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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 357
🕑 Added 2025-03-17 16:00:07 +0000 UTCChapter 357: The Mysterious Ninja
Team 7's speed was already inferior to Itachi Uchiha's, and with Tazuna as a burden, their pace slowed even further. It didn’t take long for Itachi to catch up to them, blocking their path of retreat.
Tazuna, who still had no idea what was happening, turned to Naruto and Sasuke and asked, "What’s going on? Are they also under Gato’s command? Why are you running away? Weren’t those two assassins taken down by you in an instant?"
Naruto, with a grave expression, explained, "Itachi is different from the two ninjas we faced earlier. He alone can annihilate an entire clan in a single night, a clan far stronger than the Land of Waves."
Hearing this, Tazuna’s expression changed drastically as he instantly grasped the magnitude of Itachi’s power.
Retreating behind Naruto, Tazuna cautiously said, "What do we do now?! Are we going to die here today? I can’t die yet since the Great Naruto Bridge still needs me to complete it!"
Sasuke glanced deeply at Tazuna and said coldly, "If you don’t want to die, stop talking! Naruto, you and Sakura take Tazuna and retreat. I’ll handle Itachi."
Naruto looked at Sasuke, furrowing his brows, and said, "You’re no match for Itachi. I can’t just watch you throw your life away!"
Sasuke nodded and replied, "Splitting up gives us a better chance than staying together. Besides, I have many questions I want to ask him."
Hearing this, Naruto hesitated no longer and left with Tazuna.
Sakura glanced at Sasuke, then at Itachi. Noticing the resemblance between Itachi’s face and Sasuke’s, she followed Naruto’s lead.
Itachi was Sasuke’s older brother, after all. He probably wouldn’t kill Sasuke.
Watching Naruto and the others leave, Itachi made no move to stop them. His primary target was Tazuna, but Sasuke mattered more to him than anything else.
The two brothers locked eyes, and in the next moment, they both vanished from sight. Facing the demon who had slaughtered their parents and entire clan, Sasuke held nothing back. From the very beginning, he went all out, determined to kill his sworn enemy.
After locking onto Itachi’s position with his Sharingan, Sasuke created distance, formed hand seals, and shouted, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
In an instant, a massive fireball took shape and surged toward Itachi.
Itachi also formed hand seals and unleashed a fireball of the same scale. The two fireballs collided, exploding upon impact and turning the surrounding land into scorched earth.
Seeing that the Great Fireball Technique had no effect, Sasuke quickly changed his strategy.
He planned to set up a trap using kunai, wire, and explosive tags, but before he could complete it, Itachi saw through his plan.
Refusing to give up, Sasuke channeled his ocular power and launched a Sharingan genjutsu at Itachi. Seeing Sasuke use genjutsu, Itachi felt a hint of surprise but stood still, allowing Sasuke to cast the illusion. However, against the overwhelming difference in ocular power, Sasuke’s genjutsu had no effect on Itachi.
With his ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu all countered by Itachi, a sense of despair welled up in Sasuke’s heart. He regretted coming out here. If only he had trained a bit longer and raised his strength to the level of a jonin, he wouldn’t feel so powerless now.
Seeing the despair in Sasuke’s eyes, Itachi felt a sense of satisfaction. Although Sasuke’s strength didn’t match his own at that age, it was still commendable for his current stage.
If he could provide Sasuke with enough mental stimulation, Sasuke might awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan sooner than expected.
At this thought, Itachi slowly walked toward Sasuke, speaking in an emotionless tone, "Sasuke, you've disappointed me. I thought the lesson from that night would leave a deep impression on you, something you could never forget. I didn’t expect you to become complacent and forget what you’re supposed to do."
Hearing this, Sasuke gritted his teeth and said, "Itachi, who told you I’ve forgotten what happened that night? I can never forgive what you did. I’ve always wanted to tear you to pieces. But I’m curious, why didn’t you kill me back then?"
Itachi smiled faintly and replied, "Of course, to cultivate an opponent for me. I am a man of great vision among the Uchiha. I look forward to the day you grow strong enough to bring me new surprises."
