"Oh, I didn't expect you to know my name. It's truly an honor, Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake."
Kakashi Hatake's Ninja headband was now straightened, his eyes cold as he stared at his opponent: "You are one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist Village. That strangely shaped, large ninja sword must be samehada."
"Heh heh, you know quite a lot, don't you? You're certainly someone worth me slicing up!"
Kisame Hoshigaki suddenly widened his eyes, radiating palpable killing intent.
This killing intent even moved Kurenai Yuhi, who stood behind Kakashi and Naruto.
"Kisame, don't be impulsive."
Uchiha Itachi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke, causing the agitated Kisame Hoshigaki to calm down.
"Alright, alright, Mr. Itachi, I'll leave it to you."
After shrugging, Kisame Hoshigaki gripped samehada and re-shouldered it, adopting a stance that indicated he wouldn't attack but only observe.
"We are only here in Konoha Village to find something; we have no other intentions. If you let us go, we can pretend nothing happened," Uchiha Itachi said indifferently to Kakashi Hatake.
There were three people present.
Uchiha Itachi implicitly considered Kakashi Hatake the strongest among them.
Negotiations naturally fell to Kakashi.
"What thing?"
"No comment."
"In that case, I'll have to ask you to come to the Anbu headquarters for a chat."
Kakashi adopted a battle-ready stance, the three tomoe of his Sharingan slowly rotating.
The calm South He River, illuminated by the setting sun, resembled a bronze mirror. Standing upon its "surface" were Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Itachi.
"Itachi—" Kakashi's voice was low and wary as he tried to break the stalemate, "Answer me, what is your true purpose for returning?"
Almost the instant Kakashi's voice faded, Uchiha Itachi's figure vanished without a trace.
There was no smoke from hand signs, no exaggerated sound, only pure, extreme speed—a Body Flicker Technique that surpassed the limits of ordinary visual capture!
Kakashi's Sharingan suddenly constricted!
In his dynamic vision, he caught a blurry black shadow tearing through the air, rushing in a nearly straight trajectory from his upper side, targeting his blind spot to the rear left.
"So fast! Does Itachi's Body Flicker Technique have almost no delay?"
A strong sense of danger screamed in Kakashi's mind, and his body's instincts were faster than his thoughts. He kicked off the water's surface with his right foot, Chakra exploding, and shot backward like an arrow released from a bowstring, while his left hand flashed behind him.
"Clang—!"
A piercing metallic screech drowned out the sound of the water, and sparks flew in the dim light!
Just as Uchiha Itachi's Kunai was about to touch Kakashi's neck, a Kunai shimmering with a faint blue lightning glow precisely blocked the fatal blow.
Kakashi completed the actions of drawing his Kunai and blocking while retreating at high speed, utilizing the Sharingan's predictive ability to its fullest.
However, the terrifying force transmitted through the Kunai far exceeded his estimation, numbing his left arm holding the weapon and plowing two long trails in the water beneath his feet.
Uchiha Itachi's attack missed, and he lightly landed on the water where Kakashi had just stood, creating a tiny ripple.
He didn't pause for a moment, his hands instantly forming a blur of afterimages in front of his chest!
Hand signs at an exaggerated speed!
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Several scorching, orange-red fireballs spewed from Itachi's mouth. They weren't haphazard but moved like living entities, arcing in tricky trajectories, blocking all of Kakashi's possible evasion paths, targeting the water surface where he stood!
Kakashi's pupils constricted.
In water, the power of Fire Release would be weakened, but the massive steam explosion and the effect of disrupting vision were the real threats.
He also moved his hands rapidly, forming hand signs at an astonishing speed, his Sharingan fixed on every one of Itachi's hand sign movements.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
"Whoosh—!"
A thick wall of water shot up from the river surface beneath Kakashi's feet, precisely meeting the incoming Phoenix Sage Fireballs.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The fireballs violently struck the water wall, erupting in deafening roars, and large amounts of scalding white mist instantly billowed up, like a dense curtain, completely obscuring the view between the two.
"Water Release: Water Shark Bomb!"
Following Uchiha Itachi's low growl, the South He River's water flow beneath his feet seemed to come alive.
Several high-speed, rotating, drill-like giant water pillars suddenly shot up from the water around Kakashi!
These Water Shark Bombs were not only astonishingly fast but also carried a spiraling force that could tear through anything, precisely sealing off all of Kakashi's evasion space, intending to crush him in the middle of the river.
"After Fire Release, it's Water Release?"
Amidst his surprise, Kakashi once again used the same trick, performing Water Release: Water Wall.
"Boom—!"
A circular water wall, even thicker and more solid than Itachi's Water Shark Bomb, rose from the ground with Kakashi at its center, like an unyielding fortress.
The high-speed rotating Water Shark Bombs violently struck the Water Wall, emitting a dull, thunderous roar, as water splashes and broken streams scattered.
The immense impact shook the entire river surface, and the water wall swayed violently, but it ultimately withstood this deadly crushing attack.
Amidst the falling splashes, three more figures identical to Itachi's original body rushed in from three different directions.
Each clone's Kunai glinted with cold light, their movements coordinated and indistinguishable, making it hard to tell which was real.
More critically, their assault angles were perfectly coordinated, completely blocking Kakashi's retreat.
"Is he planning to continue with taijutsu close combat? Something's not right!"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed, his mind racing.
Just then, those three seemingly fierce Uchiha Itachi Shadow Clones, as they were about to reach Kakashi, suddenly froze. There was no expression on their faces, but their bodies, like inflated balloons, instantly glowed with an ominous, dazzling red light!
"Clone Great Explosion!"
Uchiha Itachi's cold voice seemed to come from the void!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Three terrifying, deafening explosions occurred almost simultaneously.
The massive water pillars generated by the explosions shot skyward, roaring like water dragons, instantly engulfing Kakashi Hatake's figure.
"Oh no, Kakashi Hatake didn't lose, did he?" Kurenai Yuhi, watching from the riverbank, felt her heart sink.
"It's fine, Kakashi Jonin is still alive," Naruto said calmly.
"Whoosh."
Kakashi Hatake's figure appeared out of thin air in front of Naruto and Kurenai Yuhi, taking a breath, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
The Kakashi that Uchiha Itachi had blown up earlier was actually his Shadow Clone.
"I didn't expect someone not from the Uchiha Clan to use the Sharingan to such an extent. But now, I'll show you the true power of the Sharingan."
"No!"
"Stand back, Kakashi Jonin."
Naruto's expression hardened, and he immediately flashed in front of Kakashi.