Land of Whirlpools.
Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame moved silently through the ruins, following the footprints on the ground.
Kisame slung Samehada over his shoulder and asked,
"Itachi-san, do we really need to be this cautious against someone like this? Just let me go in and slice him up."
Without any change in expression, Itachi replied, "If Lord Mirai specifically wants us to investigate this organization, it means we can't afford to underestimate them."
"We still don't know what their true objective is. It's better to stay on the safe side."
Kisame grinned after hearing that.
He rather enjoyed missions like this with Itachi—no need to think, just follow orders.
After a while, the footprints led them to a temple, where they abruptly stopped.
Itachi and Kisame exchanged glances, then rushed forward together.
Inside the temple, the first thing they saw were countless Shinigami masks hanging on the walls.
Beneath the masks stood a tall, cloaked figure, motionless and silent.
When he noticed their presence, the figure turned and asked, "Who are you?"
The man wore a silver hawk-like mask and had long white hair and a beard. His sharp eyes and massive frame gave off an unshakable sense of pressure.
Itachi spoke calmly, "Shouldn't we be the ones asking that? Weren't you the one who lured us here?"
The man simply smiled without answering.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
A massive fireball suddenly shot toward them. Kisame stepped forward.
"Water Style: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
Boom!
The fire and water collided in midair, releasing a cloud of steam.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet!"
A deep voice echoed through the mist. Kisame grinned.
"Pointless."
"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!"
The jutsus clashed again, but this time, something unexpected happened—the water jutsu failed to suppress the flames.
A roaring inferno surged forward, engulfing everything in its path. Kisame gripped Samehada and swung down hard.
But the wave of fire wasn't cleaved in two as expected. Instead, the intense flames swallowed him whole.
At the critical moment, an orange-red skeletal armor wrapped tightly around Kisame.
"Thanks, Itachi-san."
Kisame wiped the sweat from his brow, visibly shaken. He'd nearly been roasted alive.
"That guy used Fire Style to ignite oil, so Samehada couldn't absorb the flames."
"He's not someone we can take lightly. Be careful."
Kisame nodded. "Got it."
...
As the two spoke, the burly man suddenly slammed his palms to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive toad dropped from above. Itachi immediately activated the third form of his Susanoo.
BOOM!
The impact collapsed the entire temple, and the ground cracked in a spiderweb pattern.
Kisame took the opportunity to charge at the enemy.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
The man's hair suddenly grew and shot out, tightly binding Kisame.
"Sage Art: Super Big Ball Rasengan!"
A Rasengan over ten meters wide slammed down toward Kisame.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames surged forth, consuming the Rasengan and rapidly spreading toward the man.
Left with no choice, he abandoned the attack and retreated to safety.
"These jutsu... this fighting style..."
"Are you Jiraiya?!"
Itachi's eyes widened, then he shook his head.
"No... impossible. Jiraiya wouldn't attack us. Who are you?"
The man sneered. "If you want answers, survive first."
With that, he launched another attack at Itachi and Kisame.
"Kisame, fall back."
After that exchange, Itachi had a rough grasp of their opponent's capabilities.
His fighting style was unorthodox, and he clearly possessed Sage Chakra. Kisame wasn't suited to deal with someone like this.
With a single thought, Itachi's Sharingan flared, and a Susanoo with massive wings erupted from the ground.
One hand wielded the Totsuka Blade, and the other held the Yata Mirror.
The burly man scoffed at the towering figure.
"Detonate."
The giant steam toad exploded, creating a billowing mushroom cloud.
Itachi raised the Yata Mirror, blocking the explosion's shockwave. His face was grim.
This enemy's strength was completely absurd.
"What just happened, Itachi-san?"
Itachi dispelled his Susanoo and shook his head. "He got away."
Kisame's voice was low. "Who the hell was that? That power was terrifying..."
"Looks like the Kara organization really isn't to be taken lightly."
Itachi didn't reply. He walked forward and picked up a scroll lying on the ground.
"What does it say?"
"No idea. It's encrypted. We'll have to take it back to the village for decoding."
Itachi's expression was serious.
There was something deeply off about this whole situation.
First, there was the enemy—his appearance and fighting style were almost identical to Jiraiya. They needed to figure out who he really was.
Then there was the fact that the enemy had deliberately lured them here. Why would Kara, which had been hiding so carefully, suddenly reveal itself?
...
With these heavy questions in mind, Itachi and Kisame returned to Konoha.
They handed the scroll to the decoding department and then gave a full report to Hyuga Neji.
After hearing the details, Neji immediately sought out Uchiha Mirai.
"Lord Mirai, Kara may be planning something big. We need to strengthen our defenses."
Now that he was Hokage, Neji had learned many hidden truths.
He was well aware that Kara had been founded by Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. That made this situation especially concerning.
But Uchiha Mirai simply waved it off.
"Let's wait until the scroll is decrypted. No need to jump to conclusions."
"Don't worry. Those rats hiding in the sewers won't stay hidden for long."
Mirai had already guessed the identity of the man who fought Itachi.
It was undoubtedly Kashin Koji—a clone created using Jiraiya's cells.
As for his goal...
It was simple. He wanted to expose Kara's secrets.
After all, Koji had been created by Amado for the sole purpose of killing Jigen.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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