"Kisame,"
Itachi said, shaking his head, "The mission is over. We're returning to the Land of Rivers."
"..."
Kisame Hoshigaki hesitated but eventually nodded.
"There's someone approaching!"
White Zetsu suddenly alerted them, "Four shinobi, coming your way. And they're from Konoha."
"That was fast!"
Kisame instinctively glanced at Itachi.
Under normal circumstances, they shouldn't have arrived so quickly.
Itachi noticed the suspicion in Kisame's eyes but was equally puzzled.
This time, it wasn't his doing.
"Zetsu, go back and inform the leader."
Itachi's expression didn't waver as he said, "We'll handle the Konoha shinobi."
"Understood."
Zetsu didn't linger and immediately disappeared into the ground.
"Itachi-san, should we kill them?"
Kisame asked with a grin.
"Of course."
Itachi replied calmly.
But in the next instant, his expression shifted slightly.
The sharp sound of birds chirping filled the air.
In the distance, a flash of lightning surged toward them at incredible speed.
"Chidori?"
Kisame's face lit up with excitement, "Could it be Kakashi?"
During the joint Chunin Exams, he and Itachi had briefly visited Konoha and clashed with Kakashi and Might Guy.
However, the fight was short and unsatisfying.
Itachi didn't respond.
If it was Kakashi, then Team 7 must be with him.
That would mean he was about to see Sasuke.
The last time they met was three years ago.
For a moment, Itachi's emotions became complicated.
"ITACHI UCHIHA!"
With an angry roar, the lightning landed.
Kisame's interest was piqued immediately.
So, it was Sasuke Uchiha.
"Even after all these years, you still haven't grown,"
Itachi said coldly as he stared at Sasuke, "If you can't control your emotions, how will you become stronger?"
"Shut up!"
Sasuke thrust his Lightning-infused sword forward, the blade crackling with electricity.
The sound of birds chirping echoed again.
Electric currents wrapped around Sasuke like flowing water.
"Itachi-san, he's all yours."
Kisame stepped aside.
Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!
Itachi locked eyes with Sasuke.
His Sharingan spun, and invisible mental energy radiated outward.
But Sasuke was unaffected.
His Lightning Blade struck Itachi.
In the next moment, a swarm of black crows erupted as itachi's body dissolved.
Itachi's body reappeared some distance away, his face filled with surprise.
Why hadn't his illusion worked?
Though he couldn't use the Mangekyo Sharingan due to this being a clone, his three-tomoe Sharingan should have sufficed.
Unless… he considered the only possibility.
"Surprised?"
A smirk tugged at the corner of Sasuke's lips, his expression exuding triumph.
"You've grown,"
Itachi acknowledged, his face still calm, "Let's see how much your potential has improved."
Sasuke's face darkened.
It was because of Itachi's talk of "potential" that he had killed Fugaku Uchiha and defected from Konoha.
But Sasuke no longer cared for that kind of this, he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, by not following conventional means.
"Hahahaha!"
Sasuke suddenly burst into laughter, mocking him, "Potential? How pathetic!"
His eyes morphed, the three tomoe rotating and merging into a seamless pattern.
"The Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Itachi's heart sank.
"Is this the same as Itachi-san's eyes?"
Even Kisame, who had been observing, now looked serious.
He was well aware of how powerful Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan was.
Now that Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan as well, and both of them being clones, escape seemed unlikely.
Wait!
At that moment, Kisame turned his head and saw Kakashi, Naruto, and Karin approaching.
This just got more complicated.
"I didn't kill any Uchiha to gain these eyes."
Sasuke sneered, "Itachi Uchiha, how does that make you feel? Do you regret it? Hahahaha!"
"What's with Sasuke?"
Naruto scratched his head.
It was his first time seeing Sasuke laugh so maniacally.
Kakashi sighed softly.
Even though Sasuke was laughing, it wasn't from joy.
His conversation with Itachi made that clear.
Kakashi was reminded of Obito.
Obito too, had laughed like that before.
Though in Obito's case, it was a laugh of genuine amusement—like when he beat Kakashi in a sparring match after Kakashi let him win.
