"Only four Anbu sent after me? I guess I've been underestimated."
Gusion smiled as he spoke. His Conqueror's Haki spread out, and the currents of the Raijin Fruit crackled like tree branches, colliding with the Anbu's jutsu in midair.
Amid the roar, towering trees toppled in swaths. The Conqueror's Haki stunned the Anbu for a split second—then Gusion's lightning burst through their jutsu.
All three Anbu, positioned around him, snapped to attention, quickly forming seals and unleashing their signature techniques.
"Fire Style: Scorching Burn!"
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Konoha's Anbu worked together with precision. Their attacks weren't reckless; the water-style user, in particular, built a barrier with water to conduct and redirect the lightning, absorbing its force and channeling it away.
The wind-style user relied on the logic that, in the Naruto universe, wind beats lightning. Using elemental advantage, he believed he could block Gusion's thunder.
The fire-style user, however, was more aggressive. The Scorching Burn technique didn't spew fire from the mouth but ignited the target directly—making it hard to dodge.
Believing his position was safe, he tried to injure Gusion first.
Their tactics were solid—but their target was no ordinary foe.
Gusion drew his Mazuko blade, slicing through the fire attack with a gust of wind, while his Raijin lightning punched right through the wind jutsu, striking the Anbu and charring him black.
They'd miscalculated: Gusion wasn't using chakra-based lightning techniques, but real thunder from his Devil Fruit powers. Elemental relationships based on chakra didn't apply.
In nature, wind can't block or disperse lightning.
A mistake meant death. The fire-style Anbu met the same fate: Gusion's lightning was far more flexible than ninjutsu, snaking around obstacles and blasting the target head-on.
In the Naruto world, most ninja have high offense but weak defense—like glass cannons. Even elite Anbu couldn't withstand Gusion's divine thunder and died instantly.
Only the water-style ninja had the insight to survive, using water to redirect and dissipate the lightning.
All of this happened in a split second. In the first exchange, two of the three Anbu were dead, and the third was struggling to fend off Gusion's casual lightning attacks—when suddenly, a figure dropped from the treetops above.
Beneath a cat-faced mask, eyes opened. The three tomoe swirled, transforming into a pinwheel.
The instant Gusion saw the scarlet Sharingan, the corner of his mouth curled up. He realized he may have run into a rare strong opponent.
At this point in the timeline, Anbu with Sharingan were rare. Combined with the opponent's composure and the evolved Sharingan, who could it be but Uchiha Itachi?
Itachi remained calm, unfazed by his teammates' deaths. He used a Body Replacement Technique to swap places with a spot above, then instantly appeared in Gusion's blind spot.
Immediately, he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, knowing this so-called Calamity was even more terrifying than the legends—defeating two Anbu without breaking a sweat.
If he hesitated even a little, Itachi knew he'd die here.
The Mangekyo's pinwheel spun in his eyes—Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi!
After casting his eye technique, Itachi instantly felt his body weaken—using the Mangekyo consumed chakra and eye power. Gritting his teeth, he threw a kunai at Gusion's throat with his left hand and slashed at Gusion's neck with his ninja blade in his right.
Clang—
The crisp sound of metal echoed. Sparks lit up Itachi's shocked Mangekyo eyes.
Gusion blocked Itachi's strike with Mazuko, countered with force, and sent Itachi flying. He crashed through several trees before stopping.
Coughing up blood, Itachi's mask was stained inside and out, blood trickling down his cheek.
Shaking, he stood and faced Gusion, Mangekyo eyes fixed nervously on the man perched atop a branch.
"That's all?" Gusion remarked. That was just a casual swing, and the legendary Itachi was nearly on his knees.
He checked Itachi's stats with a scouting skill and discovered just how one-sided ninja stats were in this world:
[Uchiha Itachi]
Constitution: 43
Agility: 60
Strength: 42
Spirit: 73
Charisma: 50
[]
Even a top-tier ninja like Itachi had glaring weaknesses. Compared to ordinary people, his body was tough and his taijutsu impressive—but against someone like Gusion or the Raikage, he was fragile.
Of course, Itachi excelled at genjutsu, relying on his high spirit stat and tactical prowess—plus the Mangekyo's Tsukuyomi—to dominate most situations.
Unfortunately, Itachi's genjutsu was useless against Gusion.
