Konoha Village — Hokage Building
It was around eight o'clock at night. The streets of Konoha were slowly emptying, lantern lights flickering as the village settled into uneasy quiet.
From the infamous Hokage Building, a young man in his twenties emerged. He wore the standard jōnin uniform, his steps steady as he headed toward the Sarutobi Clan estate.
But when he was barely a hundred meters from the main gate, something changed.
Without warning, the young man made a sharp turn and walked into a deserted alley.
"Come out," he said coldly.
In an instant, strangely shaped chakra blades emerged around both of his hands, humming softly with lethal intent.
KRAAA—!!
The harsh cry of a crow shattered the silence.
' A crow—no… a ninja beast! '
The realization just struck—
—and the young man vanished from his position.
Moments later, the faint sound of wings beating echoed through the alley.
Then nothing.
The deserted alley returned to silence, as if nothing had ever happened.
---
ARENA OF LIFE AND DEATH
Sarutobi Shinnosuke suddenly found himself standing in the middle of a vast ocean beneath a calm, cloudless blue sky.
The surface of the water reflected the heavens perfectly, sky and sea blending into one. For a fleeting moment, the place looked almost divine.
But Shinnosuke knew better.
Without hesitation, he instinctively balanced himself atop the water's surface. His senses flared as he scanned his surroundings—and his gaze quickly locked onto a lone figure standing calmly before him.
A young man, still in his teens.
He had strange eyes, a red eye with three tomoe surrounding the centre.
"Itachi Uchiha," Shinnosuke said coldly. "What is the meaning of this? Is this another forbidden genjutsu of the Uchiha clan?"
Even as he spoke, Shinnosuke carefully avoided meeting Itachi's gaze for more than an instant.
Itachi did not answer.
He simply stood there, silent and composed.
Frowning, Shinnosuke immediately formed hand seals.
Ram → Tiger
"Genjutsu: Release."
He disrupted his own chakra sharply.
Nothing changed.
His brows furrowed. He tried again—this time pouring more chakra into the technique.
Still nothing.
The ocean remained endless. The sky, unbroken.
"This isn't genjutsu…" Shinnosuke muttered.
His eyes hardened.
"Itachi Uchiha," he said loudly, "you are no longer an ANBU operative. Attacking an ANBU captain is a crime your clan cannot bear."
The moment the words left his mouth, Shinnosuke vanished.
Body Flicker Technique
He reappeared directly in front of Itachi, chakra blades coated in Wind Release chakra that screamed with lethal sharpness.
Wind Release: Chakra Flow
Itachi finally moved.
He met the attack head-on with a simple kunai.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal rang against metal.
In just a few minutes, the two exchanged hundreds of blows, their movements blurring across the ocean's surface. Sparks flew as chakra-enhanced weapons collided again and again.
With a powerful strike, Shinnosuke forced Itachi back. He leapt away, dispelling the chakra from his blades as his hands flew into seals.
Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!
He drew in a deep breath.
A roaring torrent of flames erupted from his mouth, condensing into a massive fireball that tore across the ocean toward Itachi.
Itachi responded instantly, his own hands moving in perfect synchronicity.
Fire style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Another colossal sphere of fire surged forward.
The two fireballs collided midair.
BOOOOM—!!
A deafening explosion tore through the arena, steam and flames erupting skyward as waves rolled violently across the endless sea.
Itachi calmly retreated, slipping backward across the water's surface as the explosion roared past him.
But in the very next instant—
Shinnosuke burst out from beneath the ocean, water exploding upward as he swung his chakra blade straight toward Itachi's neck.
For the first time since the battle began, Itachi's expression changed.
His eyes widened slightly as he hurriedly raised his kunai.
Clang!
The blade was blocked—but the impact threw off his balance.
Before he could recover, another figure surged out of the water.
A second Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
The two attacked in perfect coordination, leaving Itachi no room to breathe. Blades flashed, water splashed, and killing intent pressed down relentlessly.
Itachi parried again and again, forced completely on the defensive.
He couldn't use shadow clones…
He didn't have time to form seals.
He was tightly locked in Shinnosuke's rhythm.
Just then—
Itachi sensed it.
A dense, compressed mass of chakra—right where the explosion had occurred.
His pupils contracted.
Fire style: Ash Pile Burning!
A thick cloud of pitch-black ash erupted outward, instantly engulfing Itachi and both Shinnosukes.
Before Itachi could react—
BOOM—!!
The ash detonated.
Flames and shockwaves tore through the ocean, swallowing everything in their path.
Moments passed.
The dust slowly settled.
The ocean returned to its unnatural stillness.
And upon the water's surface, a single charred corpse floated lifelessly—burnt beyond recognition.
Shinnosuke was breathing heavily.
The continuous use of A-rank Wind Release: Chakra Flow, Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning, and maintaining two shadow clones had drained his chakra far more than he had anticipated.
That attack should have killed him…
Just as Shinnosuke began thinking about how to return to Konoha—
{ Earlier, after failing twice to escape using Genjutsu: Release, he had already reached a conclusion:
I was brought here using some forbidden Uchiha space–time technique.}
At that moment—
The charred corpse floating on the ocean's surface began to dissolve.
It vanished like smoke in the wind.
And in its place—
An uninjured Itachi stood calmly before him.
Shinnosuke's pupils dilated in disbelief.
"No…!"
Instinctively, he formed hand seals once again and violently disrupted his chakra.
The world around him cracked—
like a shattered mirror breaking into countless fragments.
When Shinnosuke opened his eyes—
He was still standing on the endless ocean.
The sky was the same.
The water was the same.
And Itachi—
Itachi stood in the exact same position as when Shinnosuke had first arrived in this place.
"Huff… huff…"
Shinnosuke staggered slightly, sweat dripping down his face.
"Such… such a terrifying genjutsu…"
His voice trembled.
---
Half an Hour Later
Shinnosuke floated atop the calm ocean, his body drifting limply. His face was pale, his breathing shallow, exhaustion etched into every line of his expression.
And yet—
There was not a single wound on his body.
"…Kill me."
The words left his mouth in a hoarse whisper, laced with fatigue and the edge of madness.
Itachi looked at him for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
The world shattered once more—like glass breaking into countless fragments.
When Shinnosuke opened his eyes, a kunai had already pierced his heart.
His breath caught.
For a brief second, anticipation flickered across his face.
Then—
His body went limp.
He collapsed into the ocean.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke—dead
Itachi raised his hands.
Fire Style : Fireball Jutsu
A massive sphere of flames roared forward and engulfed the corpse.
BOOM—!
When the explosion faded and the flames dispersed, nothing remained.
No body
No ash
No trace that Sarutobi Shinnosuke had ever existed.
Itachi lifted his gaze toward the endless sky and stood in silence for a moment.
Finally, he spoke a single word.
"Return."
---