Not far from the Hokage's office, there is an alley that is off the beaten track.

The alley is narrow enough to accommodate only four people walking side by side.

At the end of the alley is a nondescript and stunted building.

The red paint on the wooden door, which is not thick, has faded from the wind and sun for many years, and the original color of the wooden door has been revealed in many places.

Only a few people know that this is the Shadow Division, the most powerful weapon in the hands of the three generations of Hokage Ape Flying Sun.

The ninjas here are known as the best of the best, and only the strongest ninjas who are fiercely loyal to the village and the three generations of Hokage are qualified to walk through this wooden door and become one of them.

Itachi Uchiha is no stranger to this place.

In his previous life, he had spent a short and not pleasant time here.

His career in the shadows was just one mission after another, and he didn't even make much impression of the ninjas here.

Except for one person ...

Kakashi Hachiki...

The only man who can make him remember and approve ...

。。。。。。。。

Pushing open the dilapidated wooden door, there is a corridor that only allows two people to walk side by side.

The dim light was projected weakly from dozens of meters in front of it into the corridor, followed by laughter and the sound of ninja breaking through the air.

It's hard to imagine such a grand structure in the mountains beneath the Hokage Rock if you don't see it with your own eyes.

There is a driving range hundreds of meters square.

Around the driving range, there are rows of houses cleverly built against the mountain.

Of course, this is Tu Dun's masterpiece.

At the top of the driving range, huge lights light up the entire underground space as if it were daylight.

A breeze from nowhere passes through the underground space, and even carries the fragrance of leaves and flowers.

Except for the lack of sunlight, there is nothing different from the outside.

Time seemed to stop the moment Uchiha Itachi stepped out of the road.

In the underground space, the eyes of dozens of ninjas turned to Uchiha Itachi in unison.

Smiles froze on everyone's faces, and so did the air.

His eyes, mixed with jealousy, hatred, anger, and other emotions, gathered on him.

At this moment, he was like a huge diamond that attracted everyone's attention.

He understood the malice in the eyes of these people.

Under the propaganda brainwashing of Konoha higher-ups day after day, year after year, the Uchiha clan, who were originally as ordinary as everyone else, have become a symbol of Konoha's cancer and demons in the hearts of these die-hard dark ninjas.

The scars of the Nine-Tails Night still linger in the hearts of many Konoha people, including most of the people here.

The Uchiha Itachi was calm like a piece of ice that would not melt for a thousand years.

It was as if the murderous gaze did not leave the slightest trace on his face.

He responded with silence to everyone in the room.

A cold snort came from inside the practice range.

The sharp sound of the bitter void sounded with a cold snort.

One, two, three...

As if a tacit agreement had been reached, all the ninjas in the practice arena shot at the same time.

A large area of black pressed kunai was like a flying locust covering the Uchiha Itachi's path.

Itachi Uchiha calmly took the first step, followed by the second.

No dodge, no counterattack...

In this way, he walked calmly in the raindrops of suffering.

Every step is as precise as if measured with a ruler.

Kunai passed by him one by one as if he had a spirit, and landed on the stone floor beside him, making a crisp crashing sound.

A handful of kunai brushed his brow.

The unwilling wail when Ku Wu landed announced the end of this unique welcome ceremony.

Uchiha Itachi finally stopped, and a meter in front of him, stood a teenager whose face was almost entirely hidden under a black mask, revealing only one right eye.

As if he hadn't seen this long prelude, the young man said coldly his welcome,

"Welcome to the Dark Division, Itachi Uchiha. From today onwards, I will be your captain. I am... , Kakashi Hachiki. ”

"Please take care of me."

Uchiha Itachi smiled and bowed.

Because in this great darkness, the young man in front of him is the only one worthy of him.

。。。。。。。。

"Itachi-kun is the most outstanding genius since the establishment of the ninja school, Itachi-kun..."

Even the taciturn Kakashi Hachiki couldn't help but let out an exclamation.

He graduated from the ninja school at the age of five, became the youngest shinobi in Konoha history at the age of six, and was promoted to the upper ninja at the age of twelve, and is recognized as a genius in all of Konoha.

But in front of Uchiha Itachi, he still has a strong sense of inferiority.

The Shadows usually operate in squad mode when performing missions.

Compared to the usual four-person squad of the Konoha ninja, the tactical system of the Shadow Division is much more complicated.

One, two, four, multi-person, and squads work together.

The hill-like tactical manual is like an insurmountable mountain for newcomers who have just joined the Shadows.

By memorizing these tactics, it only took Uchiha Itachi an afternoon.

"Tiger", who is also a newcomer to the shadows, poked his head out from behind the tall tactical manual, and his tired eyes shot a look of extreme jealousy.

"Thank you for the compliment, I just remember it in general terms, and it takes actual combat to be really familiar with these tactics."

Uchiha Itachi smiled and got up,

"Speaking of genius ... ,Captain Kakashi, you're a real genius... ”

Kakashi Hagi smiled bitterly and shook his head, a rare smile in his eyes,

"I'm so glad you came to my squad, Itachi. I believe you are the ninja that the shadows need... ”

"Actually, I've memorized these tactics manuals a long time ago, and now I'm just going to review them again...

Uchiha Itachi thought to himself, but he couldn't say this anyway.

Looking at Kakashi's back as he left, he began to think about his next step.

Joining the Shadows is only the first step, and his goal is much more than that.

He was well aware of who he was.

As a member of the Uchiha clan, he will spend every day under the watchful eye of countless people, both overt and covert.

Whether it is the three generations of Hokage Ape Flying Sun Slash or Danzo, they will not let their guard down on him.

In this case, he has very little information to access.

The inner line embedded in the shadows...

That's just wishful thinking on the part of my father and my people...

Itachi Uchiha's gaze passed through the half-hidden crack in the door and landed on a closed black door in the northwest corner.

There, that's the real purpose of his joining the shadows.

With the strength of the Uchiha clan, if you want to go head-to-head with the behemoth of Konoha, you can only be a dead end.

And behind that black door, there was what he wanted.

Only that thing is the last hope to save the Uchiha clan from the brink of extinction.