"Itachi Uchiha utilizes genjutsu with his Mangekyou Sharingan.
"Welcome to my world, where everything, space, time, and reality itself, is controlled by my will. No matter how strong your body is, or how agile your speed, it is futile before Tsukuyomi!" Itachi said calmly.
"Here, you will experience unprecedented pain. But rest assured, no matter how long it feels here, outside it's merely a second."
Itachi took a step forward, his voice cold.
To his surprise, Naruto showed no signs of fear in his eyes.
Instead, Naruto asked, "Why have you come to Konoha this time?"
Itachi paused, his eyes filled with astonishment.
"Instead of being curious about that, you should be worried about your own safety," Itachi said coldly.
"Safety?" Naruto chuckled.
"I think you've misunderstood something." In Itachi's shocked and disbelieving gaze, the handcuffs binding Naruto's limbs suddenly opened, and Naruto calmly left the crucifix, twisting his wrist and raising his head with a gentle smile.
"From beginning to end, your Tsukuyomi was nothing but a decoration before me. And all I did was cooperate with your performance. Now, the show is over, and you can..."
"Kneel."
As the words fell, Naruto's gaze suddenly became sharp, an endless aura surged from within him, and the space of Tsukuyomi began to collapse unstoppably.
"You!" Itachi felt as if his body was being suppressed, his breathing became slow and difficult.
He looked at Naruto in astonishment, his eyes filled with disbelief. Clearly, he had never anticipated that Naruto would possess the ability to break free from Tsukuyomi.
"Clap." Naruto walked forward, his footsteps crisp, his tone teasing.
"The prodigal renegade of the Uchiha clan, who once slaughtered the Uchiha clan, leaving only his younger brother, Sasuke. This time, coming to Konoha, who could be your target? Let me guess." Naruto arrived in front of Itachi.
Itachi widened his eyes, exerting all his strength to mobilize the chakra within his body.
But for some reason, the chakra in his body seemed to solidify.
Even his pride, the Tsukuyomi, had become a plaything for Naruto.
Instinctively, he touched his eyes, but the feedback from his Sharingan indicated that Tsukuyomi was still ongoing.
He turned his head, only to see the slow collapse of Tsukuyomi from the far end.
They continuously transformed into fragments that fell into the abyss, with scorching magma below.
Did that terrifying power control his Tsukuyomi as well?
Itachi couldn't make sense of it. Even if Tsukuyomi was crushed, it should have simply shattered and dissipated.
But it was not the case now, so eerie and strange.
Even though his eyes told him everything was normal, what he saw and felt in reality was...
His Tsukuyomi was under Naruto's control.
"While you're still distracted in battle, you truly are a genius in diverting attention," Naruto's tone was gentle, and he stepped on Itachi's face.
Itachi's face pressed against the scorching ground, emitting a creaking sound.
Feeling the stinging pain on his face, Itachi's eyes were filled with anger.
Since his defection from Konoha, he had never suffered such humiliation.
This feeling made him inadvertently think of that night.
He had also stepped on his beloved brother and humiliated him with his words:
"My foolish little brother, run away like a dog, feel the fear until you acquire these eyes of mine and return."
Now the tables had turned.
Was Naruto venting his anger for Sasuke?
As Naruto's close friend, Sasuke's strength should be exceptional now.
"I didn't expect you to possess the ability to break free from Tsukuyomi," Itachi's tone was complex.
"Tsukuyomi? Is it impressive?" Naruto tilted his head.
"But as for you, since you have already destroyed the Uchiha clan, why did you return? Do you know that Sasuke has finally gained the Third Hokage's trust? Your presence could easily change the current situation, you know~ I don't think you want your beloved brother to be dissected and studied."
With those words, Itachi's eyes suddenly erupted with a strong killing intent.
No matter how many Uchiha clan members he had killed, no matter how much he had tormented Sasuke, the one he loved the most, was always a brother!
"They won't! Because I am here!" Itachi's voice was calm and resolute, one word at a time.
"You?" Naruto released his foot and looked doubtful.
"Just based on your Tsukuyomi?"
Then he chuckled, "I don't think so."
Upon hearing this, Itachi's normally calm face seemed to flush with redness.
He stood up, wiped his face, and looked at Naruto, questioning, "And what about you, Naruto Uzumaki? Your actions are suspicious. What is your goal?"
Given Konoha's nature, Naruto, as the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails, should be under strict control.
No matter how powerful his abilities are, he shouldn't have such freedom.
"My goal."
Naruto's goal has always been pure from beginning to end.
To cultivate stronger opponents.
Sasuke is his choice as someone with the potential to become his greatest masterpiece.
And Itachi.
For now, it seems like he has potential, and perhaps he can provide some surprises in the future.
"Before you're curious about my goal, it's better for you not to influence Sasuke's view of Konoha. Do you really think Sasuke is as foolish as you imagine?" Naruto turned around, and the pressure within his body erupted, speeding up the dissolution of the Tsukuyomi space.
Itachi felt his consciousness blur, and his eyes stung even more.
"Leave quickly. Rest assured, Sasuke's future will far surpass your imagination." Naruto's refined voice sounded in his ears.
Consciousness returned.
In the unbelieving gaze of Kisame.
Blood flowed from Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan, and he felt a sense of exhaustion in his body. His legs gave out, and he kneeled on one knee.
Under the morning sun, Naruto revealed a warm and gentle smile and softly said,
"You have quite a capable partner. It seems like you're doing well."
After speaking, Naruto looked towards the distant Konoha.
The formidable display of Itachi's Amaterasu definitely caught the attention of the Konoha ninjas.
"Until next time." With a light tap of his toes, Naruto quickly disappeared from Itachi's sight.
"Mr. Uchiha." Kisame hurriedly helped Itachi up.
Itachi gasped for breath, his eyes filled with deep fear.
"The Nine-Tails' power has grown so rapidly? He can easily break free from Tsukuyomi!" Itachi's eyes flickered incessantly.
He was worried.
Uncertain about Naruto's attitude towards Konoha.
But the only thing he could be grateful for was that Naruto and Sasuke seemed to have a good relationship.
In this brief encounter, neither side revealed their trump cards.
It was just the surge of reiatsu that directly shattered Tsukuyomi, which had an impact on Itachi's body.
"If we were really to fight, the outcome wouldn't be the same. But the Nine-Tails' power is still young, and his growth is too fast." Itachi pondered in his mind after leaving.
"Swish, swish, swish." Countless ANBU ninjas quickly surrounded Itachi and Kisame.
Kakashi stepped forward, wearing a serious expression.
"Uchiha Itachi, a traitor of Konoha."
"Ah, it's Kakashi." Itachi wiped the blood from the corner of his eye.
"Those eyes..." Kakashi looked at Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan with unease.
Uchiha Itachi was the true successor of the Sharingan. Those eyes were too terrifying. They needed to prepare for the worst, at least until the Hokage and Jiraiya arrived.
"Interesting, you're the Copy Ninja Kakashi, right? You possess the Sharingan, and I've heard you can copy any ninjutsu," Kisame said with interest.
Kakashi glanced at Kisame.
To become Itachi's teammate, this ninja's strength was certainly not to be underestimated.
"What is your purpose?" Kakashi asked solemnly.
"I came for the artifacts of the Yondaime," Itachi's answer surprised Kakashi.
As expected, they were after the Tailed Beasts.
"However, now that our presence has been exposed, Kisame, let's retreat for now," Itachi said, revealing a meaningful smile.
The two immediately formed hand seals.
Then fire and water jutsu were unleashed.
By the time Kakashi and the ANBU ninjas finished dealing with the ninjutsu, the two had disappeared from their sight.
"They came for the artifacts of the Yondaime? They came for Naruto," Kakashi contemplated those words, his expression gradually becoming serious.
Two Kage-rank powerhouses.
It seemed that the ninja world was about to change.
"Itachi is quite powerful as an Kage-rank. If I were to fight him to the death, I might suffer serious injuries," Naruto pondered in his mind after their departure.
Although the encounter was brief, the abilities of the Mangekyou Sharingan left a deep impression on Naruto.
Tsukuyomi was the most powerful genjutsu he had encountered so far.
However, in the face of Naruto's overwhelming reiatsu and chakra, the Mangekyou Sharingan seemed a bit powerless.
Within Akatsuki's hideout.
Deidara and Sasori returned to the organization in a sorry state, delivering the news of their failure to the leader.
"The Kage-level ninja from Sunagakure can manipulate sand. The entire desert was his domain, and we almost got stuck there."
Recalling the details, both Deidara and Sasori wore expressions of fear.
"A mysterious Kage-level powerhouse? When did someone like that appear in the shinobi world?" Nagato, who understood the situation, was deeply shocked.
Akatsuki had existed for a long time and naturally collected countless pieces of information.
They were also familiar with the strong individuals in various ninja villages.
After the plan to destroy Konoha, many internal secrets of Sunagakure were exposed.
The Yondaime Kazekage, the Kage-level powerhouse, was assassinated by Orochimaru, and the new Kazekage was only a Jinchuuriki of the One-Tail.
There were only a few Kage-level powerhouses within the village.
Long ago, Nagato thought that capturing the One-Tails would be the smoothest, but he never expected that the two Kage-level powerhouses couldn't handle it.
Deidara and Sasori were not rookies who had just become Kage-level ninja. Instead, they were talented and experienced Kage-level powerhouses.
Yet, they were still unable to deal with that Kage-level powerhouse.
Confident in his abilities, Nagato believed he could handle Deidara and Sasori on his own, but he knew that he couldn't rely solely on Pain.
What made him even more wary was the transforming blade affected by the incantation.
It could permeate through the sandstorms, manipulating the sand.
"What kind of Kekkei Genkai is that?" Nagato muttered.
Thinking about Itachi and Kisame currently heading to Konoha to search for information about the Nine-Tails, Nagato's heart suddenly felt uneasy.
There wouldn't be similar powerhouses within Konoha, right?
Just at that moment, Kisame and Itachi returned to the Akatsuki hideout.
And they brought bad news.
They had been exposed.