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...direct hit of the attack. Obito was also smirking beneath his mask. It seemed that the boy had been truly arrogant—but now, he was dead. That would be a gift, in a way, to his former sensei. Obito grinned to himself. This would weaken Minato even further, so when the time came, there would be no resistance.
He continued to smirk as Itachi observed the battlefield. Kisame spoke first, grinning.
"Looks like your younger prodigy is dead, huh?"
Itachi looked at him blankly. With all the things he had witnessed the boy doing, there was hardly anything that could surprise him now.
"You don't understand," he replied. "He's quite talented, if you ask me."
Kisame scoffed.
"Oh, really? I saw that attack hit him dead on. Even I would've had trouble with something like that. That was easily an S-rank technique, combining all three elements."
Itachi gave him a small, knowing smirk.
"We'll see."
Suddenly, the dirt and debris began to clear. Kakuzu let out a short laugh, amused by how easy it had seemed. Even he had a smirk on his face—until it disappeared the moment the dust fully cleared.
A crater had formed where the blast hit—but standing in the center of it, completely unharmed, was Naruto. His arm was still raised, hand pointed directly at Kakuzu, a calm and bold expression on his face. There wasn't a scratch on him. Not even his clothes were damaged.
Kakuzu's eyes widened in disbelief. That attack had been one of his best—one of his strongest combination techniques. All three offensive elemental masks—fire, lightning, and wind—had combined into a singular devastating strike. It should have been enough to destroy anything. Anyone.
But the kid was perfectly fine.
Obito, watching from his pocket dimension, narrowed his eyes. And for a moment, he saw something strange in Naruto's eyes—disappointment.
Naruto looked at his own hand, then back toward Kakuzu.
"Is that all?" he asked plainly.
Silence fell.
Even Kisame, who had resumed battling Itachi, faltered at the sheer absurdity of what he had just seen. Kakuzu couldn't believe his eyes.
"Is that all you've got, huh?" Naruto repeated, his tone bored. "I must say... that was pathetic."
Kakuzu glared at him, rage beginning to twist his features. But even as he prepared to retaliate, something in his gut told him—this kid wasn't normal.
"I said... is that all you've got, huh?" Naruto spoke flatly. "I must say—it was pathetic."
Kakuzu looked at Naruto, but then his gaze hardened into a glare. To his surprise, the boy glared right back.
"To be honest," Naruto continued, "I'm getting tired of these stupid battles. They're nothing but disappointments. And you... you'll pay for disappointing me."
Before anyone could respond, Naruto suddenly appeared in front of Kakuzu and slammed his fist directly into Kakuzu's face, smashing it into the ground and creating a massive crater.
A foreign feeling began to rise in Kakuzu's chest—fear. The way the boy was releasing his energy... it was unnatural.
The entire area trembled for a moment as red energy began to swirl and crackle around Naruto's body. Kakuzu tried desperately to recall his remaining hearts, hoping to regenerate his injuries. But Naruto was already on the move. He grabbed two of the masks mid-air and crushed them instantly.
Only one heart—his lightning-element heart—managed to return to Kakuzu. It had barely reached him by emerging from underground, avoiding Naruto's direct line of sight.
With lightning chakra weakly surging around him, Kakuzu attempted to engage Naruto in taijutsu. But to his utter shock, Naruto backhanded his fists as they approached, shattering both of Kakuzu's arms on contact.
Without even showing effort, Naruto raised a single finger, tapped Kakuzu on the forehead, and sent him flying through the trees like a ragdoll.
Kisame, watching the scene unfold, smirked.
"Well, seems like Samehada is getting a bit hungry," he chuckled, rushing toward Naruto, thinking that he could absorb his chakra.
Samehada, sensing the dense energy coming from Naruto, trembled with anticipation. It was energy—it could be absorbed.
Naruto calmly glanced at Kisame, then released a small wave of ki energy, sending it directly toward him.
Kisame laughed as Samehada quickly devoured the burst, smirking confidently.
"Kid, you may be strong... but releasing your chakra like that was a mistake. My sword can—"
But before he could finish his sentence, something strange happened.
