"Human ninja..."
"Human ninja!"
At the sight of Itachi Uchiha and his group of shinobi, the Two-Tails, Matatabi, was consumed by a sudden, violent rage.
Ever since the moment Hashirama Senju founded the hidden villages, it had been held captive within the bodies of various Jinchūriki. Twelve years ago, its previous Jinchūriki had been killed along with it by Kakashi Hatake, and it had only recently been revived.
It had truly had enough of those days spent trapped inside a human body!
After its resurrection, it had deliberately avoided areas inhabited by humans, yet it had still been tracked down. The purpose behind these people's appearance was self-evident...
It was simply too much!
Its massive frame slowly rose from the water, its giant feline paws treading steadily upon the surface. Ghostly blue chakra flames ignited across its fur.
"Proceed as planned," Itachi Uchiha commanded, watching the scene with a calm gaze. "Move out."
"Yes, sir!"
The accompanying Uchiha were all masters of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, each possessing the strength of a Jonin. Sasuke, with his Sage Mark active, was firmly in the Kage-level tier. Combined with Itachi, capturing a mere Two-Tails—while perhaps not as simple as picking something up from a shelf—was certainly well within their grasp.
Their only concern was ensuring the Two-Tails didn't have the chance to fire off a Tailed Beast Bomb.
At the command, ten Uchiha ninja—excluding Sasuke—quickly surrounded the Two-Tails according to the pre-arranged formation. It was only then that the Two-Tails realized the dark eyes of these humans had transformed into the crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Are these people from the Uchiha Clan?
The Two-Tails felt a jolt of shock, and its previous thoughts of revenge instantly vanished. The Sharingan and Wood Style were the natural enemies of the Tailed Beasts—let alone ten pairs of Sharingan at once.
"Meow!"
With a low growl, the Two-Tails didn't hesitate for a second and charged straight in one direction!
As a Tailed Beast, its strength was arguably at the bottom tier among the nine. Expecting it to face ten Three-Tomoe Uchiha was like throwing an egg against a stone. Furthermore, there were two others who hadn't even made a move yet.
Although Itachi and Sasuke hadn't acted yet—and hadn't even activated their Sharingan—the presence of ten other Uchiha left no doubt about their status. They were surely the top elites of the clan.
Thus, no matter how much the Two-Tails hated ninja, it chose to flee without a moment's delay.
Seeing the beast attempt to escape, Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed slightly. The crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan surfaced in his sockets as he pushed off the ground, vanishing instantly! Only a few lingering sparks of electricity remained where he had stood.
Itachi didn't stop him, instead watching the scene quietly.
At that moment, Sasuke was shrouded in dazzling lightning. His speed was incredible, like a bolt of lightning streaking across the ground!
This was... the Secret Technique of the Hidden Cloud: Lightning Style Nintaijutsu!
The sixteen-year-old black-haired youth relied on his transcendent speed to intercept the Two-Tails from behind, lunging in front of it!
"Nani?!"
Recognizing the familiar jutsu, the Two-Tails was struck with horror. Having spent decades in the Land of Lightning, it knew the Lightning Style Nintaijutsu all too well.
"A pet should fulfill its duties as a pet."
The cold words and arrogant stance were delivered by Sasuke as if they were the natural order of things, which only served to infuriate the Two-Tails further.
"Lariat!"
The youth leaped into the air, his arm bent at the elbow like a blade, slamming it hard against the Two-Tails' head!
Massive force descended from above. Faced with such a blow, the Two-Tails merely swayed; it didn't fall. Instead, it opened its maw wide, snapping at Sasuke!
But that brief moment was all the ten Uchiha needed to prepare their technique. They each stood before an unfurled scroll covered in dense, mysterious black runes, with the character for "Seal" at the center!
"Sealing Jutsu: Uchiha Flame Formation!"
In an instant, a crimson barrier wreathed in flames erupted from the ground, encasing the Two-Tails within. Itachi Uchiha stepped into the barrier the moment it rose!
"Meow!"
Seeing the barrier go up, the Two-Tails knew its sudden assault had failed and let out a roar of grief and rage. No matter what it did, it had been caught again. Against so many Uchiha experts, escape was impossible.
Knowing what happened once it was sealed, it decided it would at least take a few of them down with it!
"Roar!"
Facing Sasuke, the Two-Tails spat out a rapid succession of chakra orbs!
