Itachi Uchiha had been about to speak, but he held his tongue. He couldn't shake the unnerving memory of Gato's previous move. It wasn't just the impossibly high speed and raw physical force; it was the fact that his Sharingan detected absolutely zero Chakra flow during the brief, explosive burst of power.
"..." Kisame Hoshigaki stood frozen, even the formidable swordsman visibly rattled. "Itachi-san, are your eyes absolutely certain? You witnessed the sheer power of that Taijutsu and those punches."
If this pathetic individual was truly Gato, the logistics were impossible. How could a common man, long controlled by organized crime, suddenly manifest power far exceeding that of an average Jonin?
"I am relaying only what my eyes confirmed," Itachi stated calmly, though deep down, he was battling a torrent of disbelief. His pre-mission research had yielded no intelligence suggesting Gato possessed even a fraction of this capability.
"Itachi-san," Kisame spoke abruptly, his gaze fixed on a small patch of disturbed soil beneath a dense oak tree.
Found him.
Itachi slightly parted his lips, a silent command that Kisame immediately understood: Capture him alive, if possible. They needed to interrogate him about the source of this power.
"Hmph. It looks like he's proving to be quite difficult to locate. I was really looking forward to getting some personal revenge for that cheap shot," Kisame announced loudly, a deliberate piece of misdirection. But his hands immediately snapped into the formation of complex hand seals.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
Though they were in a forest, the attack utilized deep, latent underground water sources. Kisame's Jutsu caused the very earth to shudder, and a colossal surge of water erupted, coalescing into a terrifying, massive water dragon.
"Damn it!" Gato's short, stocky body was instantly blasted from his hiding spot, sent hurtling through the air.
He was not a ninja, and he possessed next to no experience in dealing with high-level Ninjutsu.
In the next moment, Itachi Uchiha materialized directly in Gato's path, his crimson, triple-tomoe Sharingan spinning hypnotically.
Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion—Shackling Stakes!
This potent illusion was meant to instantly pull the victim into a torturous mental world, immobilizing their limbs with spiritual stakes, forcing compliance.
But... it failed!
Itachi's expression flickered with surprise. Gato was not paralyzed; instead, the small figure seemed to be slowly dissolving like a ghost.
A clone?
No!
An afterimage!
Itachi sharply turned his head, spotting Gato's stocky form fleeing at staggering speed.
"Kisame!"
"Understood!" Kisame Hoshigaki was already in motion, charging toward Gato, his massive greatsword, Samehada, shimmering with sharp, grasping scales.
Gato, capable of instantaneous bursts of afterimage speed, could not sustain that velocity. He was gritting his teeth in fear and desperation.
"Damn it, I'll deal with you first!" Gato channeled all his acquired energy and strength, unleashing his fists in a devastating, machine-gun barrage toward the charging Kisame.
Fiery Light Rapid Fist!
Kisame, moments earlier, had been caught entirely off guard by the first impact. Had it not been for his formidable physical resilience and innate regenerative abilities, the barrage would have been fatal.
And now—
"Did you think I would fall for the same trick twice?" Kisame blocked resolutely, raising Samehada as a sturdy, scaled shield.
In just two impacts.
Gato screamed, violently retracting his arm. His fist was bloody, the impact with Samehada's reinforced guard having shattered bone.
Watching the live feed, Shen Mo shook his head in disappointment. For all his acquired power, Gato's combat sense remained pathologically weak. He had purchased a Jar worth 30 million transaction points and received two potent abilities. With any real combat experience, he could have fought at a Kage-tier level.
This single, foolish mistake left Gato pinned between the two elite Akatsuki hunters.
"Damn you! You bastards!" Gato cursed, his face crumpled, but the sweat pouring from his brow betrayed his terror.
This combination of raw power and abject cowardice was unsettling to Itachi and Kisame.
"What grievance do you hold against us?" Itachi inquired, maintaining a flawless, cold posture, attempting to extract intelligence. "This is simply about personal profit. If you reveal how you gained this power, I might consider sparing your life."
Kisame remained silent, his loyalty—and priority—firmly centered on Itachi.
"My power?"
Gato stared at his bloodied hands, his initial wild panic shifting into a fierce expression of burning hatred. He didn't hate his enemies; he hated himself. He had acquired such immense power, yet he remained the same timid, pathetic creature when faced with superior strength.
Is this truly my destiny? To be perpetually weak?
"That Master..." Gato gritted his teeth, his gaze becoming dangerously sharp. "He granted me incredible power to change my own destiny! To change this wretched, powerless fate! To change a life subject to the whims of people like you!"
"That person?" Itachi's mind went taut. He recalled a top-secret message from Danzo only ten days prior: the sudden appearance of a terrifying, mysterious man who had approached Sasuke. Though there was no tangible link, the timing created an instinctive, chilling unease within Itachi.
"Hehehe." Gato let out a chilling, maniacal laugh, looking directly at Itachi with perverse satisfaction. "You foolish ninja rely on your insignificant strength to treat us like insects. But in that person's eyes, you are merely larger ants, so easily crushed into dust with a snap of his fingers!"
He snapped his fingers dramatically.
Kisame met this bravado with savage mockery. "It seems you have no idea what true power is." He hefted Samehada, a cruel smile stretching his shark-like mouth. "I truly wonder if your 'Master' can save you from screaming when Samehada turns you into minced meat."
The pressure to fight finally consumed Gato.
"You fools don't understand true power!"
Gato went wild. He opened his mouth, drawing a massive, ragged breath. The veins on his neck and forehead bulged alarmingly, and he let loose a guttural, primal scream.
"Aaaaaah—!"
A turbulent, incomprehensible aura began violently erupting from his short, squat body.
Two sharp, bone-like protrusions slowly and horribly began to pierce the skin of his back, straining outward from his shoulder blades.
Even the surrounding earth and grass began to shake and churn violently under the pressure of the chaotic energy surging from Gato's desperate form.
What would you like to do now: Observe Gato's transformation and fight, or check in on Hiruzen Sarutobi's progress with his new Jars?