Samehada suddenly froze.
Its scales twitched unnaturally.
Its once gleeful expression twisted into confusion—then panic.
then Samehada began to tremble violently.
It started detaching from Kisame's hand, writhing and flailing across the ground as if in pain, uttering screeches of agony. Kisame looked at his sword in shock. Samehada was trying to absorb Naruto's energy, but it was simply too much. The nature of the energy was vastly different.
Unlike chakra, which—even in its densest form—is still fluid and malleable, Naruto's ki was more like solid stone, harsh and overwhelming. Samehada was trying to devour something it could not digest. It was like trying to chew through rocks with a sponge.
Kisame watched in horror as Samehada began steaming, then cracking. Suddenly, the sword blasted backward, slamming into the ground and skidding across it, its once-mighty scales now charred and nearly disintegrated.
Kisame rushed toward his weapon, panic setting in. He tried to grab it, but what he held in his hands was a barely recognizable form—Samehada was dying. The living blade was barely clinging to life.
He glared at Naruto with pure hatred. But Naruto simply shook his head.
"You're annoying," Naruto muttered.
He pointed his hand toward them, and energy began to swirl violently in his palm. Kisame's breath caught in his throat.
What is this kid? He had already defeated Kakuzu, crushed Samehada, and now...
Kisame glanced back and saw Kakuzu's broken form lying behind him in a straight line—Naruto had positioned them deliberately.
Suddenly, energy burst from Naruto's hand, releasing a blinding beam of condensed power straight toward them.
Kisame cursed under his breath and began forming hand signs—but before he could finish, he felt a sudden pull at his shoulder.
A hand gripped him tightly.
Then—a swirling vortex opened beneath him.
He and Kakuzu were yanked away, vanishing instantly into the Kamui dimension.
Naruto looked around the battlefield, scanning for the presence he had sensed. Then he turned to Itachi, who had been watching silently.
"Someone pulled them away," Naruto said flatly. "I can feel it. Someone else entered this dimension."
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
Naruto nodded. "Yes. That person was existing between two dimensions. I felt it the moment he moved. And…"
He locked eyes with Itachi. "He had a presence similar to the Sharingan—but denser. And more… malevolent."
Itachi quickly understood what Naruto was trying to say.
"That person, whoever it was, must possess an advanced form of the Sharingan... That would explain their ability to exist between two dimensions—either fully in between them, or with one part of them in one dimension and the other part in another," Naruto explained.
Itachi narrowed his eyes. "One of the Uchiha, huh... It seems I'll have to report this to Lord Hokage. But I don't know of anyone besides my father with such abilities..."
Naruto nodded. "I noticed that when the person grabbed both Kisame and Kakuzu, their physique was different from your father's, and their chakra signature didn't match his either. Which means someone else in the Uchiha clan has the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"It seems we need to have a conversation with your father... and possibly the Hokage," Itachi replied. He looked at Naruto and added, "Alright, Naruto. Maybe we should return to Konoha. This mission has taken quite the turn."
Naruto simply shrugged. "Alright. Let's go."
Both of them nodded and began the journey back. Thankfully, Naruto had left behind a small shadow clone to keep an eye on the unconscious child they had rescued.
Back in Konoha:
Minato was going through stacks of paperwork while Mito was giving her report on the hospital and a new program she wanted to implement. She explained how each team should have a medical-nin and mentioned the management structure she envisioned for Team 7. She even included recommendations for when Mito herself would join an official squad.
Just then, the door opened and both Itachi and Naruto stepped in. Jiraiya, who was present, immediately noticed a change in Naruto's demeanor. He narrowed his eyes at the boy but said nothing. Tsunade also noted the shift, remaining quiet.
Itachi glanced around the room and saw that nearly all the prominent figures in Konoha were present.
He stepped forward and spoke clearly, "Lord Hokage, we have returned from our mission and would like to give our full report that our mission was a complete success."
Minato smiled at that. "Good. Then tell me, give me the report, Itachi."