Sasuke frowned and said, "It’s not that simple, is it? If that were the case, you wouldn’t have needed to kill our parents and the entire clan."
Itachi smirked with amusement, "I didn’t expect you to figure that out. But I never intended to hide it from you. I’ll tell you openly, I killed our father, mother, and the clan to push my Sharingan to a higher level. Only extreme pain can allow the Sharingan to evolve into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
After annihilating the clan, I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. The reason I spared you is simple, you possess something I need, something that can help me advance further.
Hate me with all your might. If you ever forget your hatred, I’ll come back and kill you."
Before Sasuke could respond, Itachi cast the Tsukuyomi technique on him. Watching Sasuke collapse to the ground, Itachi turned and left without looking back.
Sasuke reached out his hand, trying to grab Itachi, but he was already trapped in the genjutsu. Under the blood-red moon above, Sasuke became that child again, running home from school, only to find himself in a blood-soaked street. The once blurry memories grew clearer and clearer.
---
A few minutes later, Itachi caught up with Naruto and the others. Seeing Naruto holding a kunai with a serious expression, Itachi felt a dilemma.
According to his agreement with the Third Hokage, he couldn’t take action against Konoha, especially not against Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. But the orders he received from the masked man were to capture the Tailed Beasts.
This created a conflict. If he let this perfect opportunity slip, the masked man would undoubtedly grow suspicious, making it difficult for him to continue his undercover mission.
Should he abandon this mission for now and go support Kisame?
But he knew Kisame’s strength well. Kakashi-senpai’s abilities were at best evenly matched with Kisame’s. If Kisame accidentally defeated Kakashi, the village would lose an important asset.
With neither side willing to make the first move, the situation became somewhat stiff.
After a moment of silence, Naruto spoke up, "Itachi, what did you do to Sasuke?"
Itachi glanced at Naruto and said indifferently, "I cast a genjutsu on him, leaving him unconscious. Why? Are you worried about Sasuke? Are you asking his enemy about his well-being?"
Naruto’s expression shifted slightly. To him, Sasuke was indeed an important comrade. Unlike the hypocritical villagers and ninjas in the village, Sasuke shared a similar pain with him and was one of the few who treated him as an equal.
Seeing this, Itachi felt a pang of emotion.
Sasuke had found his own companions. It seemed the Third Hokage and Shisui had truly honored their agreement with him. The plan to nurture Sasuke was progressing steadily.
After this moment of reflection, Itachi decided to take action against Naruto. He could fail to capture Naruto for various reasons, but he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Otherwise, it would surely raise the masked man’s suspicions.
Just as Itachi was about to approach Naruto, a squad of Konoha ANBU intervened, standing between the two.
The sudden appearance of the ANBU shocked everyone present. After seeing the ANBU captain display his identification mark, Naruto and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
The ANBU captain stared at Itachi for a moment, then spoke in a complex tone, "Itachi, it’s been a long time. Unfortunately, this time we’re enemies."
Itachi also recognized the man and nodded, "It’s been a while, Yamato."
Itachi and Yamato had both served in Konoha ANBU. While they weren’t close, they had crossed paths a few times and knew each other’s identities and some of their abilities.
After the brief exchange, Yamato said to Itachi, "Itachi, I’ll give you two choices. Either I take you back to Konoha, or you leave now."
Itachi shook his head and said, "I have no intention of surrendering, nor do I plan to leave."
Hearing this, Yamato sighed and quickly formed hand seals, shouting, "Wood Style: Advent of a World of Trees!"
As the seals were completed, the ground split apart, and towering trees erupted from the earth, transforming the surrounding area into a dense forest.
After altering the terrain, Yamato didn’t rush to attack. Instead, he turned to Naruto and said:
"You kids, stop standing around. Get out of here quickly. I won’t be able to hold out for long. Escaping is up to you now. Even Wood Release isn’t a match for Itachi?!"
Sakura was utterly shocked. This was her first time witnessing Wood Release, but she was well aware of its legendary reputation. The First Hokage used Wood Release to bring peace to the warring era and end the Warring States period.
