"Naruto? Naruto!"
When there was no reply, Jiraiya quickly looked down and saw Naruto standing completely still, his eyes blank and lifeless.
Genjutsu!
Jiraiya immediately recognized the technique Itachi used most skillfully.
What he hadn't expected was that Itachi hadn't targeted him at all — instead, he had gone straight for Naruto. This meant he was fully determined to take the jinchūriki away.
This is bad.
Jiraiya was about to break the illusion, but before he could act, a dark figure appeared right in front of him.
BOOM!
The massive blade Samehada crashed heavily into the ground. Jiraiya leaped back just in time, but flying stones still struck his body, bringing sharp stinging pain.
"You go ahead and take the jinchūriki. Leave this Gallant One to me. I've been wanting to test my strength against the legendary Sannin of Konoha for ages. Once I'm done with him, I'll catch up with you."
Kisame's face split into a wide, bloodthirsty grin. Even among all the members of Akatsuki, his love for battle was among the strongest.
Having finally found an opponent worthy of stirring his excitement, he could hardly hold himself back.
Itachi frowned slightly and sighed inwardly. "Very well — but be careful. He is nothing like the enemies you've faced before. I don't want to have to collect your body."
"Relax. Even if I can't win, I'm confident I can escape. He won't be keeping me here."
Kisame looked completely sure of himself.
Seeing this, Itachi said no more and walked straight toward the motionless Naruto.
Jiraiya immediately unleashed Wild Lion's Mane, trying to reach and pull Naruto back — but Kisame blocked the way.
Instead of touching Naruto, Jiraiya's long hair wrapped tightly around Samehada.
He pulled hard, trying to wrench the weapon from Kisame's grasp.
But the strength on the other side far exceeded his expectations.
Kisame didn't budge an inch.
THUD!
Kisame drove Samehada deep into the ground and smirked up at Jiraiya, as if mocking him for lacking power.
Seizing the moment, Itachi reached out and pressed lightly against the back of Naruto's neck.
Naruto instantly lost consciousness and slumped forward. Itachi caught him easily with one arm and lifted him off the ground.
"Half an hour. That should give you enough time to let off steam."
"Got it — I'll be done by then."
With Kisame nodding in agreement, Itachi turned and vanished from Jiraiya's sight, carrying Naruto with him.
Jiraiya tried to give chase, but Kisame stepped forward to block his path again.
"Now, now — your opponent is me. If you want to go after the jinchūriki, you'll have to defeat me first. Otherwise, you won't take a single step past me."
Jiraiya knew he would never get Naruto back unless he eliminated this shark‑faced foe.
For the first time, a stern, imposing aura radiated from him. He drew his hair back into its usual form.
"Fine. Then I'll kill you first — and rescue him second."
Jiraiya was truly angry. He opened with Toad Mouth Bind, trapping Kisame instantly inside the stomach of the Great Toad from Mount Myōboku.
He intended to end this fight swiftly and decisively.
Half an hour? Think you can leave after that? I'll make sure you stay here forever!
Summoning Technique!
POOF!
"Little Jiraiya? What's going on now? Why are you calling us two old bones out here?"
"To be honest… I need your help again, Great Sages."
Fukasaku and Shima, the two elder toads, exchanged a glance. "If that's the case — what are we waiting for? Let's begin!"
The two sages hopped onto Jiraiya's shoulders, one on each side, and began gathering Sage Chakra.
Jiraiya's plan was simple: Itachi was no ordinary shinobi, and his partner could not be weak either.
The missing‑nin headband of Kirigakure, paired with that blade that seemed almost alive, told him Kisame was likely one of the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
And knowing exactly who he was, yet choosing to stay behind alone to hold him off — this man must have something powerful to rely on.
Under normal circumstances, Jiraiya wouldn't mind playing along for a while. But not now — he was in a hurry to save Naruto.
He had to finish this battle as fast as possible.
While Kisame struggled around inside the Great Toad's stomach, Jiraiya focused entirely on entering Sage Mode. The time spent now would be more than made up for later.
In just a few moments, Jiraiya's eyes snapped open.
Sage Mode — Activated!
His appearance had changed drastically: his eyes now held vertical pupils like a frog's, his nose had grown larger, and red markings spread across both sides of his face.
BLECH!
"Disgusting feeling…"
Kisame pulled his hand back and swung Samehada down hard, trying to cut through the walls around him.
But the fleshy walls began to ripple and contract, nearly pulling the blade right inside.
Kisame strained with all his strength just to yank it free again.
He tried to make Samehada feed on the strange flesh of the stomach walls. The sword tore off a chunk, chewed twice, then spat it out with a sound of disgust — clearly finding it terrible to taste.
Just as Kisame wondered whether Jiraiya had already gone to chase Itachi, the wall behind him suddenly split open, revealing Jiraiya standing there.
"Ultra‑Big Ball Rasengan!"
Without wasting a single word, Jiraiya leaped forward and slammed the massive sphere of energy straight down.
Kisame's eyes widened in shock. He didn't have time to form hand seals, so he raised Samehada to take the blow head‑on.
The result was almost catastrophic — Kisame was nearly crushed to death by the force of the attack.
A Sage‑enhanced Rasengan isn't something to mess around with!
When Kisame managed to get back up, he was coughing up blood — until suddenly he spat out a huge ball of water.
He was going to change the entire battlefield.
At the same time, he merged fully with Samehada, transforming himself into a half‑man, half‑shark creature.
The chakra the blade had absorbed was instantly transferred into Kisame, healing his wounds in a matter of seconds.
Only moments ago, he had been on the brink of death — now he was back on his feet, fully restored and looking completely different.
A massive amount of water flooded into the Great Toad's stomach, creating an environment it couldn't digest or clear away quickly.
Against most opponents, this tactic would have been devastating. Kisame could breathe and move freely underwater, while others could not.
But this time, he had picked the wrong enemy.
Jiraiya moved as easily in water as he did on land and could stay submerged for long periods — the only downside was that he couldn't use Fire Release techniques.
"Tongue‑Sword Slash!"
Fukasaku channeled his concentrated Sage Chakra into his tongue, hardening it to the sharpness and strength of steel.
He shot it forward like a projectile, piercing straight through Kisame before he could dodge, leaving a gaping wound.
Kisame let out a muffled groan of pain, then gritted his teeth and began forming hand seals at lightning speed.
"Water Release — Great Shark Bullet!"
Kisame shaped his chakra into an enormous water‑formed shark that charged toward Jiraiya.
If struck by any physical attack, the shark would instantly absorb all the chakra from the blow and grow even larger.
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