Just like in the original storyline, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi had been completely overwhelmed by the terrifying strength of Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki.
The two elite jonin had tried their best to resist, but the gap in power between them and the two members of the Akatsuki organization was simply too great.
They were already on the verge of defeat when Kakashi Hatake suddenly appeared.
Kakashi's arrival barely managed to stabilize the situation.
However, the moment he confronted Itachi Uchiha, the battle instantly escalated.
Without hesitation, Itachi activated the terrifying power of his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Tsukuyomi."
In a single instant, Kakashi's consciousness was dragged into a horrifying illusion world.
Within the illusion, Kakashi experienced seventy-two hours of endless torture, even though only a single moment passed in reality.
When the genjutsu ended, Kakashi collapsed to the ground.
His body trembled violently, and his mind had been completely crushed.
He no longer had the strength to fight.
Fortunately, at that critical moment, Might Guy rushed to the scene.
Facing the arrival of another powerful Konoha jonin, Itachi made a quick decision.
He glanced at Kisame.
"It's time to withdraw."
Kisame clicked his tongue but did not object.
The two Akatsuki members quickly disappeared, leaving the exhausted Konoha ninjas behind.
Kakashi was immediately brought back to the village.
Now he lay weakly on a hospital bed, barely conscious.
His normally calm face looked pale and drained of life.
Beside him stood Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yuhi.
All three of them looked grim as they discussed the situation in low voices.
Not long after, Sasuke and Hinata arrived.
They had just finished their training and had come to report to Kakashi, only to see him lying helplessly in bed.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"What happened?"
His voice carried a cold edge.
None of the jonin answered immediately.
They exchanged glances with one another.
They had no intention of revealing the truth to Sasuke.
Just as the room fell into an awkward silence—
Bang!
The door suddenly burst open.
Aoba Yamashiro rushed inside with a shocked expression.
"I heard that Itachi Uchiha has returned to the village!"
"And his target is Naruto!"
"Is that true?!"
The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of Kakashi, Asuma, and the others instantly turned helpless.
Too late.
Sasuke had already heard everything.
When he heard the name Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke felt as if lightning had struck him directly.
His pupils contracted violently.
The hatred buried deep inside his heart erupted instantly.
"Uchiha…"
"Itachi?!"
His voice trembled with fury.
"What exactly happened?!"
"And why is Naruto being targeted?!"
Kakashi tried to sit up slightly despite his weakened condition.
"Sasuke… calm down…"
But Sasuke had already lost control.
Boom!
He slammed the door open and rushed outside.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
Kakashi coughed violently.
"Cough… cough…"
"Stop him…"
Hinata immediately stepped forward.
"Kakashi-sensei, don't worry."
"I'll go after him."
Without waiting for another word, Hinata turned and rushed out of the hospital.
Outside the village.
Sasuke had already gathered information about Naruto and Jiraiya's location.
They had been seen traveling toward Tanzaku Town.
Sasuke ran forward at full speed.
His eyes burned with rage.
Behind him, Hinata quickly caught up.
"Sasuke!"
"Please slow down!"
She spoke anxiously.
"Going to face Itachi Uchiha now is the same as seeking death!"
Sasuke paused slightly but did not stop moving.
"I know."
Hinata blinked in surprise.
"But I still have to go."
His voice softened slightly.
"I need to warn Naruto."
Hinata's heart trembled.
Despite everything, the person Sasuke cared about most was still Naruto.
He would never admit it aloud—but his actions revealed the truth.
Even though the news about Itachi had filled him with rage and hatred, once he regained a little clarity, his first concern was Naruto's safety.
Hinata nodded firmly.
"Then I'll come with you."
Sasuke gave a short reply.
"Mm."
The two of them sprinted forward at full speed toward Tanzaku Town.
When they arrived in town, they immediately began asking around anxiously.
Sasuke grabbed a passerby.
"Hey!"
"Did you see a white-haired man and a blond idiot?"
The poor man nearly fainted from fear.
"N-No! I didn't see them!"
Sasuke released him and rushed toward another inn.
Hinata followed closely behind.
She also questioned people one by one.
Finally, at a particular inn, they received a definite answer.
"Yes, a white-haired man and a blond kid stayed here earlier."
Sasuke's heart jumped.
