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Chapter 13 - Chapter 13

A sphere of roaring flames burst from Itachi's lips, the heat distorting the air as it surged toward them.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Naruto leapt aside with the others, boots skidding across the packed earth. Kakashi's gloved hand came up instinctively to shield Sakura, while Chiyo retreated with measured precision, her eyes narrowing. The flames rolled past, scorching a black smear across the ground before dissipating in a haze of smoke and heat.

Naruto didn't wait for the air to cool. He bolted forward, teeth clenched, the name tearing out of his throat before he could stop himself.

"Uchiha Itachi! You hurt Sasuke so badly— I'll never forgive you!"

For the briefest instant, Itachi's expression faltered. His obsidian eyes softened, just enough for someone watching closely to see it. But then the curtain of cold indifference fell back into place.

Naruto's hands came together mid-run, chakra spinning to life in his palm. The Rasengan swelled into a churning sphere of light-blue energy, whining with compressed power.

He drove it into Itachi's midsection—

—only for the man to dissolve into smoke.

"Shadow Clone…" Naruto hissed under his breath.

A flicker in the corner of his eye drew his gaze. Sakura had fallen, her knees buckling as if strings had been cut. Kakashi followed a second later, Sharingan half-lidded. Even Chiyo slumped, her puppet strings gone slack.

Genjutsu.

He didn't even need to test it. The static clarity in his head told him this was Itachi's work—precise, inescapable for most shinobi. Naruto knew he could snap it instantly if he drew on Kurama's chakra, but… he didn't.

The air shimmered, and the three prone bodies rose again—except now, their faces were all Itachi's. The Itachis spread out in a slow, deliberate circle, and the real one's voice came from somewhere within.

"Why do you care so much for Uchiha Sasuke?"

Naruto met the gaze of the nearest illusion, his voice steady. "Because Sasuke's my brother. And right now, he's blind—blinded by Orochimaru's poison."

A faint ripple crossed the space as he took a step forward. "I'll bring him back. I don't care if I have to break every bone in my body to do it. And you—" his hands curled into fists "—I won't let you hurt him again, even if it costs me my life."

Something in his tone made the genjutsu world hold still. Gold flickered faintly in his blue eyes—Kurama's presence bleeding into his conviction.

Itachi studied him for several silent seconds.

"…Show me," he said at last. "I want to see how much you've changed since we last met."

The illusory air shivered like disturbed water.

Outside the genjutsu, Sakura was already moving. "Kakashi-sensei, why isn't Naruto moving? He was right in front of Itachi—"

Kakashi's voice was tight. "He's under a genjutsu. Get ready—go break it. I'll handle Itachi."

"But—"

"No buts, Sakura." Kakashi's Sharingan tracked the faint glimmer of chakra across the battlefield. He'd already pinpointed the real Itachi's location. All he needed was an opening.

Back inside the genjutsu, Naruto didn't bother to break free. He simply stared Itachi down.

"Can I believe you, Naruto Uzumaki?" Itachi asked quietly.

Naruto's answer came without hesitation. "Yeah."

Itachi's lips curved in the smallest of smiles—a rare, almost human expression. "Then… strike me."

The world fractured. The red sky bled into white, and the false bodies dissolved like ash on the wind.

Sakura froze mid-step as Naruto suddenly moved, the light in his eyes sharp again.

"You broke it yourself?" she asked, surprised.

Naruto gave a small nod.

Sakura's mouth quirked into a grin. He's gotten better with genjutsu than I thought.

Naruto's gaze shifted to where Kakashi was already engaging Itachi in close combat. Sparks flew each time kunai met kunai, the rhythm of their movements too fast for most to follow.

It worked.

His earlier words had been more than a declaration—they were bait. Itachi's emotions, carefully hidden beneath the surface, still orbited one person: Sasuke. And if Naruto could make himself into the bridge between them, it would change the future.

"Sakura," Naruto said, "let's back up Kakashi-sensei. Gaara can't wait."

Her face hardened. "Right."

The three of them—Naruto, Sakura, Chiyo—moved in perfect sync. Shuriken whistled past Kakashi's shoulder, forcing Itachi to adjust. A split-second opening appeared, and Naruto dove in, Rasengan already whirling in his palm.

The impact was solid. Itachi's body slammed into the ground, the jutsu dispersing in a flash of light—

—and revealing a stranger's face where Itachi's had been.

Kakashi's breath caught. "A… transformation?"

Naruto stood over the downed body, expression unreadable. Shapeshifting Technique. Nagato's trick. He sent these two to stall us.

Chiyo's lips pressed into a thin line. "So we wasted all this time… on a stand-in."

"Move," Kakashi ordered. "We keep going."

There was no arguing. Team Kakashi and Team Gai regrouped quickly, their frustration palpable but useless here. The only thing that mattered now was reaching Gaara.

Far away, in the darkness of a hidden cave, Itachi's eyes opened. Kisame stirred beside him, shark-like grin widening.

"The mission failed," Itachi said quietly. "We couldn't stop them."

Kisame chuckled low in his throat. "That 'Green Beast' of Konoha… I'll admit, he's worth looking forward to." His teeth gleamed in the dim light. "Next time, I'll make sure he remembers me."

The shadows swallowed his grin, and the cave returned to silence.

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A/N: What do you all think about the story so far? And Please Write A Review.....

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