Kisame was chasing Torune and Fu across the desert sands of the Land of Wind as the sun set, forcing them farther and farther from Itachi and Danzo.
If Itachi wanted to handle that old man alone, Kisame was more than happy to oblige. That way, he'd get to fight both at once. Maybe he might finish them off before Itachi took down Danzo, then let Itachi know they were successful and convince him to stop—it's just how Itachi worked.
"You guys really are pros at running away, huh?" Kisame taunted, trying to provoke them into fighting him head-on.
But he knew better—these two wouldn't be stupid enough to throw themselves at him just because of a few insults or something like that. Danzo wouldn't have trained his men to fall for that.
Meanwhile, the two Root ninja were growing increasingly frustrated by Kisame's relentless pursuit.
Fu didn't have time to deploy his signature traps, which meant Torune would have to face him directly—maybe even attempt a counterattack.
They needed to return to Danzo's side eventually, but first, they had to deal with Kisame. And this wouldn't be an easy task.
Torune removed his gloves, revealing the pair of seemingly ordinary purple gloves beneath—his signature Aburame gear. These gloves, however, were special; they carried microscopic insects capable of much more insidious tasks than mere chakra absorption.
Torune and Fu exchanged a look and nodded simultaneously before suddenly sprinting off in opposite directions, attempting to split Kisame's attention.
Fu hurled three shuriken at Kisame, who effortlessly deflected them with the bandages covering Samehada.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Torune clenched his fist and charged forward, ready to strike.
Kisame simply sneered. The bandages on Samehada scattered outward as the blade expanded, bending like a whip to block Torune's attack.
"That's more like it. Let me see what you're really made of, huh?"
Samehada recoiled, sending Torune hurtling backward.
Suddenly, a straw-like puppet burst from the sand, swinging its scythe-like limb straight toward Kisame.
Kisame sprang backward, evading the strike. The puppet overshot and slammed into a nearby dune.
Kisame searched frantically for Fu but found no trace.
Samehada let out a deafening roar, and a grin spread across Kisame's face. "Found ya."
Then, leaving Torune and the strange straw puppet behind, Kisame headed in what seemed like a random direction.
Turns out it wasn't random—Fu popped out of the sand before Kisame even got there. "Hey!" he called. "Samehada senses chakra, moron."
Fu clenched his jaw, trying to hide his frustration. "I didn't even get to use my ultimate technique before he caught me!"
Fu and Torune hadn't faced anyone this strong in a long time.
No, to be precise—they probably had never gone up against a ninja this powerful before.
To be honest, although he was a brute with a bloodthirsty reputation and immense strength, defeating him wouldn't be an easy feat.
Within Root, aside from Naruto, perhaps no one possessed the strength to confront Kisame directly.
If he couldn't hide his actions, then while using the secret techniques of the Yamanaka clan, his body would be left completely exposed.
"C'mon, you call that your best?!" Kisame taunted loudly, his tone filled with provocation. "Don't tell me this is all you've got! I've heard about those suicidal tactics your Root organization uses—I was actually hoping to see some of them!"
Their puppets weren't designed for suicide missions... but for Torune and Fu, fighting against someone far stronger than themselves was practically a death sentence.
After all, their chances of winning were slim—though not impossible.
Within Root, everyone understood that if something was possible—even barely—it could still be assigned as a mission.
You could say the best among them had been forged in hellfire.
This was precisely why they wouldn't flee. Not because they couldn't—but because they'd already faced worse odds before.
Because no matter how strong Kisame was, handling what others couldn't was their duty.
Even if doing so cost them their lives.
******
The moment Itachi and Danzo disappeared from view, they braced for a high-speed clash.
But that wasn't what happened. Rather than attack, Itachi's gaze locked onto Danzo's right arm—the gray-and-white limb embedded with ten fully developed Sharingan.
"You mustn't do this, Itachi," Danzo insisted while revealing his most powerful weapon.
No one in Konoha knew he possessed these eyes; they were even more concealed than the eye already nestled within his right eye socket.
He could easily justify that single eye, but explaining these eyes… would be significantly harder.
Itachi ignored Danzo entirely, merely staring fixedly at his right arm—motionless, silent.
His eyes remained fixed for a moment before suddenly rising to lock eyes directly with Danzo.
"I can accept you possessing a Sharingan," Itachi said slowly. "I can even accept you using it like Naruto did, despite him having lost one eye before we fought. I've never resented Kakashi for having a Sharingan either—it truly is a formidable asset. But you, Danzo, don't seem to possess them for anyone else's sake but your own."
Danzo simply shook his head, unfazed by Itachi's words.
"Do as you please, Itachi. I'm doing this to better protect our homeland."
"Home..." Itachi closed his eyes, almost as if trying to recall Konoha's image. "I no longer have a home, Danzo."
"Do you regret what you've done?" Danzo asked.
Itachi exhaled deeply and shook his head.
"I regret every second. But regret is useless now. It solves nothing."
Then, Itachi dissolved into a swarm of crows, his voice echoing inside Danzo's head, "There's no need to regret. What's done is done."
"The creed of the living," Danzo acknowledged, "or perhaps, in this case, the creed of the dead… because he seems serious. At least now I understand his abilities, based on Naruto's account of their battle."
A swirl of dust appeared at the edge of Danzo's vision, revealing Itachi's position.
He quickly formed hand seals, took a deep breath, and then turned around, releasing Chakra-infused wind from his mouth—[Wind Release: Vacuum Wave]
A razor-sharp gust of wind formed around Danzo, slicing a figure in half—Itachi.
However, right after being split apart, the figure exploded outward in a blinding flash.
But Danzo had already anticipated it—he managed to blast himself clear of the explosion's epicenter by channeling an even stronger burst of Wind Chakra from his mouth at greater speed.
"Sorry, Danzo-sama," Itachi reappeared behind Danzo in an instant, kunai drawn. "But you went back on our agreement."
Before Itachi could strike, Danzo lowered his head and expelled more Wind Chakra from his mouth, kicking up a thick cloud of dust that clouded Itachi's vision.
To a member of the Uchiha clan, losing one's sight means death itself, especially during the later days of the family's history.
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