Chapter 114 - Chapter 113: The Power of the Mangekyō Sharingan!

"I didn't expect to run into Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha… Itachi here!"Hatake Kakashi narrowed his eyes and prepared for battle. Facing these two formidable enemies, even he couldn't afford to be careless.Behind him stood Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai—but they weren't exactly reliable backup at the moment. Asuma had been injured by Kisame, his arm rendered useless, and although Kurenai was known as Konoha's most skilled Genjutsu user, she had been instantly overpowered by Uchiha Itachi's illusions.As Kakashi braced himself, Uzumaki Naruto finally learned the identities of the two intruders.He had heard of Hoshigaki Kisame before. Like Zabuza, he was one of the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. That massive sword in his hand—without a doubt—was Samehada, the chakra-devouring blade.As for Uchiha Itachi, Naruto was all too familiar. Sasuke constantly spoke of him—his older brother, and the one responsible for the massacre of the entire Uchiha clan."That's right, Naruto," came the serious voice of the Nine Tails from within him. "These two are extremely dangerous."Even the normally arrogant tailed beast showed rare concern."Kisame's Samehada can absorb the chakra of tailed beasts. And Uchiha Itachi's eyes hold illusions powerful enough to affect even us," the Nine Tails explained grimly. "If these two work together, even One-Tail Shukaku would be in trouble."One-Tail Shukaku scoffed, "You're still on about that? I told you, the number of tails doesn't determine strength!""Actually, I think Nine Tails made a good point," chimed in Chōmei, the Seven-Tails. "I quite like his logic.""Tch…" grunted Four-Tails Son Gokū, clearly unimpressed.Meanwhile, the battle between Kakashi and Itachi had already begun."Water Style: Water Barrier!" Kakashi shouted."Not bad," Itachi responded calmly, his tone flat. "Your sealing technique is quick."Without warning, Itachi's form blurred, and he reappeared behind Kakashi. A kunai plunged straight into his back."Shadow Clone?" Kurenai gasped in shock. "When did he form the hand seals?"Even Itachi, who had just praised Kakashi's speed, showed a flicker of surprise. Performing seven hand seals in a single second—only a true elite could pull off such a feat.Fortunately, Kakashi was indeed an experienced Elite Jōnin. The one Itachi had stabbed was nothing more than a water clone."The Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi really is something else," Itachi muttered.But he didn't intend to waste any more time. After all, they were still in Konoha territory. The longer they lingered, the more likely reinforcements would arrive."I'll show you the true power of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan."As he spoke, his eyes shifted. The usual three tomoe in his Sharingan twisted and merged, forming a blade-like shape.Kakashi broke into a cold sweat. There was no mistaking that shape—it was the Mangekyō Sharingan."You two! Don't look into his eyes!" Kakashi barked.Immediately, Asuma and Kurenai obeyed, tightly shutting their eyes. At this point, they both knew the battle was beyond their abilities.While this intense clash raged on, another drama unfolded elsewhere.Konoha's Blue Beast, Might Guy, raced toward the battlefield. But suddenly, a man wearing a white fox mask blocked his path.Guy stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowing. "Who are you? Are you the enemy who infiltrated Konoha?""Enemy? That depends," the masked man chuckled. "You can call me Uzumaki Menma.""I have no interest in attacking Konoha—at least not for now. But your apprentice… the boy with the thick eyebrows… he intrigues me."As he finished speaking, a torrent of green chakra erupted from his body."This… this is the Eight Inner Gates?" Guy's eyes widened in shock.Bang!Menma launched forward. Guy reacted instantly, opening the Fifth Gate to block the attack. Though he succeeded in deflecting the strike, something strange happened.Despite the block, Menma's chakra infiltrated Guy's body, attacking his chakra network directly."Gentle Fist?" Guy gasped.Thanks to his student Neji, a Hyūga genius, Guy recognized the technique immediately. His chakra points—the very ones required to refine energy for the Inner Gates—were struck, and even the power of the Gates was suppressed."So… strong…" Guy grunted, muscles trembling.But before he could retaliate, Menma disappeared, heading toward Konoha Village."Eight Inner Gates… Gentle Fist…" Guy muttered."Don't tell me his target is… Lee?!"Guy's expression hardened. With Kakashi and the others already engaged in battle, he was torn. But ultimately, concern for Lee won out. Lee's legs were still broken—he wouldn't be able to defend himself if attacked."Kakashi, my eternal rival… please hold on," he whispered before turning back toward the hospital.As Guy vanished into the distance, the man in the fox mask stepped out from the trees where he had been hiding moments before.His true goal was never to harm Lee. He simply didn't want anyone to interfere in the ongoing battle—this was the moment he had been waiting for."Sarutobi Asuma… you can only blame your own father," he muttered coldly.---Inside the spiritual realm:Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened. "Could Naruto's goal be…?"Senju Tobirama shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous. He's not going after you. He's targeting Sarutobi Asuma. I suspect he's using the Uchiha clan as a tool for revenge.""You monster!" Hiruzen gritted his teeth.Uchiha Fugaku sneered, "Hmph! Third Hokage, this doesn't even compare to what you did to the Uchiha clan. Our entire clan is dead!""I've already said it had nothing to do with me!" Hiruzen retorted. "That was all Shimura Danzō's doing!""Don't drag me into this, you old fool!" barked Danzō. "I never ordered such a thing. Don't slander me!""Hmph," Fugaku snapped. "The two of you can deny it all you want, but no one believes you! Naruto's actions against the Sarutobi clan… they bring satisfaction."Senju Tobirama frowned. "The Uchiha… they've always been unreasonable lunatics.""They're only that way because they were betrayed by Konoha!" Fugaku shot back.Sasuke, listening in shock, finally asked, "So the truth behind the clan massacre… it was Konoha's doing?""No, Sasuke!" Naruto interrupted quickly. "Don't believe him! Third Grandfather is a great man!"Iruka nodded. "That's right. The Third Hokage's light guided Konoha's path forward."Orochimaru chuckled from the shadows. "Well done, Hiruzen-sensei. It seems the Naruto from this world isn't so easily fooled.""Hmph. I don't know what you're implying," Hiruzen muttered.---Back in the battlefield…The screen went dark. Kakashi stood no chance against the full might of the Mangekyō Sharingan.Even though he himself possessed a Sharingan, he couldn't counter the effects of Tsukuyomi, Itachi's terrifying Genjutsu."For the next seventy-two hours, I will stab you… again and again."Kakashi's tortured screams echoed in the ears of Asuma and Kurenai.Kakashi had been defeated.With no sign of Might Guy, Asuma and Kurenai readied themselves once again."Leave that one to me!" Kisame grinned, gripping Samehada. "I didn't get enough fun from the last fight!"But just as he lunged at Asuma, Itachi stopped him."No, Kisame. Leave Asuma to me. You go deal with Kurenai.""Why?" Kisame asked, confused. Asuma's wind-style jutsu had actually injured him. He had planned to kill the man himself within a few moves.He couldn't understand why Itachi stopped him."That Uchiha Itachi… seems to be protecting Sarutobi Asuma?" the Nine Tails murmured inside Naruto. "Strange. If Konoha wiped out the Uchiha, shouldn't he want Asuma dead?""Maybe…" Naruto smirked coldly. "Maybe that's exactly why he doesn't want him dead."A bold idea flashed in his mind."If we can't use someone else's knife to kill Sarutobi Asuma, then why not start with… Yuhi Kurenai?"