Using the momentum from his powerful leap, Naruto unleashed his attack.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
The chakra swirling around him instantly condensed into sharp currents of wind. Combined with the speed of his forward motion, the attack transformed into a raging storm of cutting blades.
Whoooosh—!
The wind roared violently across the battlefield.
Invisible blades sliced through the air like countless knives, producing sharp whistling sounds as they tore forward.
The lake surface trembled under the violent pressure of the technique.
Kisame Hoshigaki watched the approaching storm of wind blades and could not help but smile in admiration.
"This kid really is impressive…"
However, despite Naruto's fierce attack, Kisame did not show even the slightest hint of panic.
Instead, he calmly raised his hands and rapidly formed a series of hand seals.
A massive surge of chakra erupted from his body.
"Water Release: Bursting Water Colliding Waves!"
The moment he finished speaking, an enormous torrent of water exploded from his mouth.
The water surged outward like a raging ocean, instantly flooding the surrounding battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, the rushing waves collided directly with Naruto's Wind Release techniques.
BOOM!
The water and wind clashed violently.
However, the difference in chakra reserves and ninjutsu mastery quickly became clear.
Kisame's overwhelming chakra output completely suppressed Naruto's wind techniques.
The raging wind blades were swallowed by the massive waves, which then turned into towering walls of water that surged toward Naruto.
"What?!"
Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
Although he possessed an enormous amount of chakra for someone his age, this was the first time he had faced an opponent whose raw power completely surpassed his own.
The enormous wave rushed toward him like a collapsing dam.
Naruto immediately reacted.
He leaped high into the air and channeled chakra into the soles of his feet.
Splash!
He landed on the surface of the water, balancing himself as the current surged beneath him.
His body swayed slightly, but he managed to maintain his footing.
Not far away, Kisame frowned slightly.
"Mr. Itachi," he said casually, "the Nine-Tails boy is more troublesome than I expected."
Standing nearby, Uchiha Itachi watched the battle quietly.
He nodded slightly.
"To possess such strength at such a young age… is truly remarkable," Itachi said calmly.
"Although he is our prey, I must admit that this boy deserves praise."
Naruto ignored their conversation completely.
Instead, he immediately formed a hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
White smoke exploded across the surface of the lake.
Hundreds of Naruto's shadow clones appeared instantly.
Then hundreds more.
Within seconds, thousands of clones covered the entire water surface.
The lake was completely filled with identical figures.
The sight was overwhelming.
Kisame raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"He truly is extraordinary…"
Then he grinned widely.
"And the most interesting part is that he didn't even rely on the power of the Nine-Tails to reach this level."
"That almost makes me admire him."
Despite his words of praise, Kisame's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Still…"
He slowly raised his hand and slammed it onto the water's surface.
"Let me show you something, Nine-Tails boy."
"This is the power of a tailless Tailed Beast!"
His chakra erupted violently.
"Water Release: Thousand Feeding Sharks!"
The moment he completed the technique, the entire lake surface exploded.
Countless water sharks suddenly emerged.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
They burst out of the water from every direction.
Some surged from beneath the surface.
Others leaped into the air.
All of them rushed toward Naruto's army of shadow clones.
Their jaws opened wide as they lunged forward, tearing through the clones.
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"This guy… his chakra is insane!"
He roared and ordered his clones to attack.
The clones charged forward in waves.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battlefield instantly descended into chaos.
Naruto's shadow clones clashed with Kisame's water sharks in a massive collision.
Explosions echoed everywhere.
Clones vanished into clouds of white smoke.
Water sharks shattered into splashes.
Roars, splashes, and explosions filled the air.
But despite Naruto's numbers, Kisame's technique was overwhelmingly powerful.
One by one, the clones disappeared.
Within minutes, nearly all of Naruto's thousands of clones had been destroyed.
Only a few remained.
Naruto stared at the battlefield and gasped for breath.
Kisame watched calmly.
"Impressive for a child," he said with a grin.
"But you're still just a child."
Then he raised his hand again.
"Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!"
Without warning, the water around Naruto suddenly moved.
A massive sphere of water formed instantly.
Before Naruto could react, the water closed around him.
Splash!
Naruto and his remaining clones were trapped inside a giant floating sphere of water.
"What is this…?!"
Naruto's eyes widened.
