Uchiha Itachi stared at Naruto's nearly healed wounds.
He could sense the overwhelming chakra that grew stronger the more Naruto fought.
There was no such thing as an invincible jutsu.
Nor was there an invincible person.
But… Itachi had to admit, this Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was indeed a troublesome individual.
Almost impossible to find any weakness.
Of course, he was confident that if he unleashed the ultimate technique of his Mangekyō Sharingan—along with Kisame's support—they could capture this Jinchūriki.
But the question was: was it worth paying such a high price?
The answer came instantly—"No."
Itachi knew his own condition well. Every time he used his Mangekyō Sharingan, it inflicted further damage to his already terminally ill body, bringing him closer and closer to death.
Sasuke was still young and had yet to grow strong.
His body had to last at least until Sasuke became strong enough to protect himself.
"Kisame, we're leaving," he called out after making his decision.
Kisame's response was surprisingly straightforward.
He didn't hesitate, didn't argue.
The battle-hungry man retreated decisively, instantly flashing to Itachi's side and replying, "Let's go!"
Their retreat was obvious.
Naruto stepped into the air and pursued with a flash: "You think you can leave without leaving something behind?"
Unlike the two on the ground who had to dodge obstacles as they moved, Naruto's aerial path was a straight line.
In almost no time, he caught up.
Kisame turned, clapped his hands together, and formed seals.
"Water Style: Super Shark Bomb Jutsu."
Drawing what little water remained from the dried-up riverbed, he molded it with chakra into a massive shark that leapt toward Naruto.
Naruto slashed with his blades.
At the exact moment the blade made contact with the water—
An immense suction force surged from within the shark, trying to devour all of Naruto's chakra.
But—
Unlike Kisame's sentient sword Samehada, this jutsu, lacking a controller and life force, couldn't affect Naruto's chakra at all.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
Golden chains burst from his palm, like meteors, disturbing the air with ripples as they shot toward the two enemies.
Itachi used his Sharingan to dodge them with relative ease.
Kisame, however, looked clumsy.
He dodged four or five chains, but the sixth pierced straight through him and pinned him to the ground.
Naruto frowned. Something felt off about the strike.
Not the real body.
It was… a water clone.
Sure enough, the next moment, the impaled Kisame burst into a splash of water.
From inside the shark-shaped water mass, Kisame revealed himself.
He had completely hidden his presence inside the water, waiting for this moment. His hands flew through seals.
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu."
The shark's form shrunk and split in half, forming a water sphere that encased Naruto.
"Itachi, go! I'll hold him!" Kisame whispered.
Itachi didn't look back. He vanished in a blur of speed, disappearing from view in an instant.
The Water Prison was a troublesome technique for most shinobi.
Ninjas trapped inside would be immobilized, unable to speak or form seals.
Without a proper counter, one could suffocate to death.
But for Naruto—
This jutsu only posed a threat for a moment, when it first formed.
No incantation needed.
"Hadō No. 11: Tsuzuri Raiden."
Golden lightning crackled from his dual blades, surging throughout the entire water sphere, then arcing into the shark and Kisame himself.
The electricity paralyzed Kisame's movements and disrupted his chakra flow.
The jutsu could no longer be maintained.
The sphere shattered, the shark dispersed, and Kisame fell from the sky.
Naruto slashed at his neck.
Kisame gritted his teeth, twisting midair to avoid a fatal blow.
But it only spared his life.
The blade sliced off his left arm.
Naruto moved in to finish him off.
Boom!
Black flames suddenly erupted on Naruto's body.
It was Itachi.
Naruto looked up—his senses told him that the man was already hundreds of meters away.
So this Sharingan ability… could be used from such a long distance?
As long as Itachi could see, he could summon these black flames?
He hadn't abandoned his teammate—he had simply chosen a smarter tactic.
The inextinguishable fire forced Naruto to stop.
Kisame seized the moment, diving into the ground. The dirt beneath him liquified, like flowing water, and he slipped away with it.
Naruto tried to chase.
But the black flames kept appearing in front of him at just the right moment.
He stopped the pursuit, canceled his release, and sheathed his blades.
He picked up the severed arm and sealed it into a scroll before turning back.
