"Hahahaha... hahahahaha!"
Under everyone's gaze, Sasuke covered his eyes and laughed maniacally.
"This power... it's perfect for me!"
With that, Sasuke openly activated his three-tomoe Sharingan in front of everyone, "Hahaha, have I... already surpassed Itachi?"
The surrounding Anbu's members were stunned.
"W-what? Is that... the three-tomoe Sharingan?"
"No way... how old is he? Did Itachi even awaken it at his age?"
"A Genin with the three-tomoe Sharingan? I can't imagine how far this kid will go!"
"As expected of Itachi's younger brother..."
---
Sasuke was initially enjoying the praise, especially since most of these people were Anbu.
'So what if they're Anbu? They still bow before these eyes of mine!'
But then, Sasuke heard the words that displeased him.
"Itachi's little brother? No, the Uchiha clan doesn't acknowledge Itachi... and I will kill him myself, soon."
After hearing this sentence, all the Anbu's members around froze in place.
It wasn't fear, but more like... who could stay mad at a kid?
'Even though this kid had shown immense potential, until that potential was fully realized...'
Which of the Anbu present here is not a veteran who has experienced many battles? Handling Sasuke at this stage wouldn't be a problem for them.
"Um, the weather's nice today. How about we go get some barbecue?"
"Nah, I'm exhausted. I need to catch up on sleep."
"Since the mission's over, let's call it a day, Kakashi."
At this time, Tenzo stepped in to smooth things over, "Kakashi, you handle the report for now. Once the kid calms down, you can question him, haha..."
This is not the Anbu's base, which was why Team 7 had been allowed in. It was just a storage room in the Hokage Tower...
After everyone left, Kakashi facepalmed, his expression clearly filled with exasperation.
---
After the mission, the scattered Anbu's members walked in small groups through the streets of Konoha, discussing what had just happened.
"Did you hear that kid? How dare he compare himself to Itachi?"
"Yeah, Itachi was indeed something else. Not only did he wipe out his entire clan, but he also drove his little brother insane."
"Hehe, even though the Uchiha never got along with us, they were still part of Konoha. They contributed a lot during the Third Ninja World War... Itachi, that scum! Really..."
Before this Anbu's member could finish, his companion quickly stopped him, "Enough, that's all in the past... The Uchiha had their own internal issues. There's no need for us to keep talking about it."
"Hey, hey, weren't you just saying you wanted to kill Itachi? How come…"
"Let's go get some barbecue. Keep up."
"Huh? Weren't you going to sleep?"
---
"Danzo-sama, that's what some Anbu's members discussed after leaving the Hokage Tower."
In the flickering light of the wall torches, the figure sitting in the chair was half-shrouded in darkness, half-illuminated by the firelight.
The Root's member couldn't see the face of the man before him, and even if he could, he wouldn't dare raise his head without permission.
"Uchiha Itachi? Sasuke? What is Hiruzen up to now?"
Danzo muttered in dissatisfaction.
Such a large-scale mobilization of the Anbu... it was hard for Danzo not to notice.
However, based on the information he had, it wasn't enough to deduce anything of significant value.
"Danzo-sama... many Anbu's members now have an item they call a 'phone.' I suspect…"
Danzo cut him off, "Phone? What is that?"
"I… don't know..."
'Useless!'
Danzo cursed inwardly but said, "You've done well. Now, investigate what this 'phone' is and, if possible, bring back a sample."
"Report, Danzo-sama, you asked us to monitor Kakashi's movements... We found out that the item he's been obsessed with lately is also a phone."
Danzo suppressed his anger, and said "Then why didn't you investigate Kakashi earlier?"
"Danzo-sama... Kakashi seems to have become more capable in sensing, and he is always paying attention to his surroundings. He even often releases Ninja Dogs to guard the surroundings. It is obvious that he has been on guard against us."
Danzo was both anxious and furious.
'How could there be something in Konoha that I don't know about? This 'phone'... I must figure out what it is.'
'And these people are useless! A whole group of them can't even handle one Kakashi!'
'Hiruzen suddenly gathered such a large number of Anbu, and Kakashi is being so cautious... This phone must be something beyond my expectations!'
Danzo maintained a calm façade, "Dismissed. Make sure to find out everything within one day."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
---
After all his subordinates left, Danzo watched as the door closed behind them.
Only then did he remove the bandages from his face, revealing a terrifying expression.
"Damn it! Those useless fools! If this thing poses a threat to me, then I have no choice... it's all for the sake of Konoha!"
Knock knock knock…
The sound of knocking echoed through the dungeon-like Root's Headquarters. Danzo calmly rewrapped the bandages around his face, his expression unreadable.
"Enter."
---
On the other side, Kakashi was utterly exasperated as he watched Sasuke continue his dramatic display.
"Hey, I said... Sasuke, that's enough."
But Sasuke, still flaunting his three-tomoe Sharingan, covered his left eye with his hand, while his right hand crackled with faint traces of lightning.
Though it wasn't a Jutsu, just pure Lightning Nature Chakra.
If Yuto had seen this, he might have thought Sasuke had somehow learned Kirin ahead of time.
However... Sasuke wasn't listening to Kakashi's well-meaning advice at all.
"These eyes, this power... everything is meant to fulfill my destiny!"
"Hahahahahahahaha…"
"Now, even lightning bends to my will!"
"You... have no way out now, Itachi!"
---
Watching Sasuke's ongoing theatrics, Naruto couldn't help but shiver.
At this time, Sakura looked pale and said with a trembling voice: "Kakashi-sensei... is Sasuke-kun going to be okay?"
Kakashi activated his Mangekyo and carefully observed Sasuke. He hadn't heard Yuto mention that using this item could drive someone insane.
"Sasuke, I heard that Manager's store has many similar items that can make you even stronger..."
"Let's go!"
"…"
Seeing Sasuke immediately perk up and return to normal at the mention of getting stronger, Kakashi didn't know what to say.
"By the way, Sasuke, Manager used a Healing Pill to treat you back in the Land of Waves. I don't know if you remember."
"Can that medicine help me get stronger quickly?"
"No... it's just a healing item. Wait, why are you pulling out a kunai? Put that down first..."
After finally calming Sasuke down, Kakashi let out a sigh of relief. "As a token of gratitude for saving your life, you should bring a gift to show your appreciation. And... try to see if you can exchange something with Manager."
Sasuke immediately pressed, "What can I exchange?"
Kakashi thought for a moment.
Although he had known Yuto the longest, after spending so much time together, Kakashi still didn't know what Yuto might be particularly interested in.
'Except maybe... money?'
'No, something as mundane as money couldn't possibly be it, right?'
'Although Manager often tries to tempt me to spend money... but, Manager already has such powerful strength, why would he still be interested in money?'
'Wait, could it be... for the sake of equivalent exchange? Yes! That's called the spirit of the contract.'
'Even someone as powerful as Manager values the process of buying and selling, the contract between the two parties.'
'That's why something as useless as money... can be exchanged for the key to greater power!'
The more Kakashi thought about it, the more it made sense. After all, he couldn't think of any other special purpose for money.
It's not like Yuto could just spend all that money on explosive tags, right? That's impossible!
Although the explosive tags are powerful, they can be easily avoided and usually only serve as supplementary tools.
"If that guy likes money so much, I'll just bring a few million and see if he's willing to trade."
Sasuke declared decisively.
Kakashi's train of thought was interrupted. He had been imagining whether buying hundreds of billions of explosive tags could fill the ocean.
However, since Sasuke's idea aligned with his own, Kakashi didn't stop him.