"Father… Mother…"
Itachi Uchiha's body trembled uncontrollably, his eyes wide with disbelief. He couldn't wrap his head around it—his parents, standing right in front of him!
What was going on here?!
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. The former Anbu captain, Sakumo Hatake. These were people who were supposed to be dead! And now his own father and mother…
And Tobirama Senju?! The Second Hokage?! Why was he here, and why did he have Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes?! Since when could the Senju awaken the Sharingan?!
Then there was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. The guy was supposed to be an old man, so why did he look young again? And if the Third Hokage was still around, why was there suddenly a Fifth Hokage out of nowhere?
This Fifth Hokage, Hirofumi Ito… Itachi vaguely remembered him. Wasn't he one of Sasuke's classmates? He'd seen the kid once or twice when picking Sasuke up from school.
Damn it! What was happening here?!
Was this… genjutsu? No, impossible. He had the Mangekyo Sharingan—there was no way any genjutsu could fool him! And he couldn't sense even the slightest hint of genjutsu chakra.
Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha stared at their son, their expressions heavy with emotion. Mikoto's eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at Itachi.
"My child… Itachi…" she whispered.
"Mother…" Itachi's voice caught in his throat. He felt like he couldn't breathe, suffocated by the memories flooding back—the night he'd wiped out his clan. One by one, his clansmen had fallen to his blade. Some had even greeted him warmly moments before he cut them down without mercy.
And Izumi… the girl who loved him so deeply. His father had seemed to foresee it all. And his mother, even in her final moments, had told him to keep living…
He wasn't human anymore. A beast, maybe—that described him better.
---
Meanwhile, Kisame Hoshigaki was barely holding his own against the combined assault of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. The only reason he was still standing was his massive chakra reserves and the power of his blade, Samehada. Otherwise, he'd have been dead long ago.
"Pfft… Mr. Itachi…" Kisame coughed, sent flying by Sasuke's Susanoo. He knelt, gripping Samehada, blood dripping from his body, his chakra nearly depleted.
"Mr. Itachi… you need to go! Get out of here! I'll cover you! These two kids are too strong! Don't worry about me—just run!"
Itachi's heart stirred slightly at Kisame's words. The guy was as straightforward as they came, an honest man with a one-track mind. Itachi used to mess with him using his Mangekyo Sharingan, and Kisame never caught on.
In the Akatsuki, there was a running joke about Kisame talking to himself all the time. Some even thought he was crazy. But Itachi knew the truth—Kisame wasn't talking to himself; he was talking to Itachi, who was usually keeping him under genjutsu.
The Akatsuki often operated in pairs, and for their team, Kisame handled most of the missions alone. He genuinely believed Itachi was right there with him every time, even when Itachi was nowhere near. If this mission hadn't been about gathering intel in the Hidden Leaf, Itachi probably wouldn't have shown up at all.
"Kisame…" Itachi's voice was hoarse. "I don't think we're getting out of this one…"
Naruto and Sasuke paused their attack, giving Kisame a moment to take in his surroundings. When he did, his heart sank. He didn't recognize everyone, but the chakra signatures around him were terrifying—one more monstrous than the next.
"Damn it… Mr. Itachi, looks like we're going down together…" Kisame muttered.
Just then, a voice rang out from behind him.
"Flying Thunder God Jutsu!"
"Talking about dying? That's bad luck, you know! The Seven Ninja Swordsmen sound pretty cool, though. Your strength's decent enough—good for fetching tea or standing guard for this Hokage!"
Kisame's heart froze. He hadn't even sensed someone approaching! Spinning around in a panic, he saw Hirofumi Ito standing there, smiling at him.
This was the Fifth Hokage?! That kid he'd mocked earlier?!
No way—this kid was that strong?! No wonder he was the Fifth Hokage…
But… wait, was this guy saying he wanted Kisame to serve him? Fat chance!
"Kid, I don't care if you're some Hokage or whatever," Kisame growled. "You think I'd bow to you? Not a chance!"
Without a word, Hirofumi reached out and grabbed Kisame by the throat, his grip like iron.
"Honestly, I'm not into wasting time convincing guys like you," Hirofumi said coolly. "So… Betsutenjin!"
A massive pinwheel pattern spun in Hirofumi's Mangekyo Sharingan, and the ultimate genjutsu, Betsutenjin, took hold of Kisame instantly. His eyes glazed over, vacant for a moment, before snapping back to life—this time, burning with fervor as he looked at Hirofumi.
"Master!" Kisame exclaimed.
"No need for 'Master.' Just call me Hokage from now on," Hirofumi said with a grin.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Kisame replied, his voice brimming with enthusiasm.
Hirofumi nodded, pleased. "Much better. You know, if we can get the rest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen together, it'd be pretty badass to parade you guys around."
"Lord Hokage, no matter how cool the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are, we'll never be as cool as you!" Kisame declared.
Hirofumi blinked, caught off guard. This guy, with his big brows and shark face, was actually sucking up?
"Haha, I like the sound of that! You're pretty cool yourself!" Hirofumi laughed.
Kisame's eyes sparkled at the compliment.