The intelligence gained from Gakure was invaluable: Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki were currently operating near the border of the Land of Water, pursuing a specific high-value scroll believed to contain secrets of ancient Kiri (Hidden Mist) water techniques.
Naruto moved with a relentless efficiency he had never possessed before. His body was no longer fueled by ramen and adrenaline, but by the cold, calculated energy of the Uzumaki Collective Consciousness.
"Itachi Uchiha is a tactician of genius level, driven by sacrifice. Kisame Hoshigaki is pure, brute force, backed by immense chakra and the blade Samehada," the Collective advised, its voices a constant, guiding chorus in his mind. "To defeat them, you must separate them, isolate their abilities, and render their defining weapons useless."
Naruto's journey across the Land of Fire and into the humid, mist-shrouded terrain of the Land of Water was a blur of constant, grueling training. He didn't stop for rest; he sealed his need for sleep with minor Fūinjutsu, forcing his body to rely on minimal output while his mind continued to process the forbidden lore.
Training the Forbidden Seals.
His focus was on two new, devastating techniques.
Kishin no Kōsa (Demon God's Cross), The ultimate capture seal. This jutsu manifested as chains—not the solid, physical chains of his mother, Kushina, but pure, concentrated chakra chains that could phase through matter and instantly seal all chakra points of a target upon contact.
Ryū-jin no Tsume (Dragon God's Claw), A short-range, lethal Taijutsu enhancer. It involved a swift, precise series of strikes that temporarily sealed and then detonated the chakra points of a target, causing massive internal damage.
Naruto practiced Kishin no Kōsa in the deep swamps. He would throw his will at the ancient, thick-rooted trees, watching the translucent, silver-blue chains burst from his body. They weren't fast enough. They lacked the necessary killing intent.
"Your emotions are sealed, but your will is insufficient," the Collective critiqued. "Every chain must contain the full weight of Uzushiogakure's destruction. Let the hatred flow through the seal, not just the chakra."
He channeled the memory of Rin and Hana's murder, and the bullying of Konoha, not into a chaotic rage, but into a focused, cold point of intent.
Sching.
The next chain was faster than sight. It phased through the trunk of a massive redwood and erupted on the far side, leaving the tree standing but utterly dead, its ability to draw life force sealed away.
The Ambush Site.
Naruto finally found the duo's projected path near a winding river gorge, cloaked eternally in thick Mist Country fog. He selected a narrow choke point where the river ran deep and the surrounding cliff walls were steep.
His plan was a reflection of the Collective's cold strategy: Subdue the threat, then psychologically dismantle the prize.
Using a specialized branch of Fūinjutsu he had mastered, Naruto spent 12 hours layering the gorge walls and riverbed with invisible, pressure-sensitive Suppression Seals. These weren't designed to stop the Akatsuki, but to momentarily destabilize their massive chakra flows when triggered, creating a fraction of a second of vulnerability.
He took his position on a high, moss-covered ledge, hidden within the shroud of mist, utterly still, a patient predator.
The air grew heavy. Naruto didn't need the Chakra Kekkai no Me to sense them; their chakra signatures were immense and instantly recognizable.
First came the massive, hulking figure of Kisame Hoshigaki, Samehada resting casually on his shoulder, his eyes scanning the mist with practiced aggression.
Behind him, with that familiar, slow, measured pace, was Itachi Uchiha. Itachi's sharingan was already activated, slicing through the mist, sensing the trap laid before him.
They stopped dead center in the chokepoint.
"The air is too clean, Kisame," Itachi said, his voice low. "Someone has been here. There are seals."
Kisame grunted, gripping Samehada tighter. "Rogue Kiri ninja, perhaps? They always try their luck."
"No," Itachi corrected, raising a hand. "The residue… it smells like the scent of the grave. Old blood."
Now.
Naruto slammed his palms onto the seal he was resting upon.
Fūin Jutsu: Yami no Kaiten (Sealing Technique: Darkness Rotation)!
The pressure seals along the riverbed erupted. A silent, non-damaging pulse of disruptive chakra hit Itachi and Kisame simultaneously. Kisame gasped, stumbling as his massive chakra flow was momentarily constricted. Itachi, though recovering faster, blinked in surprise.
That single, crucial half-second was all Naruto needed.
"Kishin no Kōsa!"
Naruto shot out of the mist, releasing two massive chains of silver-blue Uzumaki chakra. One chain targeted Kisame, wrapping around the massive blade Samehada. The other, faster and more precise, shot straight for Itachi's midsection.
Kisame roared, trying to yank Samehada free, but the chain sealed the blade instantly, paralyzing its ability to absorb chakra. The sword was just a heavy piece of metal now.
Itachi was lightning fast. Even with the disruption, he used a Substitution Jutsu, replacing himself with a crow that exploded into feathers.
Failure to isolate the main target.
Kisame, enraged by the sealing of his blade, turned his fury on Naruto.
"You pathetic little brat! You'll regret touching Samehada!" He dropped the sealed sword and lunged, relying on his formidable Taijutsu and brute strength.
Naruto met him head-on. He couldn't afford a long fight with Kisame while Itachi was maneuvering. He had to end this with a single, precise attack.
"Ryū-jin no Tsume!"
As Kisame swung a powerful fist, Naruto dipped under the blow, his silver eyes cold and focused. His hand blurred through three lightning-fast taps against Kisame's inner elbow, shoulder joint, and diaphragm.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Each tap was a concentrated application of the Dragon God's Claw, sealing those pressure points before immediately detonating the small amount of trapped chakra inside.
Kisame stopped, his eyes widening in shock, not pain. "What… what did you do?"
His immense chakra flow, momentarily constricted by the seals, began to backflow violently against the detonation points.
Kisame buckled, a strangled cry escaping his throat as blood erupted from his mouth. Internal trauma, immediate and profound. He collapsed, incapacitated but alive.
Naruto didn't linger. He knew Itachi was already preparing a counter.
"Tsukuyomi."
The world fractured. Itachi stood twenty yards away, his Sharingan blazing with Mangekyō power. Naruto was instantly pulled into the Genjutsu—a world of black and red, where time did not exist.
But Naruto had been trained by the dead. The Uzumaki Collective had prepared him for this.
"He targets the mind, descendant. Counter with the seal on your heart! The pain is a lie!"
In the blink of an eye, what felt like seventy-two hours of torture passed. Itachi held a katana to Naruto's neck, reliving the death of his adopted family thousands of times. Naruto's sealed emotions made the illusion powerless to extract despair, only information.
"Why?" Itachi's illusionary voice demanded. "Why this path of ruin?"
Naruto's consciousness, however, had already found the seam in the Genjutsu. The sealed pocket of his heart chakra, the Kokoro no Heisa (Heart's Closure), acted as an anchor, a static point in the vortex of the Tsukuyomi.
"Dispel the illusion with focused hatred," the Collective commanded.
Naruto mentally reversed the flow of the Genjutsu's chakra. He didn't just break it; he used the Tsukuyomi energy to fuel a sudden, concentrated surge of pure, vengeful malice directly back into Itachi's visual receptors.
Dispel.
Naruto was instantly back in the foggy gorge. Itachi stumbled backward, one eye bleeding profusely, shocked by the force of the rejection. He had never encountered a mind so perfectly armored, let alone one that could weaponize the backlash.
"You… you are not the boy," Itachi whispered, his voice laced with horror and recognition.
Naruto leveled his silver gaze at the legendary Uchiha. "I am the storm you helped unleash. And now, I take my payment."