Chapter 128: Itachi and Kisame's Tactical Retreat

Sasuke desperately tried to recall his training. Aoba had warned him before: Itachi's Sharingan was on a higher level than his. Therefore, when facing Itachi, he must never look directly into his eyes.

Unfortunately, unlike Might Guy, an elite taijutsu master who could predict his opponent's movements by watching their lower body, Sasuke was still far from reaching that level.

Despite his prior preparations, the gap in raw strength between him and Itachi was simply too vast.

In less than two exchanges, Itachi exploited a flaw in Sasuke's defenses and removed the forehead protector covering his eyes.

At that moment, Sasuke finally understood what Aoba-sensei had meant when he described Itachi: a top-tier ninja with mastery over ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, with no discernible weaknesses.

To defeat someone like that, even a single weakness in one's own abilities would spell defeat.

And now, Sasuke found himself in exactly that situation.

His eyes, now exposed, locked unwillingly onto Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Tsukuyomi."

"...Ahhhhhh!!!" Sasuke's scream echoed, but only within the world of Tsukuyomi. Itachi once again forced him to relive the massacre of the Uchiha clan, over and over...

"Sasuke!" Naruto, seeing Sasuke caught in Itachi's grasp, lost focus and was struck by Kisame's Samehada, sending him flying dozens of meters.

"Sasuke!!!" Naruto roared as he scrambled back to his feet, charging forward again with unrelenting determination. Kisame couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight.

This jinchūriki was unimpressive, his repertoire consisted of little more than Shadow Clones and the Rasengan. Kisame figured he could handle Naruto without much effort.

Yet something felt off. Ever since Sasuke fell under Itachi's control, Naruto's aura had noticeably intensified.

He was using Samehada, a weapon designed to absorb chakra, but it didn't seem to be making much of a difference.

Hundreds of Naruto's clones swarmed forward like a tidal wave. Kisame snorted in disdain.

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique."

A massive torrent of water engulfed the entire training ground, wiping out Naruto's clones in less than three seconds.

But amidst the surging water, a crimson, beast-like figure broke through the torrent.

"Let go of Sasuke!" Naruto roared, his voice reverberating with raw power.

Itachi turned his expressionless gaze toward Naruto, who had entered a berserk state. The mere glance caused Naruto to plummet out of the air, crashing to the ground.

Inside Naruto's mind, the Nine-Tails stirred, fully awakened.

"Damn Uchiha brat."

The Sharingan naturally countered tailed beasts, and someone like Itachi, a master of genjutsu, was like a natural predator to them. If not for his deteriorating health, Itachi could single-handedly subdue any tailed beast.

As Naruto collapsed, a single tear of blood trickled from Itachi's eye. Using Tsukuyomi in succession had taken a toll on him.

Kisame, who had been holding back, moved forward to capture Naruto.

But just then, Itachi suddenly released Sasuke and leapt backward. A flash of cold light passed between them—had he not let go, his arm would have been severed.

Simultaneously, Kisame was forced to retreat by another attack. Aoba and Kakashi had arrived, splitting off to engage Itachi and Kisame respectively.

Itachi paused momentarily. A few meters away, Aoba's Kusanagi blade clashed repeatedly with his kunai in a flurry of exchanges.

"Fast." That was Aoba's first impression. This speed wasn't just physical, it was an all-encompassing swiftness.

Moments ago, when Aoba's wind blade forced Itachi to release Sasuke, Itachi had executed two techniques: Shadow Clone and Body Flicker, in the blink of an eye.

Even with Aoba's Sharingan active, augmented by the special properties of his right eye, he could barely keep up with Itachi's hand seals. They were almost imperceptibly quick.

In the original story, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy had faced a similar experience during their battle with Itachi and Kisame. Itachi's speed at casting jutsu was so fast that it was almost impossible to see.

A fully rested Kakashi could barely hold his own against Itachi in a few exchanges. But the moment Itachi used his Mangekyō Sharingan, Kakashi was instantly outmatched.

Now, however, Itachi had already used the Mangekyō multiple times, leaving him in a weakened state. While he could still force its use, Aoba knew he wouldn't. Itachi needed to save his strength for his final confrontation with Sasuke.

With a clang, Itachi's kunai was severed by Aoba's Kusanagi blade.

Aoba's sword followed through, aiming for Itachi's neck, but Aoba knew before the strike landed it was only a clone. Itachi had already used the Body Flicker Technique to escape.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."

Itachi's voice came from behind, accompanied by a volley of fireballs flying toward Aoba from various angles.

Amid the chain explosions, the two exchanged blows in rapid succession, eventually settling into a tense standoff.

Aoba noticed the subtle shift in Itachi's demeanor. He could sense Itachi's intention to retreat. With Aoba and Kakashi now on the scene, Itachi and Kisame understood that their mission had already failed.

This Konoha was no longer the same as before. In the original story, Itachi and Kisame had moved freely through the village, even escaping unscathed when Jiraiya intervened.

But now, with Kakashi's transformation and Aoba's presence as a top-tier fighter, prolonging the fight would only lead to their doom. If the Anbu, sealing squad, and sensory units arrived, escape would be impossible.

"Kisame, it's time to leave."

"Understood." Kisame, too, felt the growing pressure. At first, he had dismissed Kakashi as unimpressive, believing the Sharingan to be a burden rather than an asset for him.

But after clashing with Kakashi, Kisame realized something was off. Kakashi's taijutsu and ninjutsu were far stronger than expected. Moreover, Kakashi hadn't even activated his Sharingan, contradicting all prior intelligence.

In truth, Kisame's information was outdated. While Kakashi hadn't received a Wood Release cell transplant, he now possessed chakra armor.

If the fight continued, Kisame would discover that Kakashi, like himself, had a seemingly endless reserve of chakra.

And Kakashi's innate talent as a shinobi had long been underestimated. His ability to go toe-to-toe with Itachi was proof of his nearly unmatched tactical acumen.

With his chakra limitations resolved, Kakashi had experienced a qualitative leap in combat ability, firmly entering the Kage-level threshold.

Itachi's expression turned slightly grim as he observed Aoba. The brief exchange had left him feeling considerable pressure.

Even though he hadn't used his Mangekyō Sharingan, he knew Aoba hadn't gone all out either, Aoba was rumored to have mastery over Sage Mode.

"Kisame, we're leaving," Itachi said again, glancing briefly at the exhausted Sasuke on the ground. Without another word, he turned and retreated.

Kakashi moved to pursue them, but Aoba stopped him.

"No need to chase. Let them go." Kakashi then noticed a small scroll in Aoba's hand, though he hadn't seen when Aoba had retrieved it.

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