Just as Itachi Uchiha was attempting to end the battle without harming Sasuke, a fierce gust of wind suddenly arose.
The large sword wielded by Kisame swung out violently, colliding in midair with Sasuke's full-force Chidori, unleashing a deafening roar.
The clash between them produced a tremendous sound, and Sasuke's attack was solidly blocked, unable to advance further.
"Itachi-san, why don't I have a little fun with your little brother instead."
A playful smile tugged at the corner of Kisame's mouth.
"Do as you like with him. He is nothing but a worthless fool."
Itachi's tone remained flat as water, but a barely perceptible emotion flickered in those deep-set eyes.
"Itachi-san is quite harsh, but come to think of it, that kid's attack just now could be considered a stroke of genius even among jōnin."
A hint of subtle admiration laced Kisame's words; although he had easily deflected Sasuke's attack, he was inwardly quite surprised by the potential Sasuke had displayed.
After all, an attack of that caliber was no easy feat even for some seasoned jōnin.
Itachi said nothing more.
Seeing this, Sasuke's expression darkened instantly. The fact that his all-out attack had been so easily neutralized stirred a sense of resentment and defeat within him.
Yet, upon hearing Kisame's assessment of him, the corner of his mouth unconsciously lifted.
Thus, Sasuke rallied once more, pulling out all the stops to find a breakthrough, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not breach Kisame's defenses.
Just as Sasuke found himself in danger, Jiraiya suddenly appeared and, with his formidable strength, forced back Itachi Uchiha and Kisame.
Itachi seized this opportunity to retreat swiftly, his heart filled with complex emotions.
With the Third Hokage's passing, he needed to display enough strength to deter Konoha, ensuring they took proper care of Sasuke as agreed.
And as he gazed at Sasuke's increasingly mature figure, Itachi, while feeling gratified, could not help but feel a trace of confusion.
"Why is his development leaning towards taijutsu? Is this good or bad?"
Itachi pondered silently, still holding onto the thought of leaving his Mangekyō to Sasuke.
…
Elsewhere, when the Fourth Raikage, A, arrived at the scene, what greeted him was a landscape of devastation, as if a cataclysmic battle had just concluded there.
"Bee!" The Raikage's gaze instantly locked onto a scene within the area: the massive Eight-Tails, Gyūki, lay collapsed helplessly on the ground.
Its enormous body was tightly bound by countless chains shimmering with an eerie light, unable to move.
Several of its once-majestic eight tails had been brutally severed.
The Raikage's eyes widened instantly, seething with rage.
He quickly scanned his surroundings and soon fixed his gaze on Roy, who stood not far away holding a massive tentacle.
"You bastard!" The Raikage roared, his Lightning Release Chakra instantly reaching a boil as he activated the Lightning Release Chakra Mode at its strongest state.
His body seemed to transform into a bolt of lightning, appearing before Roy in an instant at a speed too fast for the naked eye to track, lightning coalescing in his hand as he prepared to unleash a fatal strike.
"Lightning Lariat!" The Raikage roared, crossing his arms and channeling his full power into a strike aimed at Roy.
However, just as the Raikage's attack was about to connect, Roy vanished in a flash, evading the blow.
"This… this speed!" The Raikage's eyes widened in sheer shock.
He had never witnessed such speed before; even Minato Namikaze, once hailed as the "Yellow Flash," might not have been able to match it.
The Raikage quickly adjusted his stance, pursuing Roy with full force in the direction he had vanished, but no matter how much he accelerated, Roy always managed to evade his attacks with an ease that defied all logic.
A wave of unprecedented frustration welled up in the Raikage's heart, but he was, after all, the leader of Kumogakure, possessing an indomitable fighting spirit.
Gritting his teeth, he relied on keen intuition and extensive experience to predict Roy's likely trajectory and charged with all his might.
Finally, after a clever turn, he successfully cut off Roy's path, concentrating his Lightning Release Chakra into his elbow, ready to deliver a decisive blow.
Yet, at this critical moment, the Raikage noticed a mysterious smile curl at the corner of Roy's mouth.
Then, he heard Roy's low, confident voice: "Speed Kick."
In the next instant, Roy's form seemed to merge with the air as he launched a kick at the Raikage with an unbelievable velocity.
The Raikage only felt an unprecedented, terrifying force erupt from Roy's leg, colliding instantly with his own attack.
A fearsome shockwave spread out in an instant.
Yet, in this clash of power, the Raikage was sent flying like a fallen leaf, crashing heavily to the ground.
He struggled to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his expression one of utter disbelief.
He had never imagined being so easily defeated in a direct confrontation.
"Who are you?"
The Raikage asked in a low voice.
"Akatsuki."
Roy shifted the blame onto the Akatsuki organization.
"That rogue ninja organization?" The Raikage frowned, but in the next moment, he once again crackled with lightning.
However, in the blink of an eye, the Raikage's pupils abruptly contracted as he realized with shock that Roy's eyes held Mangekyō Sharingan, slowly rotating in a peculiar rhythm.
In that instant, the Raikage felt as if the world around him was enveloped by an invisible force, his own speed seemingly slowed countless times; distances he could normally cross in an instant now felt like moving through molasses.
"What is this power?!" The Raikage was horrified, having never encountered such a bizarre situation, this sensation of being bound by time itself.
Roy, meanwhile, was surprised that his speed was still able to move forward.
"But, it's time to end this."
Roy's voice was cold as his figure vanished again, reappearing at the Raikage's side in the next instant and delivering a powerful kick that sent the Raikage flying like a cannonball into a distant mountain, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Then, Roy's form transformed into a brilliant streak of light, quickly disappearing over the horizon.
After a short while, the dust gradually settled, and the Raikage staggered out from the crater he had made, his expression dark as thunder.
He hurried to Killer B's side and, seeing that although severely injured, he was not dead, allowed himself a small measure of relief.
In the distance, Darui and other high-ranking members of Kumogakure arrived, and upon witnessing the scene of utter defeat and the gravely injured, unconscious Eight-Tails, their hearts were filled with shock and unease.
"I see. Matatabi is also just severely injured. That's fortunate."
The Raikage took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions.
For tailed beasts, even if they lost several tails, as long as their core power remained intact, they would gradually recover over time.
But the shock this battle brought him went far deeper. He realized that such a powerful enemy existed in the ninja world, and that, to him, was a tremendous terror.
He clenched his fists tightly. "The ninja world… has people this strong. But no matter what, Kumogakure will never yield!"
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Like the story? Read many advanced chapters in patreon!
patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━