Seeing Kisame and Itachi retreat, Gai and Kurenai wanted to give chase, but Jiraiya raised his hand to stop them.
"That fish-like guy is very strong in water," Furen explained to them, then pointed at Jiraiya's summoned Gamaken. "Look."
They saw that Gamaken's leg, the one that had made contact with Kisame's fused Samehada, was now badly damaged, significantly smaller than the other leg, as Kisame had instantly absorbed a large portion of its chakra.
"Sorry, Gamaken," Jiraiya scratched his head, apologizing to his summon.
Gamaken, now that the enemies were gone, finally revealed a pained expression and sat down on the shore, hugging his injured leg.
Furen saw this and thought for a moment. If he could form a good relationship with Gamaken, it might help him in the future if he ever had a chance to visit Mount Myōboku, the sacred land of the toads. Learning the secret techniques of the toads might offer unexpected benefits.
With that in mind, Furen walked forward, placing his hand on Gamaken's injured leg. "Let me heal you."
Gamaken lowered his head, about to tell the young ninja that such damage could only heal through rest. But suddenly, he felt a weak yet life-giving chakra flow into his leg, rapidly repairing the injury.
Before everyone's eyes, Gamaken's previously shrunken leg gradually returned to its original size. Then, to the astonishment of the giant toad, the healed leg actually grew longer than the other one!
Even though Gamaken had already reached adulthood, meaning further growth was unlikely, Furen's treatment had miraculously stimulated its development.
With the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, inside him, Furen had become a walking medical anomaly. As long as someone had even the faintest sign of life left and their head was still attached, he could revive them. Even his casual healing could trigger unexpected biological growth.
Furen scratched his head, staring at the now mismatched legs of the giant toad. "Uh… sorry about that. It's my first time treating a toad. How about I lengthen your other leg to match?"
Gamaken didn't reply, but his wide eyes were clearly filled with excitement and admiration.
"This kid can actually restore vitality… could it be related to the Great Toad Sage?" Gamaken thought silently to himself as he disappeared back to Mount Myōboku.
Meanwhile, on the banks of a river several kilometers away from Konoha…
Kisame returned to his normal form and separated from Samehada, standing quietly by the side, watching Itachi resting against a tree.
Since getting to know Itachi, this was the first time Kisame had seen him so exhausted and battered.
"That guy's bloodline limit genjutsu… it's already on par with Tsukuyomi," Itachi finally spoke, slowly opening his eyes. After using Tsukuyomi multiple times, his Mangekyō Sharingan was already nearing its limit.
The Mangekyō Sharingan was not eternal. Overuse placed an immense burden on both the eyes and the body, and even Itachi's eyes wouldn't last much longer.
"You… did you use Tsukuyomi four times on that kid?" Kisame exclaimed in shock.
During the earlier battle, Itachi had used Tsukuyomi on Sasuke and Kakashi. Then, to quickly break free from the illusion cast on him, he had used it on himself. And finally, during his fight with the Konoha ninja named Furen, Itachi had unleashed Tsukuyomi once more!
And judging by the outcome, Itachi's Tsukuyomi seemed evenly matched with Furen's genjutsu.
That Konoha ninja… he was just a teenager, yet he could already compete with Itachi in terms of genjutsu. Such a thing seemed beyond belief.
If Kisame hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.
"That guy's genjutsu is indeed strong…" Kisame grinned, revealing his sharp teeth as he recalled how he had fallen into Furen's illusion without even realizing it.
"From now on, whenever we encounter that Konoha ninja called Furen, immediately use your strongest form to shield your mind," Itachi said as he slowly stood up, his Sharingan reverting to its normal state. "It's best to kill him before he casts his genjutsu."
At that moment, Itachi's hand was hidden inside his Akatsuki cloak, holding something—a pair of eyes submerged in a special liquid. The eyes twirled in the fluid, revealing themselves to be… Mangekyō Sharingan!
"My father's eyes…" Itachi murmured quietly, putting on his hat.
It was Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan. On the night of the Uchiha massacre, both Danzo and Tobi had missed the fact that Itachi had secretly taken his father's eyes with him.
Other than Itachi, no one knew that Uchiha Fugaku, the leader of the Uchiha clan, also possessed Mangekyō Sharingan. In fact, perhaps the only other person aware of this in Fugaku's lifetime had been his wife, Uchiha Mikoto.
"These eyes might not last until the day Sasuke arrives…" Itachi raised his hand, his vision already blurred to the point where he couldn't even see his own fingers clearly.
"Itachi, where do we go next?" Kisame asked, following behind him with Samehada on his back.
"To a place where I can fulfill my duties as a Uchiha…" Itachi replied.
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T/N:
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