"Come outside."
Uchiha Itachi stepped back a little, giving Naruto room to walk out.
He didn't really dislike this kid. After all, Naruto was Sasuke's friend.
Even though he was the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, after following him this whole time, he seemed to have a decent personality.
Itachi had been planning to trick Kisame anyway. There was no real need to take the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki back.
But now that Hatake Satoru suddenly stepped in, all the careful planning he had done was useless!
While Naruto was walking out, Itachi and Kisame exchanged a glance, clearly understanding each other.
That's enough for now.
Naruto walked from the doorway into the hallway. He knew that if Jiraiya were here, things would be different.
But with just him alone, there was no way he could beat these two.
There was no need to even try; anyone could figure that out in an instant.
The only thing he could do now was find a way to stall them as long as possible, or leave some kind of mark for the Pervy Sage to track him.
Naruto swallowed hard, silently thinking.
"Let's go. If you try to run or fight back, I'll cut off your legs."
"Or maybe to make sure you don't run, I should just cut off your legs right here?"
Kisame showed a terrifying grin, his pale shark teeth completely exposed.
Itachi stood quietly to the side, watching Naruto without saying anything to stop Kisame.
He then heard hurried footsteps coming up the stairs. From how heavy the steps were, it sounded like someone about Naruto's age.
So, someone followed him.
Naruto broke out in a cold sweat from Kisame's words. This guy definitely wasn't joking.
But right now, there was no chance to escape.
Just as Naruto was struggling, a familiar voice came from behind the two men.
"Long time no see…"
Sasuke forced himself to swallow the word "Nii-san" that almost slipped out, pausing awkwardly in the middle.
He then tried to steady his heavy breathing, doing his best to make his voice sound calm.
Still, the slight gasps gave away that he had been running hard just now.
"Itachi Uchiha."
He didn't even need to see Itachi's face. Just from the silhouette standing there, Sasuke knew it was him.
But that outfit was way too flashy—totally not Itachi's style.
At first glance, it almost made Sasuke want to laugh.
He forced down the expression on his face. Wanting to laugh but not being able to, he ended up making a twisted, almost fierce expression instead.
Itachi and Kisame silently turned their heads toward the voice behind them.
"!?"
Itachi Uchiha?!
Naruto looked through the gap between the two and saw ahead.
Sasuke's face was twisted in a way Naruto had never seen before.
His bright red Sharingan eyes were glaring at Itachi beside Naruto.
Of course, if Naruto knew that Sasuke only looked like that because he was trying to hold back laughter, he might have felt a bit more relaxed.
Now it seemed like there was one more person here who shouldn't be.
Itachi Uchiha—that was Sasuke's older brother, wasn't it?!
Naruto didn't really remember Itachi's face, but back when he and Sasuke went to school together, he often heard Sasuke mention this man's name.
Until Uchiha Itachi became the killer who wiped out his entire clan, leaving only Sasuke alive.
After that, Sasuke never mentioned Uchiha Itachi's name again.
No wonder they look so much alike!
Back then, no matter the situation, Sasuke always carried the intention of killing a certain man.
If nothing unexpected happened, it should be this man.
Naruto thought of Sasuke's fierce expression, and the scene of their first self-introductions in class flashed in his mind.
And back when they fought that guy from the Hidden Mist Village, Sasuke also said something about being unwilling to lose.
Everything now pointed straight at Uchiha Itachi, who was standing to the side.
A bunch of clues flashed through Naruto's mind all at once—things Sasuke had said, his actions—they all matched up.
He didn't even have time to ask why Sasuke had come here at this moment. He could only watch as the situation in front of him was about to turn into some kind of family feud.
Something feels wrong, even if I can't tell what exactly!
Hoshigaki Kisame turned his head with interest. The story of Itachi wiping out his clan was known by everyone.
The reason Akatsuki doubted Itachi was also because he killed his whole clan, leaving only his younger brother in Konoha.
No matter how you think about it, that brother could be the leverage Konoha uses to control Itachi.
As long as the leverage is in the village, Akatsuki can never fully trust him.
And after Orochimaru betrayed the organization, Itachi, who was also from Konoha, was under even more suspicion.
Luckily, since his defection, Itachi had rarely contacted the village and had never shown any signs of a problem.
"You did something like that, and you still dare to come back to the village."
"I've done as you said—I hated you, resented you, chased you as my goal."
Now it's time for me to prove myself, right?
Small talk and polite words meant nothing to Sasuke and Itachi. With other people present, they could only face each other as enemies.
... ... ....
Sasuke couldn't wait to show Itachi what he had learned and trained in since he left.
He was no longer the same as before—no longer the boy who could only watch Shisui and his brother leave together while staying behind helplessly in the village.
Blue lightning-like chakra gathered in Sasuke's palm, the current rubbing against the air and making crackling sounds, like the cries of thousands of birds.
Hoshigaki Kisame raised an eyebrow slightly—this was quite an intimidating aura.
After all, this was the man who slaughtered his entire clan. But right now, their mission was supposed to be about the Nine-Tails kid over there.
Either way, even for Itachi, this kid showing up was an unexpected twist.
Better take care of him first.
Kisame gripped the hilt of the Samehada sword on his back.
"No need to interfere. This is between me and him. Just keep an eye on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
Looks like Kisame didn't know the full truth about the massacre, even though they were technically on the same side through Hatake Satoru.
There were still gaps in the intel after all.
Itachi stepped forward slightly and raised his hand to stop Kisame.
With the sound of birds screaming, the wall next to Sasuke's hand was blasted out in deep holes by the lightning-charged chakra.
Chunks of the wall kept breaking off and falling.
Two pairs of blood-red Sharingan locked onto each other. Sasuke's eyes widened, and then he charged at Itachi.
The blinding flash of lightning closed in on Itachi's face in an instant!
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