Tailed Beast Bombs!
The barrage rained down on Sasuke like a storm, but every move was perceived by the Sharingan. Sasuke moved through the chaos like a dancer; no matter how dense the volleys were, they couldn't graze him in the slightest.
The Tailed Beast Bombs struck the Uchiha Flame Formation, causing ripples, but this was a barrier maintained by ten Three-Tomoe Uchiha. Even the Tailed Beast Bombs only caused the barrier to tremble slightly.
Itachi Uchiha had no intention of dragging out the fight. His dark eyes shifted into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. With a few leaps, he landed beside Sasuke and looked directly at the Two-Tails.
An overwhelming amount of visual prowess condensed in Itachi's eyes. With just a single glance, he brought the Two-Tails under control!
Itachi, already a master of genjutsu, possessed ocular power that was elite even among Mangekyō holders. Now, the Two-Tails stood frozen in place, its massive body dazed.
A Tailed Beast that struck fear into the hearts of many had been subdued the moment it met the gaze of the Sharingan. This was the sheer dominance of a Sharingan user in combat.
In a one-on-one, flee on sight.
This was a lesson written in blood by countless ninja.
Seeing the Two-Tails subdued, the Uchiha maintaining the barrier breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although the Uchiha were the natural counters to Tailed Beasts, it was still a Tailed Beast; one could never be too cautious.
"Meddling... I could have handled it myself," Sasuke said, looking at the Sharingan pattern reflected in the Two-Tails' eyes with a dissatisfied expression.
"Is that so? Then I'll leave the next mission to you, Sasuke," Itachi replied with a smile, ignoring his brother's posturing as he prepared to seal the beast.
With a flick of his wrist, a strangely designed cat-faced mask appeared in Itachi's hand.
This was a special creation from the Imperial Research Department, modeled after the Reaper Mask of the Uzumaki Clan's temple by Katasuke Tōno, Dotō Kazahana, and Sasori of the Red Sand. It was designed specifically to seal Tailed Beasts, demons, and chakra constructs.
Once this item was perfected, "Jinchūriki" would become a relic of history. Humans would no longer need to serve as living containers to restrain the beasts. One would only need to wear the mask and use the corresponding techniques to harness the Tailed Beast's power.
This meant the danger of a Tailed Beast going on a rampage would essentially be eliminated.
Now, all Itachi needed to do was seal the Two-Tails inside it. But just as he was about to step forward, his eyes narrowed, and alarm bells rang in his mind.
He looked at the dazed Two-Tails before him. The danger wasn't coming from the beast...
It was from under the water!
"Everyone, fall back!" Itachi barked instinctively!
At that same moment, a massive shadow emerged from the depths! As Itachi spoke, a giant blue snake—no smaller than the Two-Tails, perhaps even larger—burst through the surface with its jaws wide!
This... was the true form of Ichikusushima-hime, one of the three Snake Sages of Ryūchi Cave!
"A snake?!"
Sasuke's expression sharpened. He ignored his brother's warning, drawing the long sword at his waist and charging forward!
Just as it seemed the Uchiha were about to be swallowed by the serpent, the "dazed" Two-Tails moved! It swung a massive paw at the giant blue snake!
The Sharingan pattern remained in the Two-Tails' eyes. In other words, Itachi was currently controlling the Two-Tails to attack Ichikusushima-hime!
Cat vs. Snake.
A natural predatory advantage. Even if the Two-Tails was at the bottom of the Tailed Beast hierarchy, and Ichikusushima-hime was among the top tier of serpents, the cat's advantage over the snake remained!
With a single swipe, the claws extending from the feline paw tore away several scales, drawing blood. Hissing in pain, Ichikusushima-hime reflexively opened her mouth. In that split second, Itachi leaped out from the opening and landed atop the Two-Tails' head.
Before he could catch his breath, another giant green snake erupted from the water, lunging to crush him!
The Uchiha Clan, who used Ninja Cats as summoned beasts, had always understood feline creatures deeply. Itachi immediately commanded the Two-Tails to counterattack.
With a nimble dodge, the Two-Tails extended a paw and slapped the green serpent's head with lightning speed! The giant snake had barely shown its face before being slammed back under the water!
Compared to its previous performance, the Two-Tails seemed far more agile and powerful under Itachi's control!
"Sasuke, stay back. There are more enemies," Itachi said coldly from atop the beast's head.
