Naruto stepped lightly on the rippling surface of the lake.
The huge turtle floating nearby—the Three-Tails, Isobu—was currently lying on its back with its legs twitching in the air like a flipped-over drunk tortoise. Naruto didn't even bother glancing at it.
Instead, he stared straight at the masked man standing in front of him.
A sharp wind blade hovered in Naruto's palm, humming with dangerous chakra.
Calling the guy a masked man didn't feel quite right.
A better name would be Uchiha Itachi.
Apparently, Uchiha Obito had pulled a fast one again. Instead of showing up personally to cooperate in this little theater performance, he had sent Itachi as a substitute.
But Naruto wasn't exactly innocent either.
Obito had tried to trick him…
…and Naruto had tricked him right back by secretly saving Loquat Jūzō.
Trust?
Between the two of them?
Yeah right. That shit didn't exist.
Mutual scheming was the default setting.
While Naruto studied Itachi carefully, Uchiha Itachi was also observing Naruto.
According to Obito's instructions, this man was supposedly the masked man's "partner," someone who would temporarily take control of the situation in Kirigakure.
Itachi's job was simple.
Help this man create the identity of an enemy of Kirigakure.
The mission itself wasn't difficult.
What bothered Itachi was something else.
He couldn't figure out the true relationship between this mysterious man and Obito.
After a moment of silence, Naruto smiled casually.
"Well, well… looks like the masked bastard didn't completely break his promise."
He tilted his head slightly.
"You must be his subordinate, right? The famous Uchiha Itachi, the guy who slaughtered his own clan."
Itachi's expression changed slightly.
Just for a split second.
But he quickly regained his calm and nodded.
"Yes. 'Madara' sent me."
"What are the next steps?"
Naruto snorted.
"Madara?"
He waved his hand dismissively.
"That guy isn't Uchiha Madara. He's just a coward hiding behind the name like a damn turtle playing dress-up."
"If you're working under him, you'd better be careful."
"One day he might sell you out… and you won't even know your own cock got cut off until it hits the floor."
Itachi remained silent.
Naruto continued casually,
"As for cooperation, it's simple."
"Use large-scale ninjutsu. Cause chaos. Make a big scene."
"When your chakra runs low, run away."
"And try not to die in Kirigakure's encirclement."
"Dying here would be embarrassing as hell."
As soon as he finished speaking, the wind blade in Naruto's hand spun violently.
He flicked his wrist.
WHOOSH!
The blade shot toward Itachi at terrifying speed.
Feeling the destructive power inside the attack, Itachi didn't dare underestimate it.
He quickly sidestepped.
Even so, the blade grazed his Akatsuki cloak, slicing another tear through the already damaged fabric.
At this rate, the cloak might fall apart completely.
After landing lightly on the water, Itachi immediately formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball!"
Suddenly—
Huge wind blades and massive fireballs began flying across the lake.
Wind and fire clashed violently, reflecting off the water's surface in dazzling flashes of light.
It looked impressive as hell.
Both fighters had enormous chakra reserves.
Running out of chakra anytime soon was basically impossible.
To outsiders, it looked like a deadly battle.
In reality?
It was mostly flashy bullshit.
On the shore, the Kirigakure ninja had finally recovered from the aftermath of the Tailed Beast Bomb explosion.
They stared at the battle in confusion.
Neither Naruto nor Itachi looked like Mist ninja.
So who the hell were they?
Nearby, Hōzuki Mangetsu and Terumi Mei approached the elderly Genji.
Under the old man's puzzled gaze, Mangetsu explained,
"Lord Genji, the two people fighting…"
"One of them is the mastermind who controlled the Fourth Mizukage."
"The other one… is the reinforcement I invited."
Genji frowned.
"The mastermind… and the reinforcement?"
He glanced at Mangetsu suspiciously but didn't say anything else.
After all, the reinforcement had already arrived.
They couldn't exactly tell him to piss off now.
With their current strength, they couldn't deal with both the Fourth Mizukage and the mysterious controller behind him.
At this point…
They could only watch and adapt.
After all, even though this was Kirigakure, they weren't the ones truly controlling the chessboard.
Meanwhile, deep in a nearby forest—
Uchiha Obito and White Zetsu were secretly observing the battle.
For Obito, the cooperation with Naruto wasn't important at all.
He never believed the two of them could become partners after meeting once.
The real reason he agreed…
…was to collect information.
Neither Naruto nor Uchiha Itachi had revealed their full strength yet.
As the battle dragged on, Obito gradually frowned.
These two were obviously faking the fight.
The only thing he could roughly estimate was their chakra reserves.
But chakra alone didn't determine victory.
Especially not for someone like Itachi.
What Obito really wanted to see was Itachi's Mangekyō abilities.
After thinking for a moment, Obito made his move.
He activated Kamui and slipped into the lake.
At the bottom, he found the unconscious Yagura Karatachi, the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki, buried within the creature's flesh and chakra.
Obito's Sharingan activated.
Genjutsu took hold again.
Control was instantly restored.
After finishing the manipulation, Obito forced the Three-Tails awake.
Then he disappeared silently.
Back on the lake's surface—
Naruto suddenly sensed movement beneath the water.
He dashed across the lake, dodging a sudden water cannon attack.
Then he glanced coldly toward the forest.
He had already sensed Obito's location.
Naruto raised his hand.
A Rasengan-like chakra sphere condensed rapidly.
"Spiral Wheel!"
He hurled it toward the forest.
BOOM!!!
A blinding white explosion erupted.
The ground trembled violently.
Even Obito, who had tried to stay hidden, was caught in the blast.
Blood seeped from his body as shock filled his eyes.
He had fought Kage-level ninja and Jinchūriki before.
But this was the first time he had seen someone casually throw around attacks comparable to a Tailed Beast Bomb.
No wonder the guy could defeat Uchiha Shisui.
The man's strength was absolutely monstrous.
Uchiha Itachi was also shocked.
Now he finally understood why Obito wanted to cooperate with this man.
Because the guy was dangerous as hell.
The explosion also reminded Itachi of something.
The mysterious blast outside Konoha years ago…
Could it have been caused by this same man?
Was he somehow connected to the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?
For a brief moment, Itachi even wondered—
Could this be Naruto Uzumaki himself?
But that idea quickly collapsed.
Naruto was younger than Sasuke.
There was no way someone that young could possess strength comparable to a Kage.
And the Hokage would never allow such a powerful Jinchūriki to wander around freely.
What if he got kidnapped?
That would be a national-level screw-up.
After giving Naruto one last thoughtful look, Itachi turned his attention to the rampaging Three-Tails.
Then he made his decision.
There was no point continuing the fight.
Exposing his abilities would only benefit Obito.
His Mangekyō techniques—Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu—were meant for dealing with the masked bastard.
Without hesitation, Itachi retreated into the forest.
Within seconds, he disappeared into the endless jungle.
Naruto didn't try to stop him.
First, he had no intention of fighting Itachi or Obito seriously right now.
Second…
The Three-Tails had already locked onto him.
Subduing this insane beast would take some effort.
Naruto cracked his neck.
"Alright, big turtle…"
"Let's finish this."
In a few quick leaps, he landed directly on Isobu's massive head.
A Spiral Wheel formed again in his hand.
Then he slammed it down onto the creature's shell.
BOOOOM!
The impact smashed the Three-Tails straight into the bottom of the lake, causing a massive chunk of land to rise again like a newly formed island.
Without hesitation, Naruto dove underwater.
Inside the massive body of the Three-Tails…
He finally found the unconscious Jinchūriki—Yagura Karatachi.
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