Uchiha Itachi clutched his left shoulder, blood already soaking through his black windbreaker. His Sharingan, which could perceive everything, lost its focus for the first time in battle. He couldn't comprehend what that attack was. There was no Chakra, no sound, and it was so fast that even his Sharingan could only catch an afterimage.
Kisame Hoshigaki no longer waited for Itachi's answer. He plunged Samehada into the ground and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Itachi-sensei, it's time to retreat," Kisame Hoshigaki's voice was low, carrying a hint of apprehension he himself hadn't noticed. "This place isn't right. If we stay any longer, we might both end up staying here today."
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
An unimaginably vast amount of Chakra erupted from his body. With him at the center, a colossal volume of water surged out of nowhere, instantly transforming into towering waves that swept in all directions. Streets, houses, everything was engulfed by this terrifying Water Release, and the entire area became a swamp. Immediately after, a thick mist rose, obscuring all visibility.
Beneath the dome of this man-made lake, Kisame Hoshigaki grabbed Itachi's arm, and the two quickly submerged, using the cover of the water to escape rapidly towards outside the Village.
A few minutes later, the giant waves receded, and the mist dissipated. The streets were in ruins, as if a typhoon had passed through.
Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi stood rooted to the spot, still shaken. That devastating Water Release had made them feel the terror of an S-rank rogue ninja.
Kakashi stared intently in the direction the enemies had disappeared. He knew very well that if the support from Naruto Uzumaki hadn't severely injured Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi, the three of them would likely have been in grave danger today.
"Deterrence objective achieved, data collection complete, mission ended."
Naruto Uzumaki's Shadow Clone spoke calmly again. As soon as he finished speaking, the Shadow Clone vanished with a 'bang,' dissipating into smoke in the air.
Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, and Kakashi exchanged glances, speechless for a moment. This cold efficiency made them feel an indescribable awkwardness and absurdity.
Asuma Sarutobi pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket, his hands trembling slightly as he lit one. He took a deep drag, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and suppressed the shock in his heart. He walked over and patted Kakashi's shoulder.
"You've really taken in a good student, Kakashi."
Kakashi shrugged, a wry smile on his face: "Don't joke, Asuma. That's my new teacher."
---
Root's underground command center.
On the large light screen, two red dots representing Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki were rapidly moving away from Konoha. Naruto Uzumaki watched them calmly until they completely disappeared at the edge of the monitoring range.
"Utsusemi," he said into the communicator.
"Here," Neji's steady voice replied.
"Mission complete, return to base for debriefing."
"Yes."
The communication was cut. Naruto Uzumaki pulled up another screen, displaying a detailed analysis spectrum of the part of Samehada hit by the energy beam, with various data streams constantly refreshing.
"It has an extremely strong Chakra devouring ability, but its structure itself cannot effectively dissipate high-frequency energy impacts... Confirming its vulnerability to energy weapons," Naruto Uzumaki murmured to himself.
A figure emerged from the shadows of the command center.
Jiraiya had been invited.
"I saw it all," Jiraiya's expression was complex. "You evacuated an entire district of civilians in minutes. No panic, no chaos, everything in an orderly fashion. Afterwards, not a single civilian even knew what had happened in the Village."
He walked over to Naruto Uzumaki, looking at the remaining data on the light screen, his voice filled with emotion: "...Your cold 'order,' though uncomfortable, truly protects everyone. And, I must say, those spies from various countries, you cleaned them up very nicely."
Naruto Uzumaki turned around, not responding to Jiraiya's sentiment. He brought up another document, containing known intelligence on Akatsuki members and the combat data just collected.
"Look at this."
Jiraiya's gaze fell on the document. When he saw the name Akatsuki, his eyes darkened.
"This organization... was originally founded by my disciple Yahiko," Jiraiya's voice was somewhat hoarse. "He was an idealist, and together with Nagato and Konan, he wanted to end the war in Hidden Rain Village and even the entire Ninja World through dialogue and understanding. Their original intention was to bring peace."
"As for why it became like this now..." Jiraiya shook his head. "I don't know. After I left, I never heard from them again."
"An ideal of peace born from war and suffering is itself the most fragile luxury," Naruto Uzumaki calmly assessed. "It will either be crushed by a stronger force, or it will be corrupted by internal despair, eventually becoming what it once hated most. This is a standard law of human social evolution, with no surprises."
He pointed to the data on the screen: "Now, the remnant of that idealism has become a terrorist organization composed of S-rank rogue ninjas. Their threat level needs to be re-evaluated. I need an intelligence network that covers the entire Ninja World, an 'All-Seeing Eye' system, to monitor them, analyze them, until finally... eradicate them."
Jiraiya was silent for a long time. He remembered Yahiko's sunny smile, and his hopes for those three children. Now, everything was unrecognizable. Perhaps Naruto Uzumaki's dispassionate, absolutely rational approach was the only correct answer.
He finally made up his mind, looking up at Naruto Uzumaki's emotionless blue eyes.
"Alright," Jiraiya said solemnly. "I accept the position of honorary Advisor for the [External Eradication Department]. I will help you build this 'All-Seeing Eye' system."
---
Hidden Rain Village, inside the towering metal tower.
Deva Path Pain stood quietly. On the central holographic projection, the figures of Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki appeared.
Nagato, through the Rinnegan of Deva Path Pain, observed the gruesome wound on Itachi's left shoulder. The flesh around the wound was strangely charred, and even medical Ninjutsu couldn't heal it quickly; the scar remained vivid.
"An unknown attack that could injure you..." Nagato's voice came from the mouth of Deva Path Pain. "It seems the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is destined to be the most troublesome."
Kisame Hoshigaki's right arm had regained mobility due to Samehada's Chakra replenishment. He shook his arm, as if the stinging Pain still lingered.
He looked at the silent Itachi beside him and spoke with a mocking tone: "Itachi-sensei, I suppose that terrifying attack just now was also Uzumaki Naruto's doing, wasn't it? When did Konoha develop something like that?"
Itachi didn't answer, only closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth: "Speaking of which, that Uzumaki Naruto is your brother Uchiha Sasuke's close teammate. Aren't you curious? With a monster like that by your precious brother's side, how will he be affected?"
Itachi's eyelids twitched, but he still didn't open them.
"That's not important," his voice was as steady as water. "Our current goal is to thoroughly analyze that attack and find a way to counter it."
"Oh? You really don't care?" Kisame Hoshigaki's laughter became even more grating. "If you didn't care, then why did you leave him alone back then?"
Itachi's body, in that instant, showed a minuscule stiffness.
Konoha, Training Ground Seven.
"Ha... ha... ha..."
Sasuke Uchiha lay on the ground, panting heavily. Sweat soaked his clothes, mixing with the dirt on the ground. His body had reached its limit; every muscle ached and trembled.
He looked up at the sky, fragmented by the leaves, his eyes filled with resentment and confusion.
"Still not enough... still too far off..." he whispered in despair. "If it continues like this... I'll never be able to kill that man..."
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