Uchiha Itachi received the information relayed by his crow clone and confirmed Sasuke's current situation in the village. Only then did he feel slightly at ease.
After finishing the last dango skewer, he turned to Kisame and said, "Let's go. The Four-Tails is in the Land of Earth… looks like we're a bit late."
Up ahead stood Asuma and Kurenai, while behind them was Kakashi Hatake, carrying a box of red bean mochi an offering he had bought for Obito.
It had been Kakashi who first spotted the two Akatsuki members while waiting for Sasuke near the dango shop. As for Asuma and Kurenai, they'd just been on a date and were dragged into the situation.
The street had already been cleared out.
Looks like we were already being watched at the shop, Itachi thought.
"Well, it's been a while, Asuma, Kurenai… and Kakashi."
Itachi removed his wide-brimmed straw hat, revealing a cold and distant expression.
"Hmph, Uchiha Itachi. And Kisame Hoshigaki."
Asuma shifted to shield Kurenai with half his body. According to the intelligence reports from the old man, Kurenai hadn't even been able to meet Itachi's eyes last time.
Kakashi tossed the box of red bean mochi beneath a nearby tree, his hand drifting toward the pouch on his lower back.
"Oh? I didn't realize I was so famous. Let's get along, then," Kisame said as he lifted his hat too, revealing his shark-like face.
"You two, this ends now—"
Asuma didn't even finish his threat before the crackling of lightning echoed through the air.
Uchiha Sasuke suddenly appeared, lightning surging in his hand as he lunged straight for Itachi.
That day, Sasuke had originally been scheduled to train with Kakashi, and they had agreed to meet at the dango shop. But Kakashi never showed. When Sasuke went looking for him, he stumbled upon this scene instead.
What a surprise! Today's the day I avenge my clan!
Uchiha Itachi, prepare to die! He poured his chakra into the Chidori with everything he had.
Only for the Chidori to be caught barehanded.
What?! Sasuke was shocked.
He had forgotten just how sharply the Sharingan enhanced one's ability to track movement. A simple, unchanging, linear attack was far too easy to predict in the face of a Mangekyō Sharingan.
Itachi's eyes spun as his Mangekyō activated, staring down coldly at his younger brother.
He drove a fierce knee into Sasuke's abdomen, launching him into a tree with brutal force. Sasuke slammed into the trunk and crumpled, clearly unable to fight any further.
"So ruthless. That's your little brother, isn't it?" Kisame commented as he lifted his blade to deflect the chakra-laced trench knives flying at them.
Itachi said nothing, calmly flinging a shuriken with one hand while forming hand seals with the other.
Kakashi's kunai intercepted the shuriken midair.
And so began the clash between elite jōnin and S-rank rogue ninja!
The battlefield quickly split, each fighter facing their respective foe.
Asuma's Flying Swallow blade clashed with Samehada. Three-tomoe Sharingan locked eyes with the Mangekyō. Kurenai was sidelined, cautiously observing.
"Hmph, so this is Kisame Hoshigaki."
Working in tandem with Kurenai's genjutsu, Asuma managed to gain the upper hand. A wind blade sliced across Kisame's cheek, drawing blood.
The so-called "Blade King" Asuma lived up to his name.
Their coordinated assault gave them a slight edge. Smirking, Asuma decided to press it further with some trash talk.
"Hmph, so much for the big bad Kisame. What, couldn't cut it in the Hidden Mist, so you became a missing-nin? Got ranked S-class just by riding the wave of your big sword, huh?"
It was a tactic. If trash talk could throw an opponent off and create an opening, it was worth the risk. If not, nothing was lost.
But that only worked when both sides were evenly matched. When there was a power gap, this kind of provocation just made the boss angry.
And Kisame was prideful to begin with he held a grudge ever since getting beaten by Might Guy. He loved a good fight, and hearing Asuma run his mouth only made his blood boil.
In his current state, Kisame was indeed evenly matched with Asuma. But he didn't plan to hold back any longer.
He was about to unleash his second form.
Not to mention Kurenai, the genjutsu user on the sidelines while she'd be completely outclassed by Itachi, she could still pose a threat to Kisame.
Time to set the stage.
"Let's change the battlefield," Kisame said, forming hand seals rapidly.
"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A massive surge of water burst from his mouth, instantly flooding the street. In the blink of an eye, the dry battlefield was submerged beneath crashing waves.
To summon water from nothing Kisame was undoubtedly one of the strongest Water Style users alive, second only to a few.
The overwhelming chakra disrupted genjutsu as well.
Kisame dove into the water, continuing to weave seals.
His body merged with Samehada, transforming into a monstrous shark-man hybrid. His speed, strength, and chakra absorption abilities skyrocketed. Now submerged in a field of his own making, Kisame had reached his true form.
This was where the real battle began.
Meanwhile, Kakashi's side was not faring well.
Against Uchiha Itachi, his shadow clones and basic ninjutsu were holding their own until the Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin.
The moment it did, Kakashi was instantly overwhelmed.
Before he could even react, he was hit by Tsukuyomi and trapped in a torturous illusionary world.
In reality, he simply collapsed, unconscious in an instant.
Defeated by a single Tsukuyomi!
Sasuke watched, stunned. Was that… a one-shot?
Kakashi, the same guy who was always boasting?
So that was all talk? About being equals with Itachi back in the day? Lies, all of it!
Itachi slowly approached Sasuke, towering over him. His voice was calm and oppressive.
"You're still too weak, Sasuke. Your hatred isn't strong enough. Only when your hatred reaches its peak will you gain eyes like mine."
As his words fell, the Mangekyō spun once again.
Sasuke had no time to resist. He was instantly pulled into the illusion.
It's over, Sasuke thought.
He screamed in agony and fell unconscious beside Kakashi, teacher and student both defeated.
At that critical moment, a flash of green streaked into the battlefield like a bolt of lightning!
A hot-blooded man stood before Sasuke, forcing Itachi to retreat a step.
"The Blue Beast of Konoha, reporting for duty!"
Might Guy shouted with vigor, his thick eyebrows and tight green jumpsuit catching everyone's attention.
He glanced at the fallen Kakashi and Sasuke, then shifted his gaze to Itachi's feet, taking his stance.
"From here on out, I'll be your opponent!"
When Hiruzen Sarutobi received the news, he was already numb.
Kakashi had notified a few jōnin to assist in intercepting the S-rank duo. He had sent Guy to inform the ANBU first, but Guy, being Guy, immediately turned back to help Kakashi.
ANBU had swiftly mobilized and sent a team.
Then came to inform the Hokage.
By the time the message reached him, the battle had already begun.
It felt exactly like meeting with an undercover agent on a rooftop, only to step into the lobby and see him being arrested by uniformed officers for not having ID.
Absolutely unbelievable.
Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing. He just changed into his combat gear and led a squad of ANBU to the scene.