"Get out of here… or I'll kill you!"
Sasuke's voice rang out sharply, filled with fury and desperation.
A calm voice responded from behind him.
"What grand words you speak."
Before Sasuke could even react, a shadow appeared silently behind him.
It was Uchiha Itachi.
Just as Sasuke tried to turn around, Itachi moved faster than lightning. His hands shot forward, grabbing Sasuke's arms from behind.
Then—
Crack!
A horrifying sound echoed through the battlefield.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
Sasuke's heart-wrenching scream pierced the air.
The joints in both of his arms were violently twisted out of place, and the bones inside them shattered from the sheer force. The pain was so intense that his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto shouted instinctively.
Moments earlier, Hinata had thrown herself forward to block an attack meant for Naruto.
"Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" she asked anxiously.
Naruto turned toward her, relief flooding his face.
"Hinata! You're here! Thank you!"
Hinata looked at Naruto's body, which was covered in blood from the brutal battle. Seeing him injured made her heart tighten painfully.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun… I arrived too late…"
Naruto quickly shook his head.
"What are you apologizing for? You saved me! I should be thanking you!"
Nearby, Kisame Hoshigaki watched the scene unfold with mild curiosity.
His shark-like eyes shifted toward Hinata.
"A member of the Hyuga Clan, huh?"
"But I've never seen that move before… and she's just a kid."
He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Why are the children in Konoha Village such a nuisance?"
Hinata and Naruto stood side by side, preparing themselves for another fight.
Just moments earlier, Sasuke had been clashing fiercely with his older brother, Itachi. The brothers' battle had drawn Kisame's attention as well.
But the fight had ended abruptly.
In a single move, Itachi had completely subdued Sasuke.
Both of Sasuke's arms now hung limply, broken and dislocated.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto cried out again.
Kisame chuckled mockingly.
"You're really ruthless toward your own little brother, aren't you?"
"Mr. Itachi… this truly suits your style."
Naruto's anger exploded.
"You bastard! Let Sasuke go!"
Despite his injuries, Naruto rushed forward without hesitation.
But suddenly—
CLANG!
A massive sword blocked his path.
Kisame stood in front of him, grinning wickedly as he held his enormous blade.
"Hey, Nine-Tails brat… where do you think you're going?"
He lifted the strange sword resting on his shoulder.
"You'll have to get past my magnificent blade first."
"This is Samehada."
Naruto clenched his fists.
The situation had become extremely dangerous.
Sasuke was already incapacitated.
Naruto himself was badly wounded.
Hinata was the only one still in good condition.
Yet standing before them were two infamous S-rank rogue ninjas of the Akatsuki.
The gap in strength was overwhelming.
Just when the tension reached its peak—
A deep voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
"Secret Technique: Frog Mouth Binding!"
Naruto's eyes widened.
"That voice…!"
It was unmistakable.
"Perverted Sage!"
In the next instant, the entire battlefield changed.
The ground beneath them twisted violently.
The lake water that Kisame had summoned was suddenly sucked away.
Everything—Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Itachi, Kisame, and even the surrounding terrain—was pulled into a strange new space.
Massive fleshy walls rose from every direction.
They surrounded the battlefield like the inside of a gigantic living creature.
The walls pulsed and wriggled as if alive.
The entire area had been sealed.
Naruto immediately recognized the technique.
"Perverted Sage!"
His face lit up with excitement.
"Our savior is here!"
Trapped between the writhing flesh walls, Itachi frowned slightly. He released Sasuke's arms and stepped back.
Kisame's expression changed as well.
"Did the bait fail?"
At that moment, footsteps echoed through the strange organic corridor.
A tall figure walked out from the depths of the barrier.
It was Jiraiya.
On his shoulder leaned a beautiful woman.
He looked completely relaxed.
Jiraiya laughed loudly.
"Trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain with a honey trap?"
"Hahaha!"
"You're underestimating me."
"For a man like me, beautiful women come to me naturally."
Naruto's face darkened instantly.
"Perverted Sage!"
"You're still distracted by women at a time like this?!"
Hinata sighed in relief.
"We… we're safe now."
Sasuke, however, was barely conscious. The pain from his shattered arms was so intense that he was on the verge of fainting.
Jiraiya's gaze swept across the scene.
He first looked at Sasuke.
Then at Naruto, who was covered in blood.
His usual playful expression gradually disappeared.
"Uchiha Itachi… Kisame Hoshigaki…"
"Two infamous S-rank rogue ninjas of the ninja world."
"And yet you're bullying three children."
"That's really hard to watch."
Kisame grinned.
"The legendary Sannin… Jiraiya."
"I've heard a lot about you."
"It's an honor that someone like you knows my name."
Itachi spoke calmly.
"Mr. Jiraiya."
"We need to take Naruto with us."
"This is a direct order from the Akatsuki."
"Please do not interfere."
Jiraiya burst into laughter.
