"Who doesn't know the famed genius of the Uchiha clan?" Ye Liangnai's teasing voice echoed through the fog, laced with a playful edge that belied the tension. "Was it really that hard to figure you out, Itachi?"
Uchiha Itachi's tone grew heavy, his mind racing. "It seems I've met a truly formidable foe." Internally, he grappled with the unsettling reality of Ye Liangnai's Hidden Mist Jutsu. This mist is uncanny. My Sharingan's ability to pierce ninjutsu is useless, and my perception's blocked. He's a nightmare to face.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistle of air broke his thoughts, the sound of an incoming attack from behind. Itachi reacted instantly, flinging a volley of shuriken tethered to steel wires. The projectiles met only empty mist, striking nothing. But a sudden, prickling sense of danger surged from his front, his instincts screaming. A shadowy figure loomed, a blade's glint slicing toward him.
Even with his three-tomoe Sharingan's dynamic vision, the figure was a blur, the mist dulling his perception to a fraction of its usual clarity. Itachi had faced countless elite ninja, but none as vexing as Ye Liangnai. This boy's mist didn't just obscure—it rewrote the battlefield, turning senses into liabilities.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Itachi unleashed a roaring sphere of flame, forcing the shadow to retreat. Seizing the moment, he hurled another wave of wire-bound shuriken, aiming to pin down his elusive foe. In this mist, my Sharingan's nearly blind. Sound's unreliable too—either he's distorting it, or his speed's so silent it defies detection.
The attack from the front, despite the sound originating behind, had nearly caught him off-guard. Only his reflexes had saved him. Clang! Clang! A metallic clash rang out nearby, the sound of steel meeting steel. Itachi leaped toward it, determined to test his theory. Is the sound warped, or is he just that fast? Let's find out.
But when he reached the spot, his heart sank. No shuriken littered the ground. Tugging the wires, he felt resistance—not from ahead, but to his right. The sound's distorted, and perception's crippled. This Hidden Mist Jutsu is beyond anything I've heard of. Cold sweat beaded on his brow, a rare crack in his composure. This isn't normal.
Outside the mist, Morino Ibiki's voice roared, sharp with frustration. "Damn brat, you won't get away! Think your mist can stall us? Dream on!"
Itachi's warning cut through, urgent and clear. "Ibiki, stay out of the mist! It's not what you think—bypass it and find the other two Mist ninja!"
Ibiki hesitated, his foot poised to charge, but Itachi's tone halted him. Nodding, he veered to circle the fog, only for Ye Liangnai's voice to ring out, taunting and close. "Itachi, you let your guard down."
A pained grunt followed—Itachi's. Then Ye Liangnai's voice again, sharp and defiant. "Ibiki, you're not getting past me!"
In an instant, the mist surged, its radius expanding to engulf Yuya and Natsuka, shielding them and the spies. Sky Armor's laughter boomed, his voice thick with pride. "Brilliant, Chill! Keep it up—victory's ours!"
Inside the fog, Itachi panted, blood dripping from two gaping wounds on his shoulder, courtesy of Ye Liangnai's Water Gun Jutsu. "You're strong, Mist ninja," he rasped, his voice a mix of respect and resolve. "I'll have to go all out."
His hands blurred through seals, faster than Ye Liangnai could interrupt. "Water Style: Water Shockwave!" A roaring torrent erupted, surging in all directions, threatening to sweep Ye Liangnai, Yuya, and Natsuka away.
Ye Liangnai reacted instinctively. "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" A dense barrier of water rose, its enhanced density and speed—three times stronger, cast 2.5 times faster—shielding them from the deluge. But the effort disrupted his control over the mist, a fleeting lapse in his focus. I can't multitask yet.
Itachi seized the opening, his Sharingan locking onto Ye Liangnai's position. "Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!" A crimson line of flame shot forward, searing the air. "Ibiki, follow my lead—use Lightning Style now!" he shouted.
Ibiki, outside the mist, wove seals. "Lightning Style: Earth Flash!" A crackling wave of electricity surged into the fog, merging with Itachi's flames. The mist glowed, illuminated by fire and lightning, the combined assault a spectacle of destruction.
Itachi's mind raced. This should at least wound him. The explosion roared, thunder echoing, the ground trembling under the onslaught.
But Ye Liangnai's voice cut through, unshaken. "Itachi, that won't touch me." Without genjutsu or his Sharingan's full power, Itachi's strength was diminished by nearly half. Ye Liangnai, bolstered by his enhanced jutsu, held the upper hand, even against Ibiki's aid.
"Chill, intel transfer's complete!" Yuya's shout rang out, relief flooding Ye Liangnai. His chakra was nearly spent, the strain of maintaining the mist taxing him to his limits.
Itachi and the Konoha ninja paled, their advantage slipping. Sky Armor, bloodied but grinning, let out a triumphant laugh. "Easier than we thought! Everyone, prepare to withdraw!"
He shoved Kakashi back with a burst of strength, retreating swiftly. The other Mist ANBU followed, disengaging with practiced precision. "Think you can come and go as you please?" a Konoha ANBU roared. "Stay, Mist scum!"
"Earth Style: Multiple Mud Wall!" Three Konoha operatives slammed their hands to the ground, chakra pouring out. Four massive walls of earth rose, encircling a hundred-meter radius, trapping the Mist team in a fortified cage.
The Mist ninja cursed, their escape cut off. But a greater threat loomed for Ye Liangnai. A flash of movement, and Kakashi was before him, his hand crackling with lightning. "Lightning Blade!" he intoned, the electrified blade thrusting toward Ye Liangnai's chest.
"Watch out!" Sky Armor's shout was desperate, his heart lurching. Losing a talent like Chill here would be a tragedy.
"Die, brat!" The Konoha ninja's hatred was palpable, their voices a chorus of malice.
Kakashi expected panic, a frantic scramble. But Ye Liangnai's eyes were calm, his composure unnerving. "Water Style: Water Formation Wall," he said softly, his hands a blur. A fortified water barrier materialized, its enhanced density absorbing the Lightning Blade's impact, the electricity fizzling harmlessly.
Kakashi's eye widened, a flicker of disbelief. He's too composed… and that jutsu's too strong.