"We shouldn't interfere. He probably doesn't want us to," Kakashi said, shaking his head, "Our target is Kisame."
Itachi flinched internally.
Sasuke's words had struck a nerve, but his expression remained calm.
"Regret?"
Itachi shook his head, "I'm delighted. If I take your eyes, I'll be able to gain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Eternal Mangekyo?"
Sasuke paused, stunned.
"Yes, it surpasses the Mangekyo Sharingan by a large margin."
Itachi smiled faintly, "I must thank you, my foolish—"
"Then I can do the same."
Sasuke interrupted him, "As long as I take your eyes."
"Indeed."
Itachi's voice turned icy, "But can you achieve it, my foolish—"
Before he could finish, an unprecedented sense of danger struck his mind.
From behind, a glint of cold steel appeared, followed by countless sword slashes.
"Itachi-san!"
Kisame tried to intervene, but Naruto charged at him.
Leaf Great Whirlwind!
The immense force sent Kisame staggering backward.
Silent lightning flickered.
Kakashi appeared behind Kisame, launching an attack.
Despite being nearly at full strength in his clone body, Kisame found himself outmatched against Naruto and Kakashi.
Naruto wielded the power of the Eight Gates and the Nine-Tails.
Kakashi had the chakra reserves of the Dragon Vein at his disposal.
Kisame's enormous chakra reserves were no longer an advantage for him.
Black crows scattered once more.
Itachi warily eyed Sasuke.
Was that a space-time ninjutsu?
Or a Mangekyo Sharingan technique?
He had no time to dwell on it as another attack suck up on him.
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!
Having learned from the first exchange, Itachi quickly countered.
A massive fireball collided with the flashing sword strikes.
"You're too slow, Itachi!"
Sasuke's voice rang from behind him.
Itachi instinctively turned, only to find himself surrounded by a web of sword light.
How is he this fast?
Itachi's expression darkened.
He barely finished forming a hand seal before realizing he had no time for another.
With a twist of his wrist, he threw six kunai while retreating.
The kunai were deflected, but they bought him a moment.
Itachi escaped the web of swords.
But the flashing lightning morphed into a Chidori spear, piercing through his chest.
Blood splattered.
Itachi Uchiha grunted softly.
"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke had sensed something was amiss, "Are you underestimating me, you bastard? Why aren't you using the Mangekyo Sharingan?!"
"..."
Itachi tugged at the corner of his lips.
Smart, but by much.
"Then go to hell!"
Seeing his silence, Sasuke didn't waste any more words.
He stepped forward, and the chirping sound of his Lightning Blade grew sharper.
As he sprinted, Sasuke drew his second sword.
This was reforged from Kiba, one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist.
He had named it Raigetsu.
Holding both swords, he clashed them together.
Lightning Style: Lighting Dragon Tornado!
Bolts of electricity surged into the air, rapidly forming a thunder dragon.
Itachi quickly formed seals at the same time.
Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!
He opened his mouth, unleashing a dragon-shaped torrent of fire.
The two forces collided, kicking up a cloud of dust. Amidst the chaos, Sasuke's Raigetsu vanished, transforming into lightning that materialized behind Itachi and pierced his body.
Lightning coursed through Itachi, flowing along his bloodstream.
Coughing up blood, Itachi collapsed to the ground.
"Did I win?"
Sasuke stared at the scene, unable to believe it.
It felt too easy.
"You've grown a lot,"
Itachi muttered, pausing for a moment, "I'll come find you soon."
In his plan, Sasuke's growth had three phases.
The first was their brotherly duel, meant to push Sasuke to his limits.
The second was having someone reveal the truth about Fugaku Uchiha's death and Itachi's defection, which would awaken Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan.
The third was gifting Sasuke his own eyes to elevate his to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
But his plans couldn't keep up with reality.
Now, Sasuke had already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan prematurely.
Itachi could skip to the latter two phases.
Still, there were matters to attend to before his inevitable death.
"What do you mean?"
