"Thud, thud, thud..."
Just as Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy were locked in increasingly intense combat against Uchiha Itachi and his companions, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the village.
Seven or eight ninja rushed toward the battle site at maximum speed. Leading the group was naturally Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, while the others were all elite ANBU operatives.
Additionally, more ninja from throughout Konoha Village were converging on their location from multiple directions.
It was clear that if the battle continued much longer, Uchiha Itachi and his two allies would soon find themselves completely surrounded by Konoha forces.
Although many powerful ninja had been deployed to the front lines due to the ongoing war, Konoha Village still retained a substantial number of skilled defenders, several of whom possessed formidable abilities.
"Surround the entire area!" Tsunade commanded with absolute authority.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The ANBU members immediately established a perimeter around the fog-shrouded battlefield, ensuring that no gaps remained for potential escape routes.
Without hesitation, Tsunade herself charged directly into the concealing mist.
"Lady Fifth!" one ANBU called out in alarm.
"Tsunade-sama!" another shouted with concern.
"This is..."
The ANBU operatives were completely dumbfounded. How could a Hokage act so impulsively?
The death of the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen in battle had already brought tremendous criticism upon the ANBU forces. If anything happened to their newly appointed Fifth Hokage now, none of them would survive the consequences.
Yamato gestured quickly, indicating that the perimeter should be maintained, before leading two ANBU members into the fog after their Hokage.
"What a complete mess," Shihouin Naraku muttered from his position hidden within the clouds above.
Although the ground was completely obscured by thick mist, he could observe every detail of the battle taking place within the fog using his Observation Haki.
"Zabuza is proving to be much stronger than expected. Is it because he's fighting near the river? Or is this the result of his training within Akatsuki?"
The dense fog covering the battlefield hadn't dissipated despite the ongoing combat. In fact, it seemed to be growing even thicker with each passing moment.
This level of sustained mist jutsu was somewhat inconsistent with Zabuza's previously demonstrated abilities. It was obvious that either his power had increased significantly, or he had received substantial benefits and training from his association with the Akatsuki organization.
"It looks like Kakashi is in serious trouble. He's not well-suited to fight against Uchiha Itachi. With his Sharingan being specifically targeted, it will be extremely difficult for him to compete effectively."
Naraku knew that Kakashi was about to be caught in a genjutsu, but fortunately Tsunade had arrived just in time to intervene.
The Sharingan's Burden
"THUD!"
Hatake Kakashi's body swayed dangerously, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. His breathing suddenly became labored and erratic as he covered his Sharingan eye and let out a suppressed cry of pain.
"Haha... this is the gap between us!" Itachi declared coldly.
"Even if you possess a Sharingan, that doesn't mean you can master the true power of the Sharingan."
With a flash of steel, Uchiha Itachi's right hand emerged from his sleeve, a kunai aimed directly at Kakashi's vulnerable position.
At that moment, Might Guy was still engaged in combat with Zabuza and Haku at another location, making it impossible for him to provide immediate assistance.
Unexpectedly, instead of following through with his attack on Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi suddenly leaped backward, quickly distancing himself from his previous position.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
"BOOOOOM!"
The legendary Tsunade burst through the thick fog and delivered a devastating stomp to the ground. Instantly, the earth collapsed beneath the tremendous impact, spider web-like fractures spread outward in all directions, and countless fragments of stone and debris flew through the air.
The ground shook violently from the tremendous force, and Kakashi, who had no time to react to the sudden environmental change, was caught in the aftershock and thrown through the air.
In an instant, a deep crater had formed where Tsunade's foot had struck!
Uchiha Itachi stood to one side, cold sweat nearly breaking out across his forehead. If he had been caught by Tsunade's devastating kick, he would have suffered catastrophic damage.
"Kakashi, how badly are you hurt?" Tsunade called out with concern.
"I'm... cough, cough... I'm fine!" Hatake Kakashi struggled to his feet in an obviously embarrassed state, gesturing for Tsunade to focus on dealing with Uchiha Itachi first.
