It seemed they had realized Hinata had spotted them.
The two figures hiding behind the mountainside soon stepped into view, facing Naruto and the others.
"Uchiha Itachi… and Kisame Hoshigaki?" Kakashi's gaze sharpened as he spoke their names, lifting his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan.
"Itachi!" Sasuke's face tensed, a complex mix of emotions flashing across his features.
"And that must be Kisame?" Naruto and Hinata looked toward the towering shark-like ninja, wary but alert.
When Itachi and Kisame had come to Konoha before, Naruto had gone to see Tsunade, and Hinata had still been training in the Sage Arts on Myoboku Mountain. Neither had met Kisame in person until now.
"Well, what a surprise! Familiar faces. Kakashi, and Itachi's little brother," Kisame said with a grin, showing his sharp teeth.
"Sasuke," Itachi greeted briefly, his expression unreadable.
"Sasuke, I need to ask you something. Come with me!" Sasuke shouted, his voice firm.
He could no longer contain his urgency he needed the truth about the Uchiha clan's downfall.
Itachi glanced at him silently, his dark eyes lingering.
"I'll let you have your moment with your brother," Kisame said, surprisingly considerate. "As for this place, it's in your hands. We're just clones anyway, so buy as much time as you can."
Itachi gave a subtle nod.
"I need to speak with Itachi alone," Sasuke told Kakashi. As the lead shinobi on this mission, Kakashi understood.
Naruto, of course, already knew what Sasuke intended.
Kakashi shot Naruto a glance, and seeing him nod ever so slightly, felt reassured. He then gestured to Sasuke, allowing him to leave.
Sasuke shot a glance at Itachi before sprinting off in another direction, Itachi following silently behind him.
"Last time you came to Konoha, you were looking for me, weren't you?" Naruto called toward Kisame.
"Oh? So you're the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki. Capturing you here would have saved us a lot of trouble," Kisame said, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
"Yeah, I guess that would save you some effort," Naruto replied with a nod. Before Kisame could react further, Naruto vanished, only to reappear directly in front of him, delivering a powerful kick to Kisame's head.
"Too fast!" Kisame's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly raised Samehada to block the blow.
Even so, the force of Naruto's kick scratched a deep furrow into the ground behind him.
"Impressive taijutsu," Kisame muttered, planting Samehada into the ground. He looked at Hinata, who was rapidly closing the distance with her Byakugan active. "But my advantage lies in ninjutsu!"
"Water Style…" Kisame started, but his words were cut off.
Hinata had already vanished. A sudden, sharp pain erupted in Kisame's chest, and a mouthful of blood spewed from his lips.
He spun around in shock, only to find Hinata's calm, focused gaze on him.
Her fingers had pierced through the area around his heart from behind, chakra erupting and tearing through his body from within.
"Pft! When ?" Kisame's mind scrambled, unable to comprehend how Hinata had appeared silently behind him, striking without warning.
With no intelligence on her movements, there was nothing he could do. The clone crumpled to the ground, a testament to the terrifying precision of space-time ninjutsu.
Naruto examined the fallen body. "Looks like it wasn't the real one."
"Seems weaker than when he fought in Konoha. Probably less than half of the original's power," Kakashi observed. Having fought Kisame before, he could gauge the clone's strength.
"No matter," Naruto said casually. "If his weapons and techniques can absorb chakra, then we just take him down with pure taijutsu."
Information made all the difference.
Kisame's abilities were formidable, capable of wearing down almost any ninja, even a jinchuriki, through sheer endurance.
But luck favored Konoha this time. Naruto, Guy, and Hinata were specifically trained to counter his kind.
Hinata's Gentle Fist, enhanced by chakra or not, could strike with devastating precision.
Naruto's air pressure taijutsu could hit hard without consuming any Sage Mode chakra in a single strike.
Hearing Naruto's assessment, Kakashi silently nodded, realizing he might need to focus more on his own taijutsu training.
If they ever faced another chakra-absorbing opponent, only raw strength would suffice.
"Five-Seal Barrier," Naruto said, examining the tags affixed to the rocks. "These are special seals placed at five points around a base, creating a barrier zone. Within that range, space itself is restricted."
It was a sealing technique unique to the Uzumaki clan, and seeing it here sparked curiosity. Could there be another Uzumaki in the Akatsuki?
"Can it be undone?" Kakashi asked.
"Of course. The sealing techniques my mother left me, I've mastered them almost entirely," Naruto replied with a confident smile.
"Wait, Naruto! There's another seal stuck behind this one!" Hinata reported, her Byakugan revealing the hidden layer beneath the first.
"What does it look like?" Naruto asked, intrigued.
Hinata quickly sketched the design on the ground, revealing a complex, mirrored pattern.
"Oh? Mirror Attacker Sealing Technique? Another secret of the Uzumaki?" Naruto's interest deepened. Clearly, a descendant of their clan was active within the Akatsuki.
"This is no ordinary jutsu," he added. "It replicates the original user, creating clones with equal power. Only by surpassing the strength used when the seal was torn can one break it."
Kakashi's Sharingan flickered. Such a devious jutsu, he thought silently.
"Let's not break these seals yet," Naruto said to Hinata. "We need to enter Sage Mode first. Once we're there, we'll handle them. Don't let them escape."
"Understood," Hinata nodded.
"Kakashi-sensei, please keep watch for a few minutes," Naruto requested.
"Don't worry, I've got this," Kakashi replied, pride and relief in his eyes. This child remained cautious even now.
As Naruto and Hinata sat cross-legged, closing their eyes, they began to enter Sage Mode.
Kakashi remained alert, scanning the surroundings for any sign of enemy reinforcements.
Unbeknownst to him, Zetsu, disguised and observing from a short distance away, sighed in mild exasperation.
Are the Konoha ninja always this careful?
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