Itachi looked around at everyone present but focused on Minato as he continued. "Well, Lord Hokage, when we arrived at the enemy location, we found that the bandit camp was much larger than previously estimated. It had at least 500 members, including 10 Chūnin, three Jōnin, and a high A-rank shinobi."
Minato blinked in surprise and turned to glance at Naruto, checking for any visible injuries. Even Kushina looked slightly concerned, and Tsunade was almost ready to step forward and examine Naruto for any wounds. However, Naruto simply shook his head calmly.
"The entire battle went smoothly," Itachi continued. "I was able to draw away most of the enemy forces, while Naruto infiltrated the camp and rescued the princess. After I returned, I found that a battle was already underway. It appeared that Raiga, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and a missing-nin, had joined the enemy."
Minato's eyes widened. "Are you sure it was Raiga?"
Itachi nodded firmly. "Yes. He was wielding one of the Seven Swords of the Mist. But the battle wasn't even close. It was completely one-sided... in Naruto's favor." He gave Naruto a small, respectful smile.
Naruto, however, didn't return it. He was quietly watching his father, lost in thought. In his mind, he was replaying the moment when he stopped all of Raiga's attacks with just a single finger.
"What happened next?" Minato asked, leaning forward.
Itachi's voice grew more serious. "Something I never imagined possible... I saw one of the Seven Swords of the Mist shatter—completely destroyed in Naruto's hands."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
The Third Hokage spoke up. "Are you absolutely sure?"
Itachi nodded again. He retrieved a scroll from his pouch and placed it on Minato's desk. As Minato infused chakra into the scroll, it opened to reveal the shattered remains of the sword.
Everyone leaned in. The symbol of the Hidden Mist was clearly etched into the fragments—an authentic and secret insignia—confirming without doubt that it was one of the original Seven Swords.
Minato looked toward Naruto, but noticed that his son seemed strangely bored, almost uninterested. He turned back to Itachi.
"This is the real thing," Minato confirmed. "Go on, continue the report."
Itachi nodded and resumed. "Raiga was quickly and effortlessly defeated. But after that, another strange figure appeared—someone with unknown abilities..."
Minato simply nodded, mentally noting that he'd deal with that particular mystery later. Jiraiya, however, was visibly fuming, though he hadn't said anything yet. But before anyone else could speak, Jiraiya finally broke the silence.
"That was seriously irresponsible of you, kid," he said sternly. "We could have had one of the Seven Swords of the Mist in Konoha's possession. But because of your recklessness, you destroyed it. That sword could've been a national treasure!"
Naruto looked at Jiraiya with clear irritation in his eyes. To be honest, he had never liked the man. He always found Jiraiya too brash and irresponsible. His eyes scanned Jiraiya from head to toe with disdain before calmly saying:
"Who asked you?"
The room went completely silent.
Even Itachi was momentarily stunned by the bluntness of Naruto's words. He had noticed that Naruto had been unusually agitated. Earlier, before the battle, Itachi had seen a rare spark of excitement in Naruto's eyes. But afterward—after hearing Raiga's words labeling him a failure, a "bad experiment"—Naruto had clearly been left irritated, his mood darkened.
And now, for Naruto to speak like that to one of the legendary Sannin…
Jiraiya stood there, stunned. No matter how long he had lived, no shinobi from Konoha had ever spoken to him like that before.
Before Jiraiya could respond, Minato raised his hand. "That's enough," he said, giving his sensei a stern look before turning to Naruto.
"Well, Naruto," Minato said, trying to keep his voice measured, "I was about to ask you the same thing. You should have been more careful with the sword."
Naruto simply replied, "That sword was weak. I wasn't even using my full power. I blocked it with just one finger, and it shattered. If it can break that easily, then I don't think it was worth much."
Minato opened his mouth to argue—but what could he say?
The boy had shattered one of the Seven Swords of the Mist with a single finger. Not even with full strength. Just chakra-enhanced finger pressure. If the sword couldn't withstand even that, then maybe Naruto was right—maybe it wasn't that valuable anymore.