He was completely submerged.
The water surrounded him on all sides.
He couldn't breathe.
Worse still, the chakra inside his body felt suppressed.
He couldn't gather enough chakra to break free.
Kisame slowly walked closer to the floating prison.
A cold smile appeared on his face.
"The capture of the Nine-Tails boy… successful."
He scratched the back of his head casually.
"Even I had to put in some effort to capture you."
"You really are an impressive kid."
Inside the prison, Naruto struggled desperately.
But the water pressed tightly around him.
He couldn't even open his mouth to shout.
Rage and panic surged through his body.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The water prison began shaking violently.
Kisame frowned.
"He still has strength left?!"
The Water Prison Jutsu normally suppressed chakra completely.
Most shinobi could not even use ninjutsu once trapped inside it.
Then Kisame realized something.
Naruto wasn't trying to use ninjutsu.
He was preparing something else.
"What is that…?"
In the next instant—
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted inside the water prison.
Naruto had pulled out an explosive tag and detonated it directly beside himself.
The blast shattered the water prison instantly.
Water exploded outward in every direction.
But Naruto paid a heavy price.
His body was covered in blood.
Half his clothes were torn apart.
The water splashing from the shattered prison mixed with his blood and spread across the lake.
Even Kisame was splashed with the mixture of water and blood.
The flash from the explosion forced him to step back slightly.
"An explosive tag…?"
Kisame stared at Naruto in surprise.
"What a ruthless kid."
Naruto staggered forward after escaping the prison.
His breathing was ragged.
His body trembled from his injuries.
But he still managed to stand upright.
Kisame looked genuinely shocked.
Naruto's power still could not match his.
But the boy's battle instincts and determination were incredible.
In terms of combat will, Naruto already resembled an experienced Jonin.
Even Kisame felt impressed.
"As Mr. Itachi said…"
"You truly are extraordinary."
"But unfortunately…"
"This is as far as you go."
Kisame raised Samehada and swung the massive sword down toward Naruto.
But at that exact moment—
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Protection!"
BOOM!
A figure suddenly appeared between them.
Hinata Hyuga struck forward with her palm.
A powerful shockwave erupted from the attack.
Samehada was knocked away instantly.
The giant sword spun through the air and landed several meters away.
Kisame's eyes widened.
"What?!"
Naruto was equally shocked.
"H-Hinata?!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield—
Sasuke finally saw the figure he had been searching for.
Uchiha Itachi.
Rage exploded within him.
"Uchiha… Itachi!"
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
His eyes burned with hatred.
The Sharingan spun violently.
But this time…
It wasn't the two-tomoe Sharingan anymore.
It had evolved.
Three tomoe now rotated inside his crimson eyes.
Lightning chakra gathered in Sasuke's hand.
"Chidori!"
The sound of a thousand birds screaming filled the air.
Electricity exploded outward.
The ground beneath his feet cracked as Sasuke charged forward.
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
With a roar filled with hatred and despair, Sasuke launched himself toward Itachi.
The lightning blade tore through the air.
But Itachi remained completely calm.
He didn't move.
He didn't step back.
He didn't even shift his feet.
Just as Sasuke's Chidori was about to strike—
Itachi raised one hand.
BAM!
With a single palm strike, he knocked Sasuke away.
Just one palm.
Sasuke's desperate attack collapsed instantly.
The Chidori's lightning flew wildly into the distance and slammed into a nearby tree.
BOOM!
A massive hole appeared in the trunk.
Electric sparks spread across the bark.
Moments later, the entire tree split in half and crashed to the ground.
Sasuke landed heavily on the ground.
Shock and fury filled his face.
But before he could react—
A cold voice sounded behind him.
"You are far too weak…"
"Sasuke."
Itachi had already appeared behind him.
Like a descending god of death.
Sasuke spun around and threw several shuriken.
But Itachi simply tilted his body slightly.
Every shuriken missed.
It was as if the attacks had been thrown according to his movements.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Sasuke immediately used another jutsu.
Flames roared toward Itachi.
For a moment, the attack seemed to hit.
But the next instant—
Itachi's body transformed into a swarm of crows.
They scattered into the sky.
Sasuke stared around wildly.
"Where are you going?!"
"Uchiha Itachi!"
"Where are you?!"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)