"The so-called Akatsuki Organization?"
"Itachi, don't say such boring things in front of me."
"You won't be taking Naruto."
"Nor Sasuke."
He pointed at himself.
"Because…"
"I'm here."
Naruto crossed his arms angrily.
"Perverted Sage!"
"Where were you earlier?!"
Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well…"
"I actually arrived a while ago."
"I just wanted to see how well you'd perform."
Naruto's jaw dropped.
"What?!"
Jiraiya continued with a grin.
"But honestly, Naruto… being able to fight Kisame at that level exceeded my expectations."
"You've truly grown strong."
"You're already a ninja capable of standing on your own."
Naruto's emotions became complicated.
He should feel happy hearing such praise.
But…
"I almost exploded earlier!"
Jiraiya blinked.
"You didn't explode, though."
Naruto shouted angrily.
"If I hadn't used that method, they would've captured me!"
"Who told you to fight like that?!"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin.
"I didn't expect you to go that far."
"I was caught completely off guard."
Naruto frowned.
"Didn't you tell me to act decisively?!"
"In that situation, it was the only way to escape!"
Jiraiya smiled warmly and ruffled Naruto's hair.
"So you remembered my teachings."
"You really are a good kid."
Naruto felt the warmth behind those words.
Despite his complaints, Jiraiya had come to protect him.
The tension in his heart finally eased slightly.
But Jiraiya's expression soon turned serious again.
"You two…"
He stared directly at Itachi and Kisame.
"You're both S-rank rogue ninjas."
"And you dared to attack my beloved student."
His voice became cold.
"In that case…"
"There's nothing more to discuss."
"Today…"
"Right here…"
"I'll deal with both of you."
Jiraiya slammed his hand onto the ground.
The stomach walls of the giant toad's esophagus suddenly began writhing violently.
The fleshy walls stretched outward like enormous tentacles.
They lashed toward Itachi and Kisame from every direction.
Itachi's eyes narrowed.
"Kisame."
"Let's go."
"Alright!"
The two immediately fled at full speed.
As they escaped, Kisame swung Samehada repeatedly.
The massive sword sliced through the pursuing flesh tentacles.
However, more and more walls continued to grow and chase after them.
Jiraiya snorted coldly.
"You can't escape."
"This technique has never failed."
But this time…
He had miscalculated.
When Jiraiya chased after them, he suddenly stopped.
At the far end of the barrier, black flames burned fiercely.
The fleshy walls had been completely incinerated, leaving behind a massive hole.
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
"Hm?"
"So…"
He quickly performed a sealing technique.
"Fire Sealing Method!"
The black flames were carefully sealed into a scroll.
Then he looked through the burned hole.
His expression turned grave.
"So those two…"
"…are even more dangerous than I imagined."
With a sigh, Jiraiya released the Frog Mouth Binding technique.
The strange world disappeared instantly.
Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke returned to the normal battlefield under the sunlight.
But suddenly—
Thud.
Sasuke collapsed to the ground.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto rushed forward immediately.
When he checked Sasuke's condition, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Sasuke's consciousness was unstable.
His face twisted in pain.
His eyes moved erratically as if he were witnessing the most horrifying scenes imaginable.
It was as though he were trapped in a nightmare.
Jiraiya examined him carefully.
His voice became serious.
"It seems his injuries aren't limited to his arms."
"That bastard Itachi…"
"He used a powerful genjutsu on Sasuke."
"His mind has suffered severe damage."
Naruto's heart sank.
"Then… what should we do?!"
Jiraiya shook his head slowly.
"There's nothing we can do right now."
"This is damage on a mental level."
"Even I can't fix it."
"But… it might recover slowly over time."
Naruto clenched his fists.
"Is there really no other way?!"
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment.
"There is one possibility."
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"What is it?!"
Jiraiya answered seriously.
"If we can find Tsunade and persuade her to return to the village…"
"She might be able to treat him."
"After all…"
"She's the greatest medical ninja in the entire world."
Naruto nodded firmly.
"Alright!"
"Then let's go find her immediately!"
Jiraiya turned to Hinata.
"Hinata."
"Please take Sasuke back to the village."
"Use your Byakugan to stay alert."
"And don't get involved in any more battles."
Hinata nodded respectfully.
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya."
She gently lifted Sasuke onto her back.
Then she turned to Naruto.
"Naruto-kun… I'll take Sasuke back."
"You must take care of yourself."
Just before leaving, she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh… I don't know if I should mention this, but…"
"Kakashi-sensei was also severely injured by Uchiha Itachi."
Naruto froze.
"He looked very depressed…"
"I think he's suffering from the same genjutsu as Sasuke."
Hinata's voice became urgent.
"Naruto-kun…"
"You must find Lady Tsunade as soon as possible."
"Not only Sasuke…"
"Kakashi-sensei needs her too."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
"Even Kakashi-sensei…?"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)