Chapter 127: Itachi Uchiha

The rapidly developing Konoha welcomed two unusual visitors.

"So, this is your hometown, Itachi-san? It's pretty impressive... Much better than the Land of Rain," Kisame remarked, looking at the bustling streets of Konoha with some admiration. In his opinion, it wasn't just better than the Land of Rain; it even outshone his old homeland, the Land of Water, by a significant margin.

"It's changed quite a bit," Itachi replied, also reflecting on the scene. The Konoha before him was vastly different from the one he had left behind. Construction projects were everywhere, and the faces of the townsfolk were brimming with confidence and happiness—a stark contrast to the past.

"Let's go. According to our intel, Naruto Uzumaki's home should be this way."

The two strolled openly through Konoha's streets. Along the way, they passed by a dango shop. Itachi resisted the urge to glance at the nostalgic treat he hadn't tasted in years.

After walking through the food district, they arrived at Naruto's home.

Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't there.

"Bad luck, huh?" Kisame grumbled with mild irritation.

"No matter. We'll just ask someone," Itachi said calmly. He casually approached several shinobi on the street, inquiring about Naruto's whereabouts.

By the time he asked the fourth person, he had the answer he wanted: Naruto was at Training Ground Four.

Itachi's genjutsu mastery was truly unparalleled. Using just his three-tomoe Sharingan, he hypnotized four shinobi in succession on a busy street without anyone noticing. Not only that, but he effortlessly obtained the information he sought.

"Let's go. Time to complete the mission."

With that, Itachi and Kisame headed for the training ground. As a former resident of Konoha, Itachi was very familiar with the area.

Sure enough, Naruto and Sasuke were training there.

This was their daily routine. Aoba had designed customized training programs tailored to their strengths and weaknesses.

In the original story, Naruto possessed immense potential, but his combat relied heavily on "plot armor."

As a ninja, having such a narrow skill set would normally make survival in the shinobi world nearly impossible.

In the original story, the antagonists essentially had to fight Naruto using only hand-to-hand combat, avoiding swords or other weapons, just so he could have a chance to turn the tide each time.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was closer to a traditional ninja. His taijutsu and ninjutsu were excellent, though his genjutsu was somewhat lacking.

Aoba knew Sasuke's Sharingan was of the straight tomoe type, which leaned more toward physical prowess, so its genjutsu potential wasn't as high. However, even with that limitation, his Sharingan should still far surpass that of ordinary shinobi.

Thus, Aoba designed Sasuke's training to develop all three areas: ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. While Naruto's training focused on harnessing raw power.

As a jinchūriki, Naruto had begun learning to control the Nine-Tails' chakra, but it was no easy feat. Tailed Beast chakra wasn't something one could master casually.

To fully utilize the potential of being a jinchūriki, Naruto needed extensive targeted training.

Genjutsu was out of the question for Naruto, but in taijutsu and chakra control, he had to undergo rigorous and specific exercises.

If Naruto could fully harness the Nine-Tails' chakra, he would essentially become a walking ninjutsu artillery. Unfortunately, throughout the original story, the only technique he ever seemed to learn was the Rasengan.

Itachi and Kisame entered the training ground without hesitation.

Naruto and Sasuke, engrossed in their sparring, froze for a moment. Then, Sasuke's emotions instantly boiled over.

What did he see? It was Itachi standing right before him.

How dare he?

"You… you dare come back here? You dare appear before me!" Sasuke shouted, abandoning Naruto as he charged at Itachi.

In this world, the only thing that could make Sasuke ignore Naruto was the blood feud of his clan.

"Lightning Style: Chidori Spear!"

Sasuke roared, and lightning coalesced in his hand, forming a spear that he thrust directly at Itachi.

"Sasuke, you..." Naruto, initially confused, quickly pieced things together. That man, it must be Itachi Uchiha. And the man beside him? Definitely another bad guy!

Without hesitation, Naruto rushed forward to block Kisame. Not that Kisame had any intention of interfering.

Kisame respected Itachi and didn't plan to get involved in their sibling fight.

Sasuke's Chidori Spear caught Itachi slightly off guard. Such a refined manipulation of Lightning chakra to create an advanced jutsu was undoubtedly formidable.

However, to someone like Itachi, it was still too weak.

Sasuke didn't even see Itachi's movements. When the Chidori Spear hit what appeared to be Itachi, the figure dissolved into a flock of crows that scattered into the air.

"Behind you." Sasuke quickly gathered his Lightning chakra again, this time forming it into a blade. He turned and slashed, aiming to strike Itachi in one fluid motion.

This advanced Lightning manipulation was a technique Sasuke had recently developed, and it was his first time using it in real combat.

Unfortunately, despite his speed, Itachi was faster.

At this point, Itachi wasn't yet in the deteriorating health he would later suffer. He was still at his peak, excelling in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.

Itachi's right hand reached out and grabbed Sasuke's wrist. The Lightning Blade stopped a mere ten centimeters from Itachi but could advance no further.

"Too slow," Itachi taunted softly.

He then delivered a heavy punch to Sasuke's abdomen with his left hand.

"Ugh…" Sasuke curled up like a shrimp, gasping in pain. However, Itachi's expression suddenly changed.

The "Sasuke" he had struck exploded into a burst of lightning.

"A shadow clone infused with Lightning chakra? A specialized explosive technique," Itachi mused, even in the split second before the lightning could touch him. He vanished in a flicker of speed.

Though the brief exchange left Sasuke at a disadvantage, the fact that Itachi hadn't emerged completely unscathed left him somewhat impressed with Sasuke's progress.

Still, one glaring flaw remained, Sasuke relied solely on Lightning Style during the fight, completely neglecting the potential of his Sharingan.

"Putting the cart before the horse," Itachi thought. Like most Uchiha, he had immense confidence in the Sharingan.

Knowing the secret of the Eternal Mangekyō, Itachi's ultimate goal was to push Sasuke to awaken his Mangekyō and inherit Itachi's own eyes to gain the Eternal Mangekyō.

Only then would Sasuke truly possess the power to protect himself in this world.

However, Sasuke's lack of progress in developing his Sharingan left Itachi concerned.

With that, Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, his chakra surging as he appeared before Sasuke again.

But Sasuke, unexpectedly, pulled down his forehead protector, covering his eyes entirely.

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