—
At the coastline of Uzushiogakure—
Itachi and Kisame stopped fleeing.
"He's not chasing," Kisame frowned, opening his ninja pouch, applying ointment, and bandaging his wound. "That brat's ridiculously strong."
Itachi nodded in agreement.
"Let's bring the intel back," he said softly. "Maybe we can analyze something useful."
Samehada wriggled unhappily, having been separated from the chakra it liked.
Kisame paused his bandaging and fed it some of his own chakra to calm it down. "Even your illusion, which always works, didn't do anything to him."
"Looks like only the boss might be able to take him down."
Itachi said nothing.
He lowered his head, recalling that pair of… purple ripple-patterned eyes.
"Let's go," he finally said after a while, moving over to help Kisame bandage himself. "If he chases us now, we're in trouble."
"Jinchūriki's sensory range… is even greater than the Byakugan."
They didn't linger. Without delay, they boarded a ship and left.
—
Naruto returned to the temporary camp.
The fire had been extinguished and hastily buried under dirt.
Karin was gone.
He could barely sense any trace of her chakra.
"I'm back, Karin," he said softly.
A moment later, her head popped out from a nearby building: "The noise earlier was crazy—did you drive them off?"
"They ran." Naruto smiled, tilting his head at her. "You came out so casually—what if I was someone impersonating me?"
Karin put her hands on her hips, boldly: "I can sense chakra signatures."
"Your chakra is unique—warm, something no one else has."
"That can't be faked."
She walked over, just about to relight the fire, when she noticed the wound on Naruto's body. Her head leaned on his shoulder. "You're hurt?"
"Hurry, bite me!" she urged, rolling up her sleeve.
Naruto shook his head and pointed: "No need, it's already healing."
Karin looked closely.
The wound was healing slowly but visibly with the naked eye.
"You have that kind of body too," she nodded. "I almost forgot—you're also from the Uzumaki clan."
The fire was rekindled.
Naruto and Karin began discussing sealing techniques.
She taught him about the "Kagura Mind's Eye"—a fascinating jutsu that deeply interested Naruto.
Especially the part about "sensing emotions."
It was very similar to what he had obtained from the release of Asura, his blade.
He remembered what Kurama had said: "Asura was an ancestor of the Uzumaki clan."
This ability, in a way, confirmed that theory.
Hopefully, tomorrow they could find useful clues in the ancient inscriptions.
—
The next day, Naruto and Karin resumed their investigation.
They were especially looking for a "shrine," but no such structure seemed to exist in the ruined village.
Or rather, it once existed… but had completely vanished—moved in its entirety.
The conspicuously empty cleared spaces amidst the ruins supported that theory.
They bore signs that structures once stood there.
—
At lunch:
"Was it taken by the ninja villages that destroyed Uzushio?" Karin asked regretfully.
"Let's gather what we can from here first," Naruto said, holding a scroll. "The history of the Uzumaki is fascinating."
"After we're done collecting useful information here, we'll find out which villages were involved in Uzushio's destruction."
"Then we'll visit those villages to exchange intel."
Karin nodded.
Before they could eat much—
A puff of white smoke exploded next to Naruto.
A bright red toad wearing goggles appeared.
Naruto instinctively flared his chakra.
"I'm not the enemy!" the toad squeaked in fear. "I'm a messenger from Mount Myōboku!"
"Lord Jiraiya has a message for you!"
Naruto restrained his aura: "What is it?"
The red toad opened its mouth and spit out a scroll. "Everything's written here by Lord Jiraiya."
Naruto took it and unrolled the scroll.
It was densely packed with writing.
But nothing was surprising to him.
The message concerned the ones who had attacked him last night—Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.
Jiraiya explained—
They were members of an organization called Akatsuki.
A group of only nine ninja, small in number—but highly elite.
All nine were S-rank criminals wanted by the major villages.
The organization's objective was unknown, though they had been collecting jutsu.
Just a few days ago—
Itachi and Kisame had infiltrated Konoha and seriously injured Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi.
They had only just woken up today.
And they brought an important revelation:
The duo's mission in Konoha had been to find the Fourth Hokage's legacy.
(End of Chapter)