Leaving aside the destined children favored by the world's will — Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha — very few living shinobi in the entire ninja world could claim to surpass or even match the talents of Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi Hatake's genius was unquestionable. However, whether gaining Obito Uchiha's Sharingan had been a blessing or not remained uncertain. Yet, achieving his current strength despite limited chakra reserves definitely proved his natural talent combined with relentless effort.
As for Itachi Uchiha, he was even more fearsome. Born into ideal circumstances, blessed with extraordinary talent, receiving top-tier training, possessing tireless determination, and unshakable willpower — most ninja would consider themselves lucky to have even one of these traits and become a formidable warrior.
Before the Uchiha clan's destruction, Itachi had clearly been far more deserving of the title "destined child" than Naruto or his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha. Carrying the hopes of reviving his clan, Itachi lived up to every expectation and became an incredibly powerful ninja at a very young age. Even Kakashi Hatake, then Anbu Commander, had been deeply impressed by him.
Years later, thanks to the tremendous power boost from his Mangekyou Sharingan, Itachi had become a nearly perfect superior ninja. His genjutsu abilities were practically impossible to counter. Except for the deceased Shisui Uchiha, it was nearly impossible to find another genjutsu expert stronger than Itachi Uchiha.
In this current battle between Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake, so far, Itachi clearly held the advantage. Before fully mastering Obito's Sharingan, Kakashi still had quite a few hurdles to overcome before reaching the next level of power.
Actually, the situation was quite normal. With Kakashi already having limited chakra reserves, maintaining the Sharingan only made things worse. Engaging in ninjutsu combat against Itachi brought absolutely no benefit but instead wasted both energy and physical stamina.
After seeing how effortlessly Itachi blocked his [Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu], Kakashi realized that Itachi's strength came not only from his Sharingan, but also from his raw talent and relentless effort. Forced to act, Kakashi grabbed a kunai and quickly closed the distance, initiating the most basic form of close-range combat used among ninja. This type of comprehensive fighting actually worked to Kakashi's advantage. Both were exceptional geniuses, but when it came to actual battlefield experience, the older Kakashi — who had gone through the Great Ninja War — possessed far more convincing capabilities. Additionally, since both opponents had activated their Sharingans, this somewhat neutralized Itachi's specialty — his mastery of genjutsu. Moreover, although Itachi seemed overwhelmingly strong now, his face bore visible markings showing the toll of his chakra usage. The reality was, Itachi was only seventeen — just barely an adult — and entering a stamina-draining fight against Kakashi, who was in his physical prime, put him at a real disadvantage.
Meanwhile, ever since the fight began, Itachi Uchiha had been trying to end the battle quickly by using [Tsukuyomi] on Kakashi Hatake, but hadn't succeeded yet.
[Tsukuyomi], a unique dojutsu ability exclusive to the Mangekyō Sharingan, couldn't directly inflict physical damage, but it could cause severe psychological trauma to anyone caught in its genjutsu. But it came with serious restrictions. It had to be used at close range and required direct eye contact to pull the opponent into the [Tsukuyomi] space — a mental world completely controlled by the user, where they could freely inflict mental suffering on their target.
[Could it be that the weakness of Tsukuyomi has already been discovered?]
Itachi Uchiha was anxiously fending off Kakashi Hatake's relentless attacks, constantly unable to find a suitable opening to activate Tsukuyomi. His opponent always made sure to avoid eye contact when it mattered most.
Meanwhile, Kakashi Hatake, locked in fierce combat against Itachi Uchiha, clearly sensed slight signs of impatience from his enemy.
[So Mizuki was right — there's something more to Itachi Uchiha's Sharingan.]
Originally, he had merely taken Mizuki's warning as cautious advice, intentionally avoiding direct eye contact at close range. But surprisingly, it had turned out to be effective.
As the two warriors clashed intensely, thick mist began slowly rising from the lake surface, spreading outward until it gradually enveloped everyone present.
