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Whirlpool Village is indeed a place with almost no value.
On the day it was destroyed, anything of value was looted by the perpetrators.
In the nearly twenty years since, a few adventurers have occasionally ventured in and taken what they considered valuable.
All that remains are these stone monuments, inscribed with fragmented, disordered records.
Moreover, the long passage of time has caused significant wear, making some of the inscriptions unclear and difficult to decipher.
By the time night fell, the two of them had just finished transcribing the records from six of the stone monuments.
The poor visibility at night, coupled with the fact that there was no pressing urgency, led them to stop and rest.
They found a relatively intact house on a high point in the village to serve as a temporary shelter.
They gathered some dry wood, lit a bonfire, and filled the place with light.
Karin leafed through a scroll, reading the text with a frown: "These writings are all about the history of the Uzumaki Clan."
"Why is everything from the Warring States period engraved here?"
To the Uzumaki Clan, these things held great value.
But to Naruto, these were far from what he had hoped to find.
"We probably didn't find the right place," Naruto also read, "Let's check tomorrow if there's anything like a shrine nearby."
Karin nodded but didn't put the scroll down, still trying to extract something useful from between the lines.
Naruto poked at the fire, then suddenly paused: "There are two very powerful people approaching."
"At this hour, in a place like this, their target is very likely me."
Karin shrank back into the house: "Powerful? How strong are they?"
"They give me a feeling similar to Orochimaru," Naruto thought for a moment and made a judgment.
Karin's pupils dilated as she exclaimed, "Orochimaru?"
He was one of the "Three Legendary Sannin," rated as S-rank, a powerful rogue ninja capable of killing the Third Hokage.
Although Naruto had killed him, it didn't mean Orochimaru was weak—Naruto was just that strong.
Are people of that level so common now?
To encounter two of them in a godforsaken place like the Land of Whirlpools.
And two at once, no less.
"Let's run," Karin thought for a moment and suggested.
Naruto shook his head, his tone calm as he stated a fact: "Too many people have caught our scent and tracked us down."
"If we run, they'll get excited, thinking we're easy prey."
"We need to teach them a painful lesson, shed some blood, take some lives."
"That's the only way they'll understand not to mess with us."
Karin pursed her lips, her tone worried: "But those are two people like Orochimaru."
"The harder the object to cut, the sharper the blade must be," Naruto stood up, looking down at Karin. "Don't worry, I'm much stronger than I was a few days ago."
"Be careful."
"Is there a way for you to hide?"
"If not, run far away, and I'll find you."
There were still some other dangers on the island, like bandits or some rogue genin, but compared to the two men entering Whirlpool Village, these could be entirely ignored.
"If it's just hiding, I can manage," Karin answered with certainty. "I've almost mastered Mind's Eye of the Kagura."
"I can protect myself."
She knew very well what her role was beside Naruto.
In terms of talent, she was far behind Naruto. Even if she spent her entire life trying, she might never reach the heights Naruto had achieved now.
So, she didn't learn techniques like "Adamantine Sealing Chains" or other ninjutsu.
Instead, she focused on mastering "Mind's Eye of the Kagura."
This was also one of the Uzumaki Clan's secret ninjutsu.
By closing her eyes and opening her mind's eye, she could sense all chakra within a radius of tens of kilometers.
If mastered to the extreme, it could even sense the emotions behind the chakra and detect if someone was lying.
Of course, Karin's goal in mastering this technique was not for its sensing ability.
It was because this technique also had the ability to hide one's chakra in moments of danger, making it undetectable to others.
If she couldn't be of assistance beside Naruto, then at least she shouldn't be a burden.
"Then hide," Naruto nodded. "Wait for me to come back."
Karin hid, closed her eyes, and activated the technique.
Whirlpool Village ruins.
Two figures in black cloaks with red clouds walked along the village's river.
"So this is the once-famous Land of Whirlpools," Kisame surveyed the surroundings, clicking his tongue in wonder. "I can't imagine what it must have looked like in its heyday."
Uchiha Itachi remained silent.
"I don't mean anything by it," Kisame tilted his head towards him, "just a little curious."
"Do you think we can find the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, just the two of us?"
Uchiha Itachi looked up, glancing at the moon: "Jinchuriki have very strong sensory abilities."
"If he notices us, he'll come to us on his own."
Kisame nodded, thoughtful: "Won't he run away?"
Uchiha Itachi didn't respond.
He just tilted his head to the left.
There stood a half-collapsed pillar, atop which stood a blonde youth draped in a white cloak.
The moonlight perfectly framed him.
It created a scene like something out of a Ukiyo-e painting.
"You were right, Itachi," Kisame squinted, raising his hands slightly, "The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has indeed come to us."
Naruto looked down at them: "So, I am your target after all."
He didn't restrain his chakra, letting it flow freely.
But the two only showed a slight change in expression.
Under his own pressure, he did not back down, nor was he significantly affected.
"What spirit this kid has!" Kisame grinned, a sinister smile on his face, clearly excited by the hunt. "I thought that part was false."
"Scaring off three Rock Village Anbu with just a glance."
"So it's true, he really is that intense."
Uchiha Itachi remained silent, staring intently at Naruto.
"No wonder you had the courage to come after me." Naruto lightly leaped down from the tall pillar. "To stand before me without breaking a sweat, you two are quite capable."
As he approached, he could see them more clearly.
Both were wearing the same black cloaks with red clouds.
They also wore ninja headbands, though with different symbols.
The shark-faced one had the "Mist Village" symbol on his headband.
The shorter one, with the Sharingan, had the Konoha headband.
Despite the different headbands, both had a scratch mark through the symbol, defacing the emblem of their "village."
This was the mark left by rogue ninjas.
So, these two belong to an organization of rogue ninjas?
"Are you Uchiha Itachi?" Naruto asked, looking at the shorter man, pronouncing his name.
Uchiha Itachi replied softly, "You know me?"
"Sasuke has always wanted to kill you," Naruto said, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.
At the mention of his brother, Uchiha Itachi showed no emotion. His voice was cold and indifferent, "He doesn't have the capacity to accomplish that."
"Capacity?" Naruto repeated the word.
Uchiha Itachi raised his hand, "As the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, let me see what capacity you have."
Naruto looked at him and smiled slightly, "Always talking about capacity..."
"Yet, after defecting from the village, you still wear your former headband."
"Those words don't seem so admirable anymore."
Uchiha Itachi responded in a deep voice, "Is that so?"
As soon as he finished speaking, his Sharingan began to spin.
Naruto's vision suddenly darkened, and a blood-red sky came crashing down like waves.
His body began to feel heavy.
Several giant iron stakes pierced his body, rendering him immobile.
Is this... genjutsu?
Without a sound, it had invaded his body.
"Nine-Tails." He called out in his mind.
The chakra of the Nine-Tails immediately surged into his body, instantly disrupting his internal chakra balance.
This is one of the most effective ways to break a genjutsu.
The iron stakes vanished, and the heaviness in his body disappeared with them.
When Naruto opened his eyes again, a giant fireball was rushing toward him.
The scorching heat distorted the air around it.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
Itachi had seized the brief moment of distraction.
Naruto didn't panic, he swiftly sidestepped.
The red blade flashed out of its sheath—
Swinging a crimson arc toward Itachi.
For someone who looked so sickly, his taijutsu was unexpectedly good.
Wielding a kunai, he exchanged blows with Naruto over several rounds, without showing any sign of weakness.
Kisame did not join the fight.
For now, it seemed that this was still Itachi's battle alone, not requiring his assistance.
But...
Even though he had expected it, knowing this blond kid was strong,
Seeing him able to hold his own against Itachi in person was still surprising.
Back in Konoha,
That other Sharingan kid who was about his age didn't even have the ability to make Itachi get serious.
The difference was like night and day.
Naruto frowned.
The fight with Uchiha Itachi wasn't difficult.
The man in front of him didn't seem to have much desire to fight him.
He was testing Itachi's abilities, and Itachi, in turn, was testing his.
But...
Those never-ending genjutsu were giving him a headache.
They could deceive his senses, and when activated, they were silent, without any warning, to the point of being "indistinguishable from reality."
Not deadly, but preventing him from seizing the opportunity to secure a victory.
"You are indeed powerful, Nine-Tails Jinchuriki," Uchiha Itachi suddenly said. "But with just the power of the Three Tomoe Sharingan, I can't defeat you."
"I wonder if Sasuke ever mentioned to you the evolution of the Sharingan beyond the Three Tomoe."
Naruto was startled.
The evolution of the Sharingan?
His gaze locked with Itachi's.
In the man's eye sockets, the three tomoe spun, transforming into a strange scythe-like pattern.
"Tsukuyomi"!
Chakra surged, dragging the blond youth into a mental world.
Naruto felt disoriented.
The world's colors were washed away, like a negative film, leaving only black and white.
His body was abruptly bound, tightly secured to a rack.
Before him,
Uchiha Itachi, like performing a "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu," appeared densely packed, in groups.
When he spoke, his voice echoed, layer upon layer.
"This is the evolution of the Sharingan, the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"With your capacity,"
"Can you endure seventy-two hours of pain?"
One of the clones stepped forward, raising the sword in his hand high, and thrust it toward Naruto.