BOOM!
With a deafening crash, the ground trembled and dust filled the air.
The Raikage and Sasuke were sent flying back far faster than they had charged, slamming violently into the walls of the conference room.
Everyone present was shaken, their expressions turning grave as they stared at the center of the room.
As the dust settled, the trio was revealed.
The two men wearing the Akatsuki cloaks had stepped in front of the young man to shield him.
One of them had bright red eyes with a single ring, upon which three tomoe were spaced.
The other possessed purple eyes, featuring concentric rings that resembled ripples in a pond.
Despite the different ocular powers, their expressions were entirely identical...
Utterly indifferent.
Looking past them to the young man, his blue eyes contained a black hole-like pattern radiating a soft, dreamy glow. He clearly wasn't a simple existence either.
After finally getting a clear look at their faces.
Tsunade stared intently at Jokichi, her brows furrowing tightly.
She felt this person looked incredibly familiar.
Standing on the conference table in front of her, Kakashi was also staring at Jokichi with deep suspicion and uncertainty.
"The Sharingan..."
Someone exclaimed in shock.
Everyone shifted their gaze to Itachi. Upon seeing his eyes, they all quickly averted their vision, not daring to meet his gaze directly.
Only Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, using his own identical eye to meet Itachi's stare.
"Kakashi-senpai..."
Seeing that familiar face, a trace of nostalgia flashed across Itachi's face as he murmured softly.
Hearing Itachi's mutter, Jokichi glanced at him, then turned toward the hole in the wall where the Raikage had crashed. "At first, I thought the Raikage was just arrogant. But now I realize I was wrong. The Raikage isn't arrogant at all. He's just plain stupid."
It was true!
Even the most arrogant person would change their tune after being taught a brutal lesson over and over again.
Yet this guy, even after suffering a crushing defeat, still chose to charge headfirst the moment they met.
"You bastard!"
The Raikage pushed off the shattered wall and walked out completely unscathed. He glared at Jokichi resentfully before shifting his gaze to Nagato.
The one who had just repelled him was Nagato, and those Rinnegan immediately triggered memories of Kumogakure's destruction, causing the Raikage to grind his teeth in hatred.
"Don't look at me like that. I already held back," Nagato said flatly. "After all, we don't want to clash with you before the battle against Kaguya."
Nagato's words drew the attention of the others. Just as the Kage were falling silent in thought, preparing to ask questions, Sasuke crawled out of the crater on the other wall.
Unlike the Raikage, who hadn't suffered a scratch, blood trickled from the corner of Sasuke's mouth. Panting heavily, he leaned heavily against the jagged edge of the wall with one hand.
However, his blood-red eyes remained fixed on Itachi without a shred of fear.
"Itachi, why?"
"You always taught me to be proud of being a Konoha shinobi, to fight for the honor of our clan! Yet you, you bastard... you assassinated the village elders!"
Sasuke's outburst once again drew everyone's attention to Itachi.
Itachi ignored the stares, his face remaining completely devoid of emotion.
"I never expected to meet you again under these circumstances. However, I have no obligation to answer your questions."
"Answer me, Itachi!"
"I came here as the Boss's bodyguard. If you really want to know, come find me alone after this negotiation is over!"
"I don't need to!"
"I'll finish you off right now!"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously. His hands blurred through hand seals, and wielding crackling lightning in his hand, he charged straight at Jokichi.
His speed was incredible, and the attack packed immense power.
The sheer sharpness of the Chidori carved a long trench into the floor, drawing murmurs of amazement from the crowd.
However, that amazement was solely due to his ability to display such power at his age, rather than genuine awe at his overall strength.
Sasuke was currently just shy of 14 years old. Even with a fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan, he barely scraped the bottom tier of a Jonin.
Furthermore, without the Curse Mark or the various derivative techniques of Chidori Stream, his combat ability was still lacking compared to Kakashi, who had just recently been promoted to Jonin.
"Is your brother really that stupid?"
Nagato couldn't stand watching it anymore and turned to ask Itachi.
He truly couldn't understand. They were brothers, so why was the gap between them so astronomically wide?
Watching Sasuke charge forward fearlessly, Itachi didn't quite know how to answer. After a moment of silence, he finally said, "...He just needs to be taught a lesson."
In the end, Sasuke never made it to the trio.
As he passed the conference table, Kakashi grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pinned him firmly against the table.
"Let me go, Kakashi!"
"Don't be reckless."
Kakashi admonished, "Both Itachi and the guy with the Rinnegan are elites among elites. The person they are following is undoubtedly a terrifyingly powerful figure. Charging in recklessly is basically just offering up your life."
Sasuke's frantic struggling gradually ceased as the hot-blooded impulse sparked by seeing Itachi began to cool.
He had likely realized it as well—even if he charged in again, he would just suffer the exact same result as before.
Seeing Sasuke calm down, Kakashi released his grip.
Just as Kakashi had expected, Sasuke didn't make another reckless move.
However, his eyes, burning with intense fury, remained locked onto Itachi.
Seeing this, Tsunade took the initiative to speak. "Let's get down to business! Jokichi!"
"Since the Hokage..."
CRASH!
The conference table was smashed to splinters with a single slap.
Tsunade shot to her feet, staring at Jokichi in utter disbelief. "It actually is you, Jokichi!"
She had thought Jokichi looked incredibly familiar earlier, and his voice sounded exactly the same, increasing her suspicions.
However, she found it hard to believe a young boy could grow into a full adult in just half a year, so she had tested the waters with that statement.
She hadn't expected it to actually be him.
The rest of the crowd was equally dumbfounded by the revelation.
What's going on here?
This guy radiating overwhelming villain energy is from Konoha?
Gaara, Sasuke, Kakashi, and the others were even more astounded.
Although they had found him familiar from the start and made the connection, none of them had truly believed he was the same person.
They never expected...
Jokichi paused for a moment before bursting into a playful grin. "Although I never intended to hide my identity, I wasn't planning on revealing it before the negotiations either. That would have made things a bit awkward for you guys."
"Cut the crap!"
Tsunade furrowed her brows. "What exactly are you thinking?"
"Attacking Kumogakure, leading a group of S-rank rogue ninja..."
"What on earth happened to you during the half a year you left Konoha?"
Hearing this, Jokichi lowered his head in silence.
After a long while, he raised his head to look at Tsunade again. His blue eyes, radiating a faint luminescence, were filled with unshakable resolve. "Lord Hokage, the question isn't what happened over the past half-year. The real issue is that it's finally time to solve the problem that has plagued the Shinobi World for thousands of years!"
"What do you mean?"
"Kaguya?"
Tsunade asked in confusion.
"Kaguya is merely the catalyst that sparked my desire to solve this problem." Jokichi swept his gaze across everyone present, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I intend to unify the entire Shinobi World, bringing absolute peace to a world that has known nothing but constant war since the dawn of the shinobi!"