[Hiding in Mist Technique? Who used that?!]
...
Earlier, when Kisame Hoshigaki was unexpectedly struck and sent sinking beneath the water, the clash between Might Guy and Kisame Hoshigaki escalated into a fierce battle. Unlike Kakashi Hatake, who was currently at a disadvantage, Might Guy excelled at fighting opponents like Kisame — a ninjutsu-focused ninja rather than a taijutsu specialist.
With incredible speed, powerful direct taijutsu strikes, and extensive combat experience, Might Guy was more than capable of dealing with Kisame Hoshigaki, whose flexibility and mobility were somewhat inferior. Not that Kisame was weak in taijutsu or speed — compared to ordinary ninja, he was still extremely impressive. Yet against Might Guy — someone who had practically brought taijutsu and speed to near perfection — there remained an enormous gap.
Struck down and submerged into the water by Might Guy's blows, Kisame instantly recognized what kind of ninja he was up against — exactly the type he hated most: a speed-and-power taijutsu fighter. Many of his previous strategies for fighting other ninja had already become useless. In such circumstances, how to maximize strengths while minimizing weaknesses became the key to victory.
[Water Release – Water Prison Technique.]
Kisame Hoshigaki fully understood that given his ninjutsu-based style, if he allowed himself to fall into Might Guy's rhythm, he would likely face the embarrassing situation where even after carefully performing his techniques, he wouldn't manage to hit his opponent at all. Moreover, he couldn't afford the slightest mistake; otherwise, Might Guy's lightning-fast speed would mercilessly exploit any openings, forcing Kisame into a difficult position where all he could do was endure constant attacks.
The Water Prison Technique isn't just a powerful water-style ninja technique capable of trapping enemies—it can also wrap around oneself like a protective sphere to defend against incoming attacks.
Thanks to this all-encompassing defensive jutsu, Kisame Hoshigaki finally caught his breath and began tapping into his enormous chakra reserves to unleash large-scale ninjutsu in an attempt to overwhelm Might Guy.
"Play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses—that's the secret to winning! You over there, all flash and flair but not lacking in talent—wonder what kind of move you'll make next!"
Fresh off a successful strike, Might Guy stood perplexed before the massive watery orb that now shielded Kisame. He was hoping to press his advantage fast and really turn this into a major win—but things weren't working out like he'd expected. Not only was he unable to do anything about the enemy sealed within the Water Prison, but he also found himself constantly harassed by Kisame's relentless barrage of powerful techniques, leaving him frustrated and uneasy.
"This one's no pushover."
Although this wasn't his first time facing off against an Akatsuki member, Might Guy still broke into a cold sweat confronting Kisame's terrifying large-scale jutsu and seemingly endless supply of chakra. If this weren't a battle taking place on home ground in Konoha village, he wasn't sure whether he'd even bother trying to engage in direct combat.
"Water Release—Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
A massive shark made entirely of water soared skyward before surging toward Might Guy in a violent attack. Before he could fully evade it, numerous water clones of Kisame emerged from the surrounding waters.
And that wasn't even the end of it. Kisame raised both hands—
"Water Release, Hiding in Mist Technique!"
—a dense mist began to rise from around Kisame and quickly spread outward.
"This isn't good. Kakashi Hatake might be holding his own okay, but it's true that Might Guy currently has no effective counter against Kisame Hoshigaki."
Meanwhile, Jiraiya—who should have arrived by now to decisively confront Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki and drive them away—was strangely absent despite being nearby. This puzzled Mizuki greatly. Logically speaking, Kakashi Hatake should have already passed along intelligence regarding the attackers' identities, and Mizuki himself had also sent plenty of information.
"Could there have been some unexpected development beyond my assumptions?"
Though puzzled, Mizuki realized the battle had reached a critical moment. Besides, the clone on-site was only an Artificial Jinchuriki, and had already been figured out, losing most of its strategic value. Even though losing it was still somewhat painful, the time had come where decisive action was necessary.
Without hesitation, Mizuki focused his mind. As his thoughts shifted, chakra surged outward, activating the pre-prepared barrier formation.
[Hiding in Mist Technique?]
"What's the point of practicing water jutsu shots when no one can see? Now that everyone's blinded, let's play a game of hide-and-seek together..."
As the barrier activated, an even denser mist than Kisame Hoshigaki's earlier Hiding in Mist Technique began spreading rapidly along with the chakra, quickly enveloping both sides locked in fierce battle above until they were completely shrouded.
"Itachi, be careful," Kisame immediately warned his partner. "There's another hidden helper on their side..." Seeing the unexpected change, the shark-man added, "That second Hiding in Mist Technique wasn't mine..."
Despite his violent temper and love for carnage, Kisame actually got along well with Itachi Uchiha. Perhaps it was because both shared the experience of slaughtering their own clansmen; within Akatsuki, they were indeed one of the rare relatively harmonious partnerships.
"I understand," Itachi responded without emotion. "You watch yourself too. This isn't just the Hiding in Mist Technique—it combines genjutsu effects within its barrier formation. If things get too difficult, we should withdraw."
"Got it, though it'd be a shame to leave so soon when I've finally found such an interesting opponent..." For a proud swordsman like Kisame, being beaten earlier by Might Guy still stung—he couldn't stand the thought of being helpless against some weirdly dressed guy who didn't even look like a real ninja. A proper fight was something Kisame definitely wouldn't back down from.
"Since you two are getting serious over there," Kisame said as he drew the weapon strapped across his back, "I guess I shouldn't hold back either..."
[Samehada — Flying Chain Slice!]
The massive sword Samehada, already enormous, suddenly transformed as chakra surged through its hilt, extending and twisting into a serpentine chain nearly ten meters long. With Kisame's slash, this newly-formed chained blade, supported by multiple water clones, began coiling threateningly toward Might Guy.
This tactic fully exploited Kisame's abundant chakra reserves while perfectly utilizing Samehada's large-scale power. At his current level without opening the Eight Gates, Might Guy was clearly at a disadvantage against Kisame Hoshigaki.
...
While Kakashi Hatake faced off against Itachi Uchiha and Might Guy battled Kisame Hoshigaki, Mitzuki—still thinking fondly of Jiraiya—hadn't been distracted by alcohol this time. Instead, he was intercepted by two strange figures.
"Who are you people?" Jiraiya demanded coldly, glaring at the black robes with red clouds before him. Internally, he cursed his bad luck—it was already too late, and enemies had already cut him off. Worse still, the boy Naruto Uzumaki they were supposed to protect was now practically wide open. If another expert from the Akatsuki organization sneaked in, the situation could become extremely dangerous. All he could hope for now was that Danzo Shimura would arrive to provide additional protection.
"Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin," one said respectfully but firmly, "we don't want to fight you, but we had no choice but to come here. Please do us the kindness of remaining in this area for some time longer."
On hearing that, Jiraiya didn't hesitate any further. Honestly, the earlier question had been pointless — just a formality. Seeing their outfits made it obvious they were from the same organization as Red Sand of the Desert and Deidara. This clearly couldn't be settled with just a few words.
Determined to end things fast, Jiraiya swiftly bit his thumb, made a series of hand seals, and invoked [Kuchiyose no Jutsu]. A burst of chakra smoke erupted as a massive toad materialized in the heart of Konoha Village.
At the same time, Mizuki, who had been on the rooftop of Konoha Hospital acting as a Sensor and detecting the distant battle situation, was jolted by the sudden appearance of the colossal summoned beast.
"That can't be good... If it's not on Kakashi Hatake's side, there must still be enemies."
Only a few formidable enemies could make Jiraiya adopt a cautious composure — and remain completely undetected by Konoha, even by Mizuki himself.
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