Naturally, Uchiha Itachi couldn't afford to remain stationary, so he quickly retreated deeper into the concealing fog and vanished from sight within moments.
Tsunade immediately pursued him, tearing through the thick mist as she chased after the elusive Uchiha prodigy.
Secret Communications
Uchiha Itachi was already considering a strategic retreat. He had no desire to test his abilities against one of the legendary Sannin. Even if he could somehow achieve victory, there would be no real benefit to gain from such a confrontation. Since there were other ways to check on Sasuke's wellbeing, he saw no point in continuing this dangerous battle with Tsunade.
However, Tsunade was pursuing him relentlessly, and every punch or kick she threw would cause horrific environmental damage, forcing Itachi to focus entirely on evasive maneuvers.
But before he could implement any escape plan, Tsunade noticed that they were completely surrounded by thick fog that would hide their actions from outside observers. She immediately stopped her pursuit, made a specific hand gesture toward Uchiha Itachi, and then spoke a coded phrase.
Uchiha Itachi was stunned. This particular code word had been agreed upon exclusively between Sarutobi Hiruzen and himself - only the two of them should have known it.
The fact that Tsunade knew this secret phrase proved that she was someone the Third Hokage had trusted absolutely. Now that he thought about it, this made perfect sense. After all, Tsunade's identity, background, and loyalty to Konoha were indeed beyond question.
"Lady Tsunade, please forgive my earlier offense!" Uchiha Itachi said with a respectful bow.
As a sign of genuine sincerity, the Mangekyou pattern in his pupils gradually faded, returning his eyes to their normal state.
The strategy had worked perfectly!
Tsunade hadn't expected that she could gain Uchiha Itachi's complete trust through simple hand gestures and code words. Naraku's information had proven to be absolutely accurate.
Yes, Tsunade knew the hand signals and secret phrases because Shihouin Naraku had shared them with her.
Since most of Konoha's ninja forces would be deployed to the front lines, Naraku had provided Tsunade with the method to contact Uchiha Itachi, just in case such a situation arose.
Sure enough, the precaution had proven necessary.
High above in the clouds, Naraku observed this scene with satisfaction and couldn't help but smile.
In truth, it was most appropriate for Tsunade to be the one making contact using this method. If Naraku had attempted to communicate with Uchiha Itachi directly, even with the correct gestures and secret codes, Itachi would likely have remained suspicious.
After all, both of them had engaged in serious combat previously, so there was really no foundation for mutual trust.
Tsunade was different entirely. As the new Hokage, with her impeccable identity, background, qualifications, connections, and numerous other credentials, Uchiha Itachi would naturally place his trust in her.
After all, if he couldn't trust even Tsunade, then there was essentially no one left in Konoha Village that Itachi could rely upon.
Sharing Information
Within the concealing mist, Tsunade observed Uchiha Itachi's respectful attitude and recognized that he genuinely trusted her. To demonstrate her own sincerity, she began sharing information about Uchiha Sasuke's current situation without holding back any details.
"Kakashi has become Sasuke's personal instructor..."
Uchiha Itachi glanced thoughtfully through the thick fog in the direction where Kakashi had been positioned moments earlier.
Don't misunderstand - he wasn't expressing dissatisfaction. Quite the contrary, he was extremely pleased with this arrangement.
Although Hatake Kakashi had just been defeated in their brief encounter, Uchiha Itachi firmly believed that he was indeed the most suitable person to guide Sasuke's development.
At the very least, aside from Sasuke himself, Hatake Kakashi was the only other person in Konoha Village who possessed a Sharingan. In this regard alone, Sasuke could learn tremendously valuable lessons from Kakashi's experience.
"Please don't resist what I'm about to do," Uchiha Itachi said with a slight bow to show his peaceful intentions.
Tsunade nodded calmly, indicating her understanding and consent.
The Mangekyou Sharingan activated once again, tears of blood flowing from his pupils as the genjutsu Tsukuyomi was released, instantly drawing Tsunade into the illusion world.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion