Chapter 184

Naka Shrine.

The once rundown but still standing structures of the shrine were now completely reduced to ashes under the onslaught of Itachi's Susanoo.

"Uchiha Flame Formation!"

A crimson barrier, blazing with intense flames, powerful enough to even withstand a tailed beast's attack for a time, rose up, sealing the massive Susanoo within.

Compared to earlier, Sasuke and the others, now reduced in number by half and wounded, were spread around the perimeter of the Flame Formation, pressing their hands against the barrier, constantly channeling chakra to maintain its presence.

Boom!

The Totsuka Blade struck the barrier, but instead of causing any damage, it caught the flames of the barrier, igniting the blade.

Itachi remained expressionless as he saw the result, choosing not to push Susanoo further.

Even if he could break the Flame Formation, it would require considerable time and his already dwindling chakra reserves.

Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan spun, and the massive Susanoo gradually dissipated, leaving only its ribs to protect his body.

If they wanted to drag this out, then so be it.

He looked at Sasuke, about to say something.

Suddenly.

A violent fit of coughing erupted uncontrollably from his mouth.

Itachi clutched his mouth tightly, but thick blood continued to pour through his fingers.

With a thud, Itachi fell to his knees, and the ribs of Susanoo surrounding him vanished.

"Is it a trap? Or real?" Jin asked uncertainly, seeing this scene from outside the barrier.

"It's real." Izumi stared deeply at Itachi, replying.

From her understanding of Itachi, he wouldn't fake weakness to lure them in.

Sasuke shared the same belief.

Thus, the Flame Formation was dispelled.

Sasuke, being the fastest, reached Itachi first, raising his Chidori blade, brimming with lightning, and slashed mercilessly.

Screech!

The black cloak with red clouds of the Akatsuki was torn in two, and a stream of blood splattered across the sky.

When Sasuke looked forward again, Itachi, now in full shinobi gear, a long gash across his chest, had retreated ten meters away.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Jin and Izumi quickly followed up.

Using the same seals, two giant dragons of flame surged up, one from the left and one from the right, charging toward Itachi.

Itachi, gritting his teeth against the pain, once again evaded.

Seeing Sasuke and the other Uchiha closing in, Itachi, narrowly dodging one of the fire dragons, quickly formed a seal with one hand.

Caw, caw, caw~~~

A large number of crows scattered from around him, turning into black clouds that attacked the surrounding Uchiha.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

"Fire Release..."

Knowing how troublesome the crows could be when Itachi used them, Sasuke and the others immediately cast Fire Release techniques, burning the crows.

Soon, flames spread across the remnants of Naka Shrine, creating a sea of fire.

Taking advantage of this time, Itachi barely managed to suppress the internal damage.

At that moment, he suddenly thought of a stranger he had met only once—Kimimaro Kaguya.

He also possessed an impressive Kekkei Genkai and was afflicted by a terminal illness.

Before his death, Kimimaro sought to fulfill his mission, but ultimately faced only regret.

Now, Itachi found himself in the same position, but regret—he couldn't afford that!

Itachi raised his head, seeing Sasuke charging at him again.

The Mangekyō Sharingan in his right eye spun.

Fresh blood flowed down from the corner of his right eye.

As the battle at Naka Shrine raged on...

Gensou's shadow clone was busy with his own tasks.

After completing a self-created answer sheet in Konoha's Chūnin Exam written test, Gensou's shadow clone made his way to the Forest of Death, reaching the central tower in less than ten minutes, where he found some abandoned "Heaven" and "Earth" scrolls in a storage room.

If nothing unexpected happened, these scrolls were most likely from Naruto's year two years ago.

"Perfect, just what I needed for my main mission."

Gensou's shadow clone casually picked up one "Heaven" scroll and one "Earth" scroll, held them for a moment, and then put them down again.

Ceremony!

The sense of ceremony was the most important part!

"With this, the system should determine that I've passed both the written exam and the Forest of Death trials. After all, I participated fully, and all the conditions were met. Now, it's up to the main body."

Having completed his mission, Gensou's shadow clone did not linger. With a "poof," it dissipated on its own.

Simultaneously, the memories transferred to Gensou's main body.

"Mission accomplished?"

Taking his gaze away from the now-dissipating Flame Formation and Susanoo above Naka Shrine, Gensou glanced at the newly appeared memories in his mind, nodding in satisfaction.

Next up were the preliminary and final rounds of the Chūnin Exams.

Thinking about this, Gensou turned to look at the dense forest in the direction he had come from.

Kisame, who had volunteered to clear out the pests, was still in there.

"If you don't come back now, it'll be difficult to return later," Gensou remarked with a faint smile.

The moment the words left his lips.

As if in response.

Boom!

Kisame's entire body shot out like a cannonball, smashing through more than a dozen trees and leaving a long trench in the dirt before finally coming to a stop beside Gensou.

Although it wasn't on his own accord, Kisame had returned nonetheless.

Kisame, whose Akatsuki uniform was now heavily damaged, pulled his legs from the dirt, shook his still-trembling left hand, and turned to Gensou with a grin:

"Truly worthy of the Hokage. That woman's strength is monstrous!"

"Did Tsunade come personally? Well, it makes sense. There's no one else in Konoha capable of punching you this far."

Gensou looked calmly towards the forest.

A few moments later, Tsunade, clad in her familiar green vest with the kanji for "gamble," her voluptuous figure charging out of the forest, was the first to appear.

Following closely behind was Jiraiya.

And after that were many familiar faces to Gensou.

Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma, Aburame Shibi, Yamanaka Inoichi, and other elite jōnin, along with the Konoha 12—Lee, Tenten, Shikamaru, Neji, and others, who had now all advanced to chūnin.

And that wasn't all.

Gensou looked around, seeing countless shinobi still marching towards them in the distance.

Judging by their numbers, there were at least five hundred.

To gather such a force in a short time, Konoha was indeed the largest village in the shinobi world.

Seeing the black mass of shinobi in front of them, Kisame, standing beside Gensou, was now sweating.

"Whoa, whoa! So many people are coming! Isn't that overkill?!"

Grateful that he had retreated in time, Kisame turned to look at Gensou anxiously.

He felt that this time, he was just collateral damage.

(End of Chapter)

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