kurenai's genjutsu with the assistance of Samehada, continuing his relentless assault.
It seems that Kisame hadn't been clued in on the act and was still working hard against Asuma.
Moments later, it seemed Itachi had received the cue because he finally 'remembered' to use his speed and appeared behind Kurenai in the blink of an eye, demonstrating the full extent of his speed that Shino's vision couldn't even follow.
It was clear that Itachi could have done this sooner, but it was almost as if he was waiting for something, biding his time until the perfect moment to strike.
As Shino's bugs scoured the area, he caught sight of Kakashi, who was carefully concealed and watching the battle underwater. It was clear that he was biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to make his move. Was this the opponent Itachi was truly wary of?
Who knows where the Copy Ninja's copied his water stealth techniques from, but there was no denying that they were on a level beyond Shino's comprehension. If Shino didn't have his special insect monitors, he would have failed to find him with his naked eyes!
As Shino observed Itachi's calculated movements, it was obvious that the Uchiha prodigy was intentionally holding back from delivering the final blow. It seemed that he was attempting to force out the sneaky fella.
With a flicker, Kakashi dashingly emerged onto the battlefield, Sharingan blazing as he readied himself to join the fight.
As Kisame suddenly began using ninjutsu, it became apparent that he might have been privy to the act all along. How else could he have picked such a timely moment to strike, only to have his jutsu expertly copied and nullified by Kakashi's Sharingan?
Now that Shino thought about it, he began to question the true loyalty of Kisame. Was he truly a traitor to the Hidden Mist, simply a missing nin with the blood of his compatriots on his hands, or was he playing a more complex 'traitor' game like Itachi? Could this have been the real reason the two of them seemed to have an understanding with each other?
There are just so many details that aren't mentioned in the story, but in reality, these minor details may be very crucial links to the overall picture.
Shino adjusted his glasses as a grin appeared on his face. The real ninja world was more intriguing than he thought.
But the performance must go on. Itachi persisted in his bid for the Best Actor award, skillfully persuading his companion to leave the fight to him. Shino keenly observed the battle come to a halt as Itachi appeared to begin discreetly divulging information, but only a skillfully measured amount...
In the blink of an eye, the battle erupted with explosive force. Shino's keen eyes strained to catch every detail, but he found himself struggling to keep up as both Kakashi and Itachi moved with lightning speed! Shino's eyes narrowed as he couldn't even see their hand signs!
Seemingly with just a glance, the two launched ninjutsus in perfect synchrony – causing a torrent of water to drill out from the river and collide with a towering wall of water
It wasn't until the brief confrontation was over that Shino's keen observation led him to discover the minute details of the battle, such as the shurikens in Itachi's hand and the second Itachi that had calmly appeared behind Kakashi to stab him!
Naturally, Kakashi turned out to be a water clone. While others may have been caught off guard by this, even Shino's insects were able to detect the deception and Itachi was no exception. So, he had confidently stabbed his senpai with assurance and precision.
With Kakashi's water clone dissipating into the flowing river, Shino's gaze turned towards Kurenai, who was clutching a kunai, seemingly handed to her by Kakashi.
But, as Shino's sharp senses kicked in, he realized that the supposed Kakashi was a mere fabrication, a decoy planted by none other than Itachi!
The kunai was nothing more than a clever ruse, meant to lure Kurenai into attacking Itachi's shadow clone!
Boom! Shino's eyes narrowed as he watched Itachi's shadow clone explode. He had no clue when Itachi had switched place with his clone and even set up a fake 'Kakashi'.
It seems that he will have to develop a way to distinguish shadow clones for the main body in the future, or he'll have trouble even against Naruto.
Shino then adjusted his glasses as he saw Asuma leap into the wall of exploding water. With Kakashi there, Kurenai would definitely be safe, but Asuma still had an anxious face.
Shino easily came up with a speculation. Asuma was anxious because Asuma didn't want to let others play hero save the beauty with Kurenai!
And Kakashi… although he claims his only aspiration to be Icha Icha Paradise, the way he held Kurenai- tsk- tsk- no wonder Kurenai's face was so shocked in the anime. Her tofu had been eaten- Ahem.