Yamato’s expression shifted, and he said, "My Wood Release isn’t as powerful as the First Hokage’s. Being able to delay Itachi for a while is the best I can do. Besides, having you kids around will only hinder my performance."
Naruto and Sakura looked embarrassed.
In high-level battles like this, they had become liabilities. But thinking about it, it made sense. In fights where the terrain could be altered so easily, they really couldn’t contribute much.
Outside the forest, facing the sudden Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees, Itachi felt a sense of relief. He had finally found a reason to let Naruto go. Although Yamato wasn’t very old, he had made a name for himself in the ninja world in recent years, earning the title "Wood Release Yamato."
If it weren’t for that monster, Shiroya, Yamato would arguably be the foremost Wood Release user in the ninja world. Pulling his thoughts back, Itachi focused on dealing with Yamato. He also wanted to test his skills against a top-tier ninja and see how much he had improved over the years.
Having resolved not to hold back, Itachi formed hand seals.
A massive fireball, five times larger than the previous one, took shape and hurtled toward the forest. The fireball exploded upon impact, igniting a raging inferno.
Based on the spread of the flames, the entire forest would be consumed in less than five minutes. However, to Itachi’s surprise, the flames extinguished themselves after spreading a certain distance. Yamato, hidden within the forest, had used a Water Release technique to douse the fire.
At this moment, Itachi remembered that Yamato wasn’t just a master of Wood Release, he was also skilled in Water Release.
With Wood Release and Water Release complementing each other, Fire Release could no longer serve as Wood Release’s weakness. Additionally, Wood Release’s inherent sealing and genjutsu effects made breaking through the Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees extremely challenging.
No wonder Yamato had gained such a formidable reputation in the ninja world in just a few years.
The First Hokage’s kekkei genkai and techniques were truly overpowered, making him a well-rounded fighter with no apparent weaknesses.
That said, if Itachi really wanted to break through the Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees, it wasn’t impossible.
While Wood Release was powerful, his Mangekyō Sharingan’s Susanoo could brute-force its way through. If he used Susanoo to charge into the forest, Yamato wouldn’t be able to stop him. But Susanoo was a trump card reserved for dealing with the masked man. He couldn’t afford to reveal it so easily.
Moreover, using the Mangekyō Sharingan came at a cost. Excessive use of its ocular power in a short time could lead to blindness, rendering him completely sightless.
---
After fleeing twice in a row, Naruto felt a deep sense of defeat.
After defeating the rogue ninjas earlier, he had been somewhat smug, thinking that even though he was just a genin, his strength was already at the level of a jonin.
He believed the only reason he hadn’t been promoted to jonin was his age. Once he passed the Chunin Exams, became a chunin team leader, and gained the authority to lead missions independently, he would quickly rise to jonin. Then, through a series of impressive feats, he would become the next Hokage.
But he never expected that his first mission outside the village would bring him face-to-face with monsters like Itachi and Kisame, plunging him into an endless chase.
Who were Itachi and Kisame?
They were among the elite of the elite, even among jonin, and their strength was on par with the Five Kage.
Facing such enemies, Naruto wanted to fight back, but his body wouldn’t obey. He lacked the courage to even engage in combat, something even Sasuke had managed to do.
If his life’s goal was merely to survive, then retreating would be understandable.
But his dream was to become Hokage. A Hokage couldn’t run away forever. Retreating once or twice might be excusable, but doing so repeatedly was nothing but cowardice.
As Naruto was lost in these thoughts, Sakura and Tazuna let out a startled cry.
Naruto frowned, wondering why Sakura and Tazuna were making such a commotion. They were supposed to be escaping, and making noise would only increase the risk of being discovered.
"Naruto... another ninja has found us," Sakura said.
Hearing this, Naruto slowly turned to look in the direction of Sakura and Tazuna. Standing on a tree branch not far away was a masked ninja, gazing down at them with an imposing presence.
This ninja had strikingly vibrant hair and remained silent and motionless.
Yet, just by standing there, he exuded an overwhelming pressure that weighed heavily on Naruto and the others.
Comments
SnowFairyAsuna
Tazuna shouldn't be referring to it as The Great Naruto Bridge yet. Also, I believe Shiroya should be Byakuya
