Chương 109

The moment those words left Kisame's mouth, he vanished from where he stood. His massive body appeared directly before Sasuke with surprising speed despite carrying Samehada. The enormous sword descended toward Sasuke's shoulder with enough force to split solid stone apart. Kisame wasn't trying to kill him, but he certainly intended to knock him out before the boy became any more troublesome. Sasuke didn't even dodge or weave hand signs to stop the attack. Instead he simply threw a punch.

A very simple punch, without using any of the fancy stuffs. BOOM! The collision erupted like a clap of thunder. A violent shockwave exploded outward, shattering nearby windows while splintering the wooden corridor beneath their feet. Dust and broken planks flew through the air as both combatants remained frozen for a brief instant, each staring directly into the other's eyes. Then, to everyone's disbelief, Kisame's enormous body was launched backward like a projectile.

"What...?!" Kisame crashed through the wall which was way behind in the corridor, flying past Naruto. After breaking the wall on the end of the corridor, he finally tumbled into the open courtyard outside, carving a deep trench across the ground before coming to a stop. Even Samehada seemed momentarily stunned by the exchange. Meanwhile Sasuke merely slid backward several meters before planting one foot firmly against the floor.

The wooden planks beneath him cracked from the pressure before he effortlessly stabilized himself. He flexed his fingers once, almost experimentally, before raising his gaze toward Itachi once again as though nothing significant had just happened. Silence swallowed the battlefield. Even Itachi's usually emotionless expression changed ever so slightly.

"... Impossible." Outside, Kisame slowly climbed out from the rubble while rubbing his aching forearm.

"... That wasn't chakra." His eyes narrowed as he replayed the collision inside his mind. He hadn't sensed any burst of chakra strengthening Sasuke's body. There had been no enhancement technique, no hidden trick and no sudden increase in physical energy. The boy had simply... possessed that absurd level of strength naturally.

"What kind of monster is this brat...?" Sasuke never even looked toward Kisame again. His target had always been Itachi. He disappeared once more, crossing the distance between them almost instantly before throwing another punch aimed directly toward his brother's face. The air itself seemed to explode from the sheer force generated behind the attack, forcing Itachi to abandon the idea of blocking altogether. Instead, he narrowly tilted his head aside and the punch missed. The stone pillar behind him didn't. BOOM!

The entire support column exploded into countless fragments as though struck by a siege weapon. Chunks of stone blasted across the corridor while half the ceiling groaned ominously. Even Itachi glanced briefly toward the destroyed pillar before shifting his attention back to Sasuke.

"... The Eight Gates?" For a fleeting moment, that was the only explanation that made sense. Such overwhelming physical strength and explosive speed. Yet there were no swollen veins, no crimson steam, no torn muscles and none of the self-destructive signs associated with the forbidden technique. Sasuke's breathing remained steady while his movements grew smoother with every exchange.

"... No." Itachi immediately dismissed the thought.

"This isn't the Eight Gates." The battle continued. Sasuke unleashed punch after punch with terrifying precision, each strike carrying enough force to shatter walls while every kick generated violent gusts that ripped apart the wooden flooring beneath them. Even Itachi found himself giving ground repeatedly, relying upon flawless footwork and the predictive abilities of the Sharingan simply to avoid taking a direct hit. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Outside, Kisame watched everything unfold with genuine disbelief.

"... Itachi-san.... He's forcing you back." Even Samehada remained unusually quiet, unable to understand why a body carrying perfectly ordinary chakra possessed such ridiculous physical power. Whatever transformation Sasuke had undergone, it completely defied everything Kisame believed about shinobi combat. Eventually Itachi created several meters of distance between them before slowly raising his head.

"I underestimated your growth." Sasuke's expression remained cold.

"You underestimated me the day you murdered our clan. This time.. I'm taking you back to Konoha." For several long seconds Itachi remained completely silent before quietly closing his eyes.

"... Forgive me, Sasuke." Itachi said under his breath, unheard by anyone present. The Mangekyō Sharingan stared directly into Sasuke's eyes. Time itself seemed to freeze.