Under normal circumstances, a single blow from the Two-Tails would be fatal to a giant snake. But these two—blue and green—were clearly no ordinary serpents. Moreover, their mission to capture the Two-Tails was classified.
For an attack to happen at this time, in this place, was clearly a calculated ambush.
The Two-Tails had been in this lake for a while; for these two snakes to hide here without the beast sensing them, they must have mastered extremely advanced concealment techniques. If their target had been the Two-Tails, they would have acted long ago.
The conclusion was obvious: their target was Itachi's group.
However, the combat power of these two snakes wasn't enough to challenge him alone. That meant other enemies were waiting!
"Itachi Uchiha."
The blue snake raised its head from the water, its massive body shimmering in the sunlight. Its tongue flickered as it spoke in a human voice.
Itachi's eyes narrowed as he noticed the wound the snake had taken from the Two-Tails was already nearly healed. This level of regeneration...
"From Ryūchi Cave, I presume?" Itachi said calmly.
In the entire shinobi world, if one wanted to find the strongest snakes, it was undoubtedly the Ryūchi Cave, one of the Three Great Sage Regions.
"Today is the day you die," Ichikusushima-hime stated flatly.
Though her goal was to gather intel on Itachi's Mangekyō techniques, it would be even better if she could kill him right here. Thus, she didn't hesitate to make her grand declaration.
"The day I die? You're welcome to try," Itachi sneered.
As one of the five "Special Grade" combatants alongside the likes of Might Guy and Yamato, he hadn't had many chances to show off, but if anyone took him for a pushover, they were flirting with death.
"Is that so?"
The blue snake's face twisted into a human-like smirk. She opened her mouth wide, and a white, dragon-shaped chakra orb clutching a red sphere flew out, racing toward Itachi!
Sage Art: White Rage Technique!
In an instant, a blinding white light and a deafening, high-frequency roar swept across the battlefield!
Caught off guard, Itachi felt his vision go white while the ringing in his ears caused him immense pain. He wasn't the only one; almost every Uchiha present fell into the same incapacitated state!
However, Ichikusushima-hime and Tagorihime (the green snake) could move freely within the chaos. The White Rage Technique effectively neutralized the Sharingan's sight, while the auditory vibrations prevented experts from tracking by sound. It was a perfect counter for Uchiha ninja who relied primarily on ocular prowess!
But their opponent was Itachi Uchiha, one of the Twin Walls of the Empire. The other, Hayama Shirakumo, had already proven his strength. Even if Itachi kept a low profile, no one dared to underestimate him.
This was why Ichikusushima-hime opened with a killing blow!
The moment the White Rage Technique was deployed, Tagorihime acted in unison!
Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!
Another devastating Sage Art! Inorganic Reincarnation allowed the user to control non-living matter according to their will.
In an instant, the surrounding lake water transformed into high-frequency, vibrating blades of water, slashing toward Itachi atop the Two-Tails!
This sequence of events happened in the blink of an eye. Under normal circumstances, even a ninja who didn't rely on ocular jutsu would have met their end right then and there!
Excitement flickered in Ichikusushima-hime's massive eyes. But then...
"Sink into the genjutsu of the Sharingan."
The words exploded in her ear like a demon's whisper!
Suddenly, her vision cleared. Itachi Uchiha was already charging toward her, riding the Two-Tails! The massive feline claws glinted with a lethal chill in the sunlight!
At the same time, massive amounts of chakra began to swirl in the Two-Tails' mouth.
Itachi was actually preparing a Tailed Beast Bomb while using the beast for close-quarters combat!
"What?!"
A look of pure disbelief flashed in Ichikusushima-hime's eyes.
Genjutsu?! When?! When did I fall into a genjutsu?!
As expected, none of these people were easy targets! There was no time to marvel at his strength; if she didn't act now, she would be torn apart by the claws and then hit point-blank by the nearly completed Tailed Beast Bomb!
She tried to dodge while looking toward Tagorihime, who was still trapped in the illusion and hadn't snapped out of it yet. A sense of urgency gripped her.
Damn that Orochimaru! Why hasn't he shown up yet!
Just as Ichikusushima-hime seemed destined to die the moment she appeared, a white figure flew out from nowhere! A violent gale wrapped in sword light erupted from the blade in the newcomer's hand, slashing toward Itachi Uchiha!
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