Sasuke rushed forward, demanding, "Where is your real body?!"
"My foolish…"
Itachi closed his eyes.
His body began to transform, reverting to that of an ordinary-looking middle-aged man with a Sunagakure forehead protector.
The cloning technique they used, like Edo Tensei, required a living person as a sacrifice.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke realized the truth.
He quickly stood and scanned the surroundings, but Itachi's real body was nowhere to be found.
"ITACHI!"
Sasuke yelled in frustration "I will kill you!"
But his voice was drowned out by another.
"AHHH!"
Naruto Uzumaki roared, clenching his fists, "Eight Gates! Sixth Gate! OPEN!"
Sasuke froze, turning instinctively.
The battlefield, once a desert, had transformed into an ocean.
Naruto's hair stood on end, and his chakra surged skyward in a torrent.
The surrounding water rippled outward.
With a booming sound, Naruto shot toward Kisame like a cannonball.
Morning Peacock!
The flurry of punches created friction with the air, igniting flames.
Kisame couldn't even react before he was struck.
Flames radiated outward from his body.
From a distance, it looked like a peacock spreading its feathers.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
It was his first time seeing Naruto use the Sixth Gate.
The speed was so incredible that even Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan struggled to track every punch.
The slight pride he felt from defeating Itachi's clone evaporated instantly.
Kakashi, however, wasn't surprised.
With Naruto's talent and physical constitution, opening the Sixth Gate was natural.
Kisame's body fell, reverting to that of a young man.
"A shinobi from Sunagakure,"
Kakashi observed, his tone thoughtful. "It must be a unique clone technique."
"Karin!"
Sasuke urged, "Use your sensory ninjutsu. They might still be nearby!"
Karin nodded slightly and closed her eyes.
She opened her eyes after a moment, looking at the distance.
"It's… Shinho-kun!"
Karin suddenly beamed with excitement.
"Shinho?"
Kakashi blinked. "Where is he?"
"Over there!"
Karin waved, shouting, "Shinho-kun!"
Shinho walked over, smiling.
"When did you get here?"
Karin asked, suppressing the urge to hug him.
"I've been here for a while now," Shinho replied.
In truth, he was preoccupied with reading the text floating in front of him.
..
[Achievement Unlocked: "My Foolish little brother" – Itachi Uchiha. Reward: Wandering wave trace Gu.]
[Wandering wave trace Gu: Rank 5 Gu insect. Enables instant evasion in combat.]
..
The description was brief, but the effect was powerful.
The Wandering Wave trace Gu essentially provided a short-distance teleportation, invaluable in battle.
"Did you see their real bodies?"
Sasuke pressed impatiently.
"No,"
Shinho continued while scratching his chin, "This was likely a remote clone technique. Their real bodies aren't in the Land of Wind."
"..."
Sasuke gripped his Lightning-fire Sword tightly, his face clouded with frustration.
"Don't worry,"
Shinho said, glancing at him "The Akatsuki are on the move. You won't have to wait long to face him again."
Though reluctant, Sasuke had no choice but to swallow his anger for now.
"We're returning to Sunagakure,"
…
In an underground base somewhere.
Pain's Deva Path stood still, his eyes closed.
He was waiting for Sasori and Deidara to reach their designated location.
Footsteps echoed as Konan entered the room.
For once, her normally calm expression was tinged with gloom.
"What happened?"
Pain opened his eyes and asked.
"Sasori and Deidara were killed in Sunagakure,"
Konan reported gravely, "Konoha's Hokage, Shinho Aburame, intervened and killed them."
The atmosphere grew suffocating.
Konan found it hard to breathe.
"Shinho Aburame?"
Pain was silent for a moment, "Unexpected."
"What now?"
Konan frowned.
"Leave Sunagakure and Konoha alone for now. I'll handle them personally,"
Pain said coldly, "Recruit more members to hunt the remaining tailed beasts."
Judging from Shinho's strength, he was capable of killing most of the Akatsuki members.
If that was the case, it was better to deal with him last, to minimize further losses in manpower.
After all, the Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals required a set number of participants.
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