"Itachi-san, is this little blond brat the Kyūbi Jinchūriki?"
Kisame hefted his bandaged Samehada, grinning menacingly.
"Yes. I didn't expect him to be alone here. I was originally wondering how to lure Jiraiya away, but this makes it easy. Let's just take him."
Itachi's voice was calm, devoid of any emotion.
Naruto's pupils shrank instinctively. Nani? Who were these two? That shark-faced guy knew he was a Jinchūriki? And that other guy, Itachi... why did he feel so familiar? Could it be... Sasuke?
But they weren't going to give Naruto time to figure things out—Kisame reached out to grab him.
Naruto reflexively used the Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique), but Kisame simply swept Samehada in a wide arc, instantly dispersing the clones.
He then punched Naruto square in the stomach, nearly knocking him out from the pain.
Naruto desperately wanted to resist, but clearly, he wasn't strong enough.
He didn't even have time to call for help—he had no idea if Jiraiya had noticed the enemy's arrival.
"Alright, the Kyūbi Jinchūriki is captured. Time to head ba—"
"Konoha Dai Senpū!" (Leaf Great Whirlwind!)
A sudden kick interrupted Kisame's words. A powerful foot shot into Kisame's field of vision and sent him flying, while also snatching Naruto away.
It was hard to imagine how fast Guy had to be for Kisame to react too slowly to defend.
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Bushy-brows sensei! You're here just in time, dattebayo!"
Talk about cutting it close—any later, and Naruto would have been abducted. Who knows where they would've taken him, or if they'd have just killed him on the spot?
If the Savior died, what would they do then?!
Itachi's gaze sharpened as he prepared to attack Guy, but a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, striking the Taiyōken (Solar Flare) stance.
It was Natsuki.
Itachi reflexively closed his eyes and activated his Susanoo's skeletal armor for protection, but after a long pause... nothing happened.
Cautiously, he cracked an eye open.
Damn it!
Natsuki wasn't even using the technique—he was just posing!
Itachi couldn't help feeling annoyed. That he had been fooled by such a simple feint...
Was his vision deteriorating so badly it was affecting his judgment too?
Kisame, now back on his feet, sneered. "What the hell is with this weird kappa?!"
Guy casually tossed Naruto aside and gave a thumbs-up, proudly introducing himself. "I am the proud Blue Beast of Konoha, Might Guy! Not some kappa! You're the real weirdo here, shark-face!"
"Shark-face? Heh... I'll make you regret that!"
Kisame was clearly angry now. He unwrapped the bandages from Samehada, revealing the strange, living blade.
Natsuki quickly chimed in, "Guy-sensei, that sword is called Samehada. It's alive and will absorb your chakra. Be careful not to touch it directly."
"Got it! I'll handle shark-face!"
Without hesitation, Guy drew his nunchaku. Since the enemy's weapon wasn't easy to deal with, he'd rely on his own best weapons.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Guy twirled the nunchaku masterfully, then suddenly dashed forward, launching a fierce attack.
Kisame swung Samehada, clashing with Guy in a fierce exchange.
But when it came to taijutsu, Kisame wasn't even close to Guy's level.
After just a few moves, Guy spotted an opening—he suddenly kicked toward Kisame's head.
Kisame didn't have time to bring his blade up to block and could only lean back to avoid it.
But Guy followed up with a hook kick, snatching Samehada away!
Gotta admit, Guy's disarming move was smooth—worthy of being called a master of taijutsu.
Natsuki added a reminder. "Guy-sensei, Samehada is bound to its wielder. Don't try to grip it—you'll get counterattacked. Just kick it away, or it'll crawl back to Kisame on its own!"
Without hesitation, Guy booted Samehada far into the distance.
"You brat... you know too much! Suiton: Daikōdan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique)
Kisame was furious. He quickly formed hand seals and unleashed a massive wave, flooding the entire area—a testament to his immense chakra reserves.
Naruto was dumbfounded. This was probably the first time he'd seen such a terrifying Suiton jutsu.
But Natsuki remained completely calm, holding the Solar Flare stance in front of Itachi, ready to blind him the moment he exposed an opening—and then strike.
Itachi seemed to have realized this, too, so he refrained from making any rash moves.
He kept himself ready to close his eyes at any moment, and to activate Susanoo's protection as needed.
After all, if Natsuki hit him with the Eight Gates, his brittle bones would shatter instantly.
"You... seem immune to my genjutsu."
Itachi's eyes reflected a trace of disbelief. He had been trying various genjutsu on Natsuki the entire time, but none of them worked. It was baffling.
Natsuki chuckled. "Genjutsu? Just wear sunglasses, and you won't get caught. Isn't that common knowledge?"
What utter nonsense!
If it were that easy to counter genjutsu, wouldn't every genjutsu user in the ninja world be a laughingstock?!
But Naruto took it seriously. "Really? Is that how it works?! No wonder you wore sunglasses during the Chūnin Exams! So it was to protect against genjutsu! Haha! I've learned something new, dattebayo!"
...
Damn it.
This kid's hopeless.
Natsuki had no intention of actually fighting Itachi.
Battling Itachi was exhausting. With Susanoo as a shield, even if you smashed it apart, you might not harm him at all—it was just too much effort for too little reward.
Plus, Itachi's Amaterasu was seriously dangerous. If pushed too far, he might resort to it, which would be a pain to deal with.
No, it was better to just stall, and wait for the tide to turn.
As expected, a moment later, a white-haired old man suddenly appeared on the scene and launched a Katon: Dai Endan (Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet), nearly roasting Kisame like a fish on a grill.
Jiraiya had heard the commotion and arrived!
Itachi immediately called out.
"Kisame, it seems we've failed today. Let's retreat."
Kisame had no objections. He had been wary of Natsuki from the start—after all, the guy had nearly killed him last time. The scars were still fresh.
And now this weird kappa guy was just as much trouble.
Add in one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya?
Forget it. Capturing the Kyūbi Jinchūriki was out of the question today.
"Then let's—"
"Not so fast! Ninpō: Gama Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Bind!)
Jiraiya slapped his palm on the ground, summoning the walls of a giant toad's stomach, trapping everyone inside.
Natsuki, seeing this, dropped the standoff and drew his Maken Senjin (Demon Blade Thousand Edge).
With a flash, he was in front of Itachi, slicing down.
Itachi instinctively raised a kunai to block, but in the next second, his pupils shrank.
(End of Chapter)
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