Then, after fighting for so long, Itachi chose to give a grandiose warning – telling everyone that he was going to unleash his Sharingan, despite the fact that it would be more effective to directly use it.
So, a group of seasoned jonins closed their eyes like idiots, as if they had forgotten the lurking danger that was Kisame.
Kisame… stood on the side and ate melon seeds. This guy was definitely a paid supporting actor.
As for all the tensions and Kakashi's dialogue in the anime, Shino saw none of it. As soon as the other two jonins closed their eyes, Kakashi had already began to collapse to the ground.
Itachi seemingly left some leeway for Kakashi to tell the other two to close their eyes, but he didn't get paid enough to let Kakashi extend the runtime with extra dialogue. So, Itachi had long drew Kakashi into his Tsukuyomi.
The dialogue shown in the anime was probably Kakashi's imagination, unaware that he was already caught in a genjutsu.
Tsukuyomi – Itachi's most powerful genjutsu that could draw the target into a time-dilated world under Itachi's control. Three days within the world is just a blink of an eye in reality, and all experience within would be ingrained in the victim's mind.
The genjutsu could inflict excruciating pain on the target for three whole days. Itachi honestly would play Pain's role perfectly because he could make his victim feel the pain.
And three days was also plenty of time for Itachi to discreetly extract all the secret information he desired… or secretly disclose all the intel he had acquired.
Such was the power of this genjutsu - a tool for spies to gather and distribute intelligence with just a single glance. Even if a certain filial son is observing from somewhere, he couldn't see the problem.
That reminds him-
With a deep furrow in his brow, Shino surveyed the battlefield. His bugs, mutated with all sorts of detection capabilities, scoured the area. But no matter how hard he tried, the hidden black hand behind the scenes remained elusive.
Like a shadow, it seemed to slip through his grasp, taunting him with its elusive presence.
"Although I couldn't find Zetsu, I'm sure one of them is nearby. Otherwise, Itachi wouldn't have to act out this show. It seems my detection abilities still aren't strong enough. I may have to get my hands on some special bloodline limit in the future."
The show neared its end with Kakashi being 'enlightened' out of nowhere and guessing Akatsuki's purpose completely.
Although it was revealed in the anime that Kakashi learned all of this from Jiraiya, the intriguing fact is that all of this revelation happened after Kakashi collapsed from his 'friendly' chat in Itachi's Tsukuyomi.
But there was no mention of Itachi's revelation in the anime, and naturally, there was no way for Shino to take gander of any inkling of truth in reality.
As the tension reached its peak, Kisame had stayed idle for a prolonged period of time, even when the Jonins were left vulnerable. Kisame knew he couldn't AFK any longer.
But just as he decided to make his move, a coincidence occurred: Might Guy arrived on the scene just in time to put a stop to Kisame's plan, bringing the show to an unexpected end.
Observing this farce from the distance, Shino couldn't help but chuckle. He thought he could really get a gauge of these high-level ninjas, but were they truly going all out in this battle?
Perhaps Asuma and Kurenai may have unleashed their true capabilities. However, Kakashi, Itachi, and Kisame, the trio of enigmatic figures where Shino's true interest lies, probably kept their hands. Their true potentials are still shrouded in mystery...
"What a disappointment. But, there wasn't completely no benefits..."
In the aftermath of the battle, when all seemed calm and the fighters had left, a drone silently and methodically went about its business. Its mission was a covert one - to collect blood samples from the battlefield.
Despite the danger and the risk of being discovered, the drone completed its task with precision and efficiency, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as it had arrived.
Sarutobi and Kisame blood acquired!
"Hopefully, this sample can bring me some benefits once analyzed…"
Shino gazed out at Konoha, his keen eyes scanning the horizon as his bugs buzzed about, gathering information. It wasn't long before a message was received from his bugs: Jiraiya had finally left Konoha with Naruto to search for Tsunade.
Their journey would take around a month, and their return heralded a new Hokage.
"One month… I can wait. When she is born, everything will change..."
Shino's lips curled into a mysterious smile as his body collapsed into swarms of buzzing insects.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone