Feeling his increasingly powerful chakra, becoming more vigorous with each battle.
There is no invincible technique.
And no invincible person.
But, it must be admitted, this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is indeed a difficult adversary.
Almost no weaknesses are discernible.
Of course, he had confidence that by unleashing the ultimate abilities of his Mangekyo Sharingan, combined with Kisame's cooperation, they would surely capture this Jinchuriki.
But the question was, was it worth such a high cost?
In almost an instant, the answer came, and it was a "No."
Uchiha Itachi was acutely aware of his condition.
Every use of his Mangekyo Sharingan abilities was self-destructive, urging his already critically ill body closer and closer to death.
Sasuke was still young and had not yet matured.
At the very least, his body needed to last until Sasuke could fend for himself.
"Kisame, let's go!" Having made up his mind, he called out.
Kisame's response was somewhat surprising.
There was no hesitation, no objections.
This battle-hardened fighter retreated swiftly, immediately appearing beside Itachi, agreeing: "We're leaving!"
Their intention to retreat was clear.
Naruto, using the Flash Step, chased after them while stepping in mid-air: "Leaving without leaving something behind?"
Unlike the two evading obstacles on the ground, Naruto moved in a straight line through the air.
Almost in an instant, he caught up.
Kisame turned around, clapping his hands to form seals.
"Water Style: Great Shark Bullet Technique."
He drew what little water was left from the river, almost completely dried by Hadō, and, infused with chakra, formed a giant shark that leaped skyward, lunging at Naruto.
Naruto swung his sword to attack.
At the moment the blade made contact with the water
a massive suction force emerged from within the water shark, attempting to drain Naruto's chakra completely.
But.
Unlike the Samehada sword, this technique, neither controlled by a person nor possessing any life attributes, couldn't interfere with the chakra within Naruto's body.
Naruto glanced aside with his eyes.
Golden chains flew from the palm, like a meteor shower, casting ripples in the void before swiftly darting towards the two individuals.
Uchiha Itachi, with his Sharingan, could evade them relatively easily.
Kisame, however, found himself in a bit of a bind.
He managed to dodge four or five volleys, but when the sixth approached, his reaction faltered slightly, and he was pierced through entirely, pinned firmly to the ground.
Yet, Naruto frowned; something about the sensation of this strike seemed off.
It wasn't the real body.
It was a water clone.
Sure enough, the next moment, Kisame, pierced by the golden chains, dissolved into a splash of water.
From within the water shark, Kisame's figure emerged halfway.
He had hidden his presence entirely in the water, waiting for this moment, his hands swiftly forming seals.
"Water Style, Water Prison Jutsu."
The shark's form shrank, splitting and forming a water sphere, imprisoning Naruto within.
"Itachi, you go! I'll hold him back!" Kisame murmured softly.
Itachi didn't look back, disappearing from their sight in an instant.
To a ninja, the Water Prison Jutsu was a relatively tricky obstacle.
Trapped within the water, a ninja could neither speak nor form hand seals, bounded by the liquid.
Without adequate means, one would remain ensnared, ultimately perishing from suffocation.
Yet, for Naruto, the hindrance caused by this technique was limited to the moment it was cast.
Abandoning incantation, "Hado Number 11: Tsuzuri Raiden."
Golden lightning extended from the dual blades in Naruto's hands, crackling as it surged, overturning the entire water sphere, spreading further onto the water-shark and Kisame.
The electricity incapacitated, disrupting his movements and chakra flow.
The technique could no longer be maintained.
The water sphere shattered, the shark dissipated, and Kisame plummeted from the air.
Naruto swung his blades, aiming for his neck.
Kisame clenched his teeth, desperately flailing in mid-air, adjusting his posture to avoid a fatal blow.
But this only spared him from death.
A single slash severed his left arm.
Naruto pursued, ready to strike a second blow.
A sudden roar erupted.
Black flames unexpectedly ignited on his body.
It was Itachi Uchiha.
Naruto looked up, sensing that the man was already hundreds of meters away.
Was the range of this Sharingan technique truly so vast?
As long as he could see, could he unleash those black flames?
He wasn't abandoning his comrades but choosing a more suitable and intelligent strategy.
These unquenchable flames made Naruto halt his pursuit.
Seizing the chance, Kisame dived underground; the soil around him softened like flowing water in an instant, and he quickly slipped away, escaping through the sand like a stream.
Naruto wanted to chase.
But the black flames always managed to block his path just in time.
Naruto ceased his chase, withdrew his liberation, and sheathed his sword.
He picked up the severed arm from the ground, sealed it back into a scroll, and turned back.
By the shores of the Land of Whirlpools, Itachi and Kisame halted their retreat.
"He didn't pursue us," Kisame frowned, rummaging through his pouch to find some ointment to disinfect and bandage his wounds, "That kid is unbelievably strong."
This was something he could agree with.
"Let's take the intel back." Itachi said softly, "See if we can analyze anything."
Samehada wriggled, displeased, having been separated from the chakra it loved.
Kisame had to pause from bandaging to infuse his chakra into it, calming its emotions, "Your foolproof illusion techniques aren't effective on him either."
"It seems only the leader might be able to take him down,"
Itachi remained silent.
He lowered his head, recalling those eyes with the purple spiral patterns.
"Let's go." After a moment, he stood up and began bandaging Kisame. "If he follows us, things could get troublesome."
"The range of a Jinchūriki's perception far exceeds that of the Byakugan."
Without wasting time, they got on a boat and left.
Naruto returned to their temporary camp.
The campfire had already been extinguished, hurriedly buried under loose soil.
Karin was nowhere to be seen.
Even in Naruto's sensory range, she left barely a trace.
"Karin, I'm back," he murmured softly.
It took a moment before Karin poked her head out from a nearby building, "The commotion earlier was quite loud. Have you driven them away?"
"They ran off," Naruto chuckled, tilting his head at her, "You came out so easily. What if I were an imposter?"
Karin confidently put her hands on her hips, "I can sense chakra signatures."
"Your chakra is very distinctive, Naruto, unlike anyone else's. It's a warm sensation."
"That's something no one can fake."
She walked over to Naruto. Just as she was about to crouch down and rekindle the campfire, her head turned and rested on his shoulder, "Are you hurt?"
"Quick, bite me," she urged, lifting her sleeve.
Naruto shook his head and gestured, "No need, it's almost healed."
Karin looked intently.
The wound was healing at a pace that was slow yet visibly noticeable.
"You have that resilience too," Karin nodded, rolling her sleeve back down, "I almost forgot, you're a part of the Uzumaki clan as well."
The campfire flared up again.
Naruto and Karin started discussing sealing techniques.
The "Mind's Eye of Kagura" was a fascinating technique, and Naruto's interest in it was considerable.
Especially the "emotion sensing" aspect.
It was remarkably similar to the abilities Naruto gained after freeing the Ashura Blade.
He recalled the Nine-Tails mentioning, "Ashura is an ancestor of the Uzumaki clan."
The capabilities of this technique seemed to corroborate that notion.
He hoped their exploration of the monument's inscriptions tomorrow would yield some useful clues.
The next morning.
Naruto and Karin were once again busy investigating the inscriptions.
The "Shrine" was their most coveted destination, but it appeared nonexistent within the village.
Or rather, the "Shrine" once existed but has since vanished entirely, along with the structure itself.
The conspicuous open "spaces" amid the ruins were strong evidence.
They bore clear traces of where buildings once stood.
While having lunch.
"Have those who destroyed the Land of Whirlpools taken them away?" Karin sighed with regret.
"Let's first gather what we can use from here." Naruto held a scroll, "The history of the Uzumaki clan is quite intriguing."
"After we finish finding useful information here, we should investigate which ninja villages were responsible for the downfall of the Land of Whirlpools."
"Then we'll visit their villages to exchange information."
Karin nodded.
They had barely started eating their meal.
Suddenly, a puff of white smoke burst beside Naruto.
A frog, entirely red with goggles around its neck, appeared.
Naruto instinctively reacted.
Chakra surged forth.
"I'm not an enemy," the frog shrieked in fear, "I'm a messenger from Mount Myoboku."
"Jiraiya-sama has a message for you."
Naruto reined in his aura, "What message?"
The red frog opened its mouth and spat out a scroll, "Jiraiya-sama wrote everything on here."
Naruto picked it up and unrolled it.
The scroll was filled with dense writing.
However, the information it contained wasn't new to him.
It was about last night's attack by "Itachi Uchiha" and "Shark Face."
Jiraiya mentioned in the letter.
They were part of an organization called "Akatsuki."
This organization consisted of only nine ninjas, few in number but highly skilled.
Each of the nine was an "S"-rank criminal wanted by major ninja villages, with serious offenses.
The purpose of this organization remained unknown; until now, they had been engaged in technique collection activities.
Just a few days ago.
Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki infiltrated Konoha, injuring Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi.
It was only today that they regained consciousness.
They brought back news.
The reason those two broke into Konoha was—"The Fourth Hokage's legacy."
(End of Chapter)