As Sakiya stepped inside, Kisame glanced at Itachi, hesitating for a moment.
He considered warning their allies.
But after thinking it over, he realized—I already warned them.
Shouldn't be a big problem… right?
Meanwhile, Guy took his signature fighting stance.
"Konoha's Blue Beast—let's go!"
Kisame smirked.
"Blue Beast? Never heard of it."
Guy ignored the jab. Instead, he shouted, "Then allow me to show you the true power of Konoha's gates!"
With that, he launched himself forward with a flying kick.
"Dynamic Entry!"
Kisame's eyes narrowed as he swiftly raised his massive sword, Samehada, to block.
BOOM!
The impact cracked the ground beneath Kisame's feet.
Such power!
Kisame's smirk faded slightly as he reassessed his opponent.
This guy's taijutsu… it's no joke.
And with that, their battle had begun.
---
On the other side, Kakashi's team faced off against Itachi Uchiha.
This time, Sasuke was more composed—he didn't recklessly charge in.
Naruto, too, understood just how dangerous this man was.
Kakashi gave a sharp warning.
"Be careful! Don't look directly into his eyes!"
Naruto and the others froze.
"If we can't look at him, how are we supposed to fight?"
Kakashi's expression remained serious.
"You'll have to avoid direct eye contact as much as possible."
Sasuke slowly unsheathed his sword, his voice calm.
"That man specializes in genjutsu."
He tightened his grip on the hilt.
"But if I don't give him the chance to use it—"
Lightning chakra surged around Sasuke as he vanished in a flash.
Itachi's gaze followed him, cold and unreadable.
The same old tactic?
A streak of lightning closed in from the side.
He's fast.
But to Itachi's Sharingan, Sasuke's movements were still predictable.
Sasuke swung his blade in a diagonal slash—Itachi countered instantly with a kunai.
Yet, instead of pressing the attack, Sasuke broke away and kept moving, circling around him at high speed.
Kakashi quickly realized what Sasuke was trying to do.
Continuous high-speed attacks… keeping Itachi too busy to use genjutsu?
But the question was—how long can you keep this up, Sasuke?
Kakashi knew they couldn't waste this opportunity.
"Naruto! Sakura! Move in!"
"Got it!"
Itachi remained still, watching the figures of Sasuke and Naruto closing in.
For a brief moment, the corners of his lips curled slightly.
Sasuke… you've found your own path. That's good.
Then, at that exact moment—
Sasuke struck from behind.
Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura attacked from the front.
Itachi was completely surrounded.
But then—
"Too bad…" Itachi whispered, closing his eyes.
Sasuke's blade sliced through his back.
And in that instant—
His Sharingan flared.
This is a trap!
Sasuke's eyes widened as the place where his sword had struck began to glow.
His heart clenched.
He looked up—Naruto and the others were still moving forward, completely unaware.
No…!
Sasuke spun around and rushed toward them.
But by then—
The light engulfed everything.
No! I need to be faster!
But behind him, "Itachi" was already covered in cracks, glowing ominously.
Sasuke's heart pounded.
Faster!
Faster!
I need more speed!
For a brief moment, something within him seemed to awaken.
His chakra surged wildly, flowing through his body at an incredible rate.
His heartbeat spiked—faster, stronger.
Then—
It was as if all barriers had shattered. Sasuke felt a lightness he had never experienced before.
In an instant—
A flash of lightning.
He grabbed Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura—pulling them away just as—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the battlefield.
Lying on the ground, Naruto and Sakura stared in shock at the massive crater in front of them.
Kakashi, calm as ever, got to his feet and gave a nod of approval to Sasuke.
But Sasuke remained still, beads of sweat rolling down his face, his breath heavy and uneven.
"The enemy is trickier than we thought," he muttered.
Kakashi scanned the area, searching for any sign of Itachi.
But it was Sasuke—now recovering—who spoke first.
"That was just a clone. Two possibilities—either we've been trapped in an illusion from the very start, or it was a clone all along."
Kakashi nodded grimly.
Suddenly—
A flock of crows swirled down from the sky, gathering together to form a single figure.
Itachi Uchiha.
He gazed at them with his usual calm demeanor.
"So… care to guess if I'm a clone?"
Then—
He opened his eyes fully.
The three tomoe of his Sharingan spun slowly, capturing all four of them in his gaze.
At that moment—
The real battle began.
------
---
Chiyo barely paid attention to the battle at the cave entrance.
Sakiya and the others followed her inside.
The moment they entered, they saw Deidara and Sasori.
Deidara sat leisurely atop Gaara, resting his head on his hand. He yawned when he saw them.
"Ah~ You sure took your time."
Chiyo's gaze hardened when she saw Sasori, but her attention snapped to Deidara as she demanded,
"What did you do to Gaara?"
Deidara smirked. "Who knows?"
Chiyo turned back to Sasori, her expression complicated.
"Sasori…"
Sakiya, however, quickly understood the situation.
If Gaara was here, that meant the One-Tail had already been extracted.
But—
Her right eye flashed red for a moment. She focused.
No—Shukaku was still inside him!
Gaara was just badly injured and unconscious.
Meanwhile, Deidara and Sasori stepped forward.
Inside the cave, Pain and the others were still sealing the Three-Tails.
Their goal was clear—lead the pursuers away and buy time.
Deidara gave Sasori a knowing glance before grinning at Chiyo.
"Sink beneath the greatness of my art!"
He formed a hand sign.
"Boom!"
Chiyo's eyes widened.
"Not good!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions erupted around the cave entrance.
Smoke billowed everywhere. But—
The blasts weren't strong. They weren't meant to destroy—just to create a smokescreen.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Deidara swiftly grabbed Gaara and dashed out.
A clay bird he had prepared earlier expanded in size.
He leapt onto it, lifting off from the cave floor, hovering just above the ground.
Deidara chuckled.
"Alright, Sasori-senpai! Let's go!"
But—
Sasori didn't follow.
"You take the One-Tail and go. I'll hold them off."
Deidara hesitated for a moment before grinning.
"Haha, do you want to play with them?"
Then, teasingly, he added, "Ah~ Maybe I should stay too, let them enjoy my explosive art!"
Sasori's voice was firm.
"You. Go. Now."
Deidara sighed, then shrugged.
"Oh~ You're so greedy, Senpai."
With that, he controlled the clay bird and soared out of the cave.
Sasori followed right after.
Chiyo, the Konoha team, and Sarutobi Asuma rushed after them.
"Kakashi! Don't let them escape!"
In the middle of his battle with Itachi, Kakashi had been watching every move his opponent made.
Hearing Chiyo's urgent cry, he instinctively glanced toward the cave—
And saw a massive white bird soaring into the sky.
With his sharp vision, he immediately recognized Gaara's unconscious form on its back.
"A flying summon?!"
His mind raced.
"This is bad."
The bird had already gained altitude, quickly distancing itself.
Even if he used that technique at this distance—
Wait.
Something caught his eye.
Kakashi's gaze sharpened in shock.
That…?!
__________
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