Ethan was never a prodigy when it came to acting. A big reason he managed to stay hidden for so many years was that he always kept himself detached from the main plot.

Once he began interacting with these characters, it was only a matter of time before his true nature was exposed. The fact that he lasted this long was already a miracle.

Or perhaps, he had already revealed quite a bit, but the people of Konoha were still looking at him through their old perspectives and hadn’t realized it yet.

Tsunade, who had just returned, had direct contact with Ethan’s real personality. She knew full well that he wasn’t some honest, upright person.

To prevent Ethan from staying in the village and causing trouble, Tsunade directly sent him on a mission. What she didn’t expect was for Ethan to choose Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke to go with him.

"Taking Sasuke to search for Orochimaru’s hideout... only that kid would do something like that."

Jiraiya sat on the windowsill of the Hokage’s office, looking out in the direction of Konoha’s village gate.

Just today, Ethan, Kakashi, and Sasuke had accepted a mission and left the village. At the same time, Jiraiya had also said goodbye to Naruto. Once Naruto finished packing, the two of them would also leave Konoha.

"What surprised me even more was that you agreed."

"Compared to keeping him in the village, it might be safer to let him stay by my side."

"..."

The two of them had personally experienced Ethan’s strength. They knew this kid was terrifyingly powerful... or rather, that he hadn’t even used his full strength that day. It was hard to imagine how strong he truly was.

"But strength like that probably can’t be explained by just being a genius, right?"

"At the very least, he hasn’t shown any hostility toward Konoha yet."

Tsunade gave a helpless wry smile. The situation in Konoha was too complicated. The two advisors acted like wise elders, but what they truly represented was the resistance from Konoha’s major clans toward her appointment as Hokage.

Tsunade reminded them of the fear brought by the Senju clan’s dominance in the past. The Senju brothers founded Konoha and became the first and second Hokage. That era also marked the height of the Hokage’s power. Back then, all the clans lived under the shadow of the Senju.

Once the two powerful Hokage were gone, the Hokage seat no longer belonged to the Senju clan. The other clans saw a chance to rise. To prevent the Senju from returning to power, they pushed the entire clan out of Konoha’s political core.

Unexpectedly, Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage. This brought back bad memories for many people. They did their best to suppress her authority, which led to the current situation where the two advisors frequently caused trouble. They even secretly aligned themselves with Danzo, essentially looking to support someone to oppose the Hokage.

Outside the village wasn’t peaceful either. The turmoil in the Sand Village had barely settled. The Cloud Village remained restless. Not to mention the Akatsuki hiding in the shadows, their motives unclear, targeting the tailed beasts.

"If he does harbor hostility toward Konoha, then I really won’t be able to hold onto the Hokage position."

Orochimaru, the Akatsuki, hostile villages, and internal threats like Danzo and the major clans—there were enemies on all sides. If Ethan, someone who should have been a direct descendant of the Hokage, turned against Konoha, Tsunade really wouldn’t know what to do.

"Don’t say such disheartening things. That’s not the Tsunade I know."

"Hmph, I’m just talking. You think I’d be defeated by something this small?"

"It’s best if you can stay strong... but you really should start building up some power of your own." Jiraiya glanced down. Countless Konoha shinobi were moving about, busy with their tasks. A pink-haired figure happened to enter his view. "Naruto and Sasuke’s teammate is actually a very talented kid."

"Haruno Sakura?"

Because of Naruto and Sasuke’s special status, as their teammate, Sakura had also been thoroughly investigated by Tsunade. Based on the report, she was a child with some talent, and she came from an ordinary family. She was a true Konoha native with no background or support.

"I’ll observe her carefully..."

Sakura had no idea that she was about to embark on her own path. At that moment, another member of Team 7, Sasuke, was complaining to Ethan.

"Aren’t we on a mission now? Do I still have to wear these weights?"

He wasn’t against training with weights, but why had Ethan increased the load just before the mission? Shouldn’t they be reduced to avoid hindering performance?

Unfortunately, Ethan gave him an especially irritating answer. "You won’t need to fight during this mission. Just treat it as outdoor training."

"..."

Sasuke’s expression was as sour as it could be. He turned his head and looked at Kakashi. "Why are you in charge when Kakashi-sensei is here?"

