A wild Kisame appears.

---

Just when Kirito had obtained the red-haired template and awakened the Conqueror's Haki, he was preparing to seek revenge on Danzo.

"Dong Dong Dong."

"Teacher Kirito, are you home?"

"Dong Dong Dong."

"Teacher, it's Naruto."

"Teacher should be resting now, shouldn't he be away from home?"

The voices outside Kirito's door were none other than his eager disciples.

Hearing the knock, Kirito slowly opened the door.

Standing there were Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

The trio immediately pushed the door open without hesitation upon seeing Kirito.

"Teacher, the training method you taught us is too simple for me now," Naruto said, sitting on Kirito's bed with a smug look on his face.

Today, Naruto and the others had come to report on their training progress from the past month.

Kirito smiled faintly.

"Oh? Naruto, are you looking to show off already?"

He raised an eyebrow, eyeing Sasuke and Sakura with suspicion.

Naruto jumped off the bed excitedly.

"Teacher, I've completely mastered the Rasengan."

"I can now perform this ninjutsu without the need for the Shadow Clone Technique."

"If you don't believe me, watch this!"

With that, Naruto began gathering chakra into his palm, his other hand rotating and kneading it. The chakra swirled and compressed, forming a palm-sized chakra ball.

"Teacher Kirito, look!" Naruto called out.

Kirito nodded slightly, watching Naruto's demonstration with interest. Seeing the satisfied look on Kirito's face, Naruto slowly dispelled the Rasengan.

"Now, what should I do next, teacher?"

Kirito raised an eyebrow and said, "Naruto, since you've already mastered the Rasengan and can compress chakra into a regular sphere, try transforming it into the shape of a shuriken."

"Changing the sphere into a shuriken will greatly enhance the attack power of the ninjutsu."

Naruto's eyes sparkled with thought as he mulled over Kirito's words.

Kirito turned his gaze to Sasuke, who understood his intent and nodded. Suddenly, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, revealing two magatama. After a moment, he closed his eyes again and deactivated the Sharingan.

Seeing this, Kirito knew that Sasuke had fully mastered the Sharingan.

"Alright, Sasuke. Now that you've mastered the Sharingan, it's time to focus on other ninjutsu. I recommend you practice Lightning Release."

"With your Sharingan, you'll be able to take down enemies in an instant with just one move."

Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"There's another teacher in the village who specializes in Lightning Release. I'll take you to see him later," Kirito continued, his mind drifting to the image of a certain silver-haired ninja, Kakashi.

Sakura, who had been silently listening, suddenly spoke up with a hint of frustration.

"Teacher Kirito, this is unfair!"

"You're teaching them advanced ninjutsu, but what about me?"

"I've already mastered basic medical ninjutsu, but what should my next training direction be?"

Kirito smiled at her. "Sakura, don't worry. I'll find a special teacher for you too."

"The ninjutsu she teaches you will be just as powerful as the ones Naruto and Sasuke are learning."

The teacher he referred to was, of course, the legendary Tsunade.

Sakura's face lit up with joy. "Really, teacher? You're the best!"

"Did you hear that, you two? Teacher Kirito said he'll find me a special teacher."

"My ninjutsu will be just as powerful as yours, so don't get too proud, Naruto."

"Hehe, be careful. I might learn something new and beat you down!"

Sakura waved her fist playfully at Naruto, who shot her a gloomy look.

'You can beat me down even without learning new ninjutsu,' Naruto thought.

Kirito observed the cheerful banter with a smile.

"So, do you have confidence in the upcoming Chunin Exams?"

"Definitely, teacher! We won't let you down!" Naruto pointed dramatically at the sky.

Kirito nodded approvingly, and the three of them left his room to head into the forest outside Konoha Village for training.

Meanwhile, outside the village, a young girl led three students towards Konoha.

She was Yuhi Kurenai, who had just returned from a mission. Today, she wore her hair in a long ponytail and had light pink makeup on her face. Tight pants accentuated her slender legs, and her casual jacket with black lining showed off her graceful figure.

"How do you think I look today, Hinata?"

"I'm not sure what style Kirito really likes," she asked, glancing at her students.

Hinata Hyuga, a relatively shy girl with white eyes and blue hair, replied softly.

"Teacher, you look very beautiful today. I'm sure Teacher Kirito will like it."

Inuzuka Kiba, who had a red triangular mark on his face, looked at his infatuated teacher with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Akamaru, his canine companion, barked from his head.

Yuhi Kurenai sighed, thinking about Kirito. "I wonder if Kirito is still sleeping today."

Just as she was about to turn back to the village to check on Kirito, two mysterious figures suddenly blocked their path.

The men wore cloaks with a black cloud pattern. One had long dark blue hair, sharp shark-like teeth, and golden eyes, carrying a bandaged weapon on his back. The other man was familiar to Kurenai—a rebel from Konoha with scarlet eyes and a cold expression.

The two were members of the Akatsuki organization: Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi.

"You... why are you back?" Kurenai gasped, recognizing Itachi immediately.

Itachi spoke coldly, his face emotionless. "This is where I used to live. I came back to take a look."

Yuhi Kurenai's shock quickly turned into anger. She clenched her fists and glared at him. "You don't deserve to come back."

"You're a monster."

Kiba and the others were stunned, realizing that Kurenai knew this man and that he was from Konoha. They had no idea why their teacher was so angry.

Kiba asked, confused, "Teacher, is he from our village?"

"Why don't I know him?"

Kurenai gritted her teeth. "This man is an S-rank rogue ninja from Konoha. His name is Uchiha Itachi."

At this revelation, Kiba's mind went blank. Konoha's Uchiha clan had been destroyed, and the only remaining Uchiha in the village was Sasuke.

"He is... Sasuke's brother?" Kiba stammered.

Kurenai's voice became cold as she replied, "Yes, he's Sasuke's brother."

The three students from Team 8 gasped in horror as the realization dawned on them.

Itachi was the man who had wiped out the entire Uchiha clan, including his own parents.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Itachi, your reputation in Konoha is quite well-known," Kisame teased.

"What do you want with us?" Kurenai's voice was filled with suspicion and readiness.

Kisame smirked. "Our target is you."

"I hear you're close to a man named Kirito, so..."

The air grew tense as the situation shifted. Meanwhile, Naruto and his team, now deep in the forest, noticed the strange scene unfolding before them.

---