"Tsukuyomi." The world shattered. The ruined corridor disappeared completely, replaced by an endless crimson landscape where reality itself belonged solely to Itachi. Sasuke's monstrous strength, unbelievable durability and enhanced physique became meaningless within that mental prison. There were no muscles to rely upon here, no overwhelming body capable of tearing apart stone. Only two minds remained. But outside barely a second had passed.

Sasuke's body suddenly froze where he stood before collapsing onto one knee. Cold sweat poured from his forehead while his pupils trembled uncontrollably. His breathing became ragged as the invisible torture unfolded entirely inside his mind, leaving his newly strengthened body powerless to intervene. Itachi quietly lowered his gaze toward his younger brother.

"... Your body has become extraordinary. But your mind.. Still has a long way to go." And just after that Naruto who was ready to fight this man who he understood as the brother of Sasuke, was stopped by Jiraya himself as he had finally arrived and saw the situation. Kisame and Itachi made a run for it and used Amaterasu at the end. Sasuke had a blank look in his eyes as his mind was broken and thus his body had gone listless.

Jiraya saved the duo and spoke about how Sasuke would need special medical attention and someone like Tsunade could help Sasuke get out of this mental break. The forests several kilometers outside Konoha had once again fallen silent. The afternoon breeze gently swayed the towering trees while birds cautiously returned to their nests after the violent chakra fluctuations that had shaken the village earlier. Itachi and Kisame moved swiftly from branch to branch without exchanging many words.

The mission was already a failure as they had welcomed many problems along the way and remaining near Konoha any longer would only invite unnecessary confrontation. Kisame glanced sideways toward his partner, noticing the faint traces of exhaustion hidden beneath Itachi's otherwise calm expression. Tsukuyomi followed by Amaterasu had undoubtedly taken their toll, yet the elder Uchiha's face betrayed nothing.

"You pushed yourself a little too much this time, Itachi-san."

"It was necessary."

"Your brother has grown up to be a fine man."

"He has still a very long way to go." Before either of them could continue, both shinobi simultaneously stopped. Someone was standing on a thick branch directly ahead of them. Clad in sleek black armor accented with golden lines, the figure remained perfectly still with a hood concealing his face beneath a smooth metallic helmet. Neither Kisame nor Itachi could identify the person before them. There was no forehead protector, no village symbol and no visible chakra leaking from the armor.

Yet somehow, both instantly understood that this individual had been waiting specifically for them.

"... Who are you?" Kisame asked while lowering Samehada from his shoulder. The armored figure said nothing. Instead, black markings suddenly spread beneath the exposed portions of the suit as natural energy erupted around his body. Minute golden lightning discharges danced across the armor while the helmet subtly reshaped itself, seamlessly adapting to the transformed face beneath. Even the forearms shifted as hidden plates quietly repositioned themselves to accommodate the changes.

"Sage Transformation..." Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"This chakra..." Before either Akatsuki member could react further, the armored shinobi vanished. Flying Thunder God Technique. [Hiraishin no Jutsu] A golden flash crossed the battlefield. Rei appeared directly beside Kisame, his fist already driving forward with the overwhelming strength granted by Thor's physique and Senjutsu. Yes, when he had bumped into this shark man, he had marked him. That was the whole point of that acting. Though Karin's sensory technique would always allow him to keep an eye on this man.

But having being marked was eternal. Until death, and even after death. Kisame instinctively swung Samehada sideways to intercept, yet the collision resembled two mountains crashing together. The impact generated a deafening explosion as Samehada bent backward against its owner's chest before Kisame himself was launched through half a dozen ancient trees, splintering trunks like dry twigs before finally skidding across the forest floor.

"... Gah!" Blood escaped Kisame's mouth.

"So that's... your game." Without hesitation, he slammed both palms onto the ground. Suiton: Bakusui Shōha [Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave] | {The user spits out a great volume of water from their mouth, swallowing up and crushing the enemy with the advancing surge. The user can ride the wave, allowing them to move at high speed, and attack the enemy, now swept off their feet, without fear of counter-attacks. The amount of water created is proportional to the amount of chakra used; when used with Kisame's enormous chakra, even a dry wasteland can become a small ocean. Afterwards, the excess water can be used for additional Water Release techniques.}