Chapter 133: The Far North

What would it look like if someone like Itachi, who was accustomed to hiding his emotions deep within, suddenly started acting cute?

Uchiha Li had never imagined that Itachi possessed such a side, but now he was seeing it with his own eyes.

Only then did he realize that no matter how ruthless and cold the Itachi from the original story had seemed, that Itachi and the one standing before him were ultimately different.

After all, the Itachi of the present was only eight years old, and the circumstances surrounding his clan could never have allowed him to become exactly as he had in the original story.

On the contrary, because the Security Division had voluntarily relinquished some of its authority, the entire Uchiha clan was gradually integrating with the village.

Under such circumstances, what Itachi saw was naturally very different from what he had seen in the original story.

Not to mention Uchiha Shisui’s survival. That was an extremely important factor—at least to Itachi.

Looking at Itachi, who finally seemed somewhat like an ordinary little boy, Uchiha Li was suddenly reminded of a character from an anime he had watched in his previous life.

Conan—or rather, Shinichi Kudo after being reduced to a child. The difference between his personality then and his original personality was enormous.

So was that his true nature finally showing itself, or was there some other reason?

“Perhaps this is also the price of growing up.”

After sighing inwardly, Uchiha Li looked at Itachi and began to consider the matter.

Strictly speaking, he should not have brought Itachi along on a mission, especially one involving Terra.

But there was one thing he could not forget: sooner or later, Itachi would have to enter Terra and submit to its supervision.

If so, there was no harm in using this mission to test the waters.

Besides, this mission was fairly simple. He only needed to record detailed information about the Moon Lake and would not have to appear openly under Terra’s identity.

Since that was the case, there was no major problem with allowing Itachi to join them.

In fact, keeping Itachi by his side could prevent even more accidents from occurring.

With that thought, Uchiha Li looked Itachi up and down before speaking.

“If you want to go, then come along.”

After a brief pause, he spoke more sternly.

“But remember this: you must obey orders throughout the journey. Otherwise…”

He left the sentence unfinished, merely giving Itachi a meaningful look.

Under his teacher’s gaze, Itachi inexplicably shuddered and hurriedly assured him, “Teacher, I won’t act recklessly.”

It was simply that he did not want to continue training in this manner. He had not thought of anything else.

Moreover, after learning that Uchiha Li possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi had never considered resisting him.

Such an unwise action was something he would never undertake.

Hearing Itachi’s assurance, Uchiha Li said, “In that case, you and Shisui go home and prepare. We’ll meet this afternoon.”

*I Have a Scroll of Ghosts and Gods*

After hearing his arrangements, Itachi and Shisui did not object, and the three temporarily went their separate ways.

After all, they were leaving the village, so they still needed to inform their families.

There was no need to say much about Uchiha Li and Itachi. One had to report to Yao, while the other needed to persuade Uchiha Fugaku.

As for Shisui, he had suddenly returned to the village and needed to find a reason to explain himself to the guard unit.

…

That afternoon, outside the main gate of Konoha.

The three Uchiha had gathered there and were ready to depart.

Uchiha Li’s gaze passed over Shisui and Itachi before finally settling on Itachi.

“Although this mission is simple, there are a few things you need to know beforehand.”

Shisui and Uchiha Li already knew something about the Moon Lake, but Itachi knew nothing at all. Certain matters had to be explained in advance.

Hearing Uchiha Li’s words, Itachi immediately focused his attention.

After returning home that afternoon, he had told his father, Fugaku, that he would be leaving the village with his teacher to carry out a mission.

He had expected his father to object, but Fugaku had agreed immediately.

Itachi had long known that his father placed great importance on Uchiha Li, but it seemed he had still underestimated just how much.

His father held great expectations for him and wanted him to advance even further.

As a result, Itachi, who already felt a certain awe toward Uchiha Li, became even more attentive.

Uchiha Li did not waste any time and said directly, “The mission site is a lake formed by the condensation of immense spatial-temporal energy. There may be a certain degree of danger.”

He paused before continuing, “Once we arrive, remember not to stray too far from me. If anything unexpected happens, I may not be able to reach you in time.”

Shisui nodded after hearing this. Having experienced the place before, he naturally understood where the danger lay.

When Itachi heard Uchiha Li’s warning, he swallowed involuntarily.

Given his teacher’s true strength, if even he said there might be danger, then they absolutely had to remain vigilant.

After a brief pause, Uchiha Li continued, “This mission was not assigned by the village. It is something I personally need done. Therefore, no matter what happens, everything must remain strictly confidential.”

As he said this, Uchiha Li gave Itachi a deep look.

He was not worried about Shisui. Shisui already knew that the mission had been issued by Terra’s leader.

“I won’t say anything, Teacher.”

Under Uchiha Li’s gaze and the sudden pressure that accompanied it, Itachi lowered his head instinctively.

By now, how could he fail to understand?

Uchiha Li appeared to be speaking to both him and Shisui, but in reality, those words had been meant for him alone.

Itachi could not help feeling puzzled.

“I heard that the two of them had an unpleasant history back then. Shisui had even spoken ill of Teacher. So why do they seem completely different now?”

Itachi could not make sense of it, so he secretly glanced at Shisui, hoping that Shisui would answer him.

To his disappointment, the Shisui he respected merely shook his head lightly, signaling that he should not ask any further.

This left Itachi deeply discouraged. He always felt that Shisui treated him differently now than he had in the past.

“It’s good that you understand. On the way, observe more and do less.”

With that, Uchiha Li signaled for Shisui to lead the way. He would remain in the middle to provide support, while Itachi stayed at the rear.

If the lake Shisui had discovered really was the Moon Lake connected to the moon, then this journey might indeed prove dangerous.

Especially now, when no one knew how many descendants of the Otsutsuki clan still remained on the moon.

After all, judging from the original story, other Otsutsuki descendants had still been living alongside Toneri when he was young.

Uchiha Li was not particularly afraid of ordinary Otsutsuki descendants. Even if they were direct descendants of Hamura Otsutsuki, they were certainly stronger than the Hyuga clan, but that alone did not frighten him.

What made Uchiha Li wary were the gigantic Tenseigan they possessed, as well as the statue of Hamura Otsutsuki.

Those two uncertain factors were troublesome. Even with the Mangekyo Sharingan, he could not confidently say that he would be able to confront them directly.

Soon, under Shisui’s guidance, the three of them traveled north.

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

As they drew closer to the far north, the surrounding landscape began to change noticeably.

Before them stretched an endless range of towering mountains, their peaks covered in snow that never melted.

The dense snow-covered trees further obstructed their vision.

Together with the cold winds that swept through at intervals, the surroundings were filled with a bone-chilling cold despite the fact that it was summer.

Still, such minor discomforts meant nothing to them.

After traveling through the mountains for an unknown length of time, they finally drew closer and closer to their destination.

Shisui spoke up.

“The place where I found that lake should be nearby.”