"Is everyone here?"
Seeing that Obito had arrived, Itachi could no longer sit idle.
He decided to end the fight quickly.
Standing atop a tree, he spoke authoritatively, commanding attention in all directions.
Itachi didn't wait for a response.
He raised his hand, letting his fingers emerge from his long sleeve. Bringing them to his mouth, he bit down gently.
Ignoring the pain of his finger being bitten and the metallic taste of blood lingering in his mouth, Itachi calmly formed hand seals, three per second...
Although Itachi felt as though he were moving at a turtle's pace, to onlookers, his hand movements were a blur.
Hidden nearby, a group of individuals observing Itachi saw him prepare to attack. Uncertain whether they had been discovered, they decided to make their move as well.
This was one of Itachi's rare moments of vulnerability.
Itachi watched the bounty hunters charging toward him, the expression beneath his mask one of mocking disdain.
With one hand, he pressed down on the ground.
Boom!
A dense cloud of smoke erupted.
Garaga, who had been soaking in the hot springs of Ryūchi Cave, suddenly found himself transported to an unfamiliar place...
Beneath Itachi's feet appeared a massive, blood-red serpent hundreds of meters long, with a single, menacing eye.
"What the—?"
Garaga let out a bizarre roar upon his arrival, bewildered by the crowd rushing toward him.
"Garaga, kill them..."
Ignoring Garaga's protests, Itachi spoke as if unleashing a rabid dog from its leash, ready to attack.
Hearing Itachi's voice and sensing the chakra emanating from his body, Garaga shuddered internally and held back his complaints.
Without hesitation, Garaga's tail lashed out, instantly obliterating several figures into a mist of blood. They were annihilated on the spot.
Garaga's immense strength, enhanced by powerful sage chakra and a formidable physique, was far beyond what these disorganized bounty hunters could handle.
With his arms crossed, Itachi watched from above.
A few figures below staggered away in disarray.
These were the ones who had been slower to charge and had retreated the moment they sensed danger.
Itachi didn't need to give any further commands.
Garaga opened his massive jaws and lunged toward the terrified survivors, ready to feast.
From the shadows, Jiraiya observed in astonishment. Although Garaga's appearance was peculiar, he immediately recognized the serpent beneath Itachi as a creature from the same domain as Orochimaru's summoning beasts.
A strange sense of joy swelled in Jiraiya's heart.
He reflected that today was turning out to be a fantastic day—not only had he reunited with Tsunade, but he might also gain some leads on Orochimaru.
His eyes gleamed as he stared at Itachi, wondering if this could be one of his master's disciples. Could Orochimaru, having learned the value of bonds, be persuaded to return to Konoha?
Despite his excitement, Jiraiya remained hidden, choosing to observe further before making a move.
"Such a powerful summoned beast… Even if the true strength of Blood Moon is unknown, having a summoning creature like this is reason enough to recruit him into the organization..."
From a tree branch in the distance, Konan gazed at Itachi standing atop Garaga. In her heart, she formed a clear assessment of his abilities.
"What is this brat doing, mingling with Ryūchi Cave?"
Preparing to make some money, Tsunade was struck with a complex mix of emotions as she looked at the colossal Garaga and the young figure atop him.
Her skin prickled as an eerie chill coursed through her.
It was the blood...
The sight alone was enough to send shivers down her spine and make her want to flee the scene.
Still, when she saw the serpent beneath Itachi, she forced herself to stay, suppressing her fear.
If this boy had ties to Orochimaru, she needed to know. In the worst-case scenario, Shizune could lend a hand.
Despite their differences, the bond between the Sannin ran deep.
No matter how strained things had become, if someone dared to harm one of them, the other two would unite without hesitation.
The connection they shared—formed through childhood friendship and countless battles together—was something they couldn't fully articulate but felt instinctively.
"Please spare me, sir! I was just here to watch!"
Just as Garaga's bloodthirsty jaws drew closer and closer to the ninja, one of the ninjas was so frightened that he wet himself and quickly begged for mercy.
It was only at this moment that he realized the Blood Moon wasn't something he could dare to mess with.
Hearing the plea from below, Itachi said nothing. Garaga understood without a word and swallowed the ninja in one gulp, smacking its lips as if savoring the taste.
To try such petty tricks in front of him, Itachi? What a joke.
He was fully aware of whether the opponent had truly tried to resist or not.
However, these weaklings were dealt with so easily that not a single one of them put up a fight worthy of his attention. It left him feeling a bit disappointed, like using a cannon to kill mosquitoes.
It seemed like all the commotion was for nothing—just a loud thunder with no actual storm.
"If anyone else wants to fight, come out now. Otherwise, get lost."
Itachi stood in the now-silent battlefield, his dissatisfaction evident in his voice.
Though his tone was calm, he used chakra to amplify it, making it thunderously loud and echo across the area.
…
"Heh, you killed a few small fry, and now you think you're something special?"
From the shadows emerged a figure who sneered mockingly.
The man seemed quite confident, but Itachi didn't recognize him. He had a vague impression of all the strong individuals in the ninja world, yet this person didn't ring any bells.
"Oh," Itachi murmured softly as he glanced at the figure below. His arms remained crossed, and he gave off an air of complete indifference, not taking the man seriously at all.
Garaga, on the other hand, was visibly displeased. Someone dared to ignore its overwhelming presence? To dismiss it entirely? Its irritation boiled over.
Opening its massive mouth, it spat out a thick glob of ancient, foul-smelling phlegm.
The glob shot out fast and wide, like a giant ball of sewage.
Itachi sensed the vile substance flying through the air, infused with intense sage chakra, but said nothing. Though it was a little embarrassing, he wasn't particularly bothered.
…
The man who had appeared was shocked by the giant serpent's lack of honor.
Before he even had the chance to introduce himself, a glob of phlegm came hurtling his way. Inwardly, he cursed up a storm.
His hands quickly formed seals for a Body Flicker Technique to escape the area covered by the disgusting projectile.
After escaping, just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt something was off. Looking down, he stared in disbelief as his lower body rapidly turned to stone.
His face froze in shock.
"This…?"
A sharp whooshing sound pierced the air as the massive head of the serpent came barreling toward him like a cannonball.
"Who gave you the right to talk big…?"
His vision went black, and the last thing he heard was the thunderous roar of the serpent.
…