The scene crackled with tension, the air thick with a mixture of fear, rage, and a touch of disbelief. Sasuke lay crumpled on the ground, clutching his abdomen, his glare fixed firmly on his brother, Itachi Uchiha, who stood over him with an unyielding gaze. Nearby, Naruto's usual sunny grin was nowhere to be seen. His face twisted in fury as he took a defiant step forward, his voice dripping with resolve.
"Itachi, you absolute…!" Naruto growled, hands flashing through hand seals. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" In an instant, a small army of Narutos materialized around him, each one burning with a fierce determination that could have shaken mountains. "You don't deserve to call yourself Sasuke's brother!" he shouted. "Even Gojo-sensei is a better brother than you could ever be!"
In that moment, Naruto's mind flashed to Gojo-sensei—enigmatic, playful, and powerful beyond comprehension. If only he would show up! Naruto had seen Gojo casually dispatch enemies twice as fierce as these rogues, turning potential battles into mere inconveniences. Surely, his sensei would swoop in any second.
Sasuke pushed himself up, defiance in his eyes. "I don't need your help, Naruto! This is my fight!" He staggered forward, shoving past Naruto's clones, fueled by a pride that refused to die.
Kisame snickered, watching with thinly veiled amusement. "Your brother's got some spirit, Itachi," he jeered, his shark-like grin broadening as he tightened his grip on Samehada, his grotesque, chakra-hungry sword. "Too bad it's wasted here."
Sasuke unleashed a desperate Fireball Jutsu, the flames licking through the air before fizzling out harmlessly against Kisame, who barely blinked. "Seriously?" he laughed. "You kids actually think you can hurt me?"
Naruto and Sasuke charged forward in unison, but Kisame swatted away each strike like bothersome flies. With each failed hit, Itachi's cold, dismissive gaze never wavered. He reached out, grabbing Sasuke's shoulder in a vice grip, his words low and venomous.
"Pathetic, as always," he sneered, his eyes narrowing in disdain. "Hate me, Sasuke. Grow stronger. Only then will you understand the truth."
Sasuke's eyes blazed with hatred, his voice choked with fury and anguish. "Why… why let me live, just to suffer like this?" he spat, his fist trembling in his brother's iron grip.
Itachi's Sharingan spun slowly, mercilessly. "Because you're the only one whose death will make me stronger, little brother."
But just as Itachi raised his hand, Naruto threw himself forward, an army of clones forming a line of defense, each wielding a Rasengan. "You're not hurting Sasuke anymore!" he roared, his voice resounding through the park.
Kisame's grin widened as he raised Samehada. "Looks like the kid's got a lot of chakra. This should be fun!" With a single swing, half of Naruto's clones vanished in a burst of smoke, and Naruto himself was sent tumbling back, his Rasengan dissipating.
Then, Kurenai appeared, stepping forward and weaving hand signs with quick precision. "Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!" she shouted, her voice firm as roots surged from the earth, spiraling around Itachi like vines from a nightmare forest.
Itachi's eyes flickered with amusement. "Genjutsu against my Sharingan?" he murmured, barely needing a flicker of his chakra to dispel it. In an instant, Kurenai's vines turned against her, binding her limbs as she realized, too late, that she was trapped in her own illusion. Itachi's shadow loomed over her, and she froze.
Kisame chuckled, glancing at Naruto and Kurenai with a gleam of malice. "Itachi, are these extras really necessary? Let me handle them." He turned his attention back to Naruto, his grin sharp. "After all, they're no threat. Only the Nine-Tails is worth taking."
Naruto staggered to his feet, his fists clenched in rage, his chakra flaring brighter and more erratic by the second. "I don't care who you are!" he shouted. "Gojo-sensei taught me the Rasengan, and I'll use it to knock you both into next week!"
As he readied himself for another attack, he scanned the horizon, waiting, hoping, praying for that familiar white-haired figure to appear with his usual laid-back grin. Gojo-sensei, who always seemed to show up at the last possible second to turn the tide. Gojo-sensei, who would never let Itachi and Kisame have their way with his students.
But… Gojo was nowhere to be seen.
Itachi, though expressionless, felt an inward flicker of annoyance. Where was Gojo, the so-called "Strongest"? It was unlike him to miss a battle. Surely, he wasn't just watching this play out from some rooftop—unless, of course, he was waiting for the right moment to make a theatrical entrance. But something in Itachi's gut told him that Gojo wouldn't show.
Naruto's fists clenched, and his voice echoed across the field. "Come on, Gojo-sensei! Now would be a great time to show up!"
In his mind, Itachi smirked. If Gojo really was absent, then this was the perfect opportunity to fulfill their mission. But that pesky thought lingered, gnawing at him: just where in the world was Gojo?