Hearing Itachi introduce Danzō in that way, Sarada was somewhat surprised. This unassuming old man, even with an injured eye, had really almost overthrown Konoha?
"Really? This old man... could do something like that?"
Beside her, Chōchō and Sumire were equally puzzled.
Itachi smiled.
"Don't underestimate him. He's a shinobi from the same era as the Third Hokage!"
"And one of the Second Hokage's disciples!"
"Just like the Third!"
A disciple of the Second Hokage, like the Third... didn't that mean he was the Third's fellow student?
This guy, who seemed to lack any combat ability, was actually the Second Hokage's disciple?
"What kind of joke is this? Why would the Second Hokage take in someone with a disabled body?!"
Disabled?
If Itachi knew what Chōchō was thinking, he'd probably be speechless.
That guy Danzō was plenty agile.
Itachi glanced at Sarada.
"Alright, now isn't the time for this. You all should leave the village!"
Sarada froze. "Dad! Huh?"
Itachi smiled, about to say something...
Swish!
A dazzling blade of light flashed through the air.
Several Root shinobi were sent flying, their bodies slashed open with gruesome wounds.
Blood gushed uncontrollably.
"So... so strong!!"
While the kids were still stunned, the one who had struck had already arrived in the square.
Behind him followed a large number of Konoha shinobi – those unaffected by Danzō's Kotoamatsukami.
They stared at the White Fang leading the charge.
"The White Fang is incredible!"
"Those Root shinobi are no match for him at all!"
"How can such a small blade unleash such power?!"
"Is this what shinobi of the past were like? His strength is just too much!"
Hearing the others' praise for the White Fang, Kakashi smiled.
His father was a monster whose strength rivaled the Hokage's.
There was no way Danzō's Root could stop him.
"White Fang, huh? Perfect timing!"
Itachi chuckled.
Meanwhile, the Root shinobi stationed on the rooftops around the square grew grim.
In the shinobi world, there was an unwritten rule when facing Konoha's White Fang:
You could retreat without penalty, abandoning the mission outright.
That alone spoke volumes about the White Fang's reputation.
After only a few seconds of hesitation, the Root shinobi chose to flee, retreating toward the Hokage Building.
"They... ran away?" Sumire pointed at the fleeing Root members.
Itachi nodded. "Yes. After all, the one who arrived is the White Fang."
"Konoha's White Fang!"
They all turned to look at him.
The White Fang smiled at them.
"I never thought my name would still hold such weight in the future."
So this man really was strong. Even if it hadn't been obvious during his earlier fights with Sasuke and the Hokage, facing him directly made it clear just how powerful he was.
Itachi smiled, slowly standing and turning toward the Hokage Building.
"White Fang."
"Keep an eye on my daughter for me."
Hearing this, the White Fang glanced at Itachi.
Though not from the same era, this was an Uchiha.
The aura Itachi concealed was deep, yet still overwhelmingly potent – enough that the White Fang couldn't ignore it.
He didn't dare underestimate him.
"You're... going alone?"
"Danzō is..."
"Don't worry. I'm more than capable of handling Danzō. I know his abilities."
Since Itachi said so, and he didn't seem reckless, the White Fang figured he must have a good grasp of Danzō's strength.
"Then I'll leave it to you!"
As Itachi prepared to leave, Sarada suddenly spoke up.
"Dad! Shouldn't we wait for the Hokage?!"
"That guy is the Second Hokage's disciple! Shouldn't he be terrifyingly strong?!"
Itachi chuckled.
"Danzō is indeed strong, but... Sarada, your father isn't weak either."
With that smile...
The next second, Itachi dissolved into a flock of crows and vanished.
The sight left Sarada, Chōchō, and Sumire completely stunned.
In their memories, Sarada's father had always been a gentle, scholarly man, working a desk job.
A family man who spent time with his daughter – practically perfect.
Handsome, too, with the mature charm of an older man, making the other two girls envious of Sarada for having such a dad.
The only downside? As a shinobi, he never seemed particularly strong.
But now, with that single move, the three girls were floored.
And it wasn't just them – even the Konoha shinobi who had arrived were at a loss.
The same elite jōnin who usually assigned them missions... had that kind of ability?
Just turning into a swarm of crows and disappearing?
What kind of jutsu was that?!
"Don't worry. Your father probably just hasn't fought in a while and wants to stretch his limbs."
Kakashi, who had appeared beside them, spoke calmly.
Sarada looked at him. "Do you know how strong my dad is?"
Kakashi nodded. "Roughly."
"Is he... really that strong?"
Was Itachi strong?
Kakashi pondered.
"In Konoha, aside from the Hokage who could definitely defeat him, there's no other shinobi who could claim a 100% victory against Itachi one-on-one."
"In fact, the odds are high they'd lose to him."
"In other words, Itachi is likely the second-strongest shinobi in Konoha, after the Hokage."
After saying this, Kakashi turned to Sarada.
Her mouth hung open wider than an egg.
Her dad – the same man who always seemed harmless – was actually that powerful?
In all of Konoha, only the Hokage could reliably beat him?
This was the same frail, unassuming father she knew?
Was Kakashi lying to her?
"If you think about it, in the entire shinobi world, there are probably no more than three people who could definitively defeat Itachi."
No more than three?!
Sarada felt unsteady on her feet.
This wasn't just strong – this was absurdly overpowered.
And she'd never had a clue.
Her dad had never mentioned it.
"Itachi was a genius of Konoha. He graduated from the Academy at just seven years old."
Sarada: "Wha?! Seven?!"
At seven, she'd only just started her first year at the Academy.
Yet at that age, her dad had already graduated?
What kind of talent was that?!
"Sarada... so your dad was this amazing?"
"Who knew someone so powerful could be so unassuming?"
Chōchō and Sumire's gazes were filled with complex emotions.
Suddenly learning that your best friend's dad was basically unbeatable save for one or two people was like a poor kid finding out his buddy was the richest person in the world.
The sheer disparity was staggering.
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