Deep within the Land of Fire, in a hidden location, stood an abandoned Uchiha armory. It had once been stocked with weapons meant to fight against Konohagakure, but now everything had been confiscated, leaving the place in ruins.
Itachi had chosen this place for his final battle.
Kisame leaned against a wall, watching Itachi with an unusual glint in his eyes. With a grin, he teased, "Itachi-san, are you reminiscing about the past?"
"...Yeah." Itachi didn't deny it. Instead, he nodded lightly, looking surprisingly at ease.
"Oh?" Kisame raised an eyebrow, sounding almost amused. "Even someone like you gets nostalgic?"
"Everyone does. Even you, Kisame." Itachi turned to him, his voice as calm as ever. "Looking back helps me confirm whether my choices were right or wrong."
"True." Kisame nodded. "Sometimes, I think about my time in the Land of Water. But looking back, I still prefer things as they are now."
"Because of freedom?" Itachi asked.
"No." Kisame grinned. "Because of peace."
Itachi paused for a moment. "That's... unexpected."
"Hahahaha!" Kisame burst out laughing. "Yeah, I guess someone like me thinking about peace is pretty surprising. But hey, at least you've learned something new about me."
"Knowing a little more about your partner before the end isn't a bad thing," Kisame added, his grin deepening as he stared at Itachi with those sharp, shark-like eyes.
Itachi fell silent. It was a long pause before he finally spoke with hidden meaning, "You think I'm going to lose?"
"No." Kisame shook his head, his smile unwavering. "I know you won't lose. No matter who you face, you won't lose. But... you will die. You'll die on this mission.
And I'm probably the only one in the whole organization who can see it coming."
Itachi seemed to smile, but it was very subtle. "You're getting to know me better, Kisame."
"That's actually a good thing," Kisame said, his grin widening.
The two of them… had both abandoned their comrades. Both had killed those closest to them. Both had sacrificed themselves for what they believed was a greater cause.
But Kisame had willingly left behind his past self, joining the Akatsuki as a rogue ninja who longed for peace. Meanwhile, Itachi couldn't let go of his past, becoming a ninja who had betrayed his own beliefs.
Similar yet completely different—that was Kisame and Itachi.
Itachi walked up the steps, stopping in front of the seat at the very top, as if…
He was lost in thought. A second later, he turned and sat down.
The room was empty, the walls shrouded in darkness. It felt like he was the only one in the entire building. Through the small window, he could see the bright sunlight outside, but inside, the room was pitch black, except for a small patch of floor touched by the light.
"Kisame, I'll leave the others to you." Itachi didn't ask why Kisame hadn't reported the information—he simply spoke with seriousness.
"Don't worry, I won't let anyone disturb you." Kisame ran a hand over the hilt of Samehada, his tone playful but firm.
"I'm counting on you." Itachi closed his eyes.
Out of everyone in the Akatsuki, the person Itachi trusted the most was probably Kisame. Not because they had spent the most time together, but because Kisame was the only one who had figured out he was a spy and never reported it.
And to Kisame, Itachi was the only person he could confide in—the only one who shared a past like his.
Kisame didn't respond. He simply smiled, slung Samehada over his back, and turned toward the outer part of the building. He needed to hold off those who didn't matter, keeping them from interfering with what Itachi had to do. This was the last thing he could do for him.
Outside the building, Team 7 stood a kilometer away, relying on Naruto's sensory abilities to locate the enemies inside.
"There's one guy with an absurd amount of chakra, and another who feels a lot like Sasuke. In the range I can sense, besides the Anbu that's been tailing us, it's just those two," Naruto reported.
Kakashi thought for a moment but didn't say anything. Instead, he turned to Sasuke.
Sasuke's face was filled with suppressed emotions. The only reason he hadn't rushed in yet was because he trusted Team 7.
Seeing this, Kakashi nodded. "Sasuke, do what you need to do. We'll handle the rest."
Sasuke took a deep breath and said nothing more. "Got it!"
Without hesitation, he disappeared in an instant, lightning flashing as he shot forward. By the time the others processed it, he was already gone.
Kakashi watched Sasuke's back for a moment before turning to Naruto and Sakura. "Naruto, Sakura, as Tsunade-sama ordered, you two will take care of the Anbu following us. I'll deal with the one with Itachi."
Naruto frowned, looking a bit annoyed. "Why not let me handle that guy? Kakashi-sensei, you know how strong I am now, right?"
Sakura also seemed confused. They hadn't seen Naruto's full strength, but from what they had witnessed in training, it was clear that Naruto was far stronger than…
…Kakashi. So why not let Naruto fight the tougher opponent?
Kakashi shook his head. "Your strength isn't the issue. In a real battle, strength alone isn't everything. Naruto, what you need most right now is the right mindset. Besides, I've fought this guy before, so I have the advantage."
And more than that—as a teacher, how could he send his student to face the tougher opponent while staying in the back himself?
Kakashi might have been known for slacking off, but when it came to things like this, he was more responsible than anyone.
"I'll allow you to come help after you finish your fight quickly. But Naruto, listen to me carefully—your job isn't to defeat them. It's to eliminate them." Kakashi's expression grew serious, his voice carrying an unmistakable coldness.
Naruto froze.
Sakura's face also changed slightly. "But Kakashi-sensei, those Anbu may be from Root, but they're still from the village, right?"
Kakashi sighed. "You don't understand Root."
Naruto was silent for a long time before suddenly taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei… I can't do it."
Clenching his fists, Naruto looked sad. "I'm not good with words, but I know we're all from the same village. No matter how awful they are, they're still my comrades."
"My dream is to become Hokage and protect everyone in the village. Even if they are my enemies right now, I can't bring myself to take their lives."
If they were true enemies, he could strike without hesitation, just like he did with Centipede and Fūjin. Naruto was naïve, but not to the point where he couldn't fight real enemies.
But Root… At the end of the day, they were still people from Konohagakure. He just couldn't do it.
Unexpectedly, Kakashi didn't scold Naruto. Instead, he smiled in approval. "That's exactly why you're Naruto."
"Huh?" Naruto didn't quite understand.
Kakashi shook his head with a smile. "Never mind. You don't have to kill them. Sealing or capturing them is fine. Either way, you'll understand soon enough why 'Root' is called 'Root.'"
Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Kakashi chuckled. After all these years of missions together, out of the three, Sakura was actually the one he worried about the least.
Then, his expression turned serious. "Alright, the mission begins."
With a wave of his hand, Kakashi disappeared in an instant.
Naruto and Sakura exchanged a glance. Kakashi-sensei's words were strange, but this wasn't the right time to ask. Once he left, the two of them used Body Flicker and vanished as well.
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