He rushed upstairs and kicked open the door.
But the moment they looked inside—
They froze.
Inside the room stood an old man and a young boy.
Neither of them were Jiraiya or Naruto.
Sasuke's expression darkened.
"…Not them?"
Hinata looked equally disappointed.
"How could this be…?"
At that exact moment—
Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki had also arrived in Tanzaku Town.
Using genjutsu, they manipulated a beautiful woman.
Through her, they successfully lured Jiraiya into a trap.
For the time being, Jiraiya was restrained.
With their biggest obstacle temporarily out of the way, the two Akatsuki members moved toward their real target.
Naruto Uzumaki.
Meanwhile…
Naruto was completely focused on his training.
He had already finished the first stage of Rasengan training.
By rotating his chakra, he had successfully popped dozens of water balloons.
Unlike the Naruto of the original timeline, this version possessed extraordinary chakra control.
He mastered the technique extremely quickly.
In fact, he no longer needed both hands to stabilize the chakra rotation.
He could perform it easily with just one hand.
However, the second stage of training—bursting a rubber ball—was much more difficult.
Naruto was still struggling.
"Come on… break already!"
He focused his chakra intensely.
But suddenly—
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"Ah—!"
Naruto jumped in shock.
The rubber ball in his hand flew away.
"Who's there?!"
"Don't interrupt my training!"
He turned around angrily.
Two terrifying figures stood behind him.
One was tall and muscular, carrying a massive sword wrapped in bandages.
The other had calm, cold eyes glowing blood-red.
Itachi Uchiha.
Naruto froze.
"Y-You… who are you?"
Kisame grinned.
"So this is the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki?"
"He's just a useless brat."
Naruto stared at Itachi's eyes.
Those red eyes looked strangely familiar.
"Those eyes…"
"They're the same as Kakashi-sensei's and Sasuke's…"
He swallowed nervously.
"Who exactly are you?!"
Itachi answered coldly.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"Capturing you is the highest order of the Akatsuki organization."
"If you wish to avoid unnecessary suffering…"
"You should come with us quietly."
Naruto's answer came instantly.
"Only an idiot would go with you!"
Kisame chuckled.
"What an arrogant brat."
"In that case…"
"I'll break your legs first."
He lifted Samehada.
Then he swung the massive sword down with terrifying force.
BOOM!
The attack was incredibly fast.
Naruto felt as if an entire mountain were crashing toward his legs.
Kisame Hoshigaki was no ordinary enemy.
He had once been one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Among them, he was likely the strongest.
Compared to him, even Zabuza Momochi looked like a child.
Naruto felt tremendous pressure.
But he didn't panic.
He had already experienced countless life-and-death battles.
His instincts were sharp.
And most importantly—
He loved fighting.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Naruto roared.
His body suddenly blurred like a phantom.
Whoosh!
Kisame's sword crashed down—
But it sliced through empty air.
Naruto had already moved over ten meters away.
Kisame blinked in surprise.
"What?!"
Even Itachi frowned slightly.
"A wind-style Body Flicker technique?"
"Something like this has never been seen before…"
"Did he invent it himself?"
Naruto immediately formed hand seals.
"Wind Release!"
"Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gale erupted instantly.
The powerful wind swept across the barren land outside Tanzaku Town.
Dust and sand rose into the sky, forming a chaotic storm.
Visibility dropped instantly.
Itachi understood Naruto's intention immediately.
"So you're trying to block my vision with wind and sand…"
"A clever tactic against the Sharingan."
He watched Naruto carefully.
"This boy has real combat experience."
"After spending so much time with Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Sasuke…"
"He already knows how to deal with the Sharingan."
Kisame was equally shocked.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough?"
"This technique is common…"
"But this scale is ridiculous!"
"Is this the power of a Tailed Beast?"
He shook his head.
"No…"
"This is purely his own chakra."
Kisame narrowed his eyes.
"This brat's chakra reserves…"
"They might actually be comparable to mine."
Kisame Hoshigaki was known as the "Tailless Tailed Beast."
Few people in the world could rival his chakra reserves.
And yet—
This child might actually match him.
Naruto didn't hesitate.
Facing such terrifying enemies, he unleashed his full power immediately.
"Wind Release!"
"Wind Cutting Technique!"
The battle had officially begun.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)