Naruto, are you all so good at self-seduction

In the night, at Naka River.

The temperature was low, and no animals could be seen in the forest; only the waterfall made a continuous, booming noise.

Oboro had arrived at the designated place to meet the person he was supposed to see.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound of something breaking through the air suddenly rang out. A sharp kunai, cutting through the darkness, darted towards Oboro's back.

His gaze shifted slightly, seemingly casually sidestepping, and the kunai skimmed past his clothes and embedded itself in the ground.

Then, he swiftly crouched down and turned his body, unleashing an astonishing burst of Lightning Reflexes; like a phantom, he evaded another kunai that had been thrown at him.

The attacker, taken by surprise, suddenly found the scene ahead a blur; Oboro's figure seemed to become indistinct as he launched a powerful strike, forcing the kunai from the assailant's hand.

The cold metal pressed against Itachi's neck, freezing him in place.

Oboro's figure disappeared from view, and a cold voice echoed from behind him.

"Don't move."

This guy... isn't he just a Chunin?!

Itachi swallowed hard, astonished as memories of the information he had gathered about Oboro flooded back to him.

He had underestimated him...

All of this had happened in the blink of an eye; he hadn't even had the chance to activate his Sharingan.

"This kind of test won't earn you any goodwill," Oboro stated flatly as he stowed the kunai into the tool pouch on Itachi's belt.

"Sorry..." Itachi felt the pressure on his neck ease and let out a sigh of relief.

After learning about Oboro's past, he had assumed he was merely a Chunin with a dubious background, prompting him to test this person's strength to see why Shisui valued him so highly.

While he had indeed been somewhat careless at first, the swift actions that had just subdued him reminded Itachi of only Shisui and Kakashi.

"Did Shisui send you?" Oboro asked, looking at Itachi.

"...Yeah," Itachi turned to face him, reassessing the young man before him.

With such skill, it's surprising that he is just an unknown Chunin in the village.

"This guy sure knows how to put people to the test," Oboro remarked lightly.

"Shisui said you could help me," Itachi responded.

"What's the matter?"

Itachi hesitated further. He felt it was inappropriate to reveal everything to a stranger, yet he recalled Shisui's words of trust regarding Oboro, who was aware of all their matters.

After much thought, he chose to believe Shisui. "There's a clan gathering in two days."

"Seems like Uchiha meetings are becoming more frequent," Oboro replied.

So he really does know a lot...

"My father wants me to attend, and I'll surely be required to publicly discuss some matters regarding the Konoha high-ups at the gathering," Itachi continued.

"Do you not wish to go?" Oboro interrupted him sharply.

"...Yeah," Itachi admitted, feeling exposed as if his thoughts were laid bare.

"Do you lean toward the Konoha high-ups' side?" Oboro inquired.

Surprised by the question, Itachi looked at him.

Leaning toward...

"I just think my father's methods are wrong," Itachi shook his head.

From the moment he joined ANBU, he only wanted to alleviate his father's burdens and assist Shisui.

But once he became personally involved, he realized everything was far from simple.

"You differ from Shisui in this regard," Oboro stated calmly.

Shisui sought to change the Uchiha for the sake of pure ideals.

However, Itachi's sense of righteousness wasn't quite as resolute as Shisui's; he felt a deeper connection to his clan.

In the original storyline, it was ultimately Shisui's death that strengthened Itachi's resolve.

Coupled with his father's extreme obsessions and the pressure from Danzo, Itachi found himself with no choices left, forced to bear everything alone.

"Do you think what Shisui is doing is right?" Oboro asked again.

Itachi looked at him in confusion. "Isn't Shisui's philosophy a good one? He strives for harmony between the village and the clan; he has always worked for this."

"What good is a beautiful ideal?" Oboro replied with a flat expression.

"He can't achieve it."

Itachi frowned involuntarily. "Why are you saying this about him?"

Isn't this person a friend of Shisui? Shouldn't he support him instead of undermining him?

"Everyone has their fair share of beautiful aspirations; hasn't your father had them too?" Oboro shot back.

Itachi froze at those words.

Father...

"What should I do…" Itachi murmured.

Oboro watched as Itachi appeared lost in thought, realizing that he was still just a twelve-year-old boy—no matter how mature he seemed, his experiences were inherently limited.

If not for Shisui's death to provoke a reaction, he wouldn't have had to shoulder everything alone.

"Just continue performing your role as a spy," Oboro advised.

"But…" Itachi hesitated.

"The current Uchiha situation cannot be changed simply by what you say or do, especially when the higher-ups in Konoha are fully aware that you are a double agent."

Itachi couldn't help but press, "Are we really just going to let this continue?"

Oboro sensed the urgency and confusion in Itachi's expression.

He was also contemplating the future of the village and the clan.

But he was different from others caught in the scheme.

In the adult world, there were coercions, oppressions, bloodshed, revolutions...

They would coldly seek to eliminate all factors unfavorable to themselves.

Only the children harbored ideals of hope.

Is it naive and childish of them?

Yet Konoha needed someone like this to protect and save it.

So absurd, so ridiculous.

Oboro felt a tinge of melancholy as he spoke calmly, "This farce should have ended long ago."

"I'm merely waiting for Shisui to finally express his stance to me."

Itachi looked at him in shock. "What do you mean, do you... have a way?"

"I've spoken with Shisui many times; he just hasn't agreed yet," Oboro stated.

"With the right approach, we can genuinely achieve harmony between Konoha and the Uchiha."

"But you just said—" Itachi was increasingly baffled.

"It's different," Oboro clarified.

"Shisui willingly became a pawn for Konoha's elders; he thinks that by changing one person, he can change the Uchiha's situation. He is placing all his hopes on the Hokage's leniency."

His words were quite blasphemous; Itachi could hardly believe his ears.

He had come to see that this person and Shisui seemed to hold opposing views but were still conspiring together.

"All Shisui has ever thought of is the village, and he can't be persuaded otherwise," Oboro continued.

"Once he loses hope in this, it will be fine."

Losing hope...

Itachi hesitated for a long time before cautiously asking, "What exactly do you have in mind?"

Oboro cast a sidelong glance at him. "You just need to handle your own affairs. If you don't attend the gathering, you'll only push yourself and your clan toward opposition too soon."

"If you don't want to be at odds with your father, then you should obediently follow his words."

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