r9

What on earth is going on here?

Why is Kakuzu there? They clearly saw that kid from Konoha was there just a moment ago.

"Hey, Kakuzu!"

"Are you alright?"

Hidan and Deidara walked over with concern.

However, Kakuzu felt something off in their gaze, as his deep green eyes erupted with a terrifying intent.

Is Kakuzu serious?

Sensing this chilling intent, even Hidan and Deidara couldn't help but shiver.

"The legendary Sannin and genius of Konoha."

"It seems you two are worth hunting down."

Hidan and Deidara halted, looking at Kakuzu in shock. "What are you talking about?"

Water Style: Water Wall!

Lightning Style, False Darkness!

From the mouths of Earth Grudge Fear's masks, sharp lightning spears and powerful water bubbles attacked Deidara and Hidan.

With Kakuzu's forbidden jutsu, he didn't need hand signs to unleash ninjutsu. Their sudden attack caught Hidan and Deidara off guard.

With a thunderous crash, countless lightning serpents danced within the waves, leaving devastation in their wake. Deidara and Hidan quickly jumped onto a nearby tree.

Witnessing this scene in horror, countless trees collapsed from the impact, leaving the forest bare.

"Hey hey hey! Kakuzu doesn't seem like he's joking!"

"Did Kakuzu just mistake us for Jiraiya and that guy, Ryujiro?"

"What's going on?"

Itachi's face was incredibly solemn. Itachi, who had never felt fear before, felt a hint of it now.

When was the Genjutsu cast?

With his Mangekyo Sharingan, capable of using the Tsukuyomi, he couldn't find a way to break the Genjutsu. 

The question was, who cast this terrifying Genjutsu?

Jiraiya?

Impossible, Jiraiya wasn't skilled enough to cast Genjutsu at this level, which even his Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't break.

Ryujiro?

While Ryujiro was extraordinary, his displayed strength was based on swordsmanship, but Genjutsu...

The situation was beyond his control.

Jiraiya and Ryujiro?

Itachi glanced around and saw Jiraiya and Ryujiro looking at them from another direction.

Why did he feel something eerie upon seeing them? What was the problem?

Before Itachi could contemplate further, sharp black tentacles, composed of numerous strands, swept towards his position.

This scene horrified Deidara and Hidan even more. Was Kakuzu out of his mind? That's Itachi!

Meanwhile, elsewhere, observing the chaos among the Akatsuki members, Ryujiro smirked.

With the ability of Kyoka Suigetsu, he could manipulate their senses entirely. The moment he drew his sword, the members of Akatsuki fell under his hypnosis.

In Ryujiro's eyes, Akatsuki members appeared to be fighting each other. However, in Jiraiya's eyes, the Akatsuki members seemed to have fallen into a state of slumber.

"Ryujiro, when did you use Genjutsu?"

"How long can this Genjutsu last?"

How long?

Ryujiro smiled knowingly. Only when Ryujiro wanted to release the ability would the Akatsuki members return to normal. 

Otherwise, unless they encountered Zanpakuto itself, they would be forever trapped in the ability of Kyoka Suigetsu.

"Everyone has some hidden tricks."

"This Genjutsu won't last long. Let's get out of here."

Ryujiro lied. He couldn't possibly reveal the extent of his ability to Jiraiya, and...

Jiraiya was also currently under hypnosis as well. Otherwise, the scene in his eyes wouldn't be the sleeping Akatsuki members.

Glancing at the sleeping Akatsuki members, Jiraiya nodded. Ryujiro and Jiraiya's figures disappeared into the forest.

As Ryujiro and Jiraiya moved further away, the Akatsuki members who were fiercely battling suddenly stopped, each looking at the other in astonishment.

"Kakuzu?"

"Deidara?!"

"Itachi?"

"What on earth is going on?"

Weren't they just fighting against Ryujiro and Jiraiya?

How come the people before them now are their familiar faces? Looking around at the devastation and signs of battle, it was clear that a major fight had occurred between them.

Especially Itachi, with his solemn expression, had activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and was about to use Amaterasu to end this battle.

"Genjutsu."

"We're all trapped in a Genjutsu, mistaking each other as enemies. From start to finish, the people we've been fighting against weren't Jiraiya and Ryujiro."

"The ones we've been fighting against this whole time were our own members."

Itachi's voice trembled slightly.

Even with the Mangekyo Sharingan, he fell into the Genjutsu, and what's even more peculiar was that everything before him felt incredibly real.

He didn't even know when they were put under hypnosis.

"Hey, Itachi, you have those eyes, yet even you!" Kakuzu asked in disbelief.

Itachi nodded bitterly.

For a member of the Uchiha clan with the Mangekyo Sharingan to fall under Genjutsu...if word got out, no one would believe it, but that was the reality.

Huh!

Kakuzu, Hidan, and Deidara couldn't help but gasp, even Itachi, with the Mangekyo Sharingan, was hypnotized.

There was no intelligence indicating that Jiraiya and Ryujiro had that high level of Genjutsu abilities.

When did this happen!

Scanning the surroundings, the shadows of Jiraiya and Ryujiro had completely disappeared.

Damn it!

They were completely outplayed!

As everyone clenched their fists, that feeling of being toyed with but unable to do anything, it was an utter disgrace for them!

With things at this point, they couldn't afford to pursue Jiraiya and Ryujiro anymore. Itachi suggested returning to the organization first.

Kakuzu and the others had no objections. In the next moment, their figures disappeared from the devastated area.