Realizing his opponent was likely an Uchiha genjutsu specialist, Gusion immediately activated his own abilities. His spirit attribute was 70, just three points lower than Itachi's.
Because of his bloodline's passive effect, Gusion was immune to control skills not exceeding his spirit by more than 5 points.
Bad luck for 13-year-old Itachi, who wasn't yet at his peak—his genjutsu was just within Gusion's immunity range.
Without his trump card, Itachi's remaining skills seemed unremarkable to Gusion—even his Susanoo wouldn't matter.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Suddenly, a voice sounded behind Gusion—the water-style Anbu, hoping to strike while Gusion was focused on Itachi.
Lightning crackled around Gusion. A thunder beast shot toward the water dragon, instantly ionizing the water, and the resulting hydrogen-oxygen mix exploded in a flash.
Amid the shockwave, Gusion summoned his Barbarian King Bow, fired an arrow through two trees, and blew the Anbu's head apart.
He spun, launching a roundhouse kick at Itachi's waist, sending him flying again.
Gusion dismissed the bow, switched back to Mazuko, and dove from above, slashing at Itachi's neck.
He'd always liked Itachi as a character when reading the manga as a kid—but that didn't mean he'd go easy on someone sent to kill him.
Bang—
The blade struck, but only cut through a log.
Gusion smirked. "Such a quick Body Replacement, huh?"
He never really understood the jutsu when reading the manga, but now he was sure: it's not about swapping places with a random object at lightning speed—that'd be pointless. It had to be a form of spatial ninjutsu, albeit less flexible than advanced techniques, and limited to nearby objects with hand seals required. Not much use at the highest level.
Still, Itachi used it well—saving himself in the nick of time.
"So, the Uchiha clan isn't wiped out yet?" Gusion casually asked as he turned, unsure of the timeline due to other Explorers' interference.
According to canon, the year he arrived should be when the Uchiha massacre happened. But here Itachi was, still Anbu, sent to hunt him.
On the other side, having just escaped death, Itachi had already considered retreat, but Gusion's question shook him.
He pulled off his blood-soaked mask, revealing a young, handsome face now streaked with blood.
"What do you mean by that?"
Of course, Itachi knew of Gusion. He'd seen Gusion in action, not just heard the legends. At one time, both the Yellow Flash and Calamity were childhood heroes for Konoha kids—including Itachi.
So, being assigned to kill him a few days ago had stirred mixed feelings.
Now, hearing Gusion mention the Uchiha clan's possible destruction, a sensitive topic, Itachi's heart trembled—this was precisely what had been troubling him lately. Compared to the fate of his clan, his own life seemed insignificant.
"So, they're not wiped out yet. Makes sense—you haven't become a rogue ninja like me," Gusion said mockingly. It was unclear if he was mocking himself or Konoha.
Itachi frowned. "What do you know?"
He was confused. The Uchiha coup was supposedly a secret, and the village leadership's attitude was hidden. How did even a long-time rogue like Gusion know the Uchiha were in danger?
Gusion had just been probing for the timeline and world changes. But as Itachi questioned him, a hidden quest appeared:
[Hidden Quest: Uchiha's Redemption]
Objective: Help Uchiha Itachi resolve the Uchiha clan's crisis. Prevent their massacre and secure their rightful place in the ninja world.
Difficulty: Easy to Nightmare
Note: Your actions will greatly affect the world's storyline and exploration rewards.
Rewards: Sharingan (1 Tomoe) bloodline item → Mangekyo Sharingan bloodline item
Failure Penalty: None
[]
Seeing the quest, Gusion instantly changed his mind. With high exploration points and a Mangekyo Sharingan to gain, why not take it?
He changed his response: "I don't know anything. If Konoha had good intel, they'd know I was imprisoned in Kumogakure for eight years—I only just escaped."
Seeing Itachi's confusion, Gusion stepped closer. "But even eight years ago, I knew the Uchiha were doomed sooner or later. That's why I asked."
Itachi was shaken—he knew Gusion's background as an Anbu squad leader. Did Gusion foresee the Uchiha's fate eight years ago?
"Senpai, why do you think our Uchiha clan is doomed?"
Realizing Gusion wasn't attacking, Itachi couldn't help but ask. People instinctively seek advice from the strong. If Gusion had been knocked out by Tsukuyomi, his words would be dismissed—but now, Itachi was curious.
If he could understand the reason, even dying today would bring some closure.