He didn’t understand. Especially since Ethan hadn’t even explained the mission yet.

After running for half a day, the three of them arrived in a remote forest. Ethan suddenly stopped and gestured for the two to come closer.

"Now I can explain the mission."

Tsunade had sent him to check if any of Orochimaru’s hideouts were nearby. Besides driving him out of the village to avoid trouble, she also genuinely wanted to clear out Orochimaru’s hideouts, or at least stir things up to relieve pressure on Konoha’s defenses.

Ethan didn’t refuse. It was good to go out when bored. If he actually ran into Orochimaru, he’d just beat him up. If Orochimaru was foolish enough to fight him to the death, Ethan wouldn’t mind casually taking him out.

However, knowing Orochimaru’s cunning nature, there was no way he’d do something that stupid. Especially since his situation wasn’t good right now. He was likely hiding in a secure secret base. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

After being injured by Ethan last time, and with his current body reaching its limit, he was probably waiting for Sasuke. Even if he couldn’t get Sasuke’s body in time, he’d still have to transfer to a new body and spend time adjusting. There was no way he’d come out and fight Ethan now.

So the odds of encountering Orochimaru on this mission were low. At most, they might run into his subordinates. For example, Kimimaro, who was extremely loyal to him?

As Ethan thought about all this, he casually explained the mission to Kakashi and Sasuke.

Kakashi and Sasuke were speechless as they listened.

"Just the three of us?"

Wasn’t that too few?

Kakashi, although an elite Jonin of Konoha, was still shocked. Taking two kids to raid Orochimaru’s base? Was the Hokage dissatisfied with him and trying to send him to his death?

"Don’t worry. It’s unlikely we’ll encounter Orochimaru himself."

Hearing that, Kakashi finally relaxed. The mission seemed more reasonable now. Perhaps this was just a training task for Ethan, and Kakashi was sent along as insurance.

But Ethan’s next words made his heart skip a beat.

"But this mission isn’t just about that. There’s another goal."

"What is it?"

Sasuke casually asked, not thinking much of it. But Ethan’s next words made him freeze.

"To capture Uchiha Itachi."

Kakashi and Sasuke both widened their eyes in shock. One was surprised with a hint of excitement, the other was full of disbelief and confusion.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course."

"Is this a mission assigned by the Hokage?"

Ethan nodded without hesitation. Meanwhile, in the Hokage’s office, Tsunade had just noticed the note Ethan had left behind: I’m going to find evidence (Uchiha Itachi)!

"This kid..."

The note was under Tsunade’s teacup. She had been talking to someone earlier and only now saw it. She felt a headache coming on. It was definitely too late to chase after him now. But deep down, she didn’t think this was necessarily a bad thing.

Itachi had been working undercover outside for so long. He must know a lot about the Akatsuki. If he could return, he might bring back crucial information.

Itachi also probably knew some of Danzo’s darkest secrets. Bringing him back could also help take Danzo down.

More importantly, Itachi was strong.

It was a waste to have such a powerful shinobi working outside undercover. As for dealing with his identity once he returned? The Anbu was full of operatives without real identities. Arranging one for Uchiha Itachi wouldn’t be difficult.

The only thing that worried her was whether Ethan could actually pull it off.

"Even if you look so confident, I’m sure this wasn’t the Hokage’s official order."

"Kakashi-sensei, can’t you keep that to yourself? Saying it out loud is just embarrassing."

"You could at least act like you weren’t caught red-handed."

"..."

Their off-topic conversation helped calm Sasuke down a little. Ethan’s guidance had proven useful. At least he didn’t lose his composure this time.

"You know where he is?"

"Since I brought it up, of course I have a way to find him."

Sasuke clenched his fists. He really wanted Ethan to take him to find Itachi right now. But was he strong enough yet?

Seeing that he didn’t rush off impulsively, both Kakashi and Ethan nodded slightly. Sasuke had indeed matured a little. They also made a silent decision—don’t take him to see that dangerous man just yet. Wait until he’s ready.

"But before we set out, there’s something else to do..."

As Ethan said this, Kakashi suddenly felt dizzy.

"Damn it! It’s genjutsu!"

(To be continued.)

◇◇◇

◇ One bonus Chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.

◇ You can read the ahead Chapter on Pat if you’re interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)