"Runtu, add more material here."

"That won't do—how is there still a crack in your welding...?"

Inside the Akatsuki Organization, Kaito crouched beside Runtu, who was forging, constantly pointing things out and offering his "minor" opinions.

He looked every bit like the nightmare client from his past life, making Runtu want to throw down his hammer and quit on the spot.

"You! Come here!"Runtu finally couldn't take it anymore as his hammer came down, raising his head to glare fiercely at his demanding master.

It wasn't that Kaito was deliberately making things difficult for Runtu. Mainly for safely overcoming the upcoming Heavenly Tribulation, he had specifically drawn up a Faraday cage design, asking Runtu to forge a properly sized cage.

He wanted to see if great physics could defy heavenly punishment.

"Alright, alright..."

"Fine, fine... just keep going."

Seeing Runtu's anger, Kaito promptly shut his mouth obediently.

Uchiha Hikari sat in the back, flipping through some children's book she'd gotten from who-knows-where, reading with earnest focus.

Clearly already accustomed to someone's occasional madness.

But.

Konan and Pain standing at the entrance of the Akatsuki Organization's base had been watching for several minutes, now questioning their life choices.

"What is he doing?"

Pain remained silent, but Konan couldn't help asking the girl on the sofa.

They'd clearly agreed to cooperate earlier, to deal with the enemies of Amegakure together...

How did that guy suddenly start blacksmithing?

"Daily insanity, don't mind him." Hikari turned a page, glancing briefly at the man-and-dog duo nearby, her tone completely flat.

"He'll be normal soon."

Nagato: "..."

Konan: "..."

They'd been about to head out when Kaito insisted they needed some "Grade Nine Magical Artifact" for absolute preparedness against the coming crisis.

Uchiha Hikari didn't understand, but let him be—after all, his episodes weren't exactly rare.

"Done!!"

Just then, Kaito's excited shout came from inside the room. Everyone then saw the guy wearing what looked like a rectangular birdcage.

The two at the entrance fell silent again.

Had he been forging some armor, they might have felt slightly better about this.

But what in the world was that thing???

If it resembled a birdcage... it somehow maintained a coffin-like shape.

Uchiha Kaito stood inside it, able to extend his arms and legs through the welded bars to move around.

But what was the point??

If this was supposed to be armor...

The thing was just an iron frame with some welded poles, offering zero defense while severely restricting movement.

"Let's go." Pain said coldly with a dark expression, turning to leave immediately. He felt those ten minutes standing there were the biggest waste of his precious lifetime.

Konan pressed her lips together, her gaze at the young man now carrying a hint of pity.

Indeed...

The intel from Konoha was completely accurate.

"Uchiha Kaito!!"

"Don't tell me you're going to battle like this!?"

Hikari's voice turned shrill with disbelief as she saw him wearing this drafty excuse for armor.

Wasn't this basically suicide??

"You wouldn't understand." Kaito lifted the cage slightly with his hands through the bars, then released two sunflower ornaments to perch on his shoulders.

"The current me..."

"Is strong."

After saying this, Kaito turned toward the window, clasping his hands in devout prayer.

"Heavenly Lord, I was wrong before, I won't defy the heavens anymore..."

"Please go easy this time and don't strike me dead with lightning..."

As he prayed, he slapped the two sunflowers on his shoulders. "What are you staring at? Pray with me!"Suddenly, three strange prayers echoed in the room, making Hikari's eye twitch violently, veins bulging on her forehead.

A leaky suit of armor, two sunflowers with faces on the shoulders, and those inexplicable prayers...

Uchiha Hikari truly felt the clan's honor had been utterly tarnished by this guy.

What...

exactly is he trying to prove here?!

"Are you coming or not?!" Hikari clenched her fists tightly. Her patience had limits—if this brat pulled another stunt, she'd really give him a taste of Amaterasu.

"Calm down, calm down. We're leaving right away."

Kaito awkwardly patted his "Faraday cage" and grinned, then grabbed Hikari's sleeve with one hand while holding Runtu in the other, teleporting to the Uchiha clan's location.

Meanwhile, in the Konoha command center, an ANBU ninja stood before Danzo, speaking urgently.

"Lord Danzo, the Hokage orders your immediate return to the village."

Worried Danzo might ignore the Hokage's command yet again, the ANBU added at the end,

"This is already the thirteenth order!"

Danzo sat in the leader's seat, eyes slightly narrowed in thought before angrily flicking his sleeve.

"Tie him up for me!"

"With the frontline battle imminent, I'll return to take responsibility afterward. For now..."

"Order the Uchiha clan to advance!"

Danzo outright ignored the ANBU's directive and had his four subordinates restrain the ANBU member for temporary imprisonment. He couldn't care less about Hiruzen's orders right now.

All he wanted...

was the Uchiha clan dead! Those Sharingan were just waiting to be harvested for transplantation.

The Root ninja immediately rushed to relay the orders to Uchiha Itachi.

The reason they didn't inform Fugaku first was that Danzo's intention was for Itachi to make his move.

Minutes later, Danzo's command reached Itachi, who stood at the rear of the Uchiha formation, gazing deep into Amegakure.

"You... should have arrived by now, right?"

"My foolish little brother."

Just as Itachi murmured about his sibling, Kaito and Hikari had already reached within a hundred meters of the Uchiha clan.

Hiding in the bushes, Kaito adjusted his cage once more and solemnly addressed his ancestor.

"Hikari... never mind, 'Ancestor' rolls off the tongue better." He initially thought formal address was appropriate but found it awkward mid-sentence.

"Later, sneak onto the battlefield and plant the marks on them."

Glancing down at his outfit, he added, "I won't go—this disguise might be slightly conspicuous."

Hikari took a step back, her face full of disdain.

Slightly conspicuous?

It was blindingly obvious!

She wanted to curse but, considering their plan, reluctantly nodded.

"Since you're begging me..."

"Consider it done."

As their conversation concluded, the cawing of crows suddenly filled the air. Kaito's expression darkened instantly.

His sensory abilities had been active, but focused solely on locating Uchiha Itachi—he'd overlooked the crows on the battlefield.

"Itachi! Show yourself!" Kaito shouted at the crows.

Honestly...

He least wanted to encounter this guy here...

Caw— Caw—A dozen crows seemed to understand Kaito's words, flapping their wings as Uchiha Itachi's figure appeared before the two of them within seconds.

"My foolish little brother..."

Itachi had barely begun his prepared speech when his gaze lingered on Kaito, causing him to pause mid-sentence for several seconds.

Ignoring whatever this guy intended to do, Kaito stared straight at him instead.

"Uchiha Itachi, the clan... or the village. Which do you choose?"

Hearing his younger brother's question, Itachi glanced briefly at the girl in the distance before suddenly smirking.

"The clan."

His answer came without hesitation. Yet in the next moment, his eyes fell upon that girl as he countered with a question of his own.

"Then what will you choose, my foolish little brother...?"

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Dont forget to remove the space okay!