"You've grown a little taller, my foolish otouto," Itachi looked at Sasuke expressionlessly. "Why don't you scream like you used to..."
Boom!
Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of Itachi and punched him, sending him flying.
"Indeed, I was too naive before," Sasuke said with a nod. "What are you shouting about? A sneak attack?"
Itachi's expression remained unchanged, even as Sasuke glared at him.
"Chidori Blade!" Sasuke shouted, thrusting a long lightning-infused blade directly at Uchiha Itachi.
Pfft! The electric blade pierced through Itachi's chest. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground.
"You've become stronger," Itachi said approvingly before dispersing into a flock of crows and vanishing.
Sasuke: "...mmp!"
"Go to the Akatsuki's next stronghold alone. Let's end this there." Itachi's voice echoed from the crows as they flew away.
"Sasuke!" A voice called out behind him. Suigetsu and the rest of his team appeared, rushing over.
"Didn't I tell you to stay put?" Sasuke asked as he turned to face them.
Suigetsu shrugged. "Karin said she sensed someone else's chakra and got worried about you, so we rushed over."
"Come with me," Sasuke said, turning around and exiting the cave. "Let's move."
Far away, atop the colossal statue of Uchiha Madara in the Valley of the End, Tobi sat cross-legged.
"Everything is proceeding smoothly," Tobi muttered. "Let me see if you become a snake... or an eagle."
Occasionally, Black Zetsu emerged from the ground beneath the Akatsuki stronghold, only to sink back into the earth like a shadow.
The stage was set. The audience was present. Only the main actors remained.
Sasuke and his team dashed through the forest, heading straight toward the Akatsuki's next hideout.
"This is it!" Karin exclaimed. "What overwhelming chakra! And it's coming in fast!"
The group skidded to a halt as Hoshigaki Kisame appeared before them, Samehada resting casually on his shoulder.
"From here on, only Sasuke is permitted to go further," Kisame said with a shark-toothed smile. "It's Itachi's order. Please wait here."
"Fine by me," Sasuke replied without hesitation. "I brought them to ensure no one interferes. This is personal."
"Sasuke!" Karin gasped, eyes wide.
"Karin, don't do anything reckless," Sasuke said coldly. "This is my revenge."
With a swish, he leapt past Kisame and vanished into the shadows.
"Why is it always like this..." Karin muttered, frustrated.
Moments later, Naruto arrived from the direction of Konoha and saw the group facing off with Kisame.
Without even acknowledging them, Naruto leapt past.
"Hey!" Suigetsu shouted, annoyed. "Why did that guy just ignore us?!"
Kisame shrugged, smiling as he watched Naruto disappear. "Because I can't beat him."
Suigetsu twitched.
"Kisame of the Hidden Mist... You should remember me," Suigetsu said, drawing the sword from his back. "I'm the younger brother of Mangetsu Hozuki. I've got time to kill, so why not play with me for a bit?"
"Oh?" Kisame grinned, lowering Samehada. "Unlike your brother, you're a naughty kid. Let me peel a layer of skin off you."
Elsewhere, Kakashi and the others were tracking Naruto.
"Really now, where did Naruto go?" Kakashi sighed. "He slipped off again. Kiba!"
"On it!" Kiba said, sniffing the air. "This way!"
The group quickly followed Kiba's lead.
"Be careful!" Hinata suddenly shouted.
"Huh?" Kiba froze.
Suddenly, a figure burst from the tree branch right beside him.
"Shit!" Kiba cursed, slipping and falling off the branch.
"Hahaha! Hello, Konoha friends!" Tobi—disguised as Tobi—waved energetically. "Fancy meeting you here! Let's count... one, two, three... seven! What luck!"
"Wait..." Obito muttered to himself behind the mask. "Seven against one? One's missing... Tobi!"
He turned toward White Zetsu. "Where is Naruto Uzumaki?"
White Zetsu blinked. "Don't know. None of the clones found him."
"What?!" Obito snapped. "Contact Pain immediately. We need to adjust the plan!"
"Got it!" White Zetsu replied, vanishing into the ground.
The Konoha shinobi watched the masked man talking to himself and dancing erratically.
"This guy's probably not right in the head," Kiba muttered. "Let's ignore him. Move out!"
The group quickly split up and pressed forward.
At the same time...
A small toad crawled unnoticed into Amegakure.
From its mouth extended an arm, pulling itself out slowly.
"Fukasaku, infiltration successful," Jiraiya whispered. "Now... let's see what's really going on here."
Inside a tower, Pain suddenly turned.
"What is it?" Konan asked.
"Someone blocked my rain. The chakra... it's powerful," Pain said, eyes narrowing.
Jiraiya moved carefully through the village streets.
"Time to gather intel. Looks like this might get bloody," he muttered.
Eventually, he entered a hostess bar.
"Ahhh~" Jiraiya sighed after sipping a beer. "The brew here is still top-tier. Quite the cowgirl, huh?"
"Hehe~ Isn't it?" said a chubby hostess, pouring him more. "You must be a traveler?"
"Ah, yeah. Mercenary work brought me here. Something about a salamander..."
"Shhh!" the woman cut him off, panicked. "That name's taboo here!"
"Eh?! Why?" Jiraiya blinked.
The woman leaned in and whispered, "If they think you're with Hanzo, you'll be killed. The new village leader, Lord Pain, is merciless. My husband says once you're targeted, there's no mercy."
"What?!" Jiraiya jolted. "Wait, you have a husband?!"
"Mhm~" she giggled. "He's a Genin, doesn't make much, so I work to support us. You don't look down on me, do you?"
"Not at all!" Jiraiya laughed loudly. "You're quite the catch!"
"Stop it," she said bashfully. "My husband said the rain in the village is Lord Pain's jutsu. If you're caught in it, no matter what you do, he knows."
Jiraiya's face darkened. "A surveillance jutsu through rain... that's terrifying."
High atop the western tower in Amegakure...
"Konan, once the rain stops, use your jutsu to locate the intruder," Pain commanded.
"Understood," Konan replied.
Pain quickly formed hand seals. "Ninjutsu—Rain Tiger at Will Technique!"
The storm clouds above slowly began to clear, and the downpour ceased.
"Konan."
"Hai!"
Her body dispersed into countless sheets of paper, which folded into butterflies and fluttered across the village, searching...
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