Chapter 16 – The Dialogue
Izaya's idea of changing the plot wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thought. In fact, the moment Uchiha Itachi agreed to teach him ninjutsu, he had already prepared himself to help Uchiha Itachi!
To Izaya, Uchiha Itachi was not only his friend but also his mentor… It was a relationship of both friendship and guidance. If Izaya stood by and did nothing while knowing Uchiha Itachi was being coerced by Danzō… then he might as well have never crossed into this Naruto world at all!
"If you don't speak, I'll take it as your silent agreement?" Seeing Uchiha Itachi hesitating, lost in thought, Izaya spoke first. He walked straight up to Uchiha Itachi, placed a hand on his shoulder, and looked at him with serious eyes. "Sometimes, problems can't be solved by one person alone. Two people might just be able to manage it." As he finished speaking, a flicker of killing intent flashed deep within Izaya's eyes…
"This…" The moment Izaya's words landed, Uchiha Itachi's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief. Clearly, he had inferred something from Izaya's words.
"What do you know?!" In an instant, shock washed over Uchiha Itachi's face! Simultaneously, a sharp kunai appeared in his hand, its edge instantly pressed against Izaya's neck. His emotions were running high, causing the hand holding the kunai to tremble slightly. The result was a thin line of blood welling up on Izaya's neck.
But Izaya didn't seem to care. He wiped away the trickling blood, nodded slowly, and then said calmly, "Yes, I do know about the choice you have to face."
"Izaya… I'm sorry. I have to kill you." Although Izaya hadn't explicitly stated the matter, Uchiha Itachi, with his intelligence, had already guessed the truth. For Uchiha Sasuke's safety… for the smooth execution of his plan… Uchiha Itachi was prepared to act!
But… at that moment, Izaya spoke again.
"Killing me won't actually change anything." Facing the murderous intent radiating from Uchiha Itachi, Izaya felt a sliver of inexplicable panic in his heart. But the arrow was already on the string; he had to let it fly! If he didn't keep talking now, Uchiha Itachi would definitely strike.
Therefore, without hesitation, the moment Uchiha Itachi's resolve wavered, Izaya stated directly, "Give me one more week. I can help you contain Danzō!"
"So you really do know…" If Uchiha Itachi had only been suspicious before, after Izaya's words, he was almost certain that Izaya knew something about the agreement between him and Danzō… "Tell me, who sent you? Was our meeting outside the village part of your plan?!" Uchiha Itachi's face was now filled with murderous intent. If not for the week they had spent together, the Izaya before him would already be a dead man.
A faint smile suddenly touched Izaya's lips. He gently pushed aside the kunai at his neck and said slowly, "Do you think anyone would train a mediocre youth to such an extreme level just to plant a spy?"
"Then how do you know about this?" After hearing Izaya's explanation, the agitation on Uchiha Itachi's face eased slightly, and the killing intent around him diminished a little. It was true; Izaya hadn't shown any hint of this talent before their meeting. It was only after encountering him that Izaya revealed his true capabilities… If Izaya were truly a Konoha spy, it would be absolutely illogical for him to act so anomalously!
Thinking this, Uchiha Itachi realized his emotions had been too impulsive. He slowly lowered the kunai and spoke to Izaya in a slightly apologetic tone, "I'm sorry… I was too impulsive earlier."
"It's fine. If you hadn't been suspicious at all, I'd have to be more wary of you instead!" In truth, when Izaya made his decision, he had already considered how Uchiha Itachi might react. After all, the Uchiha Clan Downfall was far too significant an event for Uchiha Itachi. Izaya didn't presume that their current relationship was deep enough for Uchiha Itachi to share such a secret with him willingly.
"But I still want to know why you know about this." Although the atmosphere had gradually relaxed, the doubt on Uchiha Itachi's face remained. He finally voiced the question in his heart…
"I overheard Danzō talking about it before." Izaya naturally couldn't tell Uchiha Itachi he was a transmigrator. So, pinning it on the eternal scapegoat, Danzō, was a perfect excuse. Combined with the fact that Izaya had previously been to the Root headquarters, the excuse he crafted became even more seamless!
"When I was in the Root headquarters, I accidentally discovered Danzō was investigating the Uchiha clan." After giving his excuse, a solemn expression flashed across Izaya's face. He looked at Uchiha Itachi with an unreadable gaze before continuing, "Plus, you've seemed a bit off these past few days… I just put two and two together…"
"So that's it…" After listening to Izaya's explanation, a look of realization dawned on Uchiha Itachi's face, followed by a flicker of surprise… He never expected Izaya could deduce so much from the emotions he had subconsciously let slip!
"Danzō is very strong, but we are not weak either. If you need help, just say the word." Seeing that Uchiha Itachi almost believed him, Izaya cut straight to the point…
"No, you can't get involved in this matter. There are too many powerful players involved…" Uchiha Itachi's reply took Izaya by surprise. He truly hadn't expected Uchiha Itachi to refuse him at a time like this!
'How could I not know?' Izaya thought inwardly, 'It's nothing more than Uchiha Obito, Danzō, and the Konoha higher-ups behind them…'
But instead of voicing these thoughts, he proactively said, "A week ago, you didn't seem to believe I could reach this level either, did you?"
"This…" Upon hearing this, a fresh wave of shock instantly swept across Uchiha Itachi's face!
Ignoring Uchiha Itachi's reaction for now, Izaya slowly stated, "I might not reach Kage-level in a week… but… reaching regular Jōnin level shouldn't be a problem…"