"Boy, where is the Jinchūriki?"
Kisame's voice was hoarse, heavy. His smile showed sharp teeth, and the chakra around him churned like a stormy sea.
Itachi, beside him, remained calm. His gaze never left Li Shang's blue eyes. If the boy truly possessed an evolved variation of the Byakugan, immunity to genjutsu was not impossible. The Sharingan was not omnipotent.
Kisame rotated his neck, cracking his joints, and laughed. "Itachi, people talk more after they lose an arm or two."
Before Li Shang could react, Kisame advanced. His fist came like a sledgehammer, aiming for the boy's shoulder.
But Li Shang's body moved by instinct. Chakra exploded around him, and his spin was fast enough to distort the air.
"Hakkeshou Kaiten!"
A dome of chakra expanded in high rotation, repelling the impact. The shock returned the force of the blow, pushing Kisame back with his arm smoking.
The man looked at his injured limb and let out a short laugh. "Hehehe... this boy really is special."
Li Shang maintained a firm stance. The flow of chakra around him still spun, stabilizing after the rotation. His eyes did not blink. 'Even a physical attack of this level... he's different from any enemy I've faced.'
Kisame rotated his shoulder, his tone still mocking. "I wanted to go easy on you, boy."
His hand reached for the hilt of the bandaged sword. The living blade trembled, emitting a low sound, as if vibrating with excitement. With a swift movement, Kisame delivered an arcing cut, aiming for Li Shang's legs.
But when the blow cut through the space, it hit only emptiness.
"Steps Between the Void."
Li Shang's voice echoed right behind him, and Kisame realized the distance between them had multiplied in the blink of an eye. The cut had hit the air.
Li Shang watched from the top of a tree, his cloak gently swaying. 'This guy... his sword is alive. It probably absorbs chakra. If I had defended head-on, I would have lost.'
Kisame laughed, spinning the blade as if nothing had happened. "Hehehe... Itachi, your village is surprising."
Itachi averted his eyes for a brief moment, assessing the situation. Li Shang's chakra was stable, but that movement... it was beyond average for a gennin. He wondered how such a boy appeared in the Hyuuga clan.
It was then that a voice cut through the air, dry and controlled.
"You have no idea."
Kisame froze. The cold touch of a kunai's metal pressed against his neck.
"So we were noticed..." he growled, his eyes darting sideways.
Behind him, Kakashi Hatake held the weapon firm, his Sharingan revealed beneath his headband.
"Drop the sword," he said without emphasis, but the killing aura surrounding him made it clear it was not a request.
Ahead, Asuma and Kurenai already surrounded Itachi. Both kept their chakra active, ready to react. The wind whistled around Asuma, while the red petals created by Kurenai's genjutsu floated discreetly in the air, awaiting only a command.
Itachi did not seem surprised. His gaze crossed Kakashi's for a brief instant — a silent acknowledgment between old comrades.
Kakashi spoke without taking his eyes off Kisame. "You are too far from where you should be. And I doubt you came for tourism."
Itachi remained calm. "We are just passing through."
Li Shang, observing from above, felt the pressure of the four presences. The situation had gotten out of his control, but that didn't bother him. 'Fate really likes to play with chaos. One wrong step and this place turns into a slaughterhouse.'
Kisame moved fast. The kunai that was pressed against his neck cut through the air and plunged into his body, which dissolved in a gush of water.
"A clone!" Asuma exclaimed, retreating and searching for the real one.
Before he could react, a cold voice echoed from behind. "A genjutsu of this level doesn't work on me."
Kurenai stood motionless before Itachi. His crimson eyes held her like invisible chains. For an instant, she felt the ground disappear, her mind fragmenting — but she managed to break free at the last second, undoing the genjutsu.
When she regained control, Itachi's foot was already coming towards her. She crossed her arms, blocking the kick, but was violently thrown into the river that cut through the street.
Kakashi and Kisame faced each other a few meters away. The Samehada blade vibrated, trying to absorb the Copy Ninja's chakra. Kakashi retreated, made the hand seals, and blew compressed air.
"Jutsu: Water Shark Bomb!"
The same words came from Kisame's mouth, and the two attacks collided. The explosion raised a pillar of water.
"You used the same jutsu as me?" Kisame laughed, twisting his neck, excited. "Those damned strange eyes. I heard you killed Zabuza... I'd love to test your strength."
He released the bandage covering the Samehada, revealing the sword's living skin.
"Itachi," he murmured, "it's not every day we find someone like this."
But the Uchiha did not share the enthusiasm. "Kisame, don't lose focus." His voice was firm, cold. "Your method is inefficient. It will cause a commotion. We didn't come here to fight."
Kakashi advanced, standing between Itachi and the others. "Then tell me, what is your objective?"
Itachi observed him for an instant. "We are looking for someone. And you will tell me where he is."
Itachi's eyes began to change. The triple pattern of the Sharingan spun, transforming. The air around them grew heavy.
"Be careful!" Kakashi shouted.
Asuma spun his blade, positioning himself beside him. "It's alright, we know this guy is strong."
Kakashi did not take his eyes off Itachi. "Strong? You have no idea. He became ANBU captain at thirteen."
Asuma held his breath. Kurenai, still wet, watched in silence.
Itachi took a step forward, his tone impassive. "For someone who is not an Uchiha, you master the Sharingan very well. But... not being one of us, you will never reach its limit."
Before Kakashi could respond, everything went dark. Time stopped.
The world around him lost color — black and white, cold and distorted.
"Tsukuyomi."
To the others, Kakashi merely froze for a second. For him, it was seventy-two hours of continuous torture within the illusion.
When his body finally gave out, he fell to his knees, sweating, breathing with difficulty.
Kurenai and Asuma ran to him, but Itachi merely watched him.
Kakashi forced a weak smile. "Are you... after Sasuke?"
The answer came low, but clear. "The legacy of the Fourth Hokage."
Silence fell. Asuma and Kurenai exchanged confused glances.
Kakashi gave a tired, almost strengthless smile. "I see... you are from the Akatsuki."
For an instant, Itachi seemed to hesitate. The organization's name should not be known.
"You know too much." He looked at Kisame. "Finish them."
Kisame smiled again and advanced, the living sword hissing with anticipation.
From afar, Li Shang, who had been watching everything with the Tenseigan, observed the scene. 'Akatsuki... a secret organization. And they speak of the Fourth Hokage's legacy, Jinchūriki... so that's what they're looking for?' He remembered Kisame's question.
The answers generated even more questions. But on the battlefield...
"Strong Konoha Hurricane!"
A green blur appeared in his field of vision. The blow hit Kisame, pushing him back in a sequence of precise kicks.
"Did you really think you could enter Konoha and just walk out?"
Might Guy landed before the three jounin, his posture firm and his gaze intense.
Itachi sighed, already turning away. "Kisame, let's go. They are not a priority."
The swordsman grumbled, but obeyed. Both disappeared in a leap, vanishing among the trees.
Li Shang remained where he was, his gaze still fixed on the spot where the Sharingan had disappeared. 'Itachi Uchiha... Akatsuki... the legacy of the Fourth Hokage...'
Each word sounded like a new piece of a puzzle he wasn't yet ready to solve.