Itachi saw his brother.
Sasuke was no longer the small child who couldn't even reach his chest, and his face had lost much of its youthful innocence. The figure leaped towards him, Chakra and clothing fluttering in the air. Time had unknowingly passed to the point where the boy had become a young man, where timidity had transformed into strength.
'He's grown,' Itachi thought as he faced the group, his expression as cold as ice.
"I've heard much about the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya the Toad Sage." Itachi said indifferently to the charging Jiraiya, then his gaze swept over the others, a flash of disdain passing over his eyes, "And this one."
The surging momentum of the charge came to a sudden halt, as if encountering some invisible barrier. Jiraiya and Sasuke slowed their pace, and Naruto, confused, also came to a stop as he looked at his companions.
"Weren't we supposed to charge through?"
The trio came to a halt, now just a few trees away from the Akatsuki's member blocking their path. His face was clearly visible. Naruto, unable to ask any questions in time, heard Jiraiya speak out immediately.
"It's actually you?!"
The plan was instantly thrown into chaos by this unexpected appearance. Jiraiya's expression showed his surprise. Even though he was mentally prepared, he still hadn't expected to encounter Itachi, the Missing-nin who had committed such a great crime years ago, at this mission.
"What's going on? Who is this guy?" Naruto was still in the dark, but then he caught a glimpse of Itachi's forehead protector, slashed across with a line. 'That symbol... belongs to our village. Could it be that he was also a Ninja of Konoha in the past…?'
A chill ran through Naruto's heart, "Hey, Sasuke..." He called out, intending to share some information, but got no response.
'This Chakra...'
Naruto turned his head, only to realize Sasuke was in a completely different state than usual.
"It's you..." Sasuke's voice came out as a low growl through gritted teeth. The moment he saw Itachi's face, his pupils contracted. A huge wave crashed through his mind, shaking him to his core. This was a face he would never forget, a face burned deep into his soul by hatred... Meeting here, in this place, the hatred he'd been holding onto, the unending anger, broke free from the locked box in his heart, flooding out like a raging torrent.
"I will kill you."
He had witnessed this man, right there in their living room, on the tatami mats where his family used to eat, chat, and read newspapers, slaughter his parents, then mercilessly toy with him while he was still weak and powerless. The overwhelming hatred now filled his every thought. It was hard for Sasuke to think clearly, and all he knew was that amidst the roaring in his head, an instinctual force was driving him, pulling at his Chakra with all his might.
"Sasuke, what's wrong with you?!" Naruto looked unhappily at Sasuke, whose temperament had changed drastically and his expression was ferocious. 'That man...' Naruto wondered, 'Could he really be that terrifying?'
"Who is he?"
The killing intent was palpable, causing everyone present to feel their hearts pound. Jiraiya squinted. It wasn't uncommon to see killing intent from someone who had taken lives, but this was undoubtedly extraordinary...
Sasuke kept his eyes open and stared at Itachi's face. The memories he didn't want to recall resurfaced automatically. The nightmare he had replayed in his mind countless times was now entangling him once again. Sasuke spoke each word with force, "This is the man I must kill."
Naruto was confused after hearing this.
Itachi, meanwhile, remained calm, staring back at Sasuke, who seemed ready to explode, his black eyes revealing no emotion.
'That look again.' That indifferent, unconcerned gaze that seemed to mock everything he cherished. It was with those same eyes that the monster had killed his father and mother that night. This unchanging look of apathy finally set off Sasuke's emotions. His Sharingan activated, and his Chakra surged out like a flood. His fingers clenched so hard they turned white as he formed hand seals, and the blinding light of Chidori crackled into existence!
Chirp chirp chirp…
"I'm going to kill you!" There were no words of reunion between the two closest relatives in the world after so many years apart, only this crash of hatred.
His left hand pressed down, his right hand steadying, as the Chidori's lightning ball danced dangerously, its crackling roar filling everyone's ears. The lightning ball shifted slightly, and the bark of a nearby tree immediately shattered into splinters.
Naruto instinctively took a step back to avoid a stray arc of lightning that shot into the air, 'This was the same technique that could penetrate Gaara's sand shield during the Chunin Exams… yet feeling its pressure up close now was completely different.'
"Sasuke, you…"
Jiraiya frowned. With his experience, he wouldn't be afraid of mere stray lightning like Naruto. What mattered now was... Zztt… a tiny spark jumped onto his long white hair, sizzling for a moment before quickly going out. However, the was still a small patch of hair that ended up charred and smelling burnt.
"..."
Jiraiya took a calm step back, keeping a wary eye on Itachi in front of him, and tried to speak as gently as possible: "Sasuke, calm down."
He knew of Itachi's infamous deeds. Through the enmity between the two brothers, he could understand Sasuke's loss of control. However, they were still in the middle of a mission, and their opponent was extremely powerful, so they couldn't afford to lose their composure.
"My foolish little brother." Itachi coldly watched as Sasuke completed his technique, the lightning flashing and roaring, illuminating the night sky, 'It's just like Senpai's.'
"Die!"
Sasuke roared angrily, completely ignoring Jiraiya's dissuasion. His foot slammed into the ground, dust scattering as he disappeared from sight. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance with a left-handed thrust, propelled forward as if teleporting, Chidori's speed bringing him right to Itachi. The Sharingan's tomoe spun rapidly as the two clashed.
Itachi showed no panic in the face of the highly destructive Chidori. His gaze remained indifferent, with a hint of mockery. His black eyes instantly transformed into the three-tomoe Sharingan, and with a shake of his head, he effortlessly evaded Sasuke's lightning-fast assault.
With perfect awareness and precision, Itachi's hand accurately seized Sasuke's left wrist, the one controlling the lightning ball, as he sidestepped. The lightning dispersed wildly into the air.
'Almost… Even with such an obvious attack... just a bit faster, and it could have hit me.' Itachi thought.
Sasuke was stunned when his full-force strike missed.
"You still haven't improved much." Itachi coldly remarked to Sasuke, who was just inches away. At the same time, he tightened his grip on Sasuke's wrist, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted anxiously, crossing his index and middle fingers, "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
With a series of bangs, the shadow clones quickly rushed over to help. Itachi didn't even spare them a glance. He looked down at Sasuke, who was writhing in pain beneath him, his crimson Sharingan devoid of any compassion, "Pathetic… Truly disappointing. Is this all you've achieved since I spared your life back then?"
His words struck Sasuke's soul, like a hammer pounding his weak spots. Humiliation and anger turned Sasuke's cries into uncontrollable screams, "You… shut… up!"
Sasuke's right hand grabbed onto Itachi's hand that was gripping his wrist. Gritting his teeth, that irrational Chidori had drained a huge amount of his Physical and Spiritual Energy. Without any pause to recover, he desperately used the last of his remaining strength to pry Itachi's hand loose.
'My hand was actually forced to loosen a little...' Itachi's eyes flickered.
At this moment, Naruto and his shadow clones had already charged forward. Itachi smoothly withdrew, dodging the barrage of fists and kicks.
"Sasuke, are you okay?" With the enemy retreating, Naruto didn't feel like pursuing. Instead, he anxiously asked about Sasuke's condition.
However, Sasuke just held his wrist and gasped for air. That brief clash had carried all the pent-up emotions he had suppressed for so long, and now that it was over, it felt as if a massive amount of his strength had drained away.