When Uchiha Itachi attacked the barrier, both Rōshi and Han inside the barrier seemed to sense it and opened their eyes simultaneously.
"It seems we have esteemed guests."
Rōshi said, with lava already flowing from his body. He still couldn't fully control the power of the Four-Tails, so whenever his emotions fluctuated, the Tailed Beast's power would leak out. After all, other ninja villages didn't seal Tailed Beasts as well as Konohagakure.
"Prepare for a fight to the death. It must be the Akatsuki."
Han looked up at the sky and saw a black flame burning a huge hole in the barrier of the Valley of Rocks.
"How did those guys guard this place? People have already arrived at the Valley of Rocks, and they didn't notice anything."
Mei said angrily.
Outside the Valley of Rocks, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame looked at the nearly burnt-out barrier.
"As expected, there are two Tailed Beasts inside. As soon as the barrier disappeared, I felt two terrifying chakras."
Kisame said with a smile, but his serious expression was also evident.
"Don't be careless, Kisame. The enemy's attack is coming."
As soon as Uchiha Itachi finished speaking, a large amount of lava suddenly appeared in front of them, surging towards them.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave."
Kisame quickly formed hand seals, creating phantom-like images, then opened his mouth and sprayed out enough water to form a large lake, colliding with the incoming lava.
The collision of lava and water created a large amount of steam, blocking Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi's vision. However, for someone with the Mangekyou Sharingan and someone who grew up in Kirigakure Village, the steam had no effect.
"Are you from the Akatsuki?"
When the steam cleared, two figures appeared in front of Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi. One of them had lava flowing from his body, indicating that he was the one who launched the attack and spoke earlier.
"Four-Tails Jinchuriki and Five-Tails Jinchuriki? Today, you are our prey."
Hoshigaki Kisame drew Samehada. For dealing with Jinchuriki, who had enormous chakra, Samehada was the best choice.
"What did you do to the others?"
Suddenly, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han frowned and asked. They had caused such a commotion, but the other Iwagakure Village members hadn't reacted at all, which was unusual.
"We just put them to sleep. No need to worry, our target is you."
Uchiha Itachi's Three Tomoe Sharingan stared into their eyes.
"Sharingan, from the Uchiha clan of Konohagakure? You must be Uchiha Itachi, the one who killed half of your own clan."
Han asked with a serious expression.
There were only two people who could kill half of the Uchiha clan under the watchful eyes of the Uchiha Police Force and Konohagakure and retreat unscathed: Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui.
And the one who joined the Akatsuki organization was Uchiha Itachi.
"Itachi-san, I didn't expect that after all this time, your reputation is still intact."
"Stop the nonsense, Kisame. Let's finish this quickly before anything changes."
Uchiha Itachi said coldly. Although he had used a large-scale Genjutsu on Iwagakure Village, the power of the Genjutsu was significantly weakened due to its scale.
So they couldn't afford to waste too much time.
"Understood."
With that, Hoshigaki Kisame, holding Samehada, charged directly at the Four-Tails Jinchuriki. As he got close, he swung Samehada forcefully, but the Four-Tails Jinchuriki easily dodged with a light jump.
"So, you're my opponent? The tailless Tailed Beast of Kirigakure Village, Hoshigaki Kisame."
Mei said with a hint of disdain. After all, compared to Hoshigaki Kisame, who was known as the tailless Tailed Beast, he was a genuine Tailed Beast.
"Oh? So my reputation has grown this much? But even so, I won't hold back against you."
Hoshigaki Kisame said with a smile.
"Hold back? Hah, you better think about how to survive against me first."
With that, Mei's body underwent a drastic transformation, turning into a half-Tailed Beast form. Three tails grew out, his body became quadrupedal, and the skin on his face was burned away by the Tailed Beast's chakra.
At this moment, he looked like a real monster.
"So this is a Jinchuriki? Truly terrifying."
This was Hoshigaki Kisame's first time facing a Jinchuriki, but he wasn't the least bit flustered. Even Deidara could single-handedly take down a Jinchuriki.
And Kisame believed his strength was greater than Deidara's, so he felt he could handle a Jinchuriki.
"Die."
In his half-Tailed Beast form, Mei's temper became more volatile. Tailed Beast Bombs continuously shot from his mouth towards Kisame.
These seemingly ordinary energy blasts carried an immense amount of energy. If one hit Kisame, he would be severely injured, if not killed.
"Be careful, Kisame. These are Tailed Beast Bombs, the second most powerful attack of a Tailed Beast after the Tailed Beast Ball."
Uchiha Itachi reminded Hoshigaki Kisame while fighting. Itachi was multitasking.
"Fighting me and still daring to split your attention? You're underestimating me too much."
The Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han said angrily.
"Because you're not worth my full effort."
Uchiha Itachi said the most arrogant words in the calmest tone.
"Don't underestimate me."
This sentence made Han furious. Already half-transformed into a Tailed Beast, he waved his hand lightly, and chunks of rock rose from the ground, flying towards Uchiha Itachi.
However, with the Sharingan's insight and his own agile movements, Uchiha Itachi weaved through the rocks without taking any damage.
"It seems you don't know the terror of the Sharingan."
With that, Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyou Sharingan, and the moment Han saw it, his body froze.
It's worth noting that Uchiha Obito controlled the fully-formed Nine-Tails with just one Mangekyou Sharingan. Now, Uchiha Itachi had two Mangekyou Sharingan, and he was dealing with a Tailed Beast weaker than the Nine-Tails.
(End of Chapter)