Kisame stared at the black-gold sphere forming in Naruto's hand and warned grimly,
"Don't let that thing hit you."
Even Itachi's usually calm tone carried a trace of unease.
"I know…"
At this moment, Uchiha Itachi's body had been completely restored to its prime through Orochimaru's technology.
His condition was stable, his chakra vast and controlled.
This was one of the legendary "phantom gods" of the ninja world —
A shinobi once said to possess enough power to seal Kaguya Ōtsutsuki herself.
A being who had ascended beyond even the level of the Six Paths.
That was—
A fully healthy Itachi Uchiha!
His Susanoo had surpassed its former limits, now manifesting as a towering warrior with fully formed limbs,
its presence radiating sheer destruction.
With Kisame's chakra added to his own, this Itachi stood at the absolute peak of his power.
Whoosh—!
Susanoo raised the flaming Totsuka Blade in its right hand, radiating sealing energy.
In its left hand, it held a massive gourd,
and the Yata Mirror had transformed into an armor-like breastplate covering Susanoo's chest.
Behind its head, three spinning Yasaka Magatama circled in constant motion.
The only pity was that Itachi still couldn't manifest the complete-body Susanoo at this time.
Naruto's massive black-gold Rasenshuriken, infused with Kurama's chakra, came hurtling toward him like a meteor.
Itachi's Mangekyō spun violently as he commanded Susanoo to thrust its Totsuka Blade forward.
The sealing power of the blade activated instantly—
the Rasenshuriken's chakra began solidifying, its violent rotation faltering.
But the internal chakra structure was disrupted,
and the entire Rasenshuriken detonated midair before Itachi could finish sealing it.
The explosion engulfed Susanoo like divine judgment from the heavens.
Fortunately, the Yata Mirror's armor neutralized most of the chakra-based impact.
Even so, what remained was enough to send Susanoo crashing back,
a shockwave tearing across the desert like a storm.
Inside, Itachi's eyes widened in disbelief.
This level of raw power—no matter how violent or immense—was beyond anything he had expected from Naruto.
Taking advantage of the blast's momentum, Itachi commanded Susanoo to turn and flee.
Naruto, floating near Sunagakure, raised a brow.
"You're running away already?"
He prepared to give chase—
but was stopped by Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage.
"Wait, Naruto," Rasa said firmly. "The other two are still here. Let's deal with Deidara and Sasori first."
Naruto shook his head slightly.
"Kazekage-sama, they're all part of the same organization. You can tell that much, can't you?"
Rasa nodded gravely. "Yes. Their target is clearly the Jinchūriki. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone after Gaara—or asked about you."
Naruto said flatly, "If we don't eliminate the root, they'll just keep coming back. If they attack Sunagakure again, it'll still be our loss."
Rasa frowned. He knew Naruto was right, but still hesitated.
"This is too dangerous. The village can't afford to lose you."
Naruto casually flicked a Flying Thunder God kunai into the sand.
Rasa didn't move—until he noticed the seal engraved on the kunai.
His expression froze.
That mark... that technique...
It was unmistakable.
The Flying Thunder God Jutsu—the same mark that once belonged to Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash.
The memory sent a chill down Rasa's spine.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Minato had been a one-man army—
a golden demon who tore through entire battlefields like a rampaging tailed beast.
Seeing that same symbol again filled even the Kazekage with unease.
Naruto looked at him and said calmly,
"Even if I can't beat them, I'll come straight back."
Rasa hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. Just… don't be reckless."
"Temari and the village… can't afford to lose you."
It was an oddly sentimental statement,
especially considering Naruto had only been in Sunagakure for a few days—
and wasn't even one of their shinobi.
Naruto just smiled and said nothing before vanishing in a flash, pursuing Itachi and Kisame.
By the time Naruto caught their trail again, the two Akatsuki members had already covered a great distance.
He reached out to draw on Kurama's chakra once more—his earlier supply nearly depleted.
With a fresh surge of golden energy coursing through him, he accelerated.
There was no way they could escape him.
The chase tore across the desert, past dunes and ravines,
until they crossed into the Land of Rivers, the old battlefield between Konoha and Sunagakure during the last Great Ninja War.
Further east lay the Land of Fire.
Sensing Naruto closing in, Itachi veered north, heading toward the Land of Rain.
Naruto's power was terrifying,
but Susanoo's combination of the Totsuka Blade's sealing power and the Yata Mirror's defense
allowed Itachi to block and deflect long enough to retreat again and again.
As they neared the border of the Land of Rain, drizzle began to fall.
Raindrops pattered softly against Susanoo's crimson armor.
Through the rain, Itachi received a silent message—Konan's order.
"She won't allow us to enter."
Itachi's heart sank.
Kisame said, his breathing heavy, "I'm running low on chakra. We'll have to regroup later—
let the leader handle this. We'll rendezvous in the Land of Grass."
Itachi nodded, absorbing the last of Kisame's chakra to keep Susanoo active.
But they had underestimated Naruto's speed.
Just as they crossed into the Land of Grass, Naruto appeared before them once more, golden aura blazing.
He looked around at the barren landscape and smirked.
"So you led me here on purpose—so I could go all out without holding back?"
"Then you got your wish."
Naruto raised his palm, gathering chakra with full force.
A massive Rasenshuriken, the size of a basketball, took form—
its energy seven to eight times stronger than a normal one.
Inside Susanoo, Itachi's instincts screamed danger.
He moved exactly as before—
using the Totsuka Blade to seal part of the attack's chakra,
then relying on the Yata Mirror and Susanoo's armor to block the rest.
But this time… he miscalculated.
This Rasenshuriken contained nearly 30% of Naruto's total chakra.
Its destructive power had surpassed all imagination.
According to Kurama's own words,
"This attack's force is at least twenty times greater than a full-powered Tailed Beast Bomb."
The explosion that followed shattered Susanoo completely,
its armor and chakra scattering into the air like burning glass.
At that final, desperate moment—
Itachi